Style and strength, now that is a combination that rocks and you will be hard pressed to find a more rocking person than Erika Larva. Erika along with business associate Liz Walsh, are the driving force behind Monarch Events Group, which along with their incredible team, have been behind the fashion show production of LG Fashion Week in Toronto. To meet Erika is to meet love personified, there is just something about this woman that leaves you with the same feeling as a fresh shower on a hot summer’s day. KA — Do you think that love is an important factor in the building of a career in entertainment? EL — Absolutely! It is not the easiest industry to penetrate so you might have to work that much harder and perhaps wait longer to find your success. I firmly believe that everything meaningful in life happens because of the love and passion you feel for somethingor someone. KA — How important is it for you to connect with your clients, while creating a project? EL — It is imperative to connect with each client so that one can understand the client’s vision, to know their objectives and who the target audience is. I don’t’ produce cookie cutter shows, my mandate is to produce dynamic experiences that unify brand with product, to infuse life into the client’s vision KA — What has been your most satisfying creative project so far? EL — I enjoy all projects we take on and I have to be creative all the time, but the most challenging shows are the more theatrical ones with a story to tell.I was thrilled and honored to have been asked to produce the L’Oreal Paris’100 Years of Beauty and the FDCC meets Stratford Theatre , both shows presented opening...
Singer/songwriter Ashley King’s journey to her debut album “Love Revolution” was full of ups and downs. This album, 4 years in the making, has seen this 23 year old artist grow from strength to strength. How did it take four years to make an album? Well, it seems this artist made a first album two years ago, but her range continued to grow at such a rapid pace, that she felt she needed to continue creating until the vibe was right, and until it clearly became “Ashley King”. Ashley’s sound has been described as a young Sade— but not necessarily in the vocal delivery (which in her case ranges from strong and heart wrenching as in the song “Love Revolution” to soft and seductive like the track “Never had a love like that”). This album is definitely not about having a single track that catches you, while the rest just hangs on for the ride. Ashley gives us all that she has, but leaves us knowing she still has plenty more where that came from....
Ayo is the child of a gypsy mother who passed on her love of travel, and a Nigerian father who raised her from the age of 14, and from whom she inherited her love for music. She was destined to be what she is today: a soul-full artist. With a silky haunting voice, the debut single “Down on my knees” propelled “Joyful” to sell over 750,000 copies worldwide.Ayo’s second collection of 13 songs “Gravity at Last”, continues the vibe of it’s predecessor, — deep and sensual,the songs are food for the ears. Even though this album is more musically diverse, the common theme remains love....
Luo Hong is a man passionate about the environment and Man’s relationship with wildlife. Armed with his camera, he travels to Africa capturing images of wildlife in the hopes of raising awareness on our connected and shared destinies. He was named “Climate Hero” by the United Nations Environment Program. The story of Luo Hong is the stuff that movies are made of. Born in 1967, Luo Hong at the age of 16, dropped out of school to start a photography business, taking pictures and selling landscape images of rural Sichuan. This business did not work out for the young photographer, so he then decided to start a small bakery shop in 1992. The interesting part of the story occurs when in 2000, Luo Hong founded a moon cake factory in Shenyang, but to only 1 year later take it down and build a new one. He felt that the old factory did not match international sanitary standards, so he invested 50 million yuan (6.7 million US) to rebuild and meet the international standards of the pharmaceutical industry. This act of business conscience made Holiland Bakery the “last man standing” after the scare to follow a short while after when bakeries across&n bsp;China were shut down after the crack down on sanitation....
KA -— What is the thing you like the most about modeling? IP — My favorite aspect about modeling has to be the different characters that I project. When I step out on the set, it has nothing to do with ‘me’ anymore. It is about becoming this other woman with her own story. I love taking on different roles and switching my mind-set. This to me, is very fascinating. KA — What is the biggest change that has occurred in your life, and how are you different today? IP — I try to always live my life in the present moment. Every day there are different obstacles. You are constantly faced with changes in your life that you have no control over. You must adjust to these changes, you simply have to adapt to them and accept them. I have overcome many problems that made me who I am today. Many times, I’m faced with negativity, but I don’t let it get the best of me because there is always a lesson that is learnt which allows me to make smarter choices in the future. KA — If you had to choose between modeling and acting, what would it be? IP — I would do both. They are both very much alike yet different at the same time. In modeling, you are a silent beauty talking with your eyes and your body language… People are always left wondering who this woman really is. In acting, your character is scripted and you evolve on that… People warm up to that person portrayed or not. At the end of the day, both require you to step into a certain character that is not yourself. KA — As models are so visible these days and girls are being introduced to this industry at such a...