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...
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...