Wednesday, February 29, 2012
John Casablancas Oakbrook Parent Reviews: JC Modeling and Acting Parent Review
John Casablancas Oakbrook Parent Reviews: JC Modeling and Acting Parent Review: CALEB HAGER JC Chicago made all the difference for our son. Without JC Chicago Caleb would have never had the skill or courage to charge ...
JC Modeling and Acting Parent Review
CALEB HAGER
JC Chicago made all the difference for our son.
Without JC Chicago Caleb would have never had the skill or courage to charge into an acting career. It was exactly what we needed as parents to get him started to know who to trust and where to start. After a successful week at IMTA New York and 40 callbacks Caleb had the opportunity to choose which agent was best for him. Within a couple of weeks he had an agent in Chicago and Los Angeles.
Since then he has been on the Jonas Brothers, The Middle, The lead in a music video, the lead in a short film that just premiered at the LA shorts film festival and much more. He has really become the person he was meant to be and really grown as an actor. He has a few movie offers on the table now and the sky is the limit for his career! Thanks so much to Carmela and JC Chicago for all you did to start us off with the right foundation.
I have learned over and over that in this industry it comes down to who you know and JC Chicago knows the right people to connect you with! This is a hard industry to break into so start with every advantage possible!
Jadie Hager
PRESLEY CARLSON
Dear Carmela and the JC Team,
JUDAEA BROWN
John Casablancas has been such an inspiration and influence in Judaea’s life. In the summer of 2009, she was picked to attend the International Modeling & Talent Association (IMTA) in New York City. During her week long stay in the Big Apple, she received numerous awards, Child Actor of the Year Honorable Mention; Commercial Print Winner and Monologue Winner. All of her training for that week was courtesy of John Casablancas and I must say one of the most educational experiences of her life. The training, support and criticism she received was immeasurable, as a parent I am so glad that my daughter was able to be a part of such a fantastic experience.
- Beginning in September, 2011, she will star in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific, Based on The Lincoln Center Theater Production, she will be playing the role of Ngana. She recently starred in Macbeth as Macduff’s oldest daughter at the Lyric Opera House, Chicago. She also starred in Fantasea as the Little Girl at the John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago.
- Judaea starred in two short films, The Package as Mercedes for Noise Makers Entertainment and The Christmas Tree as Rasheeda for Columbia College
- Judaea has also starred in a Steak & Shake commercial with the Cheering Crowd.
- In summer 2010, Judaea received her First Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo.
- Thank you, Judaea Brown
JEREMIAH GARCIA
-Marisol Garcia
Gabrianna Alfano
To Whom It May Concern:
In all honesty, I was very skeptical of JC when I first signed my daughter. I knew nothing about this industry and was worried it was a scam. I thought if someone in this industry wanted money from you that it wasn’t legit. That whole statement couldn’t be more wrong, in this case. I quickly learned that JC is a school and not just any school, a highly respected school by this industry. And just like anyone in any career, it is curial to attend classes and seminars to help further and polish your skills. I also quickly learned that JC is an investment in my daughter’s future and this was the best decision I could have made to start my daughter’s career and helping her achiever her dreams.
My daughter loves JC and I love watching her grow and polish her acting and modeling skills. The directors, coaches, and instructors are amazing. They show true professionalism and true genuine care towards her. My experience with JC has been nothing but positive.
Thanks to JC my daughter now knows how to present herself at an audition with confidence and poise. Because of JC she now has several offers from highly respected managers and agencies from Chicago, New York, and LA. We are currently looking forward to spending several months in LA this winter. I am internally grateful to JC for everything they have done. Thank you JC!
Sincerely,
Dana Alfano
(Mother of Gabrianna Alfano)
JASMINE BINDER
My daughter Jasmine had been bugging my wife Jenny and I for over a year about a commercial on television. This commercial was asking the kids that were watching if they would like to be on their favorite television show or even be just like their favorite child actor and actress on television that they should have their parents call this phone number for an audition. Well, after almost six months of Jasmine pleading with Jenny and me to make the call I finally broken down and took a chance
When it comes to your children you are always very protective so when I started to talk to the individual on the phone I was a little apprehensive, but within a very short time she was able to put some of my concerns at ease. I always try to stay in touch with a lot of things that go on so when I found out that the acting and modeling classes were through John Casablancas I knew we were at least heading in a good direction. We set up an appointment early the next week to sit down and meet with the education director Brigitte. One of the first things that were brought up in our discussion was Jasmine’s schooling. Brigitte was very adamant that one of the stipulations of JC School was that all of their students must have an above average grade in the school and that if there was any signs that they were slipping in the education that JC classes would have to be reevaluated. This was one thing that was very important for Jenny and I, that Jasmine still would continue to put schooling first and that JC also felt the same way. Brigitte was very thorough and answered all of our questions that we had and was able to relieve even more uneasiness from Jenny and I. When we left that evening we had signed on for 20 weeks of acting and modeling classes through John Casablancas.
The week before Jasmine’s classes started we met with the school’s director, Carmela, who we could tell really seemed to care about all of the kids in the school and most importantly to us, Jasmine. Over the next several months Jasmine would go once a week to classes on a Saturday under the guidance of her teacher Ms. Christina. Jasmine had a lot of fun in the classes not only in acting with the kids, but Jenny and I could see the change in Jasmine as she seemed to gain more confidence in herself. Right around Thanksgiving the talk in the school turned to an upcoming competition in Los Angeles that January, called IMTA, International Modeling and Talent Association.
Once again Jenny and I were leery about a competition involving the kids mostly because at that time Jasmine was only turning 7 years old at the end of December. After talking with Ms. Christina and Carmela and even the rest of the parents, we decided to give Los Angeles a chance. Even though the trip was very expensive Jenny and I would not have changed our minds about going after we saw what transpired.
Jasmine had a tremendous time competing in all of the events and what Jenny and I really liked was how extremely professional everything was run especially when are dealing with kids of this age. It was a very busy week, but once again Jasmine’s teachers during the week were terrific. Ms. Katrell and Ms. Butthead along with Carmela had an extreme amount of patience, not only with the kids, but also with the parents. I guess the teachers at JC knew what they were talking about when it came to Jasmine, especially Ms. Maggie, because at the end of the competitions, Jasmine came away with seven trophies, including Commercial Print of the Year and the winner for the Jeans Competition in her age group. Before the competition began, Jenny and I talked to Jasmine and tried to reassure her that this competition is with kids from across the country and if you don’t win anything just make sure that you have fun. After the competition was over we realized then that John Casablancas had prepared these kids. excellently and not only did they have fun, but they were the best prepared and the most professional group of competitors in the competition throughout the week.
Near the end of the week the kids were able to “network” and meet many agents and, managers that are in the business that might be able to launch their careers. When you go through this day and talk to all of these people and try to have your child impress everyone in the room with their talents you come away with a throbbing headache. You wonder how anything in this room could be accomplished! Looking back on this day, now seven months removed, this was a very important day in Jasmine’s life as an actress/model.
John Casablanca’s school has provided Jasmine with numerous opportunities with meeting a wide variety of influential people in the entertainment field. Because of all of these opportunities Jasmine now has a manager based out of Los Angeles looking for acting roles in movies, television and commercials. In addition, Jasmine also has two agents based out of Chicago seeking out print work in the industry for her. Starting January 2012, Jasmine will be representing American Girl on their website and possibly print catalogs for the next two years. Without John Casablancas, this opportunity would not have been possible for Jasmine.
Jasmine’s acting/modeling career now rests in her hands as far as dedication and hard work that she puts into it going forward. No matter what happens down the road, Jasmine will always have these wonderful memories of competing on stage and learning form a great group of teachers. Jenny and I will always be very thankful knowing how much Jasmine was able to learn and if another worried set of parents come up to us asking for advice concerning their “budding little actor or actress” Jenny and I, and especially Jasmine, would not hesitate in sending them to a very professional and caring school in Oakbrook, John Casablancas.
Sincerely,
Michael, Jenny & Jasmine Binder.
In December, 2010 we answered a television ad for an audition with John Casablancas, because my son Jacob said he wanted to be a comic actor. He began classes at JC-Chicago in January, 2011. It was a most fortunate thing for him to do, and set off a wonderful series of events.
Jacob loved his teachers at JC. And JC provided the opportunity to audition for Hollywood talent agents and managers and to become a part of IMTA, the International Modeling and Talent Association. These opportunities provide access to real top agents and managers that can make your child’s career. We were fortunate that Jacob was immediately noticed and was included in IMTA. As a result of JC auditions and IMTA competitions Jacob received callbacks, the ability to set up meetings with agents/managers if we were to visit LA. We took advantage of this shortly after the NYC IMTA at the beginning of August. We decided to go to LA to leverage the callbacks, meet new people, and try to understand what were facing if Jacob’s wishes for an acting career came true.
All of the agents/managers that we met in LA acknowledged that JC-Chicago and Carmela know kids. Many of the best kids at IMTA come from JC-Chicago. The fact that JC provides frequent auditions gets kids comfortable with the audition process, and they receive that requisite training to make the auditions productive.
Jacob and I spent 10 days in LA and met with 6 talent and management agencies. Everyone expressed an interest in signing him. One of the agencies recommended Jacob to a casting director for a new show on Disney, and Jacob auditioned for the role on our last day in LA. We left LA with an agent. This was far beyond our wildest expectations. Since then Jacob has booked a part in a play at Provision Theater. None of this would have been possible without John Casablancas-Chicago and the IMTA.
Scott Becker
ELIJAH KELLY
Dear John Casablancas of Chicago,
I wanted to take some time to write you a letter to tell you how wonderful our experience has been with JC. My son, Elijah K., began classes in September 2009. Since then he has had multiple opportunities that have resulted in wonderful, lifetime memories and experiences. I’m positive that regardless of how far Elijah goes in “stardom”, he will forever remember this time of his life. As well, he will be able to use the skills he is taught and learns plus his experiences wherever his life may take him.
Elijah has taken many classes with many teachers in his time so far at JC. h e has been able to enjoy both acting and modeling classes which has given him the chance to fully take part of what JC offers. Elijah has, of course, learned the techniques of acting and modeling. However, he has also learned how to deal with different personalities, how to handle his own frustrations of how to communicate what he thinks and feels to another who doesn’t see it from his perspective, and how to get over those little butterflies that rise up just before an audition (thankfully he’s never experienced extreme nervousness and now never should).
We have had some fantastic experiences so far in our JC adventure. Elijah and I attended IMTA in Los Angeles in January of 2010. That was so much fun and for certain something that we will both remember for a very long time. In fact, we hope to be able to attend IMTA in New York before his 3 years of schooling we signed up for ends. Elijah has been able to audition for a multitude of casting agents via auditions as well as attend Actors Workshops set up by JC. In addition, Elijah has gone on several auditions outside of JC thanks to Carmela informing us of such great opportunities. His favorite outside audition was for the role of Oskar in “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.” Elijah has even signed only recently with Baker & Rowley Talent Agency. They called to audition him after receiving Elijah’s headshot and resume from Carmela.
John Casablancas has helped Elijah grow in so many ways that they will forever have an imprint on who he is as he becomes a man. They have helped develop his understanding of himself, given him an outlet for anxiety in his life, shown him that he controls who he is and what he does, and most of all, they have believed in him. JC Chicago has been a gift Elijah and to me. I only wish I had found them 3 years earlier when I first started looking for a place like this for Elijah.
Thank you for believing in and supporting Elijah Thomas Kelly. Keep watching, JC, he’s going places and you are a part of that destiny.
Grateful for the JC Team,
Jenni R. Evans, Mom
TAYLOR CATENACCI
Dear JC,
I am writing this letter on the day of my daughter’s 10 week graduation. She still has 10 weeks to go, but I am impressed with how far she has come. Our daughter has been dancing competitively for years, but has always struggled with talking in front of others. In school, while she had good grades she would always get comments or marked down for talking so quietly.
Since taking classes at John Casablancas, Taylor has gained confidence and her self-esteem has increased. She attended her first day of high school last week with minimal anxiety. She is talking to people she had not previously met and is off to a great start.
Taylor has enjoyed her classes with her coach, Mr. Nick, and we are excited to see what the next 10 weeks brings. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Kathy Catenacci
(Taylor’s mom)
TAYLOR MUILLO
Dear Mr. Masny,
Our daughter, Taylor, was so excited when she was accepted to attend John Casablancas modeling center. Although she has only been a student for three months, she has already gained confidence and poise. She absolutely loves going to class! The staff at JC has been very supportive and understanding of what it takes to make it in the business.
We are so happy Taylor is at John Casablancas!
Sincerely,
Nick and Debbie Murillo
TRINITY ROSA
Dear Rob,
My daughter, Trinity, started in March 2011 with Hobby I. She loves working with JC and interacting with the other children. She has had previous experience in front of an audience and her confidence has always been pretty solid. One asset she came in the door with is her ability to memorize her lines relatively quickly. However, the technique she’s learned at JC has boosted her confidence even more. She values the feedback given by both Ms. Christina and Ms. Maggie. She’s learned, and continues to work on her pace and enunciation.
Trinity has always been very independent and hard working. JC has provided her an outlet for her creativity while doing what she loves. She completed her resume the same evening we’d signed up! She takes it very seriously and JC supports her focus.
Overall, JC has provided Trinity with an outlet for her creativity and experience with what’s expected in her chosen industry.
Sincerely,
Taffy Davis Rosa
OLIVIA CAPUSAN
To Whom It May Concern:
I am a parent of an aspiring actress. My daughter, Olivia, came to John Casablancas Chicago in December 2011. She came with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn about acting. John Casablancas welcomed her in the same way, with a positive attitude and a willingness to help her learn about acting. The staff was very welcoming and professional, from the recruiting staff, front desk secretary, to the teachers and acting coaches. My daughter learned the importance of having a positive self-image, good self esteem and how to act in a professional manner. The classes at John Casablancas were wonderful, helping her gain confidence in herself and in her ability to present herself well. The classes taught her important acting lessons, and helped her improve her public speaking ability. She is much more outgoing since attending JC Chicago. She enjoyed attending classes with peers her age, interacting, making new friends, and having fun.
She loved her acting coach, Mr. Nick! She enjoyed going on auditions and meeting some wonderful, helpful casting agents and others. It was well worth the investment, as she successfully was able to book auditions in LA recently. She is a much more confident, outgoing girl, who enjoys meeting others. She learned so much about acting from John Casablancas. I appreciate the help the staff there has provided, even when her acting classes were finished. They are always willing to help you child be successful! Thank you to John Casablancas for a wonderful experience.
Sincerely,
Lynette Capusan
KELSEY EVANS
To All the Wonderful Members of John Casablancas,
My daughter Kelsey was lucky enough to participate in your program. Her instructor for 20 weeks was Miss Maggie. Kelsey loved her. Miss Maggie took a special interest in Kelsey and got to know her on a personal level. Miss Maggie was able to bring out Kelsey’s creativity and allowed her talents to show through. By working outside of her comfort zone, Miss Maggie helped Kelsey to be a better public speaker, have confidence in herself, become more spontaneous, and take pride in her acting. They worked very well together and I am grateful for the positive influence that she instilled in Kelsey.
Kelsey was involved with the JC talent show in which Miss Keia helped her to perform her skit with confidence, poise and charm. Miss Keia was great and Kelsey commented several times about how she knew how to make people laugh and have a good time while learning the tricks of the trade
We were invited to attend IMTA in New York. This was extremely exciting and Kelsey began to work with another amazing JC instructor, Miss Kaley. I noticed that Miss Kaley also had a positive influence on Kelsey. They had a great time together and Kelsey learned how to carry herself when meeting agents and managers. One of the greatest obstacles for Kelsey was cold reads which Miss Kaley helped her to conquer. They had a great deal of fun in each and every class.
For the moment, Kelsey is finishing high school and has been in several Community Productions, all of which she had leading roles. Again I attribute her success in the leading roles to the spectacular instruction from JC. in the upcoming months Kelsey will be auditioning for her high school play and for Show Choir. I’m confident that she will do well. The New York Conservatory has been in contact with Kelsey and has received a partial scholarship for their summer program if we so choose to accept it.
In summary both Miss Kaley and Miss Maggie did a marvelous job in preparing Kelsey for the real acting world. The John Casablancas organization is a wonderful program for those looking to become someone in the performing arts career. The organization is also responsible for introducing Kelsey to other talented young adults which she now considers life long friends.
Thank you for all you have done for Kelsey and her dreams in becoming a star.
Peace,
Debbie Evans
RYAN HUGHES
Hi “Mz K”, just wanted to say thank you for every courtesy you extended Ryan and me. It was an experience she will not soon forget. It made such a difference in her life. She is so humbled and appreciative. While in the cab on the way to the airport, this cutie-pie driver complimented her on her beauty and spirit – and asked if she modeled, and told her how things were going to open-up for her, and wished her the best! He kept driving for awhile, and then all of a sudden he said with such concern in his voice, “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” I said, “What???” I looked, and she had crocodile tears. I asked why she was crying…she said she just felt so blessed! And everything she’s experienced just hit her all of a sudden. She is determined to make it big in the industry! That took my breath away. Thank you Ms. K. You are a big part of that. THANK YOU! You are sorely needed in this industry. Thank you for showing my daughter love. Thank you for being you!
TJ Hughes
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