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Alycia Kaback Would Like to Thank Stephan DeAngelis for His Help Making The VIP Talent Connect Summit a Success

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The IT Factor, Stephen DeAngelis, VIP Talent Connect Summits, Nikki BlonskyAlycia Kaback and everyone at VIP is grateful for the indispensable role Stephen DeAngelis played in putting together the September 17th VIP Talent Connect Summit.  Stephen DeAngelis is currently on staff at Grey Worldwide and has cast over 3000 network television and radio commercials for such advertisers as Olive Garden, Red Lobster, E*TRADE, Cover Girl, Pantene, Advil, Robitussin, Downy and others . He was also the Casting Director for the 6 X Emmy Award nominated Playhouse Disney series “Johnny and the Sprites” which was seen on the Disney Channel. His work has been seen in New York and regionally in over 300 theatrical productions for the John W. Engeman Theater at Northport, York Theatre Company, Musicals Tonight!, Bushnell Center for thge Performing Arts, The Signature Theatre, The Drama League, Casa Manana, North Shore Music Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, Candlewood Playhouse, Connecticut Repertory, Syracuse Stage, Stage One, Studio Arena Theatre, American Stage Company, GeVa Theatre, Starlight Theatre of Kansas City and The St. Louis Municipal Opera (The MUNY) as well as numerous festival showcases, workshops and staged readings. He also cast the 25th Anniversary National Tour of Hair. He served as Casting Director/Talent Executive for the World AIDS Day All-Star Concert Revivals of Pippin and The Secret Garden. Film credits include “Thanksgiving”, which was selected for the Tribeca Film Festival. A proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Stephen directed and choreographed Little Shop of Horrors in 2008 as well as countless productions of Godspell in major cities across the country.  He is also Producing Artistic Director and Host of At This Performance…, a Concert series which has showcased the talents of almost 600 Broadway and Off-Broadway Standbys and Understudies in events in New York City and across the United States and which is currently being developed as a feature length documentary. He has produced numerous concerts nationwide featuring a multitude of Broadway stars including many Tony Award winners and nominees as well as Nikki Blonsky, Frenchie Davis, Diana DeGarmo, Lea Michele and Jenna Ushkowitz. He was the first Producing Artistic Director of the Shawnee Playhouse in the Poconos and staged over 30 productions there.

Thank you, Stephen– The VIP Talent Connect Summit would not have been the hit it was with out you. — Alycia Kaback

CEO Alycia Kaback’s VIP Talent Connect Summit Featured 5-Time Billboard Winner Valerie Smaldone

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The IT Factor Not a Scam, Valerie Smaldone, Billboard winnerAlycia Kaback is proud to have Valerie share her expertise again and again at the VIP Talent Connect Summits.  Valerie Smaldone is a 5-time Billboard Magazine Award winner and is well known for her unprecedented success, holding the #1 on air position in the New York radio market. She has hosted, produced, and created numerous nationally syndicated programs featuring in-depth interviews with top recording artists such as Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Phil Collins, and Mariah Carey, among others.

Her talk show Valerie’s New York, the first originally produced internet radio show for WOR’s internet station, www.wor710.com, and can be heard weekdays from 11 am to noon hosting and producing a lifestyle, theater, food, New York oriented radio program.

Valerie can be heard on a variety of commercials and television promos. Her voice has been featured on NBC, CBS, Lifetime, among many other channels, as well as on The Boomer Esiason Show, and on hundreds of spots including IBM, Verizon and Apple. Most recently she has been the “Voice of God” for many prestigious live events including: The Kennedy Center, The Clinton Global Initiative, The New York Emmy Awards, The Tony Preview Concert on CBS, Broadway on Broadway in Times Square, Broadway Under the Stars in Central Park, The GLAAD Media Awards, The Point Foundation, and many more.

As president of Two Sides of A Coin, a live event production company, Valerie has produced dozens of live shows including: A Ray of Hope: An evening with Ray Romano, to raise funds for ovarian cancer research, Cyndi Lauper’s Broadway Welcome Party, An Intimate Evening with Phoebe Snow, ‘One Wicked Night with Stephen Schwartz’ and numerous live, on stage interviews with compelling celebrities and personalities like author Mary Higgins Clark, foodie Gael Greene and Broadway star James Barbour.

Valerie was also host of Alycia Kaback’s Women’s Empowerment Summit this past summer, where she was an inspiration to all of the young women who attended.  It is truly a gift to receive the advice and influence of this accomplished woman.  Everyone at VIP Talent Connect always looks forward to seeing Valerie.

Alycia Kaback Presents The IT Factor Success Story Zack Yanni

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Alycia Kaback, Zack YanniZack has recently sent us an email with some exciting news!  He booked a ING Bank Commercial along with 12 other VIP Talent members and will be working on the Sex and the City 2 Movie!

Here is what Zack had to say:

 

Hello VIP Talent Connect Family,

 

I would like to inform you that Kristian Sorge picked myself and twelve other VIP Talent Connect members for the new ING Bank commercial.

 

We shot the commercial in Newark, NJ and it was a lot of fun and was a great networking opportunity. This week I will be working on SEX & THE CITY 2. Thank you so much for giving us the information about the open call.

 

I have attached my picture when I was in line with over 5000 actors. I got called back. God is Great. Its not about luck but about Faith in God and Confidence in yourself plus when I told the Sex and the City casting director who I knew from the VIP Talent Connect event he was very impressed and this edge helped me and the other VIP Talent Connect members land the role.

 

The “luck” stigma just reduce the motivation and kill the desire to achieve your dream. I can not tell you how much this has changed my life.

 

Also, I’m planning my first trip to LA this month in order to extend the network of people I know, this trip will be from the advice and guidance of Mr Tim Greene again from VIP Talent Connect. Thank you so much for all the help and connections that you provide us. I never expected my first 6 months to be that awesome and be SAG Eligible. Thanks to every industry person involved with VIP for all the advice and support they have given. I love you all.

 

Best Regards,

 

Zack Yanni

VIP Talent Connect Member!

Alycia Kaback and The IT Factor Advise– Please Be Careful!

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Alycia Kaback The IT Factor ScamFinding acting and modeling jobs on the internet can be very dangerous.  Many of the jobs on sites like Craigslist are fake– most are money scams or just waste of time, but some can be life threatening.  A recent story on CNN is particularly alarming.  It tells of a woman, Michelle Marie Gopaul, who put an advertisement on craigslist for a casting call looking for infants to be in a new film.  Gopaul allegedly ran away with a one month old baby after the parents allowed her to go into separate room with the child– something a parent should never allow. Generally legitimate jobs are not posted on sites like craigslist because real productions turn to agencies and management companies to find qualified people to fill the roles.  This is a prime example of why it is so important to have the right connections.  VIP Talent Connect events put talent right in front of real casting directors and agencies, so aspiring actors and models never have to resort to looking for work in illegitamate places.  For more information click here. 

Alycia Kaback Presents L’Oreal’s Jym Benzing- A Past Guest on The IT Factor

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Jym Benzing, The IT FactorVIP Talent Connect guest speaker Jym Benzing is the casting director for L’Oreal placing models for Redken, Maybelline, Pureology, and other well-known brands.  As a former television actor and serial standup comedian Jym knows the industry from many angles.  Recently Jym was interviewed by LookBooks where he divulged inside information about the future of the modeling industry and had some really great insights that would be great advice for aspiring models.  He answers questions like: what’s the biggest mistake a model can make during casting, and what’s the best way to stay “in the know?”   Read the full interview here.

Want more great advice from Jym Benzing?  Attend a VIP Talent Connect Event!  For more information click here.