Monday, July 26, 2010

IMTA is Off to a Great Start!


The 2010 New York IMTA is off to a great start! Today, we began our modeling and talent competitions with Team Singing, Team Dance and Team Fashion! The Contestants looked and performed beautifully! To see all of our live coverage, please follow @IMTA !

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Everybody Loves Katie!


People Magazine reports,"The Girl Scouts have got nothing on Katie Holmes! This is one sweet girl who comes armed with the best cookies in the world, according to the cast and crew of The Extra Man, who gushed about the actress's sweet ways at the movie's New York premiere on Monday. 'Katie Holmes is so much fun and really down to earth,' director Shari Springer Berman told PEOPLE on the red carpet. 'She bought cookies for everybody on the set one day. And they were the best cookies I ever had.'"

All of us at IMTA always knew Katie was sweet! She competed at IMTA in 1993 and 1995!

You can read a darling letter Katie Holmes sent us from the IMTA Archives right here exclusively on THAT IMTA BLOG!

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IMTA Spotlights...
Feature Film and Television Star
Katie Holmes...

Katie Holmes attended the IMTA New York Convention in July '95. She signed with Onorato/Guillod Entertainment and was cast in the Ang Lee feature film, The Ice Storm with Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver and IMTA discovery Elijah Woods, which is slated for a summer release. Katie has recently been cast in the lead role in a new television series "Dawson's Creek" which will air this fall. We have just received the following letter from her and felt it was so incredible that we wanted to share it:

"For years I have spent some time sitting in front of the television from 7:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. listening intently to John Tesh and Mary Hart inform me about which star was filming what new movie, who was dating who, and who was the rising new actor or actress. Hollywood and its numerous success stories seemed extremely far away and definitely from a world that I would never come into contact with.

On July 23, 1995 my life changed. This particular Sunday evening, I found myself in the New York Hilton for the International Modeling and Talent Association Convention. I was sitting in one of the ballrooms reciting a monologue in front of about 50 other contestants, as well as Al Onorato, David Guillod and Bobby Moresco, the men who were conducting this seminar on "Prepare to Compete". After I had finished, Al and Bobby offered some direction and had me alter it a little. I used my nervous anxiety to help me become more intense and, following my second performance, I felt elated. It was clear to me that something very special occurred in that ballroom that evening.

About six months later, I found myself in the Los Angeles office of Al Onorato, rehearsing an audition piece for the Ang Lee, film The Ice Storm. David, Al and Bobby had become my business managers following that memorable convention and encouraged me to audition in Los Angeles during the 6-week pilot season. Instead of viewing Hollywood on my T.V., I was there. Being in that untouchable world, experiencing the life of a beginning actress, was surreal. Suddenly this strange path of life seemed so normal. I love it.

My experience grew even more unbelievable. On May 21, 1996 I found myself in a trailer on Park Avenue in New York City, getting my hair and make-up done in order to transform myself into a teenager from 1973. I was anxiously waiting to begin filming The Ice Storm. Suddenly, I was part of Hollywood. I was then inside the walls of the business instead of remaining a curious outsider gazing in, struggling to discover what exactly takes place on the inside. I found myself chatting with actors whom I had read about for several years. After receiving directions by the highly acclaimed Hollywood director, Ang Lee, and talking to Kevin Kline for a substantial amount of time, it was time to begin becoming a professional actress.

My rather eventful and definitely memorable year provided me with such valuable life-long lessons that will forever remain a part of me. Fortunately, I was able to work with extremely focused, conscientious people who are completely unconcerned with the Hollywood myth. They work hard at their jobs and then retreat home to their families. I discovered that the Hollywood portrayed on Entertainment Tonight of exciting parties, premieres, galas, etc. is a distortion. The Hollywood I came into contact with is one of extremely talented people who spend their time participating in acting workshops, auditions, films, etc. in order to perfect their craft. The highly respected actors and directors are solely concerned with their work and concentrate on ways to improve. Although "Tinsletown" continues to be a mystery to all and several have benefited from the fortunate fate that seems to occur only in Hollywood, it remains to be true that even in Hollywood, those who diligently work hard are the people who achieve true and long-lasting success."

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Are you interested in competing at IMTA and seeing if you have what it takes to be a model, actor, singer or dancer? Please fill out our IMTA Information Request Form and browse our list of upcoming local searches.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Riley Smith on Leverage!

Riley Smith, IMTA Junior Male Model of the Year 1997, just tweeted: "Thats right guys! cats out of the bag! Im doing an episode of #Leverage! Im really stoked. Its nice to be doing a show that I actually watch".



IMTA INSIDER INFO: Riley was roommates with Ashton Kutcher in New York City when they were both competing at IMTA! Riley has been busy working in television and movies since his IMTA. Riley has appeared in many notable television shows and films including: Drive, 7th Heaven, Freaks and Geeks, Gideon's Crossing, Boston Public, CSI: Miami, 24, Radio, Eight Legged Freaks, Weapons, New York Minute and the thriller Gallowwalkers. He is also very musically talented and has released great CD's with his band The Life of Riley! You can listen their songs on The Life of Riley official band MySpace.

Riley and The Life of Riley are scheduled to perform at the upcoming New York, 2010 IMTA and it promises to be a highlight of the week! Check out this great video to get a look at how great Riley and his band are!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Vote for IMTA Alums for Teen Choice Awards!

The nominees for the 2010 Teen Choice Awards are out and five IMTA alumni are nominated! Please vote for:
Jessica Biel for Choice Movie: Hissy Fit and Choice Female Hottie from Valentine's Day!
Ashley Greene for Choice Movie: Female Scene Stealer for The Twilight Saga: New Moon!
Eva Longoria for Choice Activist and Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon-Female!
Ashton Kutcher and Josh Duhamel are competing once again. This time for Choice Movie Actor: Romantic Comedy- Josh for When in Rome and Ashton for Valentine's Day!
Ashton Kutcher Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon-Male and Choice Twit!
You can vote for each of your IMTA faves once each day. The winners will be announced August 9th on Fox!

ALL of these A-list celebs got their start at an IMTA Convention! For information about competing at IMTA, please visit our official site!

Check out the video below to see Ashton and Josh when they first competed against other in 1997 at IMTA!



Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Ashley Greene Presenting at ESPYS Tonight!

IMTA's Ashley Greene is presenting at ESPYS tonight! She just tweeted: "So excited to be presenting at the @espys on Wednesday!" The ESPY Awards celebrate the best sport stories of the year and is presented annually. This year's awards will be hosted by Seth Meyers! The 2010 ESPYs will be air, Wednesday, July 14 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPNHD from the Nokia Theatre at L.A. More unique content will be available on a variety of ESPN multimedia platforms including ESPN.com, ESPN Mobile, ESPN Deportes and ESPN International.

Ashley competed at IMTA in 2004, when she said,"I'm so thankful I got the opportunity to be here at IMTA because there are so many people and so many opportunities. I want to come back to IMTA even if do I make something big of it. I definitely want to come back, it was a lot of fun!" She has been very busy this year. She has recently started a new campaign as ambassador for Avon's younger brand called Mark! As brand ambassador for Mark, she will appear in the Mark magalog, website, as well as in print and online advertising. Her huge movie Eclipse just opened in theaters and is doing extremely well. She portrays Alice in the third installment of the Twilight films. She is also currently in production on many projects including: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Warrior, The Apparition, and the film Butter.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

IMTA Model Danielle Veenstra!

Check out these gorgeous photos of IMTA alum Danielle Veenstra. Danielle competed at IMTA Los Angeles 2009 where she met and signed with Bellisima and C/H Manangement. Her modeling work has already taken her to work in Japan and Miami!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Katie Holmes and Josh Duhamel model for J. Crew!

IMTA alumni Josh Duhamel, Katie Holmes and fellow castmates modeled clothing from J. Crew for the upcoming Fall 2010 collection, a clothing brand they also wore for their recent film, The Romantics. According to E! Online, "Holmes sparkled in a pink sleeveless mini-dress paired with a brown belt while Duhamel donned a classic suit, white shirt and a preppy blue tie."

Katie attended IMTA in 1993 and 1995, where she met and signed with her manager Al Onorato and soon thereafter landed the role as Joey Potter on Dawson's Creek. Katie has previously modeled for J. Crew with the cast members of Dawson's Creek, (see photo on the right). Since her role on Dawson's Creek, Katie has been in many hit movies such as Go, Pieces of April, Batman Begins, and Mad Money.

Josh Duhamel attended IMTA 1997, where he was awarded the prestigious title of Male Model of the Year! Josh edged out fellow competitor Ashton Kutcher to win the big prize. After IMTA, Josh landed a role on the popular daytime drama All My Children, and began starring in films such as Win A Date with Tad Hamilton! and Turistas. His most current projects include Life As We Know It, Tranformers 3, What's He Got? and Beezus and Ramona, based on the beloved children's book series in theaters July 10!

Katie, Josh and fellow IMTA alum Elijah Wood
will premiere together on
September 24th
in the movie The Romantics!


Friday, July 9, 2010

Brandon Routh in Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World!

IMTA alum Brandon Routh is starring as Todd Ingram in the feature film Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World! Cinema Blend says, "A new international trailer for the Michael Cera movie has been released, and impossibly, it takes the fun levels up to eleven. In particular, this trailer offers an extended look at Brandon Routh’s part in the film, and as usual he seems genius." The Universal Pictures film is set for release August 13th.



Brandon Routh competed at IMTA during the New York, New York 1999 Convention. His handsome face was on the IMTA stage for Swimwear, Team Fashion, Runway and in acting competitions. IMTA insider scoop...he was known as BJ Routh then!

He had been scouted by Patrick Baca, who encouraged him to compete at IMTA. Brandon got lots of face time with the agents, managers and casting directors and ended up moving to Los Angeles. He signed with Mara Santino and Ryan Daly of Kazarian/Spencer & Associates. Routh was chosen for the role of Superman following an exhaustive search that spanned the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Thousands of candidates were interviewed before the final selection was made.

Prior to his worldwide starring role as THE MAN OF STEEL, Routh was best known for his soap work, including roles on One Life to Live and the MTV nighttime soap, Undressed. He's also had guest-starring roles on Cold Case, Will & Grace, and Gilmore Girls.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Alyson Stoner's "Make History" single is Radio Disney's Pick of the Week!

Thanks to all of the support from her fans and votes from all over the world, Alyson Stoner's new single "Make History" is the 'pick' of the week on Radio Disney! Not only can it be heard on Radio Disney's airwaves, but "Make History" is available now on iTunes! Alyson will also be performing her hit new song on a world tour with the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato and the cast of Camp Rock this summer! The tour begins August 6th in St. Louis, Alyson will then perform in numerous cities all over North America before traveling to Latin America. Click here to hear the hit song "Make History" with lyrics from Alyson's Official Youtube Page. For more details on tour dates near you, check out Demi Lovato's Official MySpace.

After Alyson competed at IMTA in 2000, she began to show the world her incredible dancing abilities in Missy Elliot's music videos. She then starred in the comedic hit Cheaper by the Dozen as Sarah Baker with IMTA alum Ashton Kutcher. Alyson has been in numerous Disney projects since IMTA, such as Lilo & Stitch, Super Short Show, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Camp Rock and Phineas and Ferb! She is currently working on Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam and her major motion picture Step Up 3-D is set for release this year!

Be sure to listen for Alyson and "Make History" on Radio Disney now!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Sean Harju for Zero


IMTA alum and supermodel Sean Harju modeled for Zero magazine and was shot by photographer Eric Hason. He recently did a campaign for Ralph Lauren with clothing designed for Wimbledon! Sean competed at IMTA in LA in 2006 where he won First Runner Up for Male Model of the Year and signed with the legendary Major Model Management team. Sean has been featured in numerous magazines and ad campaigns such as: GQ Taiwan, Surface Magazine, Arena Magazine, GQ, Details, and HUGE. He was in the Spring/Summer ad campaign for Dolce & Gabbana with fellow IMTA alum and supermodel Tyson Ballou and has modeled for Y-3, Calvin Klein, Dior, Diesel, Thom Brown, Numero Hommes and Adam Lippes.

If you or someone you know is interested in a career as a model or actor, click here to learn more about IMTA.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Brooke Burns Stars in Titanic 2!

Brooke Burns stars as Dr. Kim Patterson in the upcoming sequel Titanic 2. The synopsis, according to the producers of the film states: "On the 100th anniversary of the original voyage, a modern luxury liner christened 'Titanic 2', follows the path of its namesake. But when a tsunami hurls an ice berg into the new ship’s path, the passengers and crew must fight to avoid a similar fate." For more information on Brooke in Titanic 2, check out The Asylum's official website.

Brooke attended IMTA in 1994 where she was scouted by many managers and agents. After moving to Los Angeles, Brooke started booking roles on Ally McBeal and Baywatch, as well as feature films such as Shallow Hal, Time and Again and The Art of Travel. Brooke has also guest-starred on hit television shows such as Pepper Dennis, Miss Guided, CSI:Miami and Melrose Place.



See Brooke in Titanic 2 set for release August 24th, 2010!

Monday, July 5, 2010

IMTA's Jessica Biel on the Cover of Glamour Magazine

Super beautiful Jessica Biel is on the cover of the July issue of Glamour magazine. Her movie The A Team is a big hit and is in theaters now! In this action adventure film, Jessica portrays the very tough and intense Captain Charisa Sosa. Her other most recent movies include Easy Virtue, Planet 51, Powder Blue and Valentine's Day, with IMTA 1997 alum Ashton Kutcher.

Jessica Biel amazed all of us at IMTA in 1994 when she sang a charming rendition of 'The Lullabye of Broadway' complete with a top hat and cane! Her beauty, acting potential, singing and dancing abilities caught the attention of the agents, managers and casting directors who attend every IMTA Convention looking for new faces to represent. Jessica gave an exclusive interview to us in 1998 after starring in the hit WB television series 7th Heaven. You can read the entire archived interview here! Here's an excerpt from that interview:

How has your life changed since you attended the IMTA Convention?

Jessica: I went from amateur to professional actress thanks to my personal manager Diane Hardin and my agent Jeff Morrone who I met at the IMTA Convention.

Would you recommend attending an IMTA Convention to other aspiring young actors and models?


Jessica: Definitely! You will meet people who can change your life and make your dreams come true!
For more information about showcasing your talent at IMTA,
please visit our official website.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Vote for Alyson Stoner's New Single "Make History!"

Alyson Stoner has just released her new single "Make History!" Please vote for Alyson's song on Disney's Music Mailbag anytime between today and July 3rd on RadioDisney.com! You can also call into Radio Disney at 11:00am PS / 2:00pm ET and tell them what you think of it. Also available on the voting page is a clip of Alyson's hit new song!

Alyson writes on her official blog, "My next single “Make History”, which happens to be the song that you all, my fans, helped me write, will be hitting Radio Disney’s Music Mailbag NEXT WEDNESDAY!!! My goal from the get-go has been to get this track on the radio, especially since we all worked hard together to write the best lyrics and find the best beat!!!"

Since competing at IMTA in 2000, Alyson has starred in many major feature films including Camp Rock, Cheaper By The Dozen movies and Alice Upside Down! Alyson is also a frequent VIP guest at IMTA who gives inspirational talks to the aspiring talent competing! Alyson has also produced The Alyson Stoner Project which is an original dance instructional and music fitness DVD!

Watch for Alyson in the upcoming movies Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, Kung Fu Magoo and the hit dance flick Step Up 3D!

Vote now for Alyson's single "Make History!!!"