michaelatv radio show

Such an incredible day at my new job as Guest Host on Michaela Radio Show. Check me out from time to time on Urban Latino Radio! www.urbanlatinoradio.com This is an incredible group of people! I had so much fun! Thank you Michaela for an amazing opportunity! One love...

Thank you Spence Adler!

Friends are the family you choose in life, and I have the most incredible friends in the world. We support each other and lift each other up. Spence has been my source of calm and steady waters since we became a most unlikely pair a year or so ago. We can be seen tearing up the streets of New York cracking jokes doubled over in peels of laughter... He is my voice of reason and I truly love him!!

TV interview on PIX 11 news

I am extremely proud of this collaborative effort of my team putting together this event. Ano Okera scored us this amazing opportunity to have more exposure for our charity event on the 29th and Vicky Silvera has worked so hard on the film and has been a constant supportive force in my life! They are my brother and sister and I am blessed to call them miracles...


 

Patrick Duffy and BES

Patrick Duffy is an amazing human being and an incredible friend to me and my brother Ano Okera and our causes. He has championed the artist spirit his whole career as a club owner(The Box) and restauranteur (BES). He is a bright shining light in the entertainment industry and in life. I am so proud of him. He is a soldier in the revolution of tolerance, love, education, art, and life. All my love Patrick Duffy...All my love..

Bell Book & Scandal

This incredible trio fills a room with sound like the sun envelops us in it's warmth. There is no corner of this world that can not be affected by that warmth... Stella, lead vocalist and guitarist, creates the nucleus of the group with her scratchy, sexy, bluesy sound. She has a voice from a different era. And even though this group has only been together for a couple of months, they are on an incredible path to a fame that I don't even think they could conceive! I was blessed enough to be able to watch and record a rehearsal last night and now I am a fan for life!!!! Thank you guys for helping this 'little engine that can' put a breathtaking event together... Watch and learn folks!!! This is true grace and art in movement and sound....movement and sound...

Andrew Lewis

I loved interviewing Andrew. He is a film editor, an amazing musician, a humanitarian, and an incredible human-being. When I looked back at his pictures, I saw such an incredible venerability there. He is starting a business with a few other young amazing artists and is working on starting an outreach program for children in the neighborhood who want to learn filmmaking and editing. His beauty within can really be felt in his compassion for all humanity. Thank you Andrew... Manifesting amazing things for your business and your band Bro! You are inspiration...

Daniel Wilson and Tatiana of Housing Works

Daniel Wilson, a Development Associate at Housing Works, really has a gift and a calling to help the people that come through those doors everyday. I was so surprised to see how young he was at our interview. He has a real compassion for these families of the HIV positive and drug addicted people that have their lives touched by his presence. The hope and genuine affection that I saw in his eyes as he spoke so passionately about this cause, really leads me to believe that a younger generation is ready to facilitate the change we want to see in this world. The fact that his artistry as a musician in a band enables him to live a communal life, only further enhances his understanding of a shared goal in giving back. It was such an honor to speak to him and get his perspective...

Tatiana's beautiful spirit called me to her from across the street. I was completely enthralled with her hopeful and broken spirit. She reminded me that I do this for her and every other person who is like her. She fueled me that day! I will never stop helping those who cannot help themselves. Tatiana is our community. She is beautiful and misguided and worth saving and artistic without realizing. I want to start a revolution for Tatiana!

Special Thanks to Spence Adler for helping me film this segment! You are an inspiration Kind Sir!

He sees me...

Her mama calls her 'Suga', simply 'cause she knows her child... To everyone else, she is all bones and right angles and elbows and knees sticking out like boobie traps, waiting to ensnare and sting with her message, waiting to cause a change in this reluctant world...She needs a bit of work on her delivery sometimes...she smiles at the thought...But he sees her, the meat of her, the fat of her, the joy of her, the substance in fact... It is all there...In one central location...only if you look for it....look a bit closer...look past the beauty...look past the sharpness and urgency of her message...look a bit deeper... to the heart of the matter-Monica Watkins

My Warrior Princess...

The beauty of the woman know as Victoria Silvera blows me away! Her spirit has such an incredible capacity to uplift everyone she encounters and I am blessed to call her a friend, a warrior princess, a spirit... She is creating this film with me and her artistry is beyond description in it's beauty... Watch and learn from this natural born leader...Watch and learn...

Please go to the housingworks.org website and check out our event!

Event posting on website: http://www.housingworks.org/events/detail/a-night-of-music-art-and-fashion-for-housing-works/

Matthew Chiu Interview.mov

Matthew Chiu is so many things in life...He is a 21 year old Ailey dancer...He is an incredible new designer on the New York Scene... He is one of my most interesting and compassionate friends... He is an artist... He is Canadian...He is an activist for Gay and Lesbian rights...He is a choreographer... All of these things that he is, though, don't nearly encompass WHO he is as a human-being! He is sound and laughter and light and air and that cool breeze on a day like today that lightly touches the back of your neck like a caress....And he is hope and joy and youth and cloud formations changing and transforming and you watch to see what beautiful shape will appear in the next few moments... He is more than the sum of his parts! He is revolution! He is revolution...

Ano Okera, I could not climb this Mountain without You Luv!

I dedicate this to Ano Okera! He is my brother and shares my vision in life that we can give back and make a difference as artists to change the landscape of a community's thought process, compassion, and tolerance of one another...I could not be me climbing this mountain without him reaching for me with his hand to lift me up...

Bradley Theodore.mov

One of my best friends, Brad Digital, has been a driving force in my artistic growth for the past four years. He has worked as a clothing designer, a mixed-media artist, and a brand owner for as long as i've known him. His artwork transcends any singular thought process. He is the definition of innovation and also one of the most compassionate souls I have had the pleasure of being blessed with in my life. He will always be a success because he gives everyday of his life. He would never be a vampire! He gives knowledge...He gives love... He gives diligence in everything he does..He gives light...He gives creativity...He gives himself!


Victoria Silvera...You are the best! The most talented editor/filmmaker around...

dan's interview.m4v

I am so proud to call Dan Bernard a friend of mine. He has been so supportive of this event for Housing Works and has given me incredible advice throughout the entire process. I came to him with my idea, and unlike many others, he didn't laugh or tell me it was impossible. He just told me he believed in what I was doing and was proud of me. He's an incredible accountant, a compassionate man, and a true friend. Ford Models is an amazing agency to be a part of. They have a core value system which encourages their models to give back in any way possible and they are involved in numerous charities as well. Ford is an inspiration to me...

Columbus Boy's and Girl's Club

Thank you so much Windell Spaulding! Your compassion and the beauty of these children really touched my heart! I cannot wait to paint with these incredible and talented little souls!!!

An Amazing day with Dr. Romita(Owner of Ajune Day Spa) and the Columbus Boys and Girls Club

This day touched my heart so profoundly that I couldn't sleep. I was dreaming of beautiful smiling faces of children and laughter in echo. I dreamt of today and my entire spirit was buoyant. Days like this just prove to me why I am doing what i'm doing here. Why it is so important to give back and effect our community in positive ways to change our future. I left the Bronx so hopeful and light in spirit that I had to write about the experience. Dr. Mauro Romita is one of our sponsors and an amazing human-being. His heart has the capacity to love every single child in this world and to take action to make sure that each child he can help has proper healthcare and nutrition. He started this health fair six years ago and it grows stronger with more supporters each year. My production company is committed to being inspired and inspiring these children through painting, music, and dance. I am reaching out to all of my friends to help us with sponsorships of art supplies (acrylic paints, brushes, canvases) by the end of next week. Ano Okera will be teaching the children dance and we are shooting a video to be premiered at the June 29th event for his amazing song 'Children of The World'! I am so proud of my brother. His talent is as bright and shining as any star in the firmament and his spirit is dedicated to inspiring children to have dance as an outlet of health expression. The director of The Bronx Boys and Girls Club, Windell Spaulding, encouraged and inspired me with his desire to help these children. These pictures and video are just a bit of what I saw when we were there. I hope they inspire you... Our film project is dedicated to change the hearts of the people in our community in a positive way. Art, music, and dance can save lives! Compassion, love, and tolerance can save lives! You can save lives...Start a revolution!

Saladu & The Afrolisticks

Saladu and The Afrolisticks...

I am so excited to have my friend Saladu performing with his band at the artist showcase on June 29th. I saw them perform and they were electric! Saladu is multi-talented and I am truly proud to call this compassionate man a friend of mine. His independent film is beautifully written, directed, and acted in by this amazing man and he inspires me on a daily basis to be a better filmmaker and a better person. He can be found on Myspace and Facebook and this incredible band led by Saladu is in the studio recording at the moment. I cannot wait to have that album! He's also such a fun subject to film and to photograph because he is so beautiful, but his physical beauty pales in comparison to his spirit.Stay tuned folks. This man is going to be a rising star to watch....

Matthew Chiu

This is one of the artists that will be part of our film short that we are previewing at our charity event on June 29th at Sloane NYC. I was so blessed to interview this beautiful spirit, beautiful dancer, beautiful man... He inspired me to create a separate project that I will premiere as an installation piece at this event and I am so excited about this. It will be a different take on my paintings and so alive. As alive and light and free as this Ailey dancer and Designer showed me on this day... He inspires my photography and my artist and I love him for that...Stay tuned!

How this all began...

To me, this story doesn't really seem all that interesting... People need a tangible reason for everything, but the answers sometimes don't even matter. I call that the 'why of the why'. Everything major in my life has started with a dream. A little over a year ago, I had a dream and that dream led me to an art supply store. I have never studied painting or ever had the desire to do so, and yet I found myself walking into Blick and buying oil paints and canvases and brushes. I went downstairs and bought the most amazing metallic pigments. I had no idea what I was doing. I sheepishly walked up to a sales person and asked if I could mix the acrylics with the oils because they each had 'pretty colors' and they weren't the same. The sales person looked at me like I had two heads and walked away mumbling "oil and water idiot, don't mix"... I felt like a total goofball. Of course oil and water don't mix. I stood there shaking my head and a little old lady who had been watching the interaction was so kind to me. She was in a painting club and shopping for brushes. I felt so humbled as she led me around that store for over an hour and I will never forget her kindness. Thank you kind stranger. When I got home and set up my canvas and placed that first stroke of blue on all of that white, I felt like I fell into an alternate reality or a trance. The next time I looked at the time, two hours had passed and I was an artist! I still have that first painting on my bedroom wall. I will never live in a home without that. I started volunteering at Housing Works as a tribute to my sister's best friend Gary. He died over ten years ago of AIDS, and he is a huge part of the reason I started modeling in the first place. He taught me about beauty and grace and love of self and mascara!!! He had the most alive laughter that made me feel like I was in the midst of a thousand wind chimes and his eyes sparkled with mischief! He said the funniest phrases that I called Garyisms and he made me laugh until my stomach ached. We would be at the mall shopping and he would see a beautiful dress and look at the price tag and screech "Girl...this dress is as high as giraffe pussy"! I would literally giggle from embarrassment until I had tears rolling down my face. He knew how to live!! We would stay up late with my sister and he would put our hair in rollers and we would play poker until 3am. We called that our 'Cafe' time. His death, to all who knew him, was a huge loss of a light that shined so brightly in all of our lives that for quite some time... the world seemed to have grown dim in an instant. I dedicate this to Gary. We are publishing a beautiful book for the event and we will have a facebook page up and running later today. I encourage everyone to watch the teaser because we are making a film short which will have the same feel and premiere it an hour before the event. Victoria Silvera is our filmmaker and she is one of the most beautiful women that I have ever met. Her compassion and kindness are only slightly eclipsed by her talent and that is saying so much!!!!! Ano Okera is one of my best friends and has been a major contributor to me since I first had this little idea to give back to my favorite cause. He is my angel and is so deeply rooted in my heart that I call him Brother. He is my family and my champion and a talented force that never ceases to amaze me! We are starting a revolution of heart, mindset, community, charity, and artistry! We want to create socially conscious projects in the entertainment industry which move people and change their humanity for the better. I had a little dream which turned into a larger dream which turned into a new thought process which turned into my personal revolution and I am forever changed. I want to give that experience to you...

The Why of The Why

This is an incredible teaser of our film short by filmmaker Victoria Silvera! She is a dynamic, creative, beautiful young woman and a force in the art world. This teaser advertises our charity event for Housing Works which will be held on June 29. I have been shooting footage along with Ano Okera and this is my vision for the future of the art world and humanity. Please enjoy. The short film of the same name will be premiered at our event and I am so very proud of this labor of love...

This video catalogs my journey to this charity event. I started volunteering for Housing Works last summer and fell in love with their grassroots approach and compassion. I had to move into action! I had to give back in a way that would reflect my love of art and community...