OUR MISSION STATEMENT: Each child on Earth is an integral part of God's world, and when grown up, will make a complete picture of the world of tomorrow. In children, we see the future of the entertainment industry come to life before our very eyes. It is our privilege and our mission to help each child learn and grow and become confident and unique individuals who express their own thoughts, ideas, and special artistic skills. Our mission is to create a loving and empowering educational environment, where we can bring our young Rising Stars a vast amount of knowledge and acting skills, and can encourage our children to spread their artistic and creative wings and let their Spirits Soar! Walt Disney said it best, "If you can dream it, you can do it!" It is our mission to teach your children how. RISING STARS is a Performing Arts School, which operates under 7 STEPS TO STARDOM, LLC. We offer discounted prices to members of BE PRODUCTIONS, but are sole and separate companies, working alongside each other for the benefit of our mutual clients. For more information about RISING STARS, please contact the school's headquarters in Los Angeles, CA. at: (661) 260-2272
Meet the founders of Rising Stars... |
|
CHRISTINA FERRA-GILMORE Christina began her career in the entertainment industry at the age of four. She enjoyed a very successful career as a child actor in movies, television, commercials and starring in a Broadway musical for two years. She studied at over twenty acting schools throughout her childhood. When she entered her early twenties, she decided to retire from acting and pursued a career in casting. She is still a highly respected and successful casting director; having cast for movies, soap operas, television pilots for several networks including Nickelodeon. As her casting career began to blossom, she found that she enjoyed coaching the actors she cast. She began to instruct them before auditions. She found that teaching was her passion. As her private lessons continued to multiply, she was encouraged by her business manager to open a school. In 1990 she opened The Actor's Edge Academy in Hollywood, and in 2004 the first Rising Stars in Santa Clarita. To this day, Christina maintains the same dedication to provide the kind of school she always wished existed when she was a professional working actor. She is known throughout the industry for bringing the best out of child actors, having experienced success as a child actor herself. Christina is a wife, dedicated mother, successful entrepreneur, producer, a published author and creator of, THE SEVEN STEPS TO STARDOM, a book and DVD program which is distributed in colleges, universities and book stores internationally. Christina's parents, Tony and Mary Lou Ferra were in the entertainment industry themselves; Tony was a very successful celebrity nightclub owner and Mary Lou was a beauty queen and comedic television actress. Having knowledge of the industry, Tony and Mary Lou recognized that special quality in their new baby girl early on, so they decided to use their industry contacts. Christina's first job was as the cover model for a baby magazine at the age of 9 months. By the age of 4, Christina was training in acting schools, acting in feature films, television and commercials. By her early teens, Christina had also become a very accomplished singer. She was signed by Warner Brothers record label by the age of 15. Before the age of 20, Christina (whose stage name was Annette) was signed with I.C.M., had studied in dozens of acting schools, appeared in countless television commercials, sitcoms, made for T.V. movies, episodic dramas, feature films, starred on Broadway and had a top 40 single. By her early twenties, having already had a full career as a working actor, Christina decided to retire from acting and pursue other endeavors. She invested her money made as an actor in a series of real estate ventures and began to dabble in life on the other side of the camera. Having always had a good eye for talent, she decided to try casting. She launched her company, Casting by Christina and began to cast for television and feature films. She is, to this day, a highly regarded independent Casting Director in the industry. Watch VIDEO of Christina Ferra-Gilmore speaking about the Acting Program |
|
GENE GILMORE Gene began his career in the advertising industry. He wrote, directed and produced over 1000 television commercials throughout his career as an advertising agency Creative Director. Gene has won several awards for his work in the television commercial field. Among these awards are: Addy Awards, CAB Awards, and most notably, a Telly Award. Gene made the transition from the advertising industry to the entertainment industry in 1994. Since shifting his career focus, Gene has appeared in several television programs and feature films as an actor; he has written four screenplays, directed television sitcom pilots and has owned and operated a corporate video production company. Gene will play an integral part in our classes. His instruction comes from a writer/director perspective. He injects a valuable vantage point into his critiques of performances based on what a writer intends for actors and what a director needs from actors. This perspective and instruction will balance out your well-rounded education at Rising Stars. |
|
