And the First Annual Lett's Rise! Starlet Award goes to...
KRISTEN CARROLL
See Pictures from Kristen's Day
The Lett's Rise! Starlet Award is intended to equip a young actress in need of financial support to obtain the most important tools necessary for her to begin an on-camera or stage career.
Kristen was chosen as the first recipient based on her responses to the submission questions: "Why did you start acting? Why should you receive the Lett's Rise Starlet Award?"
Kristen earned her BFA in Acting from the University of North Texas, but is currently attempting to get into a MFA program. In her words, "I have had the same headshot for five years and have not had the resources to update it. Things have changed: my hair is different, my face is different, my entire style is different...I'm at a crossroad and really need the consultation and resources. This would be priceless..."
Kristen can next be seen in Denton Community Theatre's production of August Wilson's Fences from February 1-10, 2008
Lett's Rise! Starlet Kristen Carroll receives...
The Lett's Rise! Starlet recipient receives the $700 value award package which includes:
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Lett's Rise! Productions & Lett's Rise! Ministries is giving: A professional headshot photo shoot ($200); Lett's Rise! Productions creates inspirational films, theatre and music that encourage, entertain and spur audiences toward truth and hope. |
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Lar Park Lincoln, founder of TalentStart is giving: |
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Donatelle, the Makeup Maven™ is giving: A professional makeup session for the headshot photo shoot ($150); Donatelle is an award-winning makeup artist for photography, TV and film. |
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Women in Film.Dallas is giving: An Associate Membership for one full year ($75) Women in Film.Dallas is part of a global community committed to empower, promote & mentor its members in film, TV & media. |
Lett's Rise's co-founder Naima Imani Lett explains, "You can have overwhelming talent and skill and still not work as an actress if you do not have the bare necessities like an excellent headshot, the actor's calling card. Lett's Rise! has received headshots that could actually hurt, rather than help, some talent's chance of getting hired, and we would like to change that. I was tremendously blessed when I started in the industry to receive awesome guidance with my headshots, and our hearts' desire is to pass that blessing on to others. It's also imperative for our Starlet to get connected, so we hope that we can help make that happen."
When asked about the Award being only for actresses, Lett's response is "Most of the roles today are written for men, and most of the male actors that I've worked with already have their shots together. We may open it up next year, but for this first award, it's my sister actresses that we want to empower to join the race and compete for roles on a professional level."
Judging was based upon the short essay responses included on the submission form. Consideration was given based on the state of the actress' current photograph or lack thereof and financial need. "We wanted to help an actress with a genuine need," says co-founder and music producer Kevin P. Lett.
Thank You for all your submissions
To all of the starlets who submitted, Thank You. We encourage you on your journey, and please consider re-submitting next time. Thank you.