If you are a young aspiring talent in Macau, it can be difficult to know how to get a foot in the door of your area of interest, especially if that interest is modeling or acting.
You might try looking for opportunities in Hong Kong, but even that can be challenging, not to mention intimidating if you really have limited experience.
So when Sally Victoria Benson and her partner Sergio Almeida offered a professional modeling workshop right here in Macau earlier this year, it’s not surprising that they received an enthusiastic response.
“If you want to be an actor or a model or a TV presenter in Macau, where do go to get experience or even just to see if you like it?” comments Sally.
Their newly established company, Red Studio ran its first modelling workshop in March this year and very soon had enough participants to run another one again in June.
The participants were mostly young girls between the ages of 14 and 20, with a couple of young guys attending as well.
Some were quite serious about starting their professional modeling careers, while others were testing the waters or just looking to gain some experience and have some beautiful photographs to show friends and family. The one thing all the participants gained from the workshop was confidence.
“On the first day, everyone was quite nervous and quiet, but once they realized that we weren’t there to judge them but to help them, everybody relaxed, and we really saw some big improvements in terms of confidence in front of the camera,” says Sally, who has a background in acting, film production and modeling.
“One thing I noticed when I started as a model was that I had really bad photos and I didn’t know how to get good photos so I could get work. I didn’t know what I was doing,’ she adds.
“The premise of the workshops is that you come in and get taught the four types of modeling you are most commonly going to get exposed to: commercial, catalogue, fashion and beauty.
“Most people are not going to be catwalk models because they are not tall enough. But there is a demand for magazine and commercial work.”
At the end of the two-day course, not only do the participants gain confidence and experience, as well as training in hair and make-up styling, but they also receive a professional comp card that they can present to agents when looking for work.
“They can actually leave with something tangible that they can use, the photos, the comp cards, and a way that they can start building up their portfolio,” says Sergio.
Even though they have only held two workshops, there have already been some pleasing results. Two girls from the first workshop have had paid modeling jobs in Hong Kong, and some of the girls also won the top three places in a modeling competition in Hong Kong with photos from the workshop.
“One of the things we pride ourselves on is taking care of people after the workshops,” notes Sally. “People can come back and ask us questions and get advice on the industry. They gain knowledge and confidence, and then when they are not sure, they have someone they can come back to for advice”.
Sally was born in Sydney, and moved to Macau when she was nine when her father got a job as a horse trainer at the jockey club. She later studied acting in Australia for four years and worked in the industry, and then moved to Beijing to study Mandarin and continue her work as an actor.
Sergio arrived in Macau when he was eleven, and also spent time studying and working in Beijing.
After six years they wanted to move back to Macau, and decided to combine their skills to start a creative arts business.
“We are not an educational institute but from our experience in the industry and our contacts we can provide high level, good quality, intense training to give people a taste of the industry,” says Sergio.
“You don’t know you’ve got the bug until you try. I was in a commercial in Macau when I was nine years old and that’s when it started for me,” notes Sally.
Their immediate plans are to keep running modeling workshops, as well as drama and acting classes. They also do birthdays and party entertainment and face painting.
So far, the workshops have used local fashion designers and hair stylists, together with photographers and make-up artists from Hong Kong.
“Our intention is to work more and more with the local creative industry in the future, and to focus on ongoing continual development,” notes Sergio.
And as fluent Mandarin speakers, they also hope that they will be able to attract more Chinese participants.
“We’d like to have a broader range of participants,’ says Sally. “China has a huge modeling industry and huge movie industry, and it’s just getting bigger. It’s going to overtake Hollywood, and Macau will have an important role to play.”
