After a short time, I thought I was ready for Hollywood! To make a long story short, I left my hometown to pursue my “Hollywood dream,” only to return home four months later. During my short experience in Hollywood, I realized that it was far more difficult than I had ever imagined to break into the entertainment industry. Without the “right connections” it seemed impossible to survive in Los Angeles.

When I returned to Atlanta, I formed KT Enterprises, my own group of models and entertainers. We did fashion shows and celebrity imitations all over the city. I formed an act with two other talented dancers and we performed throughout the Southeast. I was a “Janet Jackson” imitator along with a “Michael Jackson” imitator. We also had a “body guard” as part of the act. Those were great times that I will never forget! 

Eventually I became an agent and began experiencing the “other side” of the business. Several years later I was hired to be the Director of an entertainment company in San Diego, where I found myself close to Hollywood once again. During the seven years of this experience, I learned the “ins and outs” of the entertainment industry. After meeting hundreds of kids and young adults who had no resources or proper knowledge of how to break in to the industry, I recognized the tremendous need for a business that could “groom” and “connect” aspiring entertainers with “reputable” talent agents. For this reason, I decided to launch a new concept that would be named XXI Century Entertainment. The mission of this new company would be to help aspiring models, actors, and performers break into the business the correct way. I wanted this company to be operated with integrity and have employees that would actually tell people the truth, which is a virtue that is clearly lacking in the entertainment industry. I was not in the financial position to open a major corporation, but after much soul searching, I decided to step out on faith with several credit cards and an income tax return to open XXI Century Entertainment! I was also blessed to have a few loyal friends who actually left their jobs to come on board.

After a few years of hard work, XXI Century Entertainment became a huge success. There were many hard times along the way and it took a bit of trial and error to perfect our format; but eventually our talent showcases began to launch hundreds of successful careers into Hollywood. Many people were landing “series regular” roles on major network shows as well as feature films, national commercials, music videos, and print campaigns. The reputation of our talent showcases quickly spread throughout Hollywood, enabling us to acquire some of the top agents and managers in the industry. 
XXI Century Entertainment is now ten years strong! We are unlike any other talent scouting company, because our showcases are much more exclusive. We usually showcase seventy five to one hundred and fifty people at our events. Keeping our showcases small in number, allows the talent to perform in front of the agents, and also gives them the opportunity to have a personal interview with each and every agent, manager, and casting director in attendance. As a result, we are able to provide more personal attention and guidance to our clients by limiting our showcases to no more than one hundred and fifty talent.

Most companies that produce talent showcases have thousands of aspiring entertainers at their events. I strongly disagree with this process, because we have interviewed thousands of “talented” people who have been to these large events and they have received absolutely no response. Many have commented that they felt like they were “lost in the shuffle” at a cattle-call. After years of extensive experience in this business, I strongly believe it takes several things to acquire legitimate talent representation. First, you must “perform” a monologue or scene in front of the agent/manager that is age appropriate and contains interesting content. Secondly, you must have an interview with the agent so you may have the opportunity to discuss your desire, training, experience, and any special skills you might have. Most importantly it gives the talent a chance to show their personality to the agent/manager. A charismatic personality is a huge asset in this business!! 
Most people who are “at the beginning” of their career need to be groomed, educated, and equipped with the knowledge of how to find an appropriate monologue and/or scene, acquire the proper promotional material, learn business etiquette, auditioning skills and industry terminology. There are so many people who have “undeveloped” talent and all they need is the proper guidance, and the right connections to acquire legitimate representation and start a successful career in the entertainment industry.

On a personal note, XXI Century entertainment is not just a company that I started just for business purposes. It has been a life-long journey for me, because I have been on both sides of the entertainment industry as a talent, as an agent and a talent scout. I created this company because it was my God-given purpose. I had to walk through the entire experience of trying to break into the entertainment industry myself. I had to make the mistakes and experience many peaks and valleys to understand that my purpose in this world is to “help others” break into the industry. It has taken twenty years to acquire the wisdom and knowledge I needed to design a program that would help people successfully launch their careers and also equip them for the business after acquiring representation.

We are very open about our faith at XXI Century entertainment. Daisy Ramos, Vice-President and now a shareholder in the company, as well as all of the employees of XXI Century Entertainment, and I do happen to be of the Christian faith. XXI Century Entertainment is owned and operated with Christian principles. We have never placed one ad for an employee in the newspaper. Our staff, every single one, was brought to us in an unusual way. 

However, I do want to make it clear that we do not discriminate in any way regarding our employees or the talent that participate in our showcases. We never ask anyone that we interview about their faith. It has no bearing whatsoever on who is selected for our showcases. The evaluation is solely based on talent, personality, and sincere desire.
I wish everyone the best of luck...especially those who are at the beginning of pursuing your dream. 

There will definitely be ups and downs; but always remember, faith in yourself, perseverance and a positive attitude is EVERYTHING!!!!