WE GIRL - QUEEN SOPHIA

Often called The Caribbean Queen, Sophia who is from the beautiful island of Jamaica is the second youngest of seven children. Her family unit has been a vital part of her existence, serving as the foundation of her perseverance through life’s many challenges.Sophia resided in Queens, NY for approximately ten years. During her time in NY City, she cultivated her craft as an entertainer. She attended numerous Theater Arts programs and pounded the pavement of NYC experiencing all that she could get her hands on. Sophia immediately became known for her versatility.

It all started when she accompanied her cousin to an audition for Parent Magazine when she was eleven years old. Sophia tells the story…

“I didn’t even know what an audition was at that age. I just wanted to hang out with my cousin. I remember standing in the hallway trying to peek through the crack of the door to see what was going on. The photographer saw me and came out and said hello. Long story short, I ended up booking the print job for Parents Magazine. I was so excited about knowing that I was going to be in a magazine, but I didn’t want to rub it in my cousin’ face and so I down played it. I didn’t realize that this was the start of my career, but after doing this shoot, I fell in love with being in front of the camera and couldn’t wait for the next shoot.”

Before Sophia was even a teenager she had already booked roles on Young & The Restless, As the World Turns, Ghost Writer. She said one of her most memorable experiences growing up was working with Lauren Hill and Aretha Franklin. The shoot was for a music video entitled “A Rose is still A Rose.”

Devoted to her aspirations, at the age of seventeen Sophia relocated to Los Angeles. She enrolled in acting school and landed roles on ER, Malcolm & Eddie, Moesha, Felicity and City Guys, just to name a few. Three years later she moved to Atlanta. When asked why she left she smiled and said, “The Hollywood scene was not my cup of tea, if you know what I mean. I have morals and integrity. When I realized that was being compromised it was not a very difficult decision for me to make. I knew that I would be blessed because of my decision regardless of where I decided to move. I wanted to test new waters and I love it here.”

Since her transition, Sophia has been featured on Good Day Atlanta three times. She represented Maybelline Cosmetics, Mac Cosmetics and FUBU. She has also filmed several commercials including Verizon Wireless, Continental Hotels, WBLS, and Greenville Technical Institute. Some of her print campaign jobs include, Oprah Magazine, Essence Magazine, Instyle Magazine, Coors Light, Russell Athletics and many more. She said one of her most interesting shoots was for a cartoon on the Cartoon Network called ‘Frisky Dingo’. “They had to shoot me doing about fifty different facial expressions. Then they transformed my face to make it look animated, creating the character, “Mercy Moreno.”

Despite Sophia’s busy schedule she is also a business woman. She is the owner of a successful Trucking Company in Georgia called Yashar Trucking. She laughs saying, “No, I don’t drive the trucks!” She is involved in a number of different investments and is also owns a Travel Agency. I asked Sophia what she does with the little free time she does have. “Well, I love music, especially reggae of course. I even studied Audio Engineering in school for a while. But no one told me math was involved and I really dislike math and so the rest is history!!! I also love baseball. I enjoy travelling to different games and leagues. I am definitely still on the grind and you will be seeing a lot more of me, but I am also enjoying life with the amazing family that I have been blessed with.



Management:
Morena Entertainment, LLC /
Bookings: models@morenaent.com

WE GIRL - QUEEN SOPHIA

Often called The Caribbean Queen, Sophia who is from the beautiful island of Jamaica is the second youngest of seven children. That's right 7! Her family unit has been a vital part of her existence, serving as the foundation of her perseverance through life’s many challenges.Sophia resided in Queens, NY for approximately ten years. During her time in NY City, she cultivated her craft as an entertainer, as that has been her passion for as long as she can remember. She attended numerous Theater Arts programs and pounded the pavement of NYC experiencing all that she could get her hands on. Sophia immediately became known for her versatility. At any instance she is able to look anywhere between the age range of sixteen to thirty and can favour an array of ethnicities.

It all started when she accompanied her cousin to an audition for Parent Magazine when she was eleven years old. Sophia tells the story…

“I didn’t even know what an audition was at that age. I just wanted to hang out with my cousin. I remember standing in the hallway trying to peek through the crack of the door to see what was going on. The photographer saw me and came out and said hello. Long story short, I ended up booking the print job for Parents Magazine. I was so excited about knowing that I was going to be in a magazine, but I didn’t want to rub it in my cousin’ face and so I down played it. I didn’t realize that this was the start of my career, but after doing this shoot, I fell in love with being in front of the camera and couldn’t wait for the next shoot.”

Before Sophia was even a teenager she had already booked roles on, Young & The Restless, As the World Turns, GhostWriter and had shot several print campaigns. She said one of her most memorable experiences growing up was working with Lauren Hill and Aretha Franklin when she was fifteen years old. The shoot was for a music video entitled “A Rose is still A Rose.” She explains, “I adored Lauren Hill and her music and so it was quite an honour to work with her. I remember it was the middle of winter and the scenes that we were shooting were outdoors. It was freezing and Lauren was such a sweetheart that she took off her tights and handed them to me to put on. Kind gestures mean a whole lot to me especially in the entertainment business where you will see most people with their nose in the air.”

Devoted to her aspirations, at the age of seventeen Sophia relocated to Los Angeles. She enrolled in acting school and landed roles on ER, Malcolm & Eddie, Moesha, Felicity and City Guys, just to name a few. She moved away from Los Angeles after only being there for three years. When asked why she left she smiled and said, “The Hollywood scene was not my cup of tea, if you know what I mean. I have morals and integrity. When I realized that was being compromised it was not a very difficult decision for me to make. I love acting and modeling, but I love myself even more. I knew that I would be blessed because of my decision regardless of where I decided to move. I wanted to test new waters and so I moved to Atlanta. I love it here.”

Since her transition, Sophia has been featured on Good Day Atlanta three times. She represented Maybelline Cosmetics, Mac Cosmetics and the third time was for FUBU. She has also filmed several commercials including Verizon Wireless, Continental Hotels, WBLS, Spa Sydell, Foot Joy, and Greenville Technical Institute. She has done countless print campaigns. Some of her print jobs includes, Oprah Magazine, Essence Magazine, Health & living Magazine, Atlanta Magazine, Instyle Magazine, American Heart Association, Cartoon Network, Coors Light, National Vision, Russell Athletics, Home Depot, Rooms To Go, Sally’s, Design Essentials and many more. She said one of her most interested shoots was for a cartoon on the Cartoon Network called “Frisky Dingo.” “They had to shoot me doing about fifty different facial expressions. Then they transformed my face to make it look animated. The charter they used my face for is a woman called “Mercy Moreno.”

Sophia has been quite busy, but what you may not know about her is that she is a business woman. “I love the entertainment industry, but there’s so much more to me.” She is the owner a successful Trucking Company in Georgia called Yashar Trucking. She laughs and says, “No, I don’t drive the trucks!” She is involved in a number of different investments and is also an owner of a Travel Agency. I asked Sophia what she does with the little free time she does have. “Well, I love music, especially reggae of course. I even studied Audio Engineering in school for a while. But no one told me math was involved and I really dislike math and so the rest is history!!! I also love baseball. I enjoy travelling to different games and leagues. I am definitely still on the grind and you will be seeing a lot more of me, but I am also enjoying life with the amazing family that I have been blessed with.



Management: Morena Entertainment, LLC / Bookings: models@morenaent.com

WE GIRL – Maria Vaz

An accidental model, natural, exotic beauty Maria Vaz sort of fell into that line of work after working as a make-up artist for a modeling agency only to be asked to sign on with them as a model. This Jamaican beauty whose features will have anyone wondering what her ethnicity is credits not only her looks but her character for her success in the modeling business. She says she's very down to earth and knows exactly when to turn on her magnetic personality to land her the job.

A little over a year ago, Morena Entertainment's CEO, Yami Johnson told Maria that she was too beautiful to be a makeup artist and not be noticed behind the scenes so she offered her a modeling contract with her company. Maria was interested and excited to know that her dream of working in the entertainment business was about to become a reality but in a different way. Since her first modeling job in Latin group AVENTURA's music video, Maria has been busy doing videos for artists such as Canadian rapper Belly, Nas, Bone Thugz, Gym Class Heroes, Keysha Cole and Nelly. She showed off her catwalk as a model on BET's Rip The Runway, she featured in Fabolous’ album insert and also in fashion spreads and editorials for various urban and fashion magazines. She recently shot her very first commercial for Escada perfume and received a special request from AVENTURA to perform on stage with them at their sold out concert in Madison Square Garden. "I was surprised when my management called me about this request and also to know that they were paying me to do it when it was such a privilege," says Maria. "I can't believe I can actually say that I performed in Madison Square Garden, it can be very intimidating and exciting because not too many models can say that they experienced being on stage at the Garden and having all eyes on them."

Maria feels blessed for everything she has accomplished thus far. She closes 2007 with a cover in I.B. CONCEPT magazine, articles in new issues of The Source and KING magazines and recently shot a commercial for Honey Bunches of Oats cereal. She is also the sexy nurse on the cover of Ghostface Killa's newly released album as well as the lead girl in the music video for his first single. "I have a lot to be thankful for and I know that what I've accomplished so far is a good start to my modeling and acting career," says Maria. We know there is much more to see of Maria because 2007 was just the beginning of her successful career.


Photographer: MIKE JONES
Wardrobe Stylist: Albee Johnson
Management: Morena Entertainment, LLC
Bookings: models@morenaent.com