Interview & photos by: D. Francis THE BASICS Name: Ms. Jennifer Mason What traits do you dislike most about yourself? Sometimes my curiosity gets me in trouble, LOL. You did it! You made the cover of Nine5Four The Magazine. How are you feeling and what’s running through your mind right now? WOW! So many emotions are running through my mind right now. I am obviously very honored and full of joy to be on the cover of the magazine that is synonymous with being the who’s who of unsigned & indie up and coming talent from all over the world. A lot of very talented people have graced the pages of this magazine, and to be selected to be on the cover, is truly incredible. So tell us Jennifer, how long have you been modeling and what got you into this business? I always wanted to be a model, even at a very young age playing with Barbie dolls seeing how glamorous she was, I would have to say Barbie was a major catalyst at a young age. Ever since I owned a Barbie Doll I wanted to be a muse, or an inspiration to other girls to look pretty and feel pretty. Believe it or not, I have only been modeling for less then a year, but I have been dancing for 16 years. The art of dance, has always been and always will be my first passion. When I first came to America at age 8, not speaking a word of English, it was through the art of dance that I learned English, and now as an adult dance remains my favorite forum to express myself and my emotions. My first photo shoot ever was for local South Florida Hip Hop artist Black Dada for the promo for his new song “Naughty Girl”, shortly there after I found myself teamed up with another Big Name in the South Florida Hip Hop scene Swazy Styles, where I worked with him in his hit new music video “Like This”. Soon after that I found myself working with Celebrities like Soulja Boy and Ray J in there music videos as well as shooting ad campaigns for Commadon Cognac. I am also proud to say I am a member of the Zhantra Entertainment Dance Company (the most exclusive dance company), as well as being an Official VPX RedLine Girl and Official Ritchie Swimwear Girl, all of which are very high honors. It is very apparent that you are extremely comfortable with yourself and body. How did you get this sense of self confidence? You might find this hard to believe, as a child and even into my late teens I battled obesity problems, in fact just a few years ago I weighed as much as 160lbs. Through lots of hard work and determination I began getting in shape, by changing my diet and adding an exercise routine to my life, I began to develop a sense of confidence I once only dreamed of. I hope my physical transformation can be an inspiration to other young women. How do you maintain your physique and what do you feel is the most important thing in maintaining your beauty? As someone who battled obesity, I must work extra hard to maintain my outer beauty. My diet remains strict, and my workout routines are vigorous, I also practice dance routines daily on top of my regular work outs in the gym. It also doesn’t hurt that I work for VPX sports and have the access to all the best in Sports Supplements to help me achieve all my weight loss, fat burning, muscle building, and workout goals. Are you married, single, seeing someone? If so, what is their involvement with your modeling career and how do they feel about your choice of modeling? I am lucky enough to be in a relationship with the most supportive boyfriend a girl could ask for. We motivate each other to work out and eat right and he has been extremely supportive of me on my quest to achieve my goals both within this industry and outside this industry as well. There are a lot of opinions concerning nude modeling and its definition. What is your take on the situation? Is it art or pornography? It really all depends on how it’s done. I can appreciate nude modeling as an art form when it’s done in a tasteful, artistic fashion, either way nude modeling is not a career path I am looking to pursue. Of all the styles of modeling you do, which is your favorite and why? Out of all the different styles of modeling I do, I would have to say I love the performances I get to do as a Zhantra model/dancer. I love using dance moves and the costumes designed by Zhantra to reveal new expresses and emotions. Each night brings a new and unique costume, which brings a new character to develop with it’s own dance moves and expressions. You have accomplished so much in your career so far. What is next on your list and where would you like to see yourself when you are finally done? I am really looking forward to focussing more on Dancing and Acting. I have already had a few small roles on hit television shows like The Glades on A&E and Burn Notice on USA network, and I hope to return to filming on both of those sets. I hope to be doing some work on the ABC’s remake of Charlie’s Angels and Starz network new mafia crime drama Magic City, about 1960’s mob life in Miami. As far as my dancing career, I already work with Zhantra Entertainment, where I am constantly working on my dance repitoire, but I am also working on becoming a part of one of the dance squads for a professional sports team in here in South Florida. I would also love to continue to work with musicians doing choreographed dance routines for music videos and live performances. At this point in my young career there are no limits to where I can go.... Describe your happiest moment in your modeling career? What led up to that moment and how did it impact your future? My happiest moment in my career is RIGHT NOW! This very moment as I sit here doing this interview for my cover feature of nine5four The Magazine. This interview gave me a moment to reflect on all that I have accomplished in such a short time, and helped me to verbalize my future goals and realize how close I am to achieving them. “I wish that I could have this moment for life, for life, for life, Cuz in this moment I just feel so alive, alive, alive...” Who are some of the industry individuals that you look up to and how have they helped guide you along your path? I find great inspiration from the music, dance and wardrobe styles of Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and Rihanna. I also have gotten a great deal of guidance as well as inspiration from Bengy Cid (CEO), Gustavo Casanovas (Art Designer) and Briana Castro Knigge (Executive Assistant & Special Events Coordinator) of Zhantra Entertainment. They have put together some of the most exciting and entertaining shows I have ever been a part of. Using there vision of costume design and dance performances, they continue to amaze audiences with there visual and interactive entertainment in some of the most prestigious venues across the world. It is truly an honor to be a part of such an incredible company. There is also not enough room to mention all the incredible girls on my team that I have met while dancing with them, but each girl I have met that works for Zhantra has inspired me in some way, and the relationships I have formed with all the other girls who work with me at Zhantra are priceless. Some other people in the industry that have inspired me and/or offered guidance would be Erin Mia Milcham (Haute in the City Events & Promotions) who has given me much guidance in networking and promoting myself, Oscar Rabeiro (www.muttsnmodels.org) who not only does so much work for a great cause, but serves as a constant reminder for me to do the same. I would also like to recognize Tavia Serrano (www.SexySecretsMiami.com) who took a chance on me to be a lingerie model for her, and we grew a friendship from there, she has been so supportive, as well as offering much guidance to me within the industry. Two photographers have also stuck out and really helped me out, not only during the shoots but before and after as well; Fred Love (www.fredlove.net) and D. Francis (nine5four photography). These men are not only incredible photographers, but they have also become friends of mine as well. What is the biggest misconception about you? Misconceptions are generally had by people who don’t know me, I would tell those people, to take some time to get to know me before passing judgement on me, I believe the Bible says “Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” What are something’s in this industry that you will not do no matter the pay? I want my family and children in the future to be able to look my name up on Google (or some futuristic search engine that has not been created yet) and not see any images that degrade me or embarrass my family. If someone is looking to work with you or use you for a project, how do they find you and what types of terms do you accept? Check me out on Facebook www.facebook.com/MsJenniferMasonFanClub ; Follow Me on Twitter @MsJenniferMason ; my new website is coming soonwww.MsJenniferMason.com ; I have a youtube channel, please tune in to www.youtube.com/user/MsJenniferMason ; or scan my QR barcode (compatible with all smart phones) for a complete list of my internet presence (www.itsmyurls.com/MsJenniferMason.com) . For bookings ONLY email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Jennifer you are an amazing model and I see a lot of success for you in the future, is there anything else that you would like to share or add? Just wanted to take a moment to thank nine5four the magazine and there staff for giving the this opportunity, and to D. Francis for not only a great photo shoot but also many words of guidance and wisdom through out our shoot. I hope to work with him again real soon. Special Thanks to Jessica Landa (Hair by Landa) and Sammy Cardillo (www.intoxicatingartistry.com) for doing my hair and make up for this photo shoot (and many others as well), you both always do such an incredible job. I also want to thank all my friends, Facebook fans and Twitter followers for all there support and encouragement to me while I journey down this path in search of my hopes and dreams. The picture comments , the retweets, all the support and positive comments is what fuels me to keep in pursuit of all my goals, and for this I love you all so much! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, I truly love you all! Thanks for your time Jennifer and I am definitely looking forward to working with you again in the near future. Keep up the awesome work and again thanks for taking the time out to chat with us here at Nine5Four The Magazine. You are Welcome, the pleasure was all mine!
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