Actors, Models and Talent for Christ: Aniela's Story

Our Journey started in March of 2017. We listen to WAYFM everyday. I heard the AMTC ad play over and over again. It was like every time I got in the car it was on. I didn’t understand why, but one day my daughter Aniela said, “Mom I wonder what that is?” So I said a little prayer that day, and I asked God, for a sign if He was in charge of playing that ad all the time. I didn’t know it was possible, but the ad played even more.

I got home one day and decided to look into it. I saw that the audition fee was 50$. I didn’t even have 50$ dollars in my bank account. So I prayed. Again. God, open the door. If you want. And He did. The next day I creatively figured out how to move around money and spend all of it. On that audition application.

A couple days later we got an email from Aubrey Cohorst. When I approached my daughter and told her, she was now against doing it. Not against. Just scared. I started to think the 50$ I spent was a drop in the bucket, and I began to move on. However, Aniela kept asking me about it. About three weeks later, she wrote her own script and ended up doing the audition with Aubrey. She loved not just Aubrey but the adrenaline rush she got from actually doing it. I had never seen my daughter determine herself so much, more than that day.

Naturally, the audition went well. And after prayer we decided to purchase the Pro-Package. At that point I wasn’t totally sure where we went from there. I knew the website had so much information, but sometimes it was overwhelming. Eventually, we made it to our first hub. It was Father’s Day weekend. And I’ll never forget it. Aniela was so excited to meet new faces and get the ball rolling, but when Ricky Carter stood up there and asked for scripts and the attendees to perform them, Aniela about lost herself. As for me, I was ready to walk out.

I don’t consider myself a stage mom. Nor will I ever try to consciously become one. There is no doubt in my mind that I was not the one that got Aniela all of this. Her path has been ordained by God, and you will see how.

But then, Tish Limpin, the Denver Hub Administrative Assistant followed us out into the hall so concerned and kind to Aniela about her reaction. She came over and spoke wonderful things over my girl. With her help and mine, Aniela eventually got up enough courage again to go into that room and perform. And when I watched her up there, any outsider would have never known the challenge she just overcame. She was already a star in my eyes.

That was a really fun day for Aniela and I both. Karin Bosigno, the Denver Hub Lead, was so kind, too. She loved Aniela’s bubbly character and joy. And while I wanted to change things about her runway walk, Karin was insistent she stay as is.

By our second hub, which was a month later, Aniela was so excited to go. In fact, she couldn’t wait. Aniela never took constructive criticism well, especially from me, as her teacher; she is home-schooled. So at that second hub when Ricky really got into her monologues, I foresaw an emotional breakdown. However, she proved me wrong by receiving it very well that day.

By our third hub, which we weren’t certain would happen before our tour to L.A., Aniela was rushing in to not just show Ricky all she had practiced, but she wanted to play the piano with him. I mention that because if Aniela asks you to play the piano with her, somehow you have made it into a special place in her heart.

At that hub, which was mid-August, a local Denver agent was invited. She was nice, but she was real. Honestly, I think I needed her rawness; as I felt so naïve about so many things still. She hypothetically was talking and answering a question I asked, when she brought up (again, hypothetically), “If your daughter’s hair is too long…” I am not going to lie, I was deeply offended. I tend to get really defensive at any passive communication, let alone anything about my kids. Can we say Mama Bear?!

I kinda let it go, as I had so much to prep for our trip. That week I had also emailed some questions to confirm the information I had read on the website. The weekend before we were to board a plane to L.A. for Shine Tour 2017, I saw an email from Lexy She (in response). She was kind, respectful, and complimentary about my daughter’s beauty, but also rather blunt in telling me she needed a haircut.

In my life when the right thing is abounding, signs like “too long of hair” being spoken of two complete strangers is most likely God’s gentle nudging for us to listen. But of course, I didn’t see it that way. I saw Lexy’s comments as hurtful and in my ignorance I responded in the not so most thoughtful way. I still am truly sorry to her for that. Because I don’t think she realizes how much her wisdom and her courage to communicate through my frustration opened doors for both Aniela and I.

In one of her responses to me, Lexy spoke about something personal, and I actually saw how similar we might be. It allowed me to see her as my sister in Christ. And believe it or not it gave me the challenge to respect this industry from a more Godly perspective. While I was set in my ways about trimming a few inches, Aniela was happy to. Lexy, will always be probably, one of the most important parts to Aniela’s testimony, even though she played such a small part.

Aniela had had her hair all her life. For me a request to cut it, even a little bit, was another cue for me to leave. And leave is exactly what I dwelled on for days following our email correspondence. But, Aniela was ready to meet L.A. and she was ready to shine. She had worked so hard and I eventually decided I wasn’t going to let my issues become hers. We cut her hair, and I must say it was the best decision we had made that far into the journey. Thanks Lexy.

We boarded a plane and off to L.A. we were. We rode in first class. And when we landed Aniela got the treat of her life by witnessing paparazzi finding Alessandra Embrosia. She was really excited for this and all the experiences L.A. had for her.

That night at the hotel we were walking around and we ran into Janice Maze and her husband. They were so helpful to us that night as, again, we felt so naïve. Aniela recognized Janice as “the one in the videos”. The next day was our (her) photoshoot. We met a beautiful young woman named Alex Keeley, first thing! Oh’ I loved Alex. She gets Employee of the Year, in my heart.

I can say I think I know how hard and how much effort EVERY SINGLE worker (employed or volunteer) for AMTC has to put in. BUT, realistically I don’t. Say I had an example, however, and I’d tell you Alex set that for me. There is a woman who works, behind the scenes, humbly and faithfully doing what she clearly loves to do. Thank you Alex for not just setting an example of Joy in my heart to be there in what would have been a stressful environment (for me), but being a role model for my daughter; whom still talks about you today. I hope we meet again on Earth.

The photoshoot was fun and exciting, and while I forget his name, our consultant was such a pleasure to work with and helped us navigate the outfits, etc. (It was the male consultant – I feel awful we forgot his name because we loved him.) Thank you.

Speaking of outfits, let me not forget to thank our Denver Hub Lead, Karin, for her hours of guidance and millions of texts and emails back and forth with her about Aniela and I’s outfit ideas. I am incredibly grateful for the response time, the honesty, and the grace she offered me in those weeks leading up to L.A. I still have a lot to learn, but I feel so much more “keen” about current fashion than I ever was. And thank you Tish for offering to take us shopping.

Friday morning was the first time as a family we would experience the enemy’s tug on this particular journey. And we felt it in a mighty way that morning. My son, who was 8 months at the time, was cranky. And there was just a spirit of negativity looming on us. It first attacked Aniela, and then my husband. And while I recognized it and tried to pray against it, it eventually found me too. And there I sat in the hotel room with my napping son, crying out to the Lord and pleading for an answer as to why we were there. I wanted to leave. And I really wanted to go swoop up my daughter and take her away. Away from it all.

My very spiritual friend found a way to my heart that day; that moment. And sent me a text that she was praying. A sign? I think so. I got up my whits and within minutes Aniela was knocking at the door that she wanted me with her for her first showcase. I walked Aniela back to the main room. I was so nervous for her. Honestly, I wanted to be on stage for her. Not because I am any good at that, but because I just didn’t want her to experience any more doubts. I stood in line with her for a few minutes before she looked me dead in the eyes and said, “Mom, I am fine, you go watch!” What? I thought. No. She wasn’t really telling me to let her be. No. Not my Aniela who made me wipe her be-hind until she was 5. TeHe.

As I walked away, tears began to fill my eyes, and I looked to my right and saw a mom doing the very same thing. I spoke to God in that moment and said, “That’s my baby, please take care of her.” And that’s when He said to me, “No, she’s mine.” I got chills in that moment and high-stepped it back to my seat. I knew He was right. Aniela’s middle name is Ysabel. Aniela Ysabel means Angel Consecrated (or set apart) for God. When she was in my womb I heard Him tell me she was His. I needed to stop getting in the way.

She came back from her Commercial Showcase with the biggest grin on her face I had ever seen her make. Then she asked me, “Mommy how many more showcases do I have?” I chuckled then told her. I couldn’t believe it. She was born for this. I really had to bite who I was because if I don’t watch myself I might get in His way of her doing what He has called of her.

We had the best time that weekend. She really shined. And I really learned to enjoy watching God shine through her without any of my own human instruction. Aniela didn’t get one call back. Not one. Aniela didn’t seem to mind. She was ready by Sunday for the beach. But me, well I internalized it all as something I had done wrong. He began a work in me that day on acceptance and affirmation in my own life. Totally apart from Aniela’s journey with AMTC.

I was so focused on my failures (that I thought were presenting themselves in Aniela) that I forgot about our VIP interview that our Pro Package gave us. A rather intuitive gentleman (that obviously worked in some fashion for AMTC) found us in the hallway and said, “You’re Aniela, right, well you have an interview you don’t want to miss.”

The night before Callbacks, I met the likes of Bri Curtis with DDO Agency in a seminar. I had vibes that if Aniela got any callback, Bri, was one I wanted to sit and talk to. Well guess who the Lord blessed Aniela’s interview with? Yep! Bri. Aniela’s first experience talking to a VIP did not go as best as it could have. I think she forgot to let her light shine a little. But that’s okay, because wherever we are weak, the Lord is strong. And He set up a Devine meeting that day. Bri, had told us she wasn’t interested “today” but that she wanted Aniela to reach out to some organizations here back home in Denver.

No matter what “no callbacks” did in my heart, they did something bigger in Aniela’s heart. She spent the rest of the afternoon meeting every VIP that made sense to us to meet. A few offered some helpful criticism, a few showed no interest at all, but a couple were so thankful to meet Aniela that it lit a fire under her. Even I walked away Sunday afternoon knowing our journey wasn’t over. In fact I was confident, as she, that this was only the beginning.

Aniela's story is not over yet. In fact it's only beginning!

Our story doesn’t do justice to the overflowing thanks we have for everyone mentioned in here, and even those who were not, that work at AMTC. I don’t know how God will continue to move in Aniela’s life, for all I know, maybe He closes the door to this industry after a while; I don’t know. But one thing I am certain about is AMTC helped build a foundation that gives us the confidence to work hard to get things Aniela dreams about with this industry.

I hope and pray that if the Lord takes Aniela to Hollywood, she will always remember the foundation AMTC has set for her. And if she doesn’t than we will always have had the best experience to share for the rest of lives. #BECAUSEOFAMTC