Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The glamour of showroom lights, the rapt attention of an onlooking audience, and the unrelenting pressure to perform are all factors that come with the territory of having a job as an actor or model, and can be extremely intimidating to even seasoned performers. But for Arianna Brown, these factors are just another part of her day-to-day routine, and at the tender age of just 10 years old, this young lady is not just an experienced model, but is also a budding actress.
Ari began her early modeling career when she was very young and, according to her mother Alicia, has always been naturally comfortable and at ease in front of a camera. “She was three and a half when she walked her first runway with Marsha Doll at a Belk's Spring Fashion Show,” says Alicia, “She has never been camera shy. We saw an ad for the fashion show and decided to give it a try. The rest is history, as they say.” The experience with her first show was a good one, and Ari has modeled in every Belk Fashion show since 2014 and has also taken additional modeling jobs for fashion giant Dillards as well.
Fast forward to today, and 10 year old Ari is a fourth grader at North Florida Christian School in Tallahassee. Her parents,
Alicia and Harry Brown are very supportive and proud of their daughter, who has maintained straight A's throughout elementary school, even while balancing her acting and modeling jobs. Currently, Ali is signed with two agencies; Rare Quality Models & Talent, located in Dothan, Al., and Launch Model and Talent out of New York. The young model has booked a variety of jobs, including a commercial for a jewelry company, a print ad for Florida Department of Agriculture Summer Food Program, and was a runway model at New York Fashion Week last fall, where she modeled for designers WowWear, Rojen and Viola Rose. She also is the current America's Ideal Miss Sunshine State Preteen, and will be competing for a national title in Georgia this July.
Recently, Arianna has expanded her modeling career to include acting jobs, an undertaking that is aided by Ari's agent, Donna Hovey of Rare Quality. Hovey regularly submits Ari for different roles that open up. In addition to her agent, Ari also gets alerts about potential jobs she can apply for via her Actors Access account, which is updated daily. She recently landed a small role in a short film called “Reverie,” which earned her her first IMDb credit. The short film, which was filmed out of Enterprise, Al., is available to be viewed on YouTube, and will soon be available on other streaming sites.
Her mother Alicia mentioned that a lot of the job submission process involves patience. They submit for roles Ari wants, and the rest is “wait and see.” While her first acting role was a small one, it served as a valuable learning experience in the world of acting.
“It was freezing that day in Enterprise, Al., but she handled it like a pro,” said Alicia, “She had a small role in this short film, but to see the behind the scenes work that goes into a production was amazing!”
“It was a very easy and short role to perform,” said Ari, who described her character as the “lookout person.” “It was freezing during taping and also a little chaotic, but I guess that's normal for movie sets.”
Next up for Ari's acting career is a brand new role she just landed! She and her family are excited to reveal that Ari has just been booked for a role on a TV mini-series that will film in Union City, Ga., this May. While not much can be currently revealed about the role or the series, Alicia mentioned that it is a popular series currently streaming on Netflix.
As with any career, balancing her various modeling and acting jobs in addition to her home life can be tricky, but Ari is enjoying the experience, and says that out of the two, she especially loves modeling. “The biggest challenge with modeling is having to change outfits quickly and with little to no privacy,” she admits, “I love modeling all of the amazing clothes, and getting to know the designers and other models from across the world. I get to wear a variety of different fashions, from elegant to a little on the wild side.”
Ari says that the biggest challenge in her line of work is knowing that she won't always get every role that she auditions for, and she knows first-hand that this can be very discouraging, and encourages fellow young performers to not give up. “Never give up on your dreams,” she says, “You will not be chosen every time, but do not let that discourage you.”
Her parents feel that the experience in both the acting and modeling jobs have benefitted Ari tremendously. “Both have given her unbelievable confidence, poise and valuable communication skills,” says Alicia, “She can speak to a crowd of 10 or 10,000. But what I love most is that she is still my very sweet, smart and humble 10 year old.” When asked how she and Harry feel watching their daughter walk down the runway, or play a role in a film, Alicia replied, “I guess “proud” would be an understatement. Even at such a young age, she is full of wisdom, kindness, compassion and courage. We can't wait to witness all of the amazing things that she is going to accomplish.”
“I will admit,” she continued, “I was a bit anxious about my nine year old modeling at NYFW. I mean, it's New York! Being a runway model is not for the faint of heart; model fittings until wee hours of the night, lightning-fast outfit changes, which also require hair and makeup changes per each designer's color palette... but she never panicked. She honestly was amazing.”
While her acting and modeling jobs certainly keep her busy, Arianna is also highly active in her home life, and enjoys a wide array of hobbies and extra curricular activities. She loves all things art, especially drawing and photography. When she isn't working, she enjoys fishing with her family, singling, dancing and playing sports (cheer and gymnastics). She also has a Yorkie dog named Louie, who is reportedly very spoiled.
Her parents say that while there is no doubt that young Ari loves the spotlight and is currently having fun with her modeling, acting and pageantry, she has made it clear to her parents that this is not her chosen career path.
“After graduation, I plan to join the Airforce and become a pilot.” says Ari with confidence. In the meantime, we can all look forward to seeing her on the “big screen.
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