Pageantude: Pageants With Attitude!: MAO Teen Judges

MAO Teen Judges

Bill O’Dowd
Dolphin Entertainment, founded in 1996 by President Bill O’Dowd, is one of the world’s leading entertainment companies specializing in children’s and young adult live-action programming, with divisions dedicated to Television Production, Feature Film Production, International Distribution, Merchandising and Licensing, and Music. Recent television series credits for Mr. O’Dowd and Dolphin Entertainment include serving as Executive Producer of Nickelodeon hit Zoey 101 (Primetime Emmy® Award nominated) and Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide. Zoey 101 has been the number one live-action series on cable among teens, in both the United States and Canada. Both series have gone on to see incredible international success and can be viewed in over 100 countries worldwide.Mr. O’Dowd and Dolphin Entertainment have several television movie Executive Producer credits in the past 2 years alone, including four titles in the popular “Roxy Hunter” mystery movie franchise (the latest of which premiered on Nickelodeon on Sunday, July 13), as well as Nickelodeon’s first-ever TV movies Shredderman Rules! and Last Day of Summer (which premiered in Summer, 2007).Upcoming projects that are very exciting for Mr. O’Dowd and Dolphin Entertainment include Nickelodeon’s first-ever musical, Spectacular, starring Victoria Justice (Zoey 101), and an upcoming slate of six feature films. The first film in the slate will be based on the highly inspirational true story of shark attack survivor and professional surfer Bethany Hamilton, and is scheduled to begin filming in Hawaii this October. Finally, Mr. O’Dowd has recently become CEO and Chairman of Logica Holdings, Inc., a publicly-traded technology company dedicated to providing solutions for keeping children safe on the internet. Mr. O’Dowd graduated with honors from Harvard Law School, has received a master’s degree in modern European history from Creighton University, and was named 1st-Team Academic All-American by USA Today while an undergraduate at Creighton.

Nancy Redd
New York Times bestselling author and motivational speaker Nancy Redd dares to empower a new generation—with facts instead of fantasies, and the priceless gift of self-knowledge in her latest book, Body Drama. A contributing editor to CosmoGIRL! Magazine, an AOL Wellness Coach and self-esteem advisor to Fitness magazine. Nancy and her unique views have been featured on ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS’ The Early Show, NBC’s Today Show, CNN, E! True Hollywood Stories, PEOPLE magazine, NPR, PBS, Inside Edition, and more. After graduating from Harvard with an honors degree in Women’s Studies, Nancy won the title of Miss Virginia, going on to make the Top 10 and winning the swimsuit competition at Miss America 2004. Named by Glamour magazine as one of America’s top-ten college women, Nancy once won $250,000 on Who Wants to be a Millionaire in 2002 (donating 10% to 4-H, where she sat on the National Board of Trustees), was named L'Oreal's Beauty of Giving Young Woman of the Year, was one of Harvard magazine’s Top Six Seniors, is a former National Coca-Cola Scholar, a Toyota Scholar, and an Ebony Magazine Scholar. Nancy married her college sweetheart Rupak Ginn, an actor currently starring in Disney Channel’s The Cheetah Girls: One World. They live in Los Angeles.

Kenny Santucci
Kenny Santucci, a resident of Cedar Grove, New Jersey, attended parochial grammar school, where he served as an altar server at his local parish. He attended St. Peter’s Prep School in Jersey City, NJ. He was an active member of the student body, serving as Captain of the Wrestling team, Mascot for the football team, District Wrestling Champion and actor in several school plays. In 2005, he graduated from Montclair State University in Upper Montclair, NJ, with a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Art and Illustration. He first gained reality TV fame when he joined the cast of MTV’s Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Fresh Meat as a new competitor trying to make it in a field of alums. Finishing second place, a confident Kenny used his natural leadership abilities to beat the competition. He was so well-liked by fans, that MTV asked him back to subsequent seasons of the show including The Duel, The Inferno 3 and The Gauntlet 3. Kenny continues to travel the country as a role model and motivational speaker on college and high school campuses addressing issues such as diversity, overcoming challenges and leadership. When not speaking or hosting charity events, Kenny enjoys acting, art, motorcycles, wrestling and fitness and helps sponsor the wrestling team at his old high school, St. Peters Prep. He also has conducted fund raisers for a wide range of causes, ranging from funds for a Girls Catholic high school prom to a memorial benefit for a young man who was lost in the mountains of Colorado while skiing.

Veena Goel
A dancer since the age of 3, Veena has been trained in various forms of dance including classical ballet, theatrical jazz and baton. She entered her first pageant at age 19 as a means to fund her college education. Born in Laguna Hills to a Delhi- born father and an Indonesian mother, she is a graduate of Laguna Hills High School. In 2004, Veena won the title of Miss California earning her thousands of dollars in college scholarships and the right to compete at the 2005 Miss America pageant where she was named a preliminary talent winner and 4th runner-up to Miss America. While serving as Miss California, Veena championed the cause of raising awareness and promoting the education of eating disorders. As a survivor of anorexia nervosa, Veena appreciated the struggles young women endured regarding their body image.She is a 2002 graduate of UCLA where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and was the feature baton twirler for UCLA. Veena is also a former 5x World Baton Twirling Champion as well as 11x National Baton Twirling Champion. Veena currently resides in Walnut Creek, California where she is a Program Director for The Global Health and Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing Hope, Mobility and Freedom to developing countries through the distribution of over 700,000 wheelchairs through the Wheelchair Foundation and will be providing over 270,000 free cataract surgeries through a partnership with Lions Club International Foundation.

David Weincek
David Weincek resides in New York City, where he graduated with honors from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. A theater veteran, David has acted in over 100 stage productions from Off-Broadway to many major regional theaters including The Kennedy Center, Chicago’s Goodman Theater, Cincinnati’s Playhouse in the Park and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. On film, he has been featured in such motion pictures as The Stepford Wives, Music and Lyrics, New York Minute and Baby Mama. On television, David has appeared on many major network series and like most New York actors, has put in his time on all of the Law & Order franchises. David has also starred in several national television commercials; maintains a successful career as a print model; is a huge New York Mets fan and hopes one day to be a contestant on a game show.Having a great love for travel, this past spring, David fulfilled a lifetime dream by taking a trip around the world. David is excited to be judging his first Outstanding Teen competition.

Mary D’Arcy Jurman
A former Miss New Jersey, and tied for 2nd Runner-up to Miss America, Mary has had a very successful career in many facets of the entertainment industry. She has starred as Christine Daae opposite both Michael Crawford and Colm Wilkinson in The Phantom Of The Opera in Los Angeles, Toronto, and on Broadway. She also starred on Broadway as Kathy Seldon in Singin’ in the Rain, and originated the roles of Celeste II/Elaine in Sunday in the Park with George, and Cinderella in the Playwright’s Horizon workshop of Into the Woods, both written by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. She has toured the former Soviet Union in Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, and across the United States as the late Richard Harris’ favorite Guenevere in Camelot. Mary can be seen opposite James Woods and Drew Barrymore in Stephen King’s cult classic film, Cat’s Eye, and in many, many television commercials. She has studied tap dancing with famous Broadway dancer/producer Tommie Tune, and has also danced under the direction of Modern Dance master choreographer Twyla Tharp. Recently, Mary has been appearing in solo concert with various Pops Orchestras around the country and with a group called, “The Phantom’s Leading Ladies,” a trio of Broadway’s “Christines” from Phantom, singing everything from Broadway classics to The Beatles. Every holiday season for the past 10 years, Mary has been an integral part of a consortium of professional singers and musicians in the New York metropolitan area called Holiday Express. This non-profit’s mission is to deliver music, food, gifts, financial support, and friendship to those with the greatest need during the holidays. In addition to hundreds of appearances in the northeast, they have visited Columbine High School and New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of Mississippi after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.Mary lives in New Jersey with her husband Karl, Musical Director of Broadway’s The Lion King. Both she and Karl have been preliminary judges for the Miss America Pageant and she is truly looking forward to becoming a part of the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen family.

Pageantude: Pageants With Attitude!: MAO Teen Judges

Blogged with the Flock Browser