A total of 145 performers showed up Saturday, Feb. 19 for auditions made possible by a Rockford native who came home to recruit talent.
Many participants walked away with a gold or silver star during Makin’ Magic Productions Network auditions in Rockford.
“The gold stars mean you absolutely made it through,”Shanika Mason, the owner of the production company explained. “You would either be on the television talent showcase series ‘Born to Stand Out,’ a movie, reality show of something that I am going to be filming here in Rockford this summer and fall.”
Mason said a person who received a silver star will receive a call back.
Antoinette Harris was there with her 19-year-old daughter Dnaiya Benford. Benford is a multi-talented songwriter but wanted to show the judges her other musical skills.
“This opportunity to audition would be good for me to get my music on TV and just become [a] more rounded artist,” she said.
Brandi Morris, the CEO and President of LadiWorkz, was one of the judges.
“I think it's a good event for Rockford. I think it's going to be encouraging for Rockford's talent,” Morris said. “Rockford definitely has some pretty good talent. They just [are] not being heard.”
Morris started out working in the entertainment industry at a young age and said she has judged for things like this throughout her journey.
“I started out when I was 17 years old years old working at Jive Records. I worked with many people," Morris said.
She said she retired from the film industry last year. Her experience came through as she critiqued during the evaluations.
“When doing something like your music, though, you shouldn't have the words attached to the music,” Morris explained. “So, the words being attached, I mean, obviously, it makes it hard to know everything that's said because you can definitely hear the background.”
Morris shared those words with Chezera Porte Jr., a self-proclaimed all-around entertainer. He said he came to the event to support a friend but found himself in the spotlight. Porte said he is thankful for the feedback and his gold star.
“One thing that we should do as performers and artists is we should always use the constructive criticism that is given to us to better our talents and better our skills,” he said. “So, I'm definitely going to use it.”
Demetrius Mackeycame to the auditions to help his mother, a vendor at the event, sell products. He said he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to showcase his rap skills. He snatched a silver star and said he’s looking forward to a call back.
“I'm going to come with more confidence and be ready, completely prepared,” he assured. “That's as simple as I could put it. I'm going to be completely prepared.”
Fabbie Williams is the CEO and founder of Fab Dance & Fitness Academy in Rockford. She brought a troupe of dancers to the tryouts.
“It meant a lot to them to be a part of the auditions because we had some girls that were entering,” Williams said. “And we've also had some girls who just joined so this was their -- some of their first performance.”
Mason said she’s excited about Rockford’s talent and mentioned someone who left an impression on her.
“Fines Woodard came here, and he just lit up the whole room, had us laughing and he had more than one talent,” she said. “So, I am looking so forward to seeing more of him and doing more with him.”
Those interested in following the journey can stay in the loop by visiting the production company’sFacebook page.
Mason said if someone wasn’t granted a star, they’ll get the opportunity to try again next year. Makin' Magic Productions Network is available for download on Roku, Android TV, Amazon Prime and on Firesticks.
- Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
