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Gillian first walked into a theatre at the age of 10 years to see the iconic stage play, Amadeus. From the moment the curtain went up, she was entranced and knew she was hooked for life - this was the industry she needed to work in. From that day she began chasing her dream –from working at the theatre coffee counter or selling show programmes, ushering people to their seats and helping (or probably getting in the way) backstage in a commercial theatre; to working on school plays as stage manager in high school. Gillian never wanted to be on stage , her dream was to work backstage, being part of the team that makes the magic happen.After school she secured a job working in the office of a “real” theatre. She started in sales, marketing and PR, working with rehearsal & touring schedules, but she soon moved on to working on the shows themselves, doing scene changing, lighting & sound operation, Front of House & backstage management, wardrobe & costumes. Gillian was the event manager of the first Margate Africa Bike Week for Harley-Davidson bikers from Europe, Africa and Middle East in 2008; and was the team leader for the group that broke a Guinness World Record in July 2008 for “The Most Seafood Prepared at an Outdoor event. She joined up with two business partners in 2008 and, with them, conceptualised and grew the entire idea of Summer Heat Model & Talent Search which she has managed hands-on since its inception in 2009.
In a nutshell, Summer Heat is a national search for singers, actors, dancers and models, with auditions in every province of South Africa. Contestants from each audition who show the most promise, are invited to the Summer Heat National Awards Weekend where they can be selected as the best and become a member of a loving and supportive family of performers. The Summer Heat family strives to build up local talent, giving them encouragement and a sense of how much potential they have. Through the family, Summer Heat becomes a platform that opens doors and is the perfect launching pad to join a dynamic network in the performing arts industry – assisting each other in their future careers in the performing arts in immeasurable ways. The Summer Heat Family is frequently complimented on its modern, loving approach to dealing with the talented youth of South Africa, maintaining a proudly international standard while supporting each contestant to become the best they can be. Summer Heat can happily brag that many previous contestants have gone on to achieve a career in the performing arts industry, locally and internationally,yet still remain part of the family. New York and Los Angeles film schools; appeared on television, in films and music videos - both locally and internationally; featured on billboards and in magazines. One of our younger contestants from Cape Town landed a feature role in a major movie starring Ethan Hawke. There are Summer Heat family who have walked the runway at SA Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week and one who has appeared on F-TV. Most recently we saw one of our previous titleholders, Chanel Hurlin, who lives and works as a TV presenter in Los Angeles, interviewing celebrities on the Red Carpet at the Golden Globe awards after party. Another member of the family, Anele Ngcizela, who lives in Hollywood has had a movie that she wrote, directed and acted in, submitted for various international film festivals.
For more information visit www.summerheat.co.za
Gillian Felton-Habib-Summer Heat
ENTREPRENEURSHIP