Worcester Models Impress at New York Show

Friday, August 03, 2012

Jennifer Roy, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Jordyn Murphy Photo: John Lenis of Worcester

Life is good for 17 year old Jordyn Murphy of Whitinsville. She spent last week at an International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA) audition in New York City to fulfill her dream of becoming a model, and has caught the attention of numerous high end modeling agencies from around the world.

“I’m so excited about it, the doors just opened for me,” Murphy said.

In addition to taking home 2nd place for Model of the Year in her age group (15-17), Jordyn received 36 callbacks from companies like Wilhelmina Miami and New York, Elite Model World, and Bellissima Model Management, just to name a few. It’s a great start for a teenager who began her career winning modeling competitions at Swansea Mall and Solomon Pond Mall in Marlborough. She’ll be appearing in her first publication, Pageantry Magazine, as a featured model in the Spring 2013 issue.

“It’s kind of overwhelming because there’s a lot of work," Murphy said. "But I am living my dream so it’s all worth it.”

Jordyn is a student at Karon Shea Model Management (KSMM) in Worcester, where for the past 2 years she has learned modeling, make-up and other tricks of the trade. KSMM is a member of IMTA (thanks to their credentials and success in the business), which enabled Karon to bring Jordyn and eight other promising students to the prestigious audition.

“I bring the best. The nine (students) that I brought all placed extremely high, if not won their divisions, and the group received nearly 100 call backs," Karon said.

Another one of Karon’s students who achieved success at IMTA is 15 year old Nicole Lawrence of Wyndham, NH. Nicole started acting classes at KSMM just one year ago with local teacher Jeremy Woloski from the Burncoat Arts Magnet program. She proudly won first place in her division and will attend the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts in New York next summer, where she received a scholarship as well as 12 callbacks from top talent agencies. 15 year old Haley Vermeulen from Wolcott, New York, also received a scholarship to the conservatory. She travels seven hours to study at KSMM, which Karon says is great for Worcester.

Nicole Lawrence

“This is exciting for the city of Worcester. It is a big small town, and the caliber of students we brought shows that. Our training is also very good; we scout and we also train. KSMM is one big family, and we give our students and their families individualized attention,” says Karon.

Karon constantly seeks talent in the local community. She most recently held auditions for her school at Auburn Mall and Solomon Pond Mall. Her scout will be heading to the Wachusett Kids Fest in September to see if there are any children in the crowd with the "x- factor." Karon will be holding her next audition for IMTA Los Angeles at KSMM on Sunday, August 26 at 1pm. All people ages seven and above are welcome and asked to come dressed casually with natural make-up and hair. A headshot and resume is recommended but not necessary. Candidates will be asked to read from a script and will be filmed, then either selected to travel to LA, or given advice on what skills he or she needs to build upon.

“Some people aren’t ready for this kind of audition, so we give them the best advice possible and the training as well," Karon said.

IMTA alumni include Katie Holmes, Ashton Kutcher and Josh Duhamel. Karon hopes to add the names Jordyn Murphy, Nicole Lawrence, and Haley Vermeulen to that roster soon.