CAPE TOWN - South Africa celebrated its 37th anniversary of Youth Day earlier this week and celebrating youth doing exemplary work and bridging the gaps in sectors should be celebrated.
African News Agency (ANA), spoke to Chante Holloway, a 27-year-old model and actor from Atlantis.
Holloway has made a name for herself in both the modelling and film industry.
In 2013, she was also awarded a two year scholarship to the New York Film Academy where she did practical work on major sets which include Fast and the Furious and Grey’s Anatomy.
She also featured in LA Fashion Week, Facet Fashion week and featured on Vogue magazine’s site, vogue.it
Upon her return to South Africa, she joined an agency and has been pursuing her dream, currently she features in the popular South African telenovela, Arendsvlei.
Holloway is also a 2017 Miss SA finalist.
However, she has not stopped there and has launched her own agency Y-SO-XTRA in May which focuses on getting people from the community from Atlantis to feature on sets as extras.
“At school, I never knew what I wanted to do. I had never been exposed to the film industry and this is my way of introducing others from small communities to the industry.
“I started the agency in Atlantis because so many movies are being shot in the dunes or at Silverstream (a beach near Atlantis) and people don’t know our area is being used for this purpose,” Holloway told ANA.
She said she also wants to bridge the gap of using people within the close communities as extras on sets and to ensure people are not being taken advantage of by film companies.
Currently, there are 45 people signed up to Y-SO-XTRA from all ages and demographics.
“This is my passion project and my way of giving back to my community.
“I wish someone had told me about the industry a long time ago. I definitely want to see people succeed,” she said.
Holloway said she will be having an open day soon before film crews flood the surrounding areas of Atlantis.
“I will be hosting another open day soon as I want us to be ready by summer when film crews from all over the world come to shoot in our beautiful weather,” she said.
Holloway has been booked for different gigs every month since the start of the year so far.
She has confirmed that she will in time be branching the agency out to other areas.
“I am thinking of branching out to other communities. I want to reach out to those communities who do not receive these opportunities and show them the opportunities that are available,” she said.
Her message to youth comes from a quote from a song which goes: ‘let the sun have its moment, the moon will come’.
She has urged youth to let people have their moment, be happy for them because “your time will come”.
African News Agency