Three New Yorkers participated in the ultimate talent show Wednesday night, but instead of winning bragging rights, they were eyeing acting deals.
On the lookout for the “next break-out star,” ABC gave 13 actors from around the globe (NYC to South Africa and beyond) the chance to perform in front of casting agents and other industry professionals during the 13th annual New York Talent Showcase.
The event, which took place at New World Stages in midtown, has helped pluck some of your favorite TV stars out from a sea of hopefuls in previous years.
Past stars who gave it their all during the talent showcase — like Gina Rodriquez of “Jane the Virgin” and Lupita Nyong’o of “12 Years a Slave” — have gone on to be Academy Award and Grammy winners, something Moises Acevedo, Mandi Masden and Juani Feliz, the three NYC natives participating, have only dreamed about.
Get to know a little bit more about the NYC participants that could possibly end up in your next favorite TV show.
Moises Acevedo: If Acevedo looks even just a tad bit familiar, it’s because the Bronx native has appeared in just under a dozen TV shows and movies since 2007. His first, a cameo appearance as a mugger in the 2010 Robert Pattinson flick “Remember Me,” paved the way for guest spots on Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black” and “Daredevil,” as well as Fox’s “Gotham” and “Shades Of Blue” on NBC. He studied communications at Manhattan Community College and the City University of New York before venturing out into the TV/movie business full-time. Acevedo’s rep declined to reveal his age.
Mandi Masden: Any “Madam Secretary” fans out there? Masden, 31, from Brooklyn, appeared in an episode last year alongside Tea Leoni (also a NYC native). She’s also appeared in Off-Broadway productions of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Jitney” and “The Piano Lesson.”
Juani Feliz: Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in the Bronx, Feliz knew she was destined for the stage early on. The 28-year-old got her start in high school plays before heading to Harvard College to study biomedical engineering — not acting. But that didn’t set her back. She’s appeared in “Shades of Blue,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and in “The Purge: Election Year.”
