If you’ve been trying to figure out why you recognize that face on the TV or on that poster at your local drug store recently, it may be because that person lives in your town! A Hemmingford resident, Tina Calvarese, has recently become a representative for cosmetics giant L’Oréal. After a lengthy application, she was selected to be a part of both the TV and print campaign for this brand.
The process started months ago, when Calvarese saw the announcement that L’Oréal was looking for people who used their products for this campaign. “Since I am a fan and user of all their products, I thought I would apply,” she explains. After the initial application, about 50 people were chosen to participate in a Zoom interview before selections were made. “I went through an application process that took approximately two months, and an interview with the L’Oréal representatives and the director, Brian Pineda from New York,” she says. It was important that the person who was chosen could speak both English and French, since the ad would be aired in both languages.
After being selected, she got to spend some time at the L’Oréal headquarters in Montreal, where she got her hair done by professionals. The following day, the commercial was shot at the Rodeo Production Studio in Montreal. It was a 15-hour filming day. “I was very lucky to have worked with two incredibly talented directors: Brian Pineda, as mentioned before, and Joe Victorine, also from New York, who have [both] worked with some of the biggest names in fashion.”
Though this was not her first time in the performance industry, it had been a while since she was involved in this world. When she was eight years old, she made an appearance on a TV show, and throughout her childhood she did some modeling.
Calvarese is currently an employee of the Montérégie West Community Network, where she works as the outreach coordinator for the Hemmingford office.
