Today I will introduce you to model and actress, Kahshanna Evans. You may have seen her as Storm in Epic Movie, or you may have seen her in ads for Eckó Red, American Eagle Outfitters, and Aldo to name a few. You may not know how she got into the business so she was able to take some time out to tell me that and so much more. Check it out:

Who are some models you look up to?
That’s a good question. Hmmm…there doesn’t seem to be any that come to mind other than the 70s and 80s models like Twiggy. I think the people that match that today are Kate Moss and Trish Goff.

As a model, you get to travel a lot so what has been your favorite place to travel to?
I don’t think that I have been to my favorite place yet. One place that was incredibly beautiful an island off the coast of India. Some of the islands are a mile apart so you can literally walk from island to island. Alaska was also beautiful, cold, but beautiful. Paris was extraordinary.

Who are some of your favorite designers?
I love Giorgio Armani.

Were you a student at Barbizon or John Robert Powers or any type of modeling school?
No I wasn’t.

So how did you get into modeling?
A photographer scouted me. I didn’t think anyone would want to take pictures of me but over time I just thought, “Why?” and then that turned into, “Yes, this is so much fun!”

Do you have any memorable shoots?
I recently shot a campaign for a European company. I loved the audition. It was so much fun. I ended up getting the job for print and commercial and it was a team with a different eye, so it was a blast.

Do you watch any of those shows like America’s Next Top Model, Project Runway, etc…?”
I have seen glimpses of Top Model. It is really interesting. What messages do we get about beauty and how we should integrate ourselves in new endeavors? I cringe when I see people being treated poorly. When you start modeling, you do not know when to say, “Hey, I don’t feel uncomfortable” or “That was really rude and no one should be talking to me like that.” You think you have to accept it. For awhile, I thought, do I have to get yelled at and be treated nasty when I give feedback? This show is just one perspective of the whole picture. I have met models from all over the world and some bring their families along with them around the world as they work. Then there are many who do what they do to support their families. That to me is very touching. You will hear about it, but not much.

Moving onto acting, tell me about your role in the upcoming film, “The Wrong Hands.”
That was a really fun project. It is like a dark comedy. It parallels what can happen when people begin to organize in political groups, no matter how ridiculous they are. We compete with each other and suddenly it is not just an elbow to get in the front of the line…an elbow becomes a push, a push becomes a shove. It was really fun and it is set in 1989.

How long was filming?
It was supposed to film for 2-3 months and it turned into weather issues and juggling the actors’ schedules. We had to pick it up a year later so it took awhile. There is no release date yet but it’s coming along.

Finally, tell me about organizations and charities you are involved with and support?
There is a Tibet fund that I love. There is a small Haitian Children’s Organization where one woman sent money to Haiti to a women who adopted homeless kids. I love Alma and Feed Your Soul. I definitely want to create my own non profit organization so groups of young women can travel abroad and study energy medicine.