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Tuesday, October 21, 2014
2015 MISS ILLINOIS TEEN USA CROWNING
On September 1, 2014, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, Illinois, Megan Riesner was crowned MISS ILLINOIS TEEN USA 2015. The pageant is produced and conducted by Vanbros and Associates Inc. by license with Miss Universe LP, LLLP.
Monday, October 20, 2014
What A Weekend!
WOW! What a weekend! Thrilled to congratulate the following PAGEANT DESIGN clients: Rachel Barcellona, winner, Miss Florida Collegiate 2015; Dominique Collins, 3rd RU @ MISS WV USA 2015; Charlotte Trattner, Miss Amity winner @ MISS FL TEEN USA 2015; Carolyn Munson, Charlotte Trattner, Tiffany Rivera, Daniela Albrecht and Katharine Mahaffey, Top 16 semi-finalists @ MISS FL TEEN USA 2015; Grace Smith, 4RU; Taylor Pearce, 3RU; Brooke Garrison, 2RU; and Jara Courson, our new Miss Florida Teen USA 2015! (and Miss Photogenic winner!) Beyond excited to have been a tiny part in all of these young ladies' journeys. #PageantDesign #PageantAds
We offer graphic design solutions for all your pageantry needs! Pageant Ads | Pageant Program Books | Websites | Flyers & Promo Items + more! | For samples, check out:http://www.pageantdesignsolutions.com/ and like us on facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pageantdesign • ALL STATES, ALL AGES, ALL PAGEANTS SYSTEMS WELCOME!
Thursday, October 16, 2014
MISS NW FL 2015 Program Book Content Pages
#PageantDesign #PageantAds | PAGEANT ADS / PROGRAM BOOKS / COACH, DIRECTOR & DELEGATE WEBSITES / FLYERS + much more! | For samples, check out: http://www.pageantdesignsolutions.com/ and like us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pageantdesign • ALL STATES, ALL AGES, ALL PAGEANTS SYSTEMS WELCOME!
Monday, October 13, 2014
Julia Dalton is Miss North Carolina USA 2015
She is the sister of Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton and she won the crown of Miss North Carolina USA 2015! Julia Dalton will represent her state at Miss USA 2015 next summer, the winner will represent the USA in the Miss Universe 2015 competition. Congratulations to her! She was previously Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2008 (2nd runner-up at Miss Teen USA) and 3rd runner-up Miss NC Teen USA 2007. By the way, Julia’s mother was Miss North Carolina USA 1982. Dalton is of English and German ancestry.
Julia’s sister, Kristen Dalton represented North Carolina in the Miss USA 2009 pageant broadcast live from Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada where she became the 2nd Miss North Carolina USA to win the Miss USA title; the state’s only prior winner was Chelsea Cooley, Miss USA 2005.
Friday, October 10, 2014
MISS NW FL 2015 Program Book Cover
The 2015 MISS NW FL competition is almost here, and the program books are now home, so we can finally reveal the cover for all of you! "Sunset On The Serengeti" was the theme this year, and we had tons of fun with it! (photo by the amazing J'Lyndee J. Photography)
A big THANK YOU once again to all the delegates (and parents!) who chose PAGEANT DESIGN for their program book ads! We appreciate each and every one of you!#PageantDesign #PageantAds |
Graphic design solutions for all your pageantry needs! | PAGEANT ADS / PROGRAM BOOKS / COACH, DIRECTOR & DELEGATE WEBSITES / FLYERS + much more! | For samples, check out: http://www.pageantdesignsolutions.com/ and like us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pageantdesign • ALL STATES, ALL AGES, ALL PAGEANTS SYSTEMS WELCOME!
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Lees Daryanne Garcia Crowned Miss Grand International 2014
Lees Daryanne Garcia, Miss Grand Cuba 2014, was crowned Miss Grand International 2014 at the conclusion of the international pageant held on October 7th, 2014 at the Indoor Stadium Huamark in Sukhothai, Thailand.
Lees Garcia is a Cuban-American beauty. She is the former Miss New York U.S. International, Miss Florida U.S. International, Miss Florida American Beauty and Miss Grand Florida.
The first runner-up was Miss Grand Ethiopia Hiwot Mamo;
The second runner-up was Miss Grand Canada Kathryn Kohut;The third runner-up was Miss Grand Australia Renera Thompson;The fourth runner-up was Miss Grand Colombia Monica Castaño Agudelo.Miss Grand Colombia Monica Castaño AgudeloMiss Grand Cuba Lees Daryanne GarciaMiss Grand Ethiopia Hiwot MamoMiss Grand Australia Renera ThompsonMiss Grand Canada Kathryn Kohut
Monday, October 6, 2014
Miss USA Nia Sanchez Is Engaged
This is a winning year for Nia Sanchez. The 24-year-old was crowned Miss USA in June and now, she is newly engaged. On Saturday night, 21 & Overactor Daniel Booko, 30, proposed to Sanchez on a private terrace in New York City, Rumor Fi reports.
The couple first met a year and a half ago at an engagement party but didn't start dating until three months later, when Booko saw Sanchez again at church.Booko told Rumor Fix that from the first moment he met his now fiancée, he thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
For the proposal, Booko secretly flew out to New York City, where Sanchez is currently living, and rented out the Suite Royale at the NoMad Hotel, which comes complete with a 700-square-foot terrace. The actor decorated this outdoor space with flowers and candles before inviting Sanchez over for the big surprise."She's thinking she's going to an event with friends … [and] I will be there looking all dapper in a suit decorated with candles and flowers and the whole thing and have her come over – just her and I to have an intimate moment – then get down on one knee and propose, then pop champagne and celebrate," he said.
Booko proposed to Sanchez, who happily said "yes," with a platinum, two-carat diamond ring. Booko also had a red, white and blue stone added inside the band to commemorate Sanchez's Miss USA title.
Friday, October 3, 2014
The 63rd Annual MISS UNIVERSE® Pageant To Be Held In Doral-Miami At Florida International University January 25 (8-11 P.M. ET) On NBC
NEW YORK, Oct. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- NBC, Donald J. Trump and Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, announced today that the 63rd annual MISS UNIVERSE® Pageant will take place in Doral-Miami, Florida and air live from Florida International University on NBC, Sunday, Jan. 25 (8-11 p.m. ET) with simulcast in Spanish on Telemundo. "The City of Doral is experiencing a record amount of economic growth and has gained attention from Fortune 100 companies in the short time since its incorporation in 2003," says Trump. "In its 11 years of being an established city,Doral has become internationally recognized for its outstanding commercial and industrial accomplishments," adds Trump. "Doral is a symbol of success and holding the Miss Universe Pageant here will amplify its reputation as a world showcase city."
"Even as one of the newest cities in Miami, Doral is a premier place to live, work, and play due to its beautiful lifestyle and entrepreneurial opportunities," says Shugart. "Since the Greater Miami area is a melting pot of people from all over the world, our contestants will feel right at home as they showcase what the area has to offer," adds Shugart. "I cannot think of a better backdrop in January than sunny Miami for our global telecast." "The Miss Universe Pageant offers an unprecedented opportunity to showcase the city to millions of viewers, as well as expose our local shops, hotels, restaurants, and attractions to thousands of visitors," says Mayor Luigi Boria. "Our local economy will be greatly benefited by our partnership with the pageant," adds Boria. "Our international presence will be improved further by joining the list of select cities that have hosted this prestigious competition."
In its short existence, the City of Doral has become a mecca for business development and expansion. Exceeding national trends, Doral has a flourishing economy and has gained status as the premier place for trade and commerce. In just five years after its inception, Doral was named one of the "100 Best Cities to Live and Launch a Business" byCNNMoney.com, coming in at number two in the State of Florida. The city's geographical location, with proximity to the airport, seaport and major transit arteries, provides Doral with unique advantages for growth. The government climate of the multi-cultural, multi-lingual population from South and Central America gives Doral a cosmopolitan, eclectic ambiance that entices shoppers, businesses and industries from around the world. The pageant will be broadcast from the FIU Arena on the campus of Florida International University. FIU is the public research university in Miami and graduates more Hispanic students than any other university in the nation.
"Our students will gain valuable insight from this opportunity to intern with, and learn from, this world class event," said FIU president, Mark B. Rosenberg. "I'm delighted that having the pageant on campus will also make it possible for our first generation students to receive scholarships and young people all over the world to be exposed to FIU." Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission.
Since 1960, the Miss Universe Organization and Miami have had a longstanding relationship, with the MISS UNIVERSE Pageant being held in the Greater Miami area 15 times, more than any other host city in the world. The MISS UNIVERSE beauty pageant is distributed to approximately 190 countries and territories. Contestants from around the world will be judged in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview, as they vie to become the next Miss Universe. Gabriela Isler from Venezuela will crown her successor at the conclusion of the live telecast.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Miss America damage control: Pageant beset by hazing, scholarship reports
By Amy Kuperinsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
It’s safe to say this wasn’t the best week for Miss America — the pageant or the person.
“I must’ve aged 10 years over the past 24 hours,”Kira Kazantsev wrote in her blog on Tuesday night. On Monday, not long after becoming the third consecutive Miss New York to win the crown, Kazantsev, 23, also became the subject ofa story from the website Jezebel. An unnamed person had accused her of promotinghazing at Hofstra University’s Alpha Phi sorority. “Over the past 24 hours, I have experienced cyber-bullying, hatred, and judgment unlike ever before,” Kazantsev continued. “People write you off at a moment’s notice, simply rejoicing in the fact that you might’ve done something wrong.” Writing off Miss America — the pageant — may seem easy, given the last few days. Just before the hazing story came to light, John Oliver, HBO’s late-night news satirist, skewered the Linwood-based Miss America Organization for vastly overstating its scholarship contributions.
The “Last Week Tonight” host said show staff found no evidence the scholarships awarded to contestants amounted to any number near the $45 million claimed. And people were paying attention. The Chicago Tribune reported that in just two days, Oliver's suggestion for viewers to donate to other scholarship programs resulted in an influx of $25,000 to the city's Society of Women Engineers.
For a pageant that already suffered from an image problem – the swimsuit competition hasn’t exactly helped — Oliver’s debunking session and the hazing allegations against Kazantsev seemed to indicate a swift downward spiral.
The questions many observers are asking now: Can Miss America recover from yet another set of PR blows? And how will all of this impact the pageant's current home, Atlantic City, which is facing its own share of public relations and financial crises?
Scholarships and ‘solvency’
The hazing allegations forced Miss America to regroup, but the scholarship story appeared to be more damning. After all, the organization trumpets that it is the largest provider of scholarships for women. “That’s why those women, many of them, enter the pageant,” says Karen Kessler, a crisis communications expert at Evergreen Partners in Warren, who has represented the Giants, Jets and more than a few politicians, also serving as a technical adviser to TV series "The Good Wife" and "Nashville."
Addressing the pageant-faithful on stage at Boardwalk Hall this month, Sam Haskell, CEO of the Miss America Organization, said the cash-strapped pageant once used would-be scholarship money to cover office expenses. Back on network TV and returned to Atlantic City, he said, the pageant had regained both “relevance” and “solvency.” Yet when it comes to money, the pageant and its contestants aren’t the only stakeholders. “There’s the people of New Jersey,” says Kessler. The competition arrived in Atlantic City just as neighboring Trump Plaza was preparing to close, becoming the fourth casino to shut down this year. The state, through the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, has put millions of dollars toward underwriting the pageant’s production costs.
After the Sept. 14 broadcast, pageant officials beamed about Miss America’s No. 1 spot in the Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings. But TV ratings declined. Last year the broadcast drew 8.6 million viewers. This year: 7.1 million. Though Miss America’s contract with the CRDA and Boardwalk Hall is up after next year’s show, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and Atlantic City officials have expressed support for the pageant remaining there. Miss America began in the fall of 1921 as a strategy to lure business back to the beach. Does the flailing casino town now have a choice in the matter? As casinos falter, Atlantic City’s current mantra is to boost “non-gaming” activity. “New Jersey and Atlantic City once again look like they got a very short end of the stick,” Kessler says. “If it’s all about nostalgia, the question is, at what price?”
Mixed messages
If Miss America’s modern-day goal is to “empower women,” a story associating the titleholder with poor treatment of women provides an easy way to torpedo the mission. Appearing on “Good Morning America” after the Jezebel story broke, Kazantsev, whose pageant platform advances domestic violence awareness, denied hazing was the reason why she was asked to leave the sorority last year, saying the cause was an email in which she joked about the practice. But she admitted to participating in a larger campus culture of hazing.
“What can be more damaging?” Kessler says. “It is the essence of sort of everything that they say they don’t stand for.” Kazantsev said the hardest question she had to answer on the morning show was about what she would say to young girls regarding her behavior at the sorority. "I'd tell them it's OK to make mistakes," she said. "You know, that's life." Yet as host Lara Spencer delivered the query to the smooth-talking spokeswoman, for just a beat, the pageant queen’s eyes looked distant.While the Miss America Organization issued a statement praising Kazantsev’s “transparency” about her termination from the sorority, it is still unclear when pageant officials learned about her history with Alpha Phi. One of the requirements for contestants is that they fulfill “character criteria.” Kazantsev rejects any notion that she promoted verbal or physical abuse.
There is (so far) no video of her participating in any hazing activities. Unlike Vanessa Williams’ nude photos — plans for their publication in Penthouse magazine prompted her Miss America resignation in 1984 — there is no visual evidence of a violation. “I don’t think that this is grounds for dethroning,” says sociologist and pageant-watcher Hilary Levey Friedman, a former judge of the Miss New Jersey pageant. Her mother, Pamela Eldred, was Miss America 1970. Though advancing the stereotype of sorority “mean girls” isn’t the stated aim of Miss America, the ritual has produced a kind of sorority identity, she says. “The Miss America pageant has a history with the sorority program in the U.S.,” says Levey Friedman. “That’s why it’s called a sisterhood.” The names used to describe preliminary competition groupings — Mu, Alpha and Sigma — come from Mu-Alpha-Sigma, a Miss America sorority organized in 1940.
Even as the hazing allegations may damage Kazantsev’s credibility as a national spokeswoman, Levey Friedman doesn’t think they will destroy her year. “There was a time when Miss America was held up as this totally perfect ideal,” she says. “What Miss America’s trying to do is say, we’re relatable, we all make mistakes.”
It’s safe to say this wasn’t the best week for Miss America — the pageant or the person.
“I must’ve aged 10 years over the past 24 hours,”Kira Kazantsev wrote in her blog on Tuesday night. On Monday, not long after becoming the third consecutive Miss New York to win the crown, Kazantsev, 23, also became the subject ofa story from the website Jezebel. An unnamed person had accused her of promotinghazing at Hofstra University’s Alpha Phi sorority. “Over the past 24 hours, I have experienced cyber-bullying, hatred, and judgment unlike ever before,” Kazantsev continued. “People write you off at a moment’s notice, simply rejoicing in the fact that you might’ve done something wrong.” Writing off Miss America — the pageant — may seem easy, given the last few days. Just before the hazing story came to light, John Oliver, HBO’s late-night news satirist, skewered the Linwood-based Miss America Organization for vastly overstating its scholarship contributions.
The “Last Week Tonight” host said show staff found no evidence the scholarships awarded to contestants amounted to any number near the $45 million claimed. And people were paying attention. The Chicago Tribune reported that in just two days, Oliver's suggestion for viewers to donate to other scholarship programs resulted in an influx of $25,000 to the city's Society of Women Engineers.
For a pageant that already suffered from an image problem – the swimsuit competition hasn’t exactly helped — Oliver’s debunking session and the hazing allegations against Kazantsev seemed to indicate a swift downward spiral.
The questions many observers are asking now: Can Miss America recover from yet another set of PR blows? And how will all of this impact the pageant's current home, Atlantic City, which is facing its own share of public relations and financial crises?
Scholarships and ‘solvency’
The hazing allegations forced Miss America to regroup, but the scholarship story appeared to be more damning. After all, the organization trumpets that it is the largest provider of scholarships for women. “That’s why those women, many of them, enter the pageant,” says Karen Kessler, a crisis communications expert at Evergreen Partners in Warren, who has represented the Giants, Jets and more than a few politicians, also serving as a technical adviser to TV series "The Good Wife" and "Nashville."
Addressing the pageant-faithful on stage at Boardwalk Hall this month, Sam Haskell, CEO of the Miss America Organization, said the cash-strapped pageant once used would-be scholarship money to cover office expenses. Back on network TV and returned to Atlantic City, he said, the pageant had regained both “relevance” and “solvency.” Yet when it comes to money, the pageant and its contestants aren’t the only stakeholders. “There’s the people of New Jersey,” says Kessler. The competition arrived in Atlantic City just as neighboring Trump Plaza was preparing to close, becoming the fourth casino to shut down this year. The state, through the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, has put millions of dollars toward underwriting the pageant’s production costs.
After the Sept. 14 broadcast, pageant officials beamed about Miss America’s No. 1 spot in the Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings. But TV ratings declined. Last year the broadcast drew 8.6 million viewers. This year: 7.1 million. Though Miss America’s contract with the CRDA and Boardwalk Hall is up after next year’s show, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and Atlantic City officials have expressed support for the pageant remaining there. Miss America began in the fall of 1921 as a strategy to lure business back to the beach. Does the flailing casino town now have a choice in the matter? As casinos falter, Atlantic City’s current mantra is to boost “non-gaming” activity. “New Jersey and Atlantic City once again look like they got a very short end of the stick,” Kessler says. “If it’s all about nostalgia, the question is, at what price?”
Mixed messages
If Miss America’s modern-day goal is to “empower women,” a story associating the titleholder with poor treatment of women provides an easy way to torpedo the mission. Appearing on “Good Morning America” after the Jezebel story broke, Kazantsev, whose pageant platform advances domestic violence awareness, denied hazing was the reason why she was asked to leave the sorority last year, saying the cause was an email in which she joked about the practice. But she admitted to participating in a larger campus culture of hazing.
“What can be more damaging?” Kessler says. “It is the essence of sort of everything that they say they don’t stand for.” Kazantsev said the hardest question she had to answer on the morning show was about what she would say to young girls regarding her behavior at the sorority. "I'd tell them it's OK to make mistakes," she said. "You know, that's life." Yet as host Lara Spencer delivered the query to the smooth-talking spokeswoman, for just a beat, the pageant queen’s eyes looked distant.While the Miss America Organization issued a statement praising Kazantsev’s “transparency” about her termination from the sorority, it is still unclear when pageant officials learned about her history with Alpha Phi. One of the requirements for contestants is that they fulfill “character criteria.” Kazantsev rejects any notion that she promoted verbal or physical abuse.
There is (so far) no video of her participating in any hazing activities. Unlike Vanessa Williams’ nude photos — plans for their publication in Penthouse magazine prompted her Miss America resignation in 1984 — there is no visual evidence of a violation. “I don’t think that this is grounds for dethroning,” says sociologist and pageant-watcher Hilary Levey Friedman, a former judge of the Miss New Jersey pageant. Her mother, Pamela Eldred, was Miss America 1970. Though advancing the stereotype of sorority “mean girls” isn’t the stated aim of Miss America, the ritual has produced a kind of sorority identity, she says. “The Miss America pageant has a history with the sorority program in the U.S.,” says Levey Friedman. “That’s why it’s called a sisterhood.” The names used to describe preliminary competition groupings — Mu, Alpha and Sigma — come from Mu-Alpha-Sigma, a Miss America sorority organized in 1940.
Even as the hazing allegations may damage Kazantsev’s credibility as a national spokeswoman, Levey Friedman doesn’t think they will destroy her year. “There was a time when Miss America was held up as this totally perfect ideal,” she says. “What Miss America’s trying to do is say, we’re relatable, we all make mistakes.”
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