Wednesday, November 19, 2008

News Paper Headline...SA Express News





Just as SURVIVOR FIJI wrapped up, I got a call from the Fashion Editor of the SA Express News, the fabulous, Michael Quintanilla. He, it turns out, was a big Survivor fan. Our first meeting was because he wanted to film a video of me at a very BIG event here in San Antonio called Niosa, during Fiesta: "Survivor Surviving Niosa!" When we met, he was so funny. He did kind of a double take when I introduced myself and said "YOU're Rita?" "Yeesss!" I said, wondering why he was asking me like that. OMG, I expected you to be more simple, plain, not like THIS!! Geez, he said, very sweetly, you look like a model!" Huney, compared to what I looked like on Survior, YES!! Anyhow, that meeting led to him brainstorming and coming up with doing a whole fashion spread for one of the Sunday Newspaper magazines: SPICE. This photo shoot, w/o question, was not just an honor because it was a feature article and the cover, but one of the highlights of my modeling career. THANK YOU so much, Michael and your whole team, Hair: Tina from House of Styles and makeup by Carrie and, of course, the fantastic photographer, Kevin Geil.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

STADIA Med Spa Spokesperson/model


Since last year, I've been the Spokesmodel for Stadia here in San Antonio. It's owned by the Facial Injury Dr. to our 3 time World Champions, the SA Spurs, and reknowned Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Jaime Garza. The Director of the Spa, an expert in Beauty herserlf, as she is also the Director of the Texas Miss, Teen and Mrs. Interational pageant. One of Kristin's former title holders, Mrs. International 07, Suzie Bootz, recommened me as a possible judge. Kristin, thus, invited me to be one of her "celebrity" judges in her pageant, which I was, of course, honored to accept. If you've read some of my other postings, particularly the "Leeza Gibbons" and "City of Hope" ones, you'll read what I'm about to rewrite: God always places "angels" in my path. Dr. Garza and Kristin Koether are more of these angels. Unfortunately, it's been VERY hard for me to find an "agent" here in San Antonio. I'm very ambitious, particularly when my career has to provide solely for my children. I haven't found the vision that I expect of myself in the agents in San Antonio. Receiving the sort of "stamp of approval" from one of the most renknowed producers in the world today, Mark Burnett, was like when I graduated Magna Cum Laude from UCLA. Then, faring on such a hard experience as was SURVIVOR, certainly showed me that "I CAN" do whatever I set my mind to. I'm still on the path of achieving my dream of becoming a tv presenter/host or anchor taking a bit longer because I've had to be not just the "talent, but my own agent, manager and publicist. GOD is helping me build my accomplishments, through these and so many other opportunities HE's placed in my path. Slowly, but surely, I am getting to where I'd like to ultimately be: the first Latina host on "The View."
Since becoming the Stadia Spokesmodel, I've been using their laser hair removal, manicure and pedicure services which I am so happy with. After putting my body through what I did on SURVIVOR..trust me, it's taken a couple of years to pamper it back to "civilization" status! lol.