Details via press release follow below…
House of Ming Announces Vanessa Simmons as “My First Loves” Leading Lady Monty Ross to Produce Dominga Martin’s First Feature Film
New York, NY March 11, 2013 – Today, Dominga Martin announced Vanessa Simmons as the leading lady, in her upcoming romantic comedy, “My First Loves”. Ms. Simmons is no stranger to the big screen but this will be her first leading role in a romantic comedy. Vanessa’s rise to success began on MTV’s hit series “Run’s House” where she was first introduced as the oldest child of Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons, a founding member of iconic hip-hop group RUN DMC. Vanessa and her younger sister Angela stepped out of the shadow of their family of Hip Hop Pioneers with their show “Daddy’s Girls”, later launching their sneaker line called Pastry.
She is now following her dreams of acting. Ms. Simmons has had stints on CBS soap opera Guiding Light (2007) and MTV’s “Worst Prom Ever” (2011). She was also cast in the ensemble for the 2012 theatrical release of Dysfunctional Friends starring Meagan Good (Deception)
House of Ming will introduce Vanessa Simmons in the leading role where she is surrounded by seasoned actors and fresh faces to round out the ensemble.
When asked about her leading role in “My First Loves”, Vanessa recalls, “I fell in Love with the very candid story of one girls quest in life to find true love, a story I can relate to quite well ”
“I am excited to work with Vanessa Simmons in her first leading role”, says Ms. Martin about her choice of the leading lady. She continues, “I believe she is this generation’s Diahann Caroll or Dorothy Dandridge. She has range; she’s classy, FRESH and has a quiet strength. She is the image of the character I created in my head. I was searching for someone fresh faced and untainted and Vanessa Simmons is everything I was looking for. She’s got next! I can’t wait to see her blossom and bring this role to life.”
Last month, Martin and her production company, House of Ming, launched the crowd-funding campaign on the funding site IndieGoGo.com to support the production of the film. All donations are tax-deducible through their fiscal sponsor New York Women In Film & Television (NYWIFT).
“My First Loves” is scheduled to begin production Summer 2013 in Atlanta, GA and New York City with hopes to take advantage of NY State and Georgia State Tax Credit benefits as well as support New York City’s Made In NY Reel Jobs opportunities to employ locally.
Martin has aligned twenty-year production vet Monty Ross as the feature film’s Producer. Ross received numerous credits as Producer on Spike Lee’s acclaimed films from “She’s Gotta Have it” and “Do The Right Thing” to “Malcolm X”. Martin is the first director that Ross has worked with since Spike Lee.
