IMTA Alums on the Disney Games Today!

Alyson Stoner, Kunal Sharma and Moises Arias competed at the Disney Channel Games which are airing today Saturday August 2 8/7c on the Disney Channel. The games were played April 28 to May 2 at Disney's Wide World of Sports at the Walt Disney World Resort. There were Disney Channel stars from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and Japan. The young stars played for the Boys & Girls Club, UNICEF, Make-A-Wish and Starlight Starbright charities. For more information visit their official site.Kunal Sharma competed at IMTA Los Angeles in 2004, when he was sixteen years old. Displaying his acting talents in IMTA competitions such as monologues, sitcoms and cold read, Kunal was spotted by agents and managers where he received offers of representation and scholarships to film courses at leading film schools. His movies The Cheetah Girls 3 : One World recently aired on the Disney Channel. Kunal plays Amar in the telefilm that was shot on location in India. He just finished filming Legally Blondes, the third installment in the Legally Blonde movies. Kunal has guest-starred on many popular TV shows such Phil of the Future, The Office, Veronica Mars, Crossing Jordan and Hannah Montana. He also stars in the independent film, The Adventures of Food Boy with another IMTA alum, Brittany Curran! IMTA alum Alyson Stoner starred in the smashingly successful Disney movie Camp Rock with The Jonas Brothers! Alyson competed at IMTA in New York City in 2000. She starred in Alice Upside Down, the Cheaper by the Dozen movies, co-hosted Disney's Mike's Supershort Show for four years and is featured in an exercise program using the Wiifit. She has also guest-starred on Drake and Josh, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and That's So Raven. Alyson voices the character of Isabella in the Disney animated show Phineas and Ferb which Disney recently announced renewed for another season.

Moises competed at IMTA in 2005 and started booking roles right away. He has appeared on the big screen in the Jack Black comedy Nacho Libre. He guest-starred on the television shows Everybody Hates Chris, and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. You can catch Moises on Hannah Montana now on the Disney Channel and soon on the big screen when The Perfect Game will be released next Friday August 8.

Be sure to tune into the Disney Channel and see our IMTA alums compete!

Tye Olson wins Best Actor Award for Watercolors

IMTA alum Tye Olson recently won a Best Actor Award for the film Watercolors. This movie is about a talented young artist named Danny Wheeler played by Tye. In this touching movie he plays opposite of Karen Black and Greg Louganis. The story revolves around when Danny has his first big New York art exhibit and finds himself struggling with sad memories and past loves.

Tye competed at IMTA New York in the Summer of 2005 where he received alot of attention for his strong acting abilities and his talent on the runway. Right after the convention he drove to to Los Angeles and only four months later he booked the leading role in Watercolors. Tye appears in the 2008 Outfest film, Tru Loved which has won 5 awards at other film festivals. He also has a supporting role as Emil in the dramatic film, Brother's War. His other projects include the movies South of Pico, Cougar Club and Out at the Wedding. He has been featured in many music videos including songs by Hellogoodbye, Fall Out Boy and Blue October.

Stayed tuned for more on this talented young IMTA alum- Tye Olson!

Alyson Stoner and Sean Faris' Movies out on DVD!

Get to the video store today and check out two new IMTA alum's movies: Sean Faris in Never Back Down and Alyson Stoner in Alice Upside Down now out on dvd! Sean competed at IMTA in 1999 and won Junior Male Model of the Year and he has been working in the industry ever since. He just won an MTV movie award for BEST FIGHT for Never Back Down. E Online said, "Best Fight each went to duos who may not yet be household names but could very well be one day if looks and chemistry have anything to do with it." Some of his past projects include the motion picture Pearl Harbor, the TV show Reunion, the cult classic Life as We Know It, the feature film Forever Strong and Sleepover with two IMTA alums, Kallie Childress and Mika Boorem. He has been featured in several memorable campaigns and magazines, including Abercrombie & Fitch, GQ, Teen Vogue and Armani. Sean is currently working on a film called The Glass Eye.

Alyson Stoner competed at IMTA in 2000 where she impressed the agents with her acting abilities. From her starring roles in feature films such as wildly popular Camp Rock to the Cheaper by the Dozen movies to dancing and touring with Missy Elliott, Alyson is a super star. She co-hosted Mike's SuperShort Show on the Disney channel, played the recurring character Max in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, as well as voicing the character of Isabella in Disney's animated hit Phineas & Ferb. Alyson has a new project called GetFitWithAlyson.com where she does exercises that use the Wii Fit and has a forum to discuss teen issues. Alyson just landed a role in the animated movie called Kung Fu Magoo.

Spend your weekend with both Alyson and Sean in these terrific new to dvd releases!

IMTA New York 2008!

The reviews are in! IMTA New York 2008 was a smash hit!!! Agents from 19 Countries and 39 cities were at IMTA scouting for new faces and talent to represent. There was even an agent from Moscow scouting for the expanding Russian Fashion scene. Many of the agents reported a record number of callbacks because the quality of the models and talent was so high!

The models and actors at IMTA New York 2008 were from all over the world including Vietnam, Tokyo, South Africa, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United States! The models were exceptionally beautiful, the actors were so talented and the singers and dancers rocked the house! The Bravo network was at IMTA all week long shooting for their series and scouting for models for the second season of their hit Who wants to be a Supermodel!

To see more of the amazing photos, please visit IMTA's official website.

Ashton Kutcher is the new face of Pepe Jeans!

The multi-talented and handsome IMTA alum, Ashton Kutcher is the new face for the Autumn/ winter advertising campaign for Pepe Jeans London. The beautiful photos were shot on location at the Zorthian Ranch in Altadena, California.

Ashton Kutcher competed at IMTA at the New York, 1997 IMTA Convention where he won Most Sought After Male Model with a record number of callbacks from agencies interested in representing him. He signed with Next Models and didn't even return home to Iowa before appearing in several fashion shows for that season's Men's Fashion Week! His agent submitted him for an upcoming Fox comedy called Teenage Wasteland, the title was later changed to That 70's Show and Ashton was cast as the lovable Kelso in his break-through role. That 70's Show aired for an incredible eight seasons. He started producing shows, such as Punk'd, Beauty and the Geek and a new show airing on ABC on Thursdays called Miss Guided. His movie and television roles include The Guardian, Dude, Where's My Car? which also stars fellow IMTA alum Seann William Scott, The Butterfly Effect, A Lot Like Love, Guess Who and What Happens in Vegas.

Look for Ashton in Pepe Jeans ad campaign this Fall!

Jessica Biel on the Cover of Bazaar

Jessica Biel looks stunning as she is featured on the current cover of Bazaar! The photoshoot for the magazine was anything but ordinary. Jessica brought her own personality and style into the shoot as she danced with her favorite designers wearing their work. Jessica and Diane von Furstenberg do the Charleston, then Jessica waltzes with Zac Posen, cha-chas with Oscar de la Renta, salsas with Calvin Klein’s Francisco Costa, and becomes a ballerina with Vera Wang.

During the photo shoot with Vera Wang, she exclaimed about Jessica, “She has an easy way about her and good energy, which, in Hollywood terms, is refreshing.” Jessica thought the same as Vera and declared “She really had a fantastic personality, I felt like I just wanted advice from her: ‘Anything you can think of, tell me!’ That’s sort of someone who can become a close friend of mine — fun, exuberant, and creative.”

Jessica truly enjoyed the experience of working with all of the fashion designers. “They were all so wonderfully unique,” she stated after completing the shoot.

Many beautiful models and appealing actors will be showing their skills to the agents, managers, casting directors and industry VIP's this week, who will be scouting for new faces to represent, just like Jessica did in 1994! At IMTA, she met her manager who shortly thereafter landed her the role as Mary Camden on the hit televison show 7th Heaven. Jessica didn't just stop there, but has been on the big screen in movies such as The Illusionist, Next, and Home of the Brave ever since. She has even started her own production company called Iron Ocean Films, in hopes to venture into an entirely different world in the movie business.

When interviewed about her IMTA experience, Jessica said "You will meet people who can change your life and make your dreams come true!" To read the full interview, check out the archived page here.

That IMTA Blog will be on hiatus until after the IMTA Convention in New York City! Have a great week and we will see back here on the blog soon!

Sean Harju update!

Sean Harju was the starter model for the Dolce & Gabbana's Man Fashion Show for the Winter 2009 collection. Sean was also featured on the cover of DNR magazine, the fashion magazine for men.

In 2006 Sean attended IMTA and won 1st Runner Up for Male Model of the Year! Sean signed with Major Model Management and LA Models. Since IMTA, Sean has modeled for Calvin Klein, Dior, Diesel, Lucien Palley Finet and many more.

Watch Sean from the Dolce & Gabanna show!

Jill Wagner's new show is summer hit!

IMTA alum Jill Wagner's Wipeout is a huge hit for ABC! According to Nielsen Media Research it was the second most-watched prime-time show for the second consecutive week! Each show features competitors who are normal people who navigate a seemingly impossible obstacle course. Some of the obstacles include over sized inflated balls covered in mud that contestants must leap across and “The Dreadmill,” a high-speed 40-foot treadmill with various challenges all of which are designed to have people "Wipeout" hence the title of the show. At the end of the show, the person with the most points wins $50,000. Jill is a co-host of the show and she interviews the contestants. You can get caught up on all the episodes on ABC's official site!

Jill competed at IMTA in Los Angeles in 2001 where she won Female Model of the Year. Many people know Jill as the Lincoln Mercury car girl as she has done many ad campaigns for the auto giant. She has a brand new Mercury commercial playing nation-wide! She played an operative on fellow IMTA alum Ashton Kutcher's hilarious show Punk'd and while on the show she punk'd Katie Holmes, yet another IMTA alum! Her television roles include turns in series such as Monk, Dr. Vegas, starring as Larrin in Stargate Atlantis, Blade: The Series, and she starred in the independent films Junebug and Shifted. Jill recently completed filming the horror film Splinter.

Congrats to Jill and don't forget to tune into ABC on Tuesdays to see Jill on Wipeout!

Katie Holmes returning to TV!

ABC has just confirmed that IMTA alumni Katie Holmes will return to TV this Fall! She will be a special guest star for the legal dramedy Eli Stone! E! Online said," Obviously, this is a huge coup for a fantastic show, and should provide some well-deserved buzz and higher ratings for the new season." ABC President Steve McPherson just told reporters that Katie will sing! "There's actually some singing and dancing that she does, and it's exquisite," says McPherson of the episode, adding that, "She was fabulous. It's a great role for her." Katie will play a lawyer.

Katie Holmes competed at IMTA twice, in 1993 and 1995 . She participated in seminars and workshops which got her noticed by industry greats Al Onorato, David Guillod and Bobby Moresco. Katie actually shot her first audition at IMTA with the IMTA Video Crew. When Katie returned a couple of years later to present awards at IMTA, she debuted the first fifteen minutes of the pilot episode of Dawson's Creek. The entire ballroom was riveted by this ground-breaking stylish teen drama and Katie received thunderous applause!

On that special night, she gave us a very nice interview saying,"Let's just say a girl from Toledo, Ohio wouldn't end up cast in a Hollywood movie if it weren't for IMTA!" You can read a letter from Katie Holmes on this archived page! She then moved on to feature films such as Teaching Mrs. Tingle, Pieces of April, Batman Begins, and Thank You for Smoking.

Stay tuned this Fall for Katie's guest starring role on Eli Stone!

Nicholas Purcell in The Surrogates!

Nicholas is shooting with Bruce Willis on dramatic film The Surrogates. IMDB says ,"Set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots, a cop (Willis) is forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of others’ surrogates." Nick plays the role of Pulaski - Commando #1 in this exciting film! The Surrogates is expected to be released in the fall of 2009.

Nick has also been very busy working in television and shot a pilot for Nickelodeon called The Troop. Nick plays the lead role Jake. Nick has also landed the lead role in the star-studded film titled New York, I Love You set for release February 13th, 2009.

After competing at IMTA Nicholas signed with an agent and has been extremely busy ever since. His past projects include: Law & Order Criminal Intent, As the World Turns, New York, I Love You, Losing Jerry, Dangerous Crosswinds, Gone Baby Gone, Fever Pitch, The Mirakle, and The Burn Book.

Look for all of Nicholas' upcoming projects!!!

Riley Smith in a Disney Original Movie!

Catch IMTA alum Riley Smith in an encore presentation of his hit Disney original movie Motocrossed! Riley plays lead character Dean Talon in this beloved movie about an extreme sport and an extreme adventure.

Riley competed at IMTA in 1997 where he won Model of the Year for his age division. IMTA INSIDER: Riley was roommates with Ashton Kutcher in New York city when they were both competing at IMTA that year! Riley has been busy working in television and movies ever since. He appeared in many notable television shows and films such as: Drive, 7th Heaven, Freaks and Geeks, Gideon's Crossing, Boston Public, CSI: Miami, 24, Radio, Eight Legged Freaks, Weapons, and the recently wrapped the thriller Gallowwalkers.

Riley is also very musically talented and just released his first CD with his band The Life of Riley! You can listen to his great new songs on his official band MySpace.

Watch Riley tonight on The Disney Channel to catch his awesome performance!

Brandon Routh in Lawyers!

Brandon Routh will be in a new and upcoming webseries called Lawyers! for Strike.TV. According to Variety the show will be: "a web venture designed to showcase the work of WGA members and pros from other guilds and unions. Lawyers! is series of webisodes written, produced, and directed for Strike TV by Gabe Grifoni & Suzanne Francis which will be launching later this month."
After competing at IMTA New York 1999 Brandon signed with Kazarian/Spencer & Associates, who represented him when he was cast as Superman. Brandon said to IMTA in an interview "It's great being here and meeting all the agents." Before Superman Returns, Brandon was best known for his soap work, including roles on One Life to Live and the MTV nighttime soap, Undressed. Brandon is in post production on four films Life is Hot in Cracktown, Miss Nobody, Table for Three and Stuntman . He is also in a TV episode of Fear Itself called Community which is scheduled to air this summer. He is currently in pre- production on a project called Dead of Night where he portrays Dylan Dog.

We are all very excited to see Brandon in all of his exciting upcoming projects!

Brooke Burns in Mistresses

Brooke Burns has been cast in a new drama called Mistresses on Lifetime. According to the Hollywood reporter the show "revolves around a quartet of thirtysomething women who have been friends since college. Combs will play Jane, who gave up her career to be a stay-at-home mom. Burns ("Miss Guided") will play Shannon, an outspoken and sharp attorney. Aytes will play Ava, a bright and spunky soap star." Brooke just wrapped a role as Nicole in the film Dancing Trees and a television show called Smokejumpers. Brooke starred as Lisa Germain in the hilarious TV show Miss Guided. This show was produced by IMTA alum Ashton Kutcher for NBC!

Brooke attended IMTA in 1994 in Los Angeles. After pursuing a modeling career, Brooke starting working in television, appearing on shows such as A Nero Wolfe Mystery, Ally McBeal, Baywatch, North Shore and Pepper Dennis. She also hosted the game show/reality show hybrid, Dog Eat Dog. She has also starred in movies such as The Salon and The Art of Travel!

Brandon Bass on Dexter!

Brandon Bass was just cast in Dexter! He will be playing the role of Dexter Jr., Dexter's son in this break out drama on Showtime. He landed this huge part at his very first major Los Angeles audition!! This show is about a man named Dexter Morgan who during the day works for the police department. His dark side comes out at night as he becomes a vigilante, tracking down and murdering the serial killers that he looks for during the day. This show is based on the novels Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Dearly Devoted Dexter and Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay. Brandon will be acting along side another IMTA alum Dominic Janes who portrays Dexter as a child.

Brandon attended IMTA New York in 2006 and won 2nd Runner-Up Child Model of the Year and 3rd Runner-Up Child Actor of the Year. He signed with Superior Talent in Los Angeles where he relocated for the summer.

Check out the Official Dexter Website for more information on Brandon in Dexter!

Americus Abesamis Update!

Americus Abesamis just finished shooting an episode of Nickelodeon's iCarly. He will be involved in 3 part storyline for 2nd season. He also appeared on recent episode of Comedy Central's Mind of Mencia. He just competed in the 2008 US Sumo Nationals in Los Angeles and won the bronze medal in the heavyweight division. He is now ranked #3 Heavyweight US Sumo Wrestler for the United States. Staying busy as an actor, he still finds the time to train and compete in the ancient Japanese sport.

Americus competed at IMTA in 1999 and 2000 has been keeping busy during the last few months working various exciting projects. He just wrapped the movie Duel of Legend where he plays Zhang. This film is expected to be released in February of 2009. You may have seen Americus in his roles on The Sarah Silverman Show, Hell's Kitchen, In Case of Emergency, Monk, Bald, Strong Medicine, Lets Make a Deal, Hannah Montana and Richard III. He also appeared in the movies 50 First Dates and Pirates of the Caribbean, in a national commercial for the car maker Subaru and a promo for a video game called Civilization: Revolution. Stay tuned for more information on this talented and versatile actor!

Sara Dawson in National Macy's Campaign

Sara Dawson is appearing in a national Macy's commercial which aired all July 4th weekend and advertised one of Macy's biggest promotional events of the year! Sara looked fresh and beautiful, as always. She has had a very prolific career both in modeling and acting.

Sara competed at IMTA in 1996 and won Model and Talent of the Year for her age group. She has been featured in numerous advertising campaigns and national commercials such as Maybelline, Jose Cuervo Tequila, Sam Adams Beer, Fruit of the Loom, Avon, Clairol's Herbal Essences Color Me Vibrant, Stone Mountain handbags, Target, Wendy's, Warners, Optima, The W Hotel, JC Penneys and Bloomingdales. She's been a host of MTV and appeared in many magazines and newspapers such as Elle, Lucky, Women's Wear Daily, Bride, Real Simple, The New York Times and Cosmopolitan. Sara is represented by New York Model Management. Keep an eye out for Sara as she is one the most sought after models in the world!! You can learn more about Sara and read her bio on her beautiful official site.

Josh Duhamel on The Replacements

Josh Duhamel will guest star as himself on the Disney Channel's animated series The Replacements today! In this episode called Hollywoodn't one of the main recurring characters, Agent K(the mom) keeps interrupting the filming of Josh Duhamel's new action movie. In real life Josh has been working on the comedy film When in Rome and is currently filming a reprisal of his role as Captain Lennox in another Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. This Dreamworks film will be directed by Micheal Bay and is expected to be released in June 2009. The first Transformers: The Movie was the #1 movie of the summer last year and it won an MTV Movie Award.

Josh won Male Model of the Year at IMTA in 1997 where he competed against another very high profile IMTA alum, Ashton Kutcher. After IMTA, Josh landed his first acting job playing the title character in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and he soon began acting on All My Children playing Leo du Pres which won him a Daytime Emmy in 2002. Josh left daytime TV for his breakthrough role on the hit series Las Vegas which aired on NBC for five seasons. An encore presentation of Josh's movie Turistas is showing on Max tonight.

Don't miss Josh on The Replacements tonight on Disney!

Jessica Biel's First Blog Post!

IMTA alum Jessica Biel just wrote her first blog post! She is a MySpace celebrity featured icon. Here is an excerpt from her very entertaining first blog post:

"Anyway, not only do I feel cooler being an official blogger, but I'm also realizing that this is a perfect place to share some projects that I'm working on that I'm really excited about. I'm trying on the producer cap with my friend, Michelle, with our production company Iron Ocean Films. We made a thirty minute short last year, called Hole in the Paper Sky about a man's experience after meeting a dog that changes his life. I think it's a really evocative, beautiful film, and it has won an award at all four festivals where it has screened. I'll put up a trailer as soon as I can figure out how to do that:) I hope that animal lovers will be moved by this film as well because it has an animal rights element to it, which I'm a huge advocate for. I'm actually sitting here with my dog, Tina. She's not really into blogging.

We also have a feature in development with United Artists, called Die A Little based on a book by Meagan Abbott. It's a noir set in Hollywood during the glamorous 1950's. I loved the book and I think it has major cinematic potential, but I'm getting a first hand look at how difficult development is. Hopefully, I won't be too old by the time we shoot this thing so I can play the main character. Fingers crossed."

Be sure and "friend" Jessica's official MySpace to keep up on the latest news and future blog posts from this amazing beautiful actress.

Jessica competed at IMTA in 1994 where she debuted her acting, singing and dancing abilities. She signed with an agent and manager who helped her land the breakthrough role of Mary Camden on the beloved long-running WB series 7th Heaven. Jessica won a scholarship at IMTA to a top acting school and moved from Boulder, CO to Los Angeles. To read a great interview Jessica gave to IMTA in 1998, please visit the archived web page. In the interview, Jessica says:

IMTA: Would you recommend attending an IMTA Convention to other aspiring young actors and models?

Jessica: Definitely! You will meet people who can change your life and make your dreams come true!

Happy 4 of July!

Ambrosia Kelley and Mario Cassem in Stacey's Mom!

Ambrosia Kelley just wrapped the teen comedy Stacey's Mom. In this coming of age comedy Ambrosia plays Latoya as she shares the screen with another IMTA alum, Mario Cassem who plays Juan.

Ambrosia competed at IMTA in 2000 when she was only five years old! She was in ten competitions, won awards in each one including 1st runner-up for Child Model of the Year and was scouted by 38 Agencies. She signed with KSA (Kazarian, Spencer and Associates) and they sent her out to her very first audition for part in the TV show Popular which she landed. She went on to have parts in Kill Bill Vol.1, The Parkers, voice-overs for Disney's Static Shock and Batman. She has done many national commercials, runway shows and appeared with Jennifer Lopez at the 28th Annual American Music Awards.

Mario Cassem just wrapped the comedic feature film Seventeen Again with Zac Efron. The story line revolves around a guy who wishes he could go back to high school and change his experience. In the film Mario plays the role of Samir. Mario competed at since New York IMTA in 2007 where he signed with Martin Weiss Management. He is in post production on Finding Bliss with LeeLee Sobieski and just booked an episode of Comedy Central's Mind of Mencia!

Stay tuned for more information on
Ambrosia and Mario in Stacey's Mom!

Eva Longoria on the Cover of InStyle Magazine!

The beautiful Eva Longoria graces the cover of the June edition of the Spanish InStyle Magazine. She looks stunning in a beautiful floral sundress. Eva competed at IMTA in 1998 and received 38 callbacks from agents and managers who wanted to represent her. Now Eva is one of the most recognizable faces in the world...her hit ABC show Desperate Housewives is a can't-miss for millions of viewers. She is also the spokesmodel for Bebe Sport.
She appeared on the cover the February issue of Self Magazine which featured an article describing Eva's history with IMTA: "By eighteen, Longoria Parker had won her first competition, and five years later, she was named Miss Corpus Christi USA. Her title earned her a trip to L.A. to compete in a modeling and talent competition [IMTA]. Eva says,'I was about to start grad school for a master's degree in exercise science but I called my mom from L.A. and asked her to send my stuff to Hollywood, rather than to school. She was like,'What?' And I said, 'I'm going to be an actress.'" Eva doesn't stop there though, she also stars in feature films and does tons of charity work and even has her own charity, Eva's Heroes!

Look for Eva to host the upcoming ALMA Awards August 17!

Elijah Wood hosting Art Benefit!

IMTA alum Elijah Wood co-hosted The Art of Elysium charity benefit last week in New York! His co-host was the beautiful Riley Keough (Elvis' grand-daughter and Lisa Marie Presley's daughter). The reception was held at Chelsea's Milk Studios. On sale were Warhol-esqe silk screens by Mick Rock and Russell Young that featured rockers like Iggy Pop, Lou Reed and David Bowie.

The blog Celebs Gone Good caught up with Elijah Wood and asked him how he got involved:
EW: They actually asked me to be involved in this specific event. I didn’t really know a lot about the charity, and I sort of did some research- found out about it, and I couldn’t really say no- particularly because they work with children. So then once I agreed to do the event, I got involved with the charity itself and I went to go experience first-hand what exactly that they do; which is essentially going to these hospitals and doing these artist workshops with either actors or musicians, photographers or other kinds of artists. They do these amazing workshops with the children from there.

Check out the entire touching interview on Celebs Gone Good.

Elijah got his start at IMTA in 1989 and has starred in over 40 feature films. His film Happy Feet won a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Children's Award in London! Elijah provides the voice over for the main character Mumble. Currently, Elijah is working on an animated action adventure film called Nine, a post-apocalyptic nightmare in which all of humanity is threatened and he has started his own music label!