Every mom thinks their child is the greatest thing since sliced bread and talented beyond belief. And rightfully so.
But let’s admit, some of us need to have several seats and not push our kids to do things that they are totally not equipped to do. That’s a hard pill to swallow for any of us. And that’s why it’s great that there are Simon Cowells’ of the world to tell parents the real truth when it comes to talent.
But when your child really truly does have “the gift,” it’s also a blessing to have someone like M. Neko Parham to pull out the very best in them. In fact, Coach Neko, as he is affectionately called, is nothing short of a blessing for my little actress Mikaela.
Mikaela and her acting coach M. Neko Parham.
Mikaela now takes acting lessons at the Team Greatness ATL acting conservatory under the tutelage of Coach Neko at his new Atlanta studio located in the Mattress Factory Lofts at 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SE.
TeamGreatness ATL, “Youth Acting Champions” is a focused & intense conservatory style of acting training, formulated for those youth who desire professional careers in TV & Film.
Joining Coach Neko’s conservatory is an honor for me and for Mikaela. Especially since Coach Neko is an actor and director himself who produces movies through his own production company Yabilane Entertainment.
Coach Neko, born Marty Neko Perez Parham, is a seasoned actor with many TV and film credits including a role as State Police Undercover Troy Wiggins in The Wire. He was a guest star in the first season episode “The Cost“. He made his screen acting debut in The Wire creator David Simon‘s earlier series The Corner. And has also appeared in the films Death of a President (2006), Restraining Order (2006), Quarantine 2: Terminal (2011), and Blackhats (2012). Not to mention he’s been on my favorite shows, Law & Order: SVU, Without a Trace and The Shield!
Who better to direct Mikaela to GREATNESS than Coach Neko?!
And what I love most about Coach Neko is that he gets it. He is very serious about teaching his students the critical skills they need to become successful actors and actresses and he’s honest. He’s also VERY personable which I think is a rarity in this business. He is approachable, he is very nice to parents but at the same time he will put students in CHECK if they don’t know their lines or are not taking his classes seriously. (And I’m sure he puts parents in their place when need be!) And when a kid is serious — like Mikaela — he takes notice.
Mikaela in the stageplay Breathe in March at the Porter Sandford Theater
Mikaela in a comedy skit called the bag lady…
Coach Neko is just the man I have been looking for to steer Mikaela to greatness. And how ironic that the name of his acting studio is Team Greatness! Mikaela wanting to be an actress is totally Mikaela’s thing, not a mom pushing her to do it. You all know I let my kids BE who they are. I let them shine in their own light. And I thank God truly for leading us on a GREAT path.
And you may ask how do I know Coach Neko will prove to be the one to help Mikaela’s career when there are so many acting studios out there? Well so far so good for the TeamGreatness Troupe who has already landed major roles in mainstream film & television, including ABC, CBS, NBC, HBO, CW, LIFETIME, BET, AMC, OWN, PARAMOUNT, & LIONSGATE!
Mikaela is also inspired by Nadej Bailey who appears on ABC’s Resurrection and a host of other roles. We bumped into Nadej a few weeks ago at the Team Greatness acting studio.
And Jada Taylor appears in the Hunger Games this fall and takes classes with Coach Neko too. And there are so many other success stories as well.
And Coach Neko’s beautiful wife Onira is a star in her own right who has appeared in The Game, Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns, and For Better or Worse, Sleepy Hollow, and Blackhats and currently she’s on the CBS show Reckless and will appear in the August 31st episode and Sept. 7th episode as Alana Briggs! And she’s the daughter of couture designer Linda Gail of Linda Gail Fashion. Need I say more?
And exciting news! Mikaela landed her first campaign as a model for Linda Gail fashion in September!
Photos will be taken by Coach Neko who is also a professional photographer! (So if you need headshots, check him out!)
It’s all coming FULL CIRCLE!
Stay tuned to follow Mikaela’s journey to greatness! And if you want to enroll your child in Coach Neko’s acting classes visit TeamGreatnessATL.com for more info!
And check out more of M. Neko Parham’s work:
LIKE the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/teamgreatnessatl
Follow @TeamGreatness_ on Twitter
MORE INFO ABOUT ACTING CLASSES AT TEAM GREATNESS:
Classes are divided into 2 degrees of training: Beginner/Intermediate & Advanced
*You are required to have a minimum of 2 years training to enroll in the Advanced class and must be at least 10 years of age.
Beginner/Intermediate:
Class consists of: An Introduction to Acting – Learning “The Lingo” – Monologue Study – Intro to Improv. – Scene Study – On-Camera – Prep Exercises – Character Development – The Art of Being “Professional”.
Advanced:
Class consists of: Character Development – Mastering “The Techniques” (Meisner, Adler, Strasberg, Stanislavski, & Chubbuck) – Scene Study – Monologue Study – On-Camera – Prep Exercises – Audition Prep – “Professional” Work Ethic.
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