An Interview With Edward Sylvan
The way that I have built my audience is by being transparent and open with my journey. I am developing courses to help other women achieve their dreams as well. One will be fitness, which has mindset training included and the other will be a modeling course to help women who are not sure where to start. Those will both be launched by the end of the year.
As a part of our series about stars who are making an important social impact, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Saje Nicole.
Saje Nicole is a Haitian Model and Actress that is currently featured in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2021! She recently walked in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Vol. 2 Runway Show and can be seen in ‘Bad Boys III’ alongside Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. Saje is so proud to be included in the recent historic issue of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit showcasing 3 Black Women on the cover for the first time, Megan The Stallion, Naomi Osaka, and Leyna Bloom. As a curve model, Saje is passionate about advocating for size inclusivity and creating more diversity in the modeling industry.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you share with us the “backstory” that led you to this career path?
Thank you for having me! I have always wanted to be in the fashion and beauty space, which led me to modeling. Growing up, I didn’t see as many women that looked like me, and instead of feeling defeated that actually got me excited. I felt like I could make a difference.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your career? What was the lesson or take away that you took out of that story?
I got scouted by Wilhelmina because my phone was dying! My friends are always complaining because my phone is dying, and I rarely have a portable charger, but this was my lucky day. It was during Art Basel, and we were at a pool party at the Mondrian. My phone is on 1%, so I headed to the front desk to ask for a changer. Two ladies happened to be at the front desk complimenting me on how beautiful I was, asked me my height, and if I was signed to an agency. One of them proceeded to hand me a card that said Wilhelmina on it! I was freaking out! It was a beautiful day, my phone was charging, and I just got recruited by a top agency because my phone wasn’t on 100%. So that low battery life isn’t too bad.
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
Stay true to your goals. Often, when we have really big goals, we can get distracted by minor setbacks. As long as you stay focused on who you want to be and what you represent in the industry, you can’t fail. 🙂
Is there a person that made a profound impact on your life? Can you share a story?
I would say a few people, Lashawnna Stanley, Katie Willcox, Bob Proctor, and MJ day. Each person believed in me and gave me fantastic advice to help me get to the next level. Sometimes you may believe in yourself but having a trained eye reassuring you helps so much.
How are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting causes you are working on right now?
I’m glad you asked. The way that I have built my audience is by being transparent and open with my journey. I am developing courses to help other women achieve their dreams as well. One will be fitness, which has mindset training included and the other will be a modeling course to help women who are not sure where to start. Those will both be launched by the end of the year.
Can you share with us the story behind why you chose to take up this particular cause?
Many women DM me or email me asking where to start or how I got to the level I am today and it’s tough to answer everyone individually. After going through Bob Proctor’s training in 2020, I realized the impact of a course on someone’s life. I trained with him for a year, and it completely changed my life. I want to give other women the same opportunity.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or an example for each.
When I first started, there really wasn’t room for me, so I tried to conform to the industry — not realizing that being myself is what opened doors for me. So, I would say to be yourself. Especially in the days of social media, you can create a significant following with an audience that can experience your growth with you. Be yourself for sure.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
This isn’t modeling or fashion-related, but I would implement mindset training, emotional influence, and wealth management training in schools from a young age. We can learn these skills as adults but imagine if all of this was second nature because we knew them as children? Huge game-changer.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you explain how that was relevant in your life?
“Do what others won’t do today, and you’ll have what others don’t have tomorrow.”
I heard this quote at a time in my life where I was working on a major goal, but all my friends were out having a good time. It was so tempting, but I knew I had to stay focused, so I constantly replayed that adage in my mind. And it’s true, I focused, applied my efforts, and ended up being very successful.
We are blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Politics, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Ivan Bart, President of IMG Models, Annie Dickerson- COO of Goodegg Funding, and Tyra Banks.
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was so inspiring, and we wish you continued success!
With Love, Saje Nicole 💕
About The Interviewer: Growing up in Canada, Edward Sylvan was an unlikely candidate to make a mark on the high-powered film industry based in Hollywood. But as CEO of Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc, (SEGI) Sylvan is among a select group of less than ten Black executives who have founded, own and control a publicly traded company. Now, deeply involved in the movie business, he is providing opportunities for people of color.
In 2020, he was appointed president of the Monaco International Film Festival, and was encouraged to take the festival in a new digital direction.
Raised in Toronto, he attended York University where he studied Economics and Political Science, then went to work in finance on Bay Street, (the city’s equivalent of Wall Street). After years of handling equities trading, film tax credits, options trading and mergers and acquisitions for the film, mining and technology industries, in 2008 he decided to reorient his career fully towards the entertainment business.
With the aim of helping Los Angeles filmmakers of color who were struggling to understand how to raise capital, Sylvan wanted to provide them with ways to finance their creative endeavors.
At Sycamore Entertainment he specializes in print and advertising financing, marketing, acquisition and worldwide distribution of quality feature-length motion pictures, and is concerned with acquiring, producing and promoting films about equality, diversity and other thought provoking subject matter which will also include nonviolent storytelling.
Also in 2020, Sylvan launched SEGI TV, a free OTT streaming network built on the pillars of equality, sustainability and community which is scheduled to reach 100 million U.S household televisions and 200 million mobile devices across Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV and others.
As Executive Producer he currently has several projects in production including The Trials of Eroy Brown, a story about the prison system and how it operated in Texas, based on the best-selling book, as well as a documentary called The Making of Roll Bounce, about the 2005 coming of age film which starred rapper Bow Wow and portrays roller skating culture in 1970’s Chicago.
He sits on the Board of Directors of Uplay Canada, (United Public Leadership Academy for Youth), which prepares youth to be citizen leaders and provides opportunities for Canadian high school basketball players to advance to Division 1 schools as well as the NBA.
A former competitive go kart racer with Checkered Flag Racing Ltd, he also enjoys traveling to exotic locales. Sylvan resides in Vancouver and has two adult daughters.
Sylvan has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and has been seen on Fox Business News, CBS and NBC. Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Los Angeles and Vancouver.
Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Model & Actress Saje Nicole Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.