Hosts
Barbara Mamabolo is charismatic, charming, outgoing, adventurous, knowledgeable and
curious, beautiful and trendy. She has a long list of acting experience but is a natural
talent. Her own family is a cultural mix—her mother is Dutch and her father hails from
South Africa—so Barbara has had firsthand experience with the concept of diversity. Her
natural curiosity and zest for life are the natural blend for sending her on the road to Get
Outta Town. In her young career, Barbara has had 21 principal or lead roles in movies
and television, plus numerous regular and supporting roles. Some of her credits include,
Sue Thomas, F.B. Eye, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, The Relic Hunter, A
Mother Fighting for Justice, 1-800 Missing and Degrassi—The Next Generation. Suffice
it to say, Barbara is a seasoned pro, even at such a young age.
Joseph Motiki is no slouch in the achievement department. Shortly after graduating from
Ryerson University, the Radio & TV Arts Program, Joe hosted What, a late-night phone-
in program on TVOntario which was subsequently nominated for a Gemini award as Best
Youth Program in Canada. Joe then became host of TVOKids Crawlspace that became
the number-one after school show in the country out-pacing YTV, CBC and Fox
Television. Joe has also been an on-air host/announcer for EZ Rock 97.3 FM and starred
in a number of television shows including: 7th Portal, Medabots, Rescue Heroes and the
Rescue Heroes Movie, Degrassi—The Next Generation, Wildcard, Doc, Blue Murder and
The Other Me and Scream Team for Disney. Joe has also hosted 120 episodes of
Kidszone for Leafs TV, POV on CBC sports and the high school quiz show, Reach For
the Top. All of which, shows a love of adventure and challenge, making Joe a perfect
complement to Barbara for Get Outta Town!
Co-Hosts
Finding the right local host for Joe and Barbara in each destination makes the show
engaging. Researchers have scoured the world to find the right teens worked closely with
high end youth events (snowboarding, scratch, and hiphop) student exchange agencies,
youth organizations and others, to find the right teens. The local host is always outgoing,
speaks English (possibly with an accent) and most importantly has the ―cool‖ factor.
Vitoria Setta
New York City, New York, U.S.A.
Vitoria Setta, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, moved to New York City at the age of nine.
Born into a family of actors, Setta grew up knowing she, too, would end up on stage. She
says, ―I just knew it was what I was supposed to do, what I was born to do. I also knew if
I tried to deviate from an acting career, I would be unsuccessful.‖
After graduating from high school, Setta began her work with the East Village’s
Theater For The New City, an avant-garde centre of theatre and arts. Her first
professional production was included in the theatre’s annual Street Theatre production.
She remained there for two years, performing in several Off-Off Broadway productions.
Setta is currently studying Michael Chekhov-based improvisation works on a
weekly basis, with actress and acting coach Kim Todd, and continues to audition and
work in theatre and, more recently, on screen. She hopes to attend an acting conservatory
in the near future.
Vanessa Roldan Senzio-Savino
Mexico City, Mexico
Vanessa Roldan Senzio-Savino, 21, hails from Mexico City, Mexico. Although she was
kept busy as president of the students’ association in high school, she managed to keep
her grades high and received a scholarship to attend Tec de Monterrey Campus Ciudad de
Mexico, where she studies marketing, specializing in consumer behaviour.
Despite the demanding eight semesters her program requires, Senzio-Savino still
makes time to play soccer for her college team. She can’t imagine life without soccer –
she has been playing the sport since she was 16. She also enjoys dancing and acting. In
high school, she was heavily involved in jazz and hip-hop dance and has been in a Nissan
commercial and a music video for a Mexican singer.
When this busy student, athlete and actress has some free time, she likes to go to
the movies, bars or cafés with her friends, or spend time with her boyfriend. With school
always in the back of her mind, one of this diligent student’s ―vacations‖ included a
semester abroad to study in Madrid.
Senzio-Savino has travelled around Europe and has visited many parts of her
home country, Mexico, including Cancun, Acapulco, Tepic Nayarit, Culiacan Sinaloa,
Puebla, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
Although Senzio-Savino has lived in Mexico City her whole life, she has two
nationalities, Mexican and Italian, as her mother’s parents emigrated from Italy to
Mexico when they were very young. Senzio-Savino, then, is not just a well-rounded
student with diverse interests, but also a well-rounded citizen with a varied familial and
cultural background.
Tianran Zheng
Shanghai, China
Tianran Zheng, whose first name means ―natural‖ in Chinese, her native tongue, began to
learn English when she was 8 years old. That is when she discovered her love of
language. Zheng says by learning new languages, she is able to better explore and
become more familiar with the cultures and peoples of the world.
In 1996, Zheng traveled to Australia, where she was able to put her skill to use
hosting English-language television and radio programs.
Still pursuing her passion, Zheng is currently a Spanish-language major at the
Shanghai International Studies University. She says choosing to learn a third language
has opened up a whole new part of the world to her. Zheng also enjoys expressing herself
through photography, music and dancing.
Lucilla Spagnuolo
Rome, Italy
Though she was born in Cosenza (Calabria), where she lived with her mother, father,
younger sister and grandmother, Lucilla currently lives in Rome, studying fashion design
at the European Institute of Design. When she was a child, Lucilla liked to draw – mainly
cartoons. Her drawings eventually evolved to sketches of clothing and dresses, and she
decided to become a fashion designer. Besides her creativity, Lucuilla is also very
athletic – she does gymnastics, swims and plays football (the European kind – North
American soccer) and volleyball. Still, much of her time is devoted to studying hard and
advancing her career; she’s participated in many different fashion-design contests and
shows, in hope of one day becoming as famous a stylist as Versace or Dolce & Gabbana.
Christina Sambatakaki
Athens, Greece
Christina was born in Athens and is currently studying chemical engineering at the
Technical University of Athens. She comes by this naturally as her father is a chemical
engineer and her brother is also studying chemical engineering at university. Christina’s
mother works for Greek television.
Christina is a serious competitor and her goal is to become a better athlete and take part
in the European championships. Her athletic accomplishments to date include taking a
12th place finish at the World Student Championships, at the Balcanic Championships,
she placed fourth and at the Greek national championship, she finished first. Track and
field is her main priority currently. A career comes after.
In her spare time, Christina hangs out with friends, goes to the movies, and likes to gossip
on the phone. Being an athlete, she also likes going to the beach and playing volleyball or
swimming.
Within her circle of friends, she’s known as the matchmaker and makes it her mission to
find boyfriends for all of her girlfriends. She also loves to gossip and is known as the
―gossip queen‖. These social activities are almost as important to her as track and field.
Marky
Washington DC, U.S.A.
Some nod to the beat. Some bounce to the flow. Some bob from side to side as if they’re
rapping in unison onstage beside him. Nonetheless, audiences of hip-hop’s newest rap
sensation agree – Marky has the goods.
At age 11, Marky was asked by a neighbourhood friend to rap on a CD he was
producing. Since then, he’s been in the studio composing lyrics and beats, drawing the
attention of such heavyweight producers as Erick Sermon.
Now, Marky pens lyrics like an industry vet. His command of the English
language, as evident on the clever single, Sic Wit It, rivals even the slickest wordsmith
and his poised and clear delivery style is reminiscent of MC’s of old.
Whether performing at a neighbourhood block party or a political fundraiser,
Marky can be found deftly releasing lyrics that uplift, inspire and force you to have a
good time. Audiences bounce along as he performs his signature songs, Party Party and
In It To Win It, both produced by IronBeatz, formerly of James Brown’s New JB’s.
While Marky is putting the moves on Washington, DC’s hip-hop scene, this
National Honor Society member maintains his 3.5 GPA, as well as his position of starting
quarterback for the Cavaliers at Crossland High School in Temple Hills, Maryland. When
he’s not in the studio or performing live, you can find him heading up an after-school
volunteer organization, hanging out at the mall or defending his self-proclaimed
Playstation 2 Madden 2003 title against his friends.
Kassia Aleksic
Paris, France
Kassia Aleksic was born in Paris to a Serbian father and a Filipina mother, both writers.
Apart from the three years she spent in the Philippines during her early childhood, she
grew up and was educated in Paris. After graduating from high school, Aleksic moved to
the United States, spending her freshman year at Emerson College in Boston.
A self-described ―seeker of the secrets and mysteries of human beings and the
world,‖ Aleksic’s passions and hobbies – acting, reading, sitting in cafés for hours and
going to movies and exhibitions – all serve as means to this end. Her taste for art as a
reflection of humanity parallels her humanitarian concerns and her interest in world
cultures.
Aleksic is currently taking a year off school to travel to the Philippines, where she
will volunteer as an English and acting teacher to street children, who are often involved
in drug trafficking, prostitution or criminality. She says, while acting and writing are
essential to her self-development, being a fulfilled human being includes possessing an
awareness of other people’s life circumstances, as well.
In the future, Aleksic hopes to be able to work for humanitarian purposes while
maintaining such artistic endeavours as acting, writing or painting.
Jessi Miley-Dyer
Sydney, Australia
Jessi Miley-Dyer, 18, is one of the hottest young female surfers on the planet. The goofy-
footer – who hails from Sydney, Australia – has a super-smooth style and is quickly
racking up the results to prove it.
Miley-Dyer’s first-ever surfing competition was an Under 12 contest at Bondi,
where she was the only girl entered. She placed second against the guys. One of the
biggest prizes the Coogee local has claimed is the Under 19 Girls World Surfing Title at
the 2003 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in Durban.
Janine Licare
Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
Originally born in the United States, Janine Licare, 15, moved to Manuel Antonio, Costa
Rica, when she was four years old, and has lived there ever since.
At the age of nine, Licare and a friend made and sold arts and crafts, deciding to
donate their earnings to help save Costa Rica’s rainforests. They sent the money away
and, when they followed up on it at a later date, they were told there was no way to track
the donation and it had probably been eaten up by ―administration costs.‖
Frustrated and disappointed, the two friends started their own foundation, Kids
Saving The Rainforest, setting it up so people could see the direct results of their
donations. Six years later, Licare is running the flourishing foundation on her own.
Donations made to Kids Saving The Rainforest aid in reforestation, tree planting
and building monkey bridges (to protect endangered Tiki Monkeys). The foundation has
an artisan gallery where local artists and kids show their work. The gallery’s profits fund
educational camps for children, which expose them to the importance of rainforests by
having them care for baby animals and return them to the wilderness with tracking
devices. Licare’s foundation has also raised enough money to build an Educational
Centre.
The foundation has enjoyed local and national television exposure, as well as
articles in teen and environmental magazines and newspapers. Licare is the only human
being ever to be featured on the cover of Wild Magazine, and she has also been featured
on the National Geographic Show.
Find out more about Licare and Kids Saving the Rainforest at
www.kidssavingtherainforest.org.
DJ IQ
London, England
One of the most dazzling young talents to emerge from the U.K. turntablist scene in
recent years, DJ IQ is the current Under 18 DMC U.K. champion.
Having blown all the competition off the stage at the final, he was blessed with
guest shows on BBC Radio One and !xtra, in addition to his regular show – specializing
mainly in independent hip-hop – on London’s Itch FM. With skills and tune selection
defying his young age, DJ IQ is fast gaining a reputation as one of the hottest crowd
rockers around.
He first became involved in the British hip-hop scene by sending a demo tape to
the only dedicated hip-hop radio station in London, Itch FM. It wasn’t long before he had
his own slot, broadcasting weekly across London and surrounding areas each Friday,
from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
IQ is currently the official DJ for Jehst, and began a world tour. He has also done
cuts for Jehst’s new album, Falling Down, as well as Asaviour’s EP, Savoir Faire, and the
Ghost stories EP on Breakin Bread records.
Check out IQ’s latest mix CD, The Official Vol. 1, and stay tuned for further new
releases, including a mix CD with fellow Itch FM DJ MK, a mix CD with DMC Champ
DJ Skully and The official Vol.2.
Bjorn Schmidle
Lucerne, Switzerland
A young traveler, 20-year-old Bjorn Schmidle lives in Lucerne, Switzerland, though he
was originally born in London, England.
His move between these two countries caused the travelling bug to bite him early
on in life. He has already visited Denmark, France, Spain, Malta and Italy, but his travels
haven’t yet taken him to America, which he one day plans to discover. His next holiday
will be surfing in Bali. In two years, Schmidle plans to travel around the world.
Following his travels, his dream is to live in Denmark and perfect his commands of the
Danish, English and French languages.
Schmidle currently works as an optician, working long days – sometimes from
8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. – returning home too late to take part in some of his favourite
activities: snowboarding, fishing and swimming. When he moves to Denmark, Schmidle
says he might start an apprenticeship to learn a different occupation, but he hasn’t yet
decided what that occupation will be.
Schmidle is an up-and-coming turntablist, and aspires to make innovative music
similar to the likes of some of his favourite DJs, including IQ, Jehst and Asaviour – three
of the hottest young acts in U.K. hip-hop.