Amherst grad vying for a chance to become the next CW Star

News-Times reporter

Ever since Brittany Gerena of Amherst can remember, she would lip sync the lyrics to by such artists as Janet Jackson, Madonna and SWV in front of the mirrors in her bedroom and put on plays for her parents. Now she hopes to perform for a national television audience.

"I really had this overactive imagination," she confesses. "My dad always used to tell me you should go to college to be a nurse or something else. And that was never me because I was always the big dreamer, shoot for the stars kind of imagination."

To keep her dream alive, Gerena participated in the choir and performed in various school plays while attending Amherst Junior High School. She also received a student Emmy award from the National Television Academy in her senior year at Steele High School while in Mark Lowrie's TV class.

Now 22-years-old and a senior communications major at Ohio State University, Gerena is vying with nine other finalists for the opportunity to become the next local "CW Star" for WWHO-Television in Columbus.

"I was watching the premiere episode of '90210' with my girlfriend to see if it was anything like the old one and during the commercials one of them was for (open) auditions for the next "CW Star," Gerena said.

The "CW Star" is responsible for informing viewers on- and off-camera what syndicated and network programming is coming up on the local CW affiliate. This individual is also responsible for interviewing actors and actresses who appear on such CW sitcoms and dramas like "Everybody Hates Chris", "One Tree Hill", "Privileged", "Smallville", "90210", "Smallville", "Gossip Girl" and "Americas Next Top Model" for one year. The part-time job pays nearly $20,000 a year.

During her first audition, Gerena had to answer a couple of basic questions on-camera and make a 60 second plea to the judges as to why she should be chosen as the next "CW Star."

"I can't stand here today and tell you I deserve this more then anybody else because I don't know how hard they've worked," she said. "But I do how long I've been chasing this dream of seven years to get to where I'm standing right now. So just give me the chance to prove to you that I deserve it, instead of letting me say I deserve it."

Gerena's plea worked. Out of hundreds of applicants, the judges

selected her as one of nine finalists for the part-time position. The

tenth spot was chosen by viewers out of a pool of 25 semi-finalists.

"Her personality, her presence in front of the camera, her

experience really set her a part from some of the other candidates,

along with having a lot of energy which is what the next 'CW Star'

definitely needs because we keep them busy and they are always out

representing the station," Deirdre Conley, the creative services

director for WWHO-TV said, adding this is the third year the television

station is doing this contest.

Her second and final plea is broadcast on WWHO-TV's website. This

time, Gerena's chances of becoming the next "CW Star" lies in the hands

of viewers. In this plea, she begs viewers to vote for her dream.

"Vote for the child in you that has a dream, vote for the adult in

you that still does and vote to make me your next CW Star because I

promise you The CW will never be the same," she concluded.

Online voting will take place at www.wwhotv.com until Friday, Nov.

21, with the winner being announced on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 5 p.m. If

Gerena wins, she will receive a phone call from Jason, the current "CW

Star."

Gerena said this was a perfect opportunity for her since she

describes herself as "ethnically ambiguous" with both a vibrant and

laid-back personality.

"Everybody has to start somewhere and I think wherever I can get a

start with a good network that's going to get my feet wet, really teach

and help me build my character, people skills and my interviewing

skills, I'm going to jump at it," she said. "That's what this business

is all about. You win some, you loose some and you have to get up and

dust yourself off and keep trying. That's just my attitude going in to

this competition."

Gerena has previously interned in the sports departments at WBNS-Television and The Big Ten Network.

She is currently one of 84 girls from Big 10 colleges and

universities across the country who appear in a swimsuit calendar

called "Campus Girls USA." The money raised from the sale of these

calendars goes to fund breast cancer research. Gerena said the

calendars have raised nearly $4,500 for the foundation. She has also

appeared in a magazine entitled "Que Pasa OSU," which is geared towards

Hispanic college students.

When Gerena was only 6-years-old, her mother Veronica died of

leukemia. She said this tragic experience has shaped her as the person

she is today.

"Growing up without that mother figure, definitely impacted the

relationship I have with my Dad and my brother," she said. Her father

Rick is a volunteer firefighter for the Amherst Fire Department, while

her brother Ricky is a freshman at the OSU campus in Mansfield.

"I'm been really blessed in the fact that my dad's family has always

been the main support system I've had in my life," Gerena said.

"They've always been very supportive of my dreams and growing up part

of my teachers and friends have become a part of that inner circle

because I think going in to this industry you need to have that thick

skin and a really good support system that keeps you grounded and

that's who they are."