Ivan Quiñonez

Ivan Quinonez was born in a loving home and is one of five children...and right in the middle. He had a lot of hardship growing up due to severe asthma. This didn't stop him from being himself or doing what he loved. In fact, he took this challenge and decided to deal with it using laughter.  From early on, Ivan loved making people laugh, whether it was something he said, a funny face he made, or making character voices.  He decided later on, with some help, that the entertainment industry was right for him. He began playing drums on his mothers ribcage while in the womb, and to this day still plays on his 7-piece Yamaha Maple Custom Set. He played for his church until the guitar player left, then decided he'd learn guitar and began singing as well! As a drummer, his band was a finalist for McDonald's Gospelfest, playing in the Madison Square Garden theatre, and also for Pillar Of Fire's battle of the Bands (the winner playing at the Izod Center). As a singer he was in the top 15 for Pillar Of Fire's American Soloist competition. He attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting after college and 6 months later was working with an independent TV station as a video producer. His work was broadcasted daily to all 5 boroughs of NYC. He also got a job in radio working as a board op/on-air talent in the legendary 570AM WMCA & 970AM WNYM, later connecting with and becoming the Senior Producer for the Xtreme Radio Show with Stephen Baldwin & Kevin McCullough. He also taught and tutored at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He took his video production skills to Schuman's National Underclassmen Combine, starting and building a Video Production Department, which is still operating today.  During this time Ivan's mother was diagnosed with Dementia & Alzheimer's at the young age of 53. This hit him hard and he began to question all that he'd believed. With the help of his Father and Pastor, Dan Quiñones, he put his faith and trust in his God, Jesus Christ, and moved on with his life, having more patience, more love, and a greater purpose, desiring to use his talents and gifts to give hope, comfort, and life to those within his reach. He then attended Millie Lewis' Acting Model & Talent Competition (www.amtcworld.com) in 2009 where he polished off the competition (of about 800 contestants) with the Direct Group Role Model Award, a scholarship to the NY Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, as a finalist in the Male Commercial Category for Overall Actor, as well as Overall Model, and lastly his TV Commercial Performance was showcased in the Top 40 Commercials Show.