Face Forward
By Soleil Sabalja

When my health teacher first told me about Face Value, Westchester County's new anti-smoking campaign for teen girls, I became very interested. As I found out more details about the campaign, including an open-call audition for local teens to be cast as the "faces" of Face Value, I knew I really wanted a spot in the commercial. I very strongly support the anti-smoking movement for teens. That's exactly why I knew Face Value was perfect for me.

Face Value tells the truth about smoking: it wrecks your appearance, drains your spending money, and exposes your body to around 4,000 dangerous chemicals. And if you don't think smoking is seriously addictive, get this: nine out of ten teen smokers in New York State say they'll quit after high school, but five years after graduation, two-thirds are still hooked on cigarettes.

I'd never been in a commercial before -- or in Boston, Massachusetts, where the shoot took place, for that matter. When the call came in that I made it, my bags were packed and I was out the door.

My experience was phenomenal. I got to meet eight other girls cast for the commercial who felt the same about smoking as I did. When I first arrived at the studio, I was greeted with a warm welcome and was given an entire room for wardrobe. I couldn't wait to get started! As soon as wardrobe was finished, we started blocking (coordinating how you stand and move on set) and rehearsing. When it was time to start shooting, the bright lights in my face stunned me. I couldn't get the smile off my face, even though we were all told that we had to look serious. I just felt like I was a star. Everything was so professional that I couldn't grip that I was actually there.

This campaign is very important because it really sparks attention. I have never seen an anti-smoking commercial that actually shows the effects smoking has on women. Since the ads started running, many people have stopped me -- people I don't even know -- to tell me they saw me on TV and they think the commercial is great because they've never ever seen one like it. One message from the campaign that I think every teen girl should know is: when it comes to smoking, it's "your looks, your money, your call!"

From the audition I learned that you need to have confidence in yourself and you need to believe you have a chance. I went to the audition right after I went swimming. I was soaking wet and my hair was all over the place. I just thought that if the directors and producers decided they didn't want me, then hey, I'd try again next time, no big deal. I also learned that apparently people think I can "sell it" on camera. I have now realized that I want to pursue a little more work in this same field.

So far, the Face Value ads have appeared on television stations like MTV, radio stations like Z100, and billboards around the county.