Jayden Pere flew the flag for New Zealand in Anaheim.
Jayden Pere’s career is set to go into orbit following his stellar eight-medal haul at this year’s World Championships of Performing Arts event in Anaheim, California.
The year 12 student, who played Dimitri in St Peter’s School’s production of Anastasia earlier this year, won two gold medals for television acting and commercial swimwear modelling, four silver medals for dance and modelling and two bronze medals for acting and singing at the Olympic-style talent competition.
He also won the event’s top modelling award, the World Champion Everyday Model title, and was the only member of New Zealand’s 15-strong Black Stars team to win a world champion medal.
Now, shortly after returning home, he is trying to process the remarkable turn his life has just taken as he begins to sift through the career opportunities now on offer.
“It is very overwhelming,” said the multi-talented 17-year-old, who played for the New Zealand U16 touch rugby team last year.
“It is a huge achievement, especially for my future and what I wanted to do moving forward.”
The annual World Championships of Performing Arts competition is in its 36th year. It was livestreamed across the globe and attracted performers and entertainers from 34 countries.
Singers Dolly Parton and Michael Bolton and actress Liza Minnelli are among past success stories from the event.
Jayden’s stepfather and manager Travis Maclennan said the St Peter’s student had also been offered a scholarship to the New York Film Academy and been approached by industry professionals keen to work with him.
These included modelling scout Darienne Arnold, who had appeared in Vogue, Marie Claire, Mirabella and Harper’s Bazaar magazines and and multi-platinum songwriter Manny Mijares, who had penned and produced songs for Stevie B, Snoop Dogg, Craig David, Frankie J & Shock G and worked on X Factor, America’s Got Talent and Dancing with the Stars.
“The experience has left him a bit shell-shocked, I think,” said Travis, who teaches at Te Awamutu Intermediate.
“I think, with everything that’s gone on, ideas and plans I think are changing in his head constantly, so it’s been a little bit of a whirlwind for all of us as a family.”
Jayden was selected for the Black Stars in 2019 but had to wait three years for his trip to the World Championships due to Covid delays.
He has dreamed of acting on Broadway since discovering his passion for performance in 2017, when he played “Gingy” the gingerbread man in a Morrinsville Theatre production of Shrek Jr.
“When you hear that first applause from the audience, and when you do a show, it’s like all this hard work has finally paid off,” he said. “And it really makes you feel good that you’re also making the audience feel good by making them step into a different world.”
Born and raised in Morrinsville, Jayden has attended St Peter’s School since 2019 and has another Waipā connection through his stepfather. Travis is a former Cambridge resident whose parents, brother and sister still live here. His family ran the former Red Cherry Cafe and now operates a coffee bean business.
Travis described Jayden, who trained for one to two hours a day in the two months before the competition, as “passionate”, “determined” and “a superstar in the making”.
“Hopefully lots of amazing things will happen for Jay and he will be set to make his dream a reality, and he makes it to Broadway and we get to sit in the front row and cheer him on the loudest that we can,” he said.
“But I think there’ll be a few stops along the way in terms of doing a little bit of modeling, dabbling in some music with some producers, and some development around that, and maybe some acting here and there, who knows?
“We’re incredibly excited for his future and know that no matter what he decides, he will pursue with 100 per cent gusto and his heart will be in whatever he sets out to do.”
