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Hard work leads to dream job on TV

 
Published Nov. 27, 1994|Updated Oct. 8, 2005

Ali Rivera, a former Miss Land O'Lakes and Land O'Lakes High School graduate, has landed the role of co-host on U to U, an ambitious new children's show on Nickelodeon.

She is excited and enthusiastic, and surprisingly energetic for someone who just juggled a frantic month of taping at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando and taking classes at the University of Central Florida.

"October," the 18-year-old advertising/public relations major said, "was kind of a hellacious month."

She attended classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Nickelodeon taped 20 episodes on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. On Mondays, Rivera either rehearsed or studied.

Forget a social life.

"I'm very much into time management," she said. "I got some sleep, believe it or not. I don't go out and I'm not out partying all the time."

Last year, the Wesley Chapel resident managed a 3.2 grade point average. She must maintain her GPA to remain eligible for a minority high achievers' scholarship.

"She's hard working," said Albie Hecht, executive producer of U to U, in a telephone interview from New York City. "I think Ali has a charisma that comes across on camera, a strong TV presence, and a warmth that invites kids to participate. She's done an amazing job of keeping work and school going together."

The show, which debuts Saturday at 6 p.m., is described by Nickelodeon as television's first interactive video magazine that links children all over the world. Rivera and 16-year-old Sertrone Starks are the hosts.

Everything featured on the show, from music videos to cartoons to jokes, is inspired by ideas submitted to Nickelodeon by its young viewers, Hecht said. Among the ideas scheduled to come to life this season:

A horror story dreamed up by youths at a summer camp in Maine.

An 11-year-old Ohio poet's work animated by some Croatian children.

An original rock 'n' roll song written by a child guitarist from West Virginia. It will brought to the small screen as a music video.

Viewers can participate in a weekly opinion poll, with topics ranging from mandatory bike helmet laws to whether one has ever faked illness to skip school. In another segment, U to U puts kids in touch with such celebrities as Dean Cain (The Adventures of Lois & Clark), Joey Lawrence (Blossom) and Fran Drescher (The Nanny).

Also on the show, children from different parts of the world compete in virtual-reality computer games, such as Super Cyber Techno Game Time Jam, a one-on-one basketball shootout.

During the first day of filming, Hecht recalled, Rivera's co-host, who is quite expressive with his hands, got a bit too animated.

"Sertrone clocked Ali accidentally," Hecht said. "She kept right on going. She's really got to have a special sort of focus to do that."

As a child, when Rivera's family lived in Tampa, she took acting classes at the Tampa Alliance of Dramatic Arts. At age 12, she acted in a play called The Me Nobody Knows. After that, she read library books to learn how to get into professional acting.

Her family moved to Land O'Lakes when she was in the ninth grade. Rivera, who graduated from Land O'Lakes High in 1993, said, she performed in almost every play and musical the school produced.

A few years ago, she auditioned to become a Mouseketeer. She made the cut of Florida finalists but didn't make to the Mickey Mouse Club. "I didn't make it, but I was thrilled I made it that far," Rivera said.

She auditioned about 10 times at Nickelodeon before she finally got a job as an extra on a teen show called Welcome, Freshmen. Eventually, that grew into a recurring speaking role. In 1992, she auditioned for a pilot of a newsy children's show called Make It Happen. That pilot evolved into U to U.

Rivera noted stark differences between her rural home turf of the Land O'Lakes/Wesley Chapel area and the neon wilds of Orlando.

"Back home, it's a small-town community where people know each other," she said. "Here, it's a town of That's Entertainment, with all our theme parks, and everything's right around you."

She intends to pursue other roles in television and film, and perhaps return to theater some years down the road.

Sandra Conover, who in recent years has organized the Miss Land O'Lakes pageant, praised Rivera, who represented Land O'Lakes at President Clinton's inaugural ball in 1992.

"Ali's a very confident young woman who loves life and has a sparkle in her eye," Conover said. "She's just going to keep moving up. That's the only way she can go."

Rivera marvels at the heights she already has reached, rather early in life.

"I was walking out to the parking lot after shooting one night and I thought, my goodness, everything I've wished for since I was little is coming true. I knew what I wanted to be, and through hard work and good blessings, I've gotten to where I kind of want to be.

"I've been given a great opportunity and now it's my turn to let other people know they can do it too. If you have the desire and the drive, you have to go for it. If you give up, you won't ever be happy."