Soli Productions seeking to create space in modeling, entertainment industry from people of all colours, heights, weights, ages
Moving from her southern Caribbean home country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to Halifax, Nova Scotia was a jarring experience for Solitha Shortte. She landed in the city in the winter of 2007, which is effectively as far away from a tropical climate as one can get south of the arctic circle.
“Oh, was it ever,” laughs Shortte, explaining how she and her sister Moashella had always dreamed of experiencing a Nova Scotia winter, a bit ignorant of the chill factor involved.
“As kids, we saw winter [in Nova Scotia] as this magical white place and we’d love to be there, but when you get the reality of the shivers, it just shifts back to, ‘why did I choose this place to go to school?’ I don’t regret it, but I definitely have moments where it’s like, I could really use some sunshine right now.”
Shortte, for her part, says the reason she chose Nova Scotia was, in part, because her big sister came here first.
“My sister moved here for school; once she completed her education at Mount St. Vincent University, it was my turn to journey up from the homeland,” says Shortte, who studied business and marketing at MSVU once she arrived in Canada. “I think there’s a connection between the ports here in Nova Scotia and in the Caribbean, especially Saint Vincent. My grandfather visited this place long before we were even a thought. I guess it has a bit of history with my family and my country.”
While studying, Shortte kept busy by continuing a pursuit she began back home.
“I model, as well. I did that back in my country,” says Shortte, who was told early on that she had a talent for coaching, essentially training others to be better models.
But that wasn’t the only thing she was told by her agency at the time. Shortte quickly noticed she was the only Black model represented there, and she says the reason given for that discrepancy surprised her.
“I wondered, why weren’t there any others that looked like me when this is one of the largest black communities,” she says. “I asked my agent that, and she said, ‘Oh, they’re not interested.’”
Coming from a predominantly Black community, Shortte says she wasn’t used to hearing that people of colour simply weren’t “interested” in a given field, because back home she saw faces like hers everywhere.
“I saw my teachers, I saw my doctors, I saw everybody in positions of power that look like me. We have our own issues, but when you come here, you don’t see that. That was one of the shocking things — along with the weather — that I found interesting; I didn’t see Black people in those positions like I did at home.”
And Nova Scotia certainly wasn’t lacking for beautiful, talented Black women who could command the catwalk at a whim, by Shortte’s estimation.
“I look around, and see these beautiful women, and they should be in this space,” she says. “The space wasn’t welcoming enough for them.”
Martina Kelades could relate. Growing up in the valley with her family from North Preston, Kelades says she didn’t feel like she was wanted, when she first tried to get into the entertainment industry.
“I had a hard time with identity, I guess you could say,” Kelades says. “I remember connecting with an agency, sending my portfolio, and not even hearing anything back. From that message, I kind of felt, ‘I’m too short, I’m not super tall and skinny… my skin colour’s darker.’
“I just started to believe that narrative and then just let it go.”
That response, Shortte says, is the inevitable result of the modelling industry favouring one type of body, one type of person.
“It creates women that are trapped in the frame of mind of that little girl who didn’t see herself, and was told, ‘you’re not beautiful.’ The damage that does throughout your life. For me, I am that little girl. I didn’t see myself. I always thought my skin was a mistake.”
That’s when Shortte decided to marry her education in business with her passion for modelling, and created Soli Productions, a modelling agency that ensures a space in the industry for all types.
“I want to change what we know as ‘the norm’ in the industry,” Shortte says. “I want it to be where representation and diversity is no longer the conversation, because we will all be present in that space, so that becomes the norm. At least show it’s possible to do it and spark that interest in other people to follow suit.”
Shortte founded Soli Productions in 2018. Since then, she’s represented upwards of 90 clients of differing heights, weights, skin colours, and even ages. Her youngest model is five and her oldest is 62.
One of those models that Shortte discovered on TikTok during the lockdown in 2020, was Kelades.
“Martina came into the picture right when I was questioning, ‘am I supposed to be doing this?’ Martina really solidified for me that I was on-track.”
One of Shortte’s main missions with Soli Productions isn’t only to make the modelling space more open to immigrants like herself, but also to Black Nova Scotians already here, who didn’t benefit from seeing faces like theirs in positions of power like Shortte had.
Hearing about why Kelades stopped pursuing acting roles for a while, often being typecast in stereotyped roles like prostitutes and dancers, solidified why she felt a responsibility to champion a space for them.
“I was kind of proud of that, when I shared this with her, ‘look at all these opportunities I was getting,’” Kelades says. “But very quickly, she spoke up. I could just feel the frustration, boiling inside of her. And the sadness, as well. That’s her number one focus, and that’s why Soli Productions is the most diverse agency in this area. Because she is so intentional about selecting talent that looks very different.”
Kelades has a totally different experience now with Shortte as her agent. Kelades says Shortte fights not just to land her roles or secure the paycheques she’s worth, but also for her integrity.
“I had a recent experience where I was requested to audition for a role. It was a role that was kind of like… people could interpret it as [a stereotype],” says Kelades, who felt more connected to another role on the project. Kelades says Shortte went to bat for her when she might have simply accepted the part in the past.
“They thanked her for bringing this to their attention, because it was something they would never think of,” Kelades says. “It worked out for the best. I got cast as one of the leads.”
That response, clients reconsidering how they might be alienating people in ways they never realized, is the whole goal of Soli Productions.
“If you flood the market with agencies like mine, I think it will saturate the market for all of us,” says Shortte, who hopes her example leads to more agencies on the international stage adopting the Soli Productions philosophy. “That’s why I wanted Martina to be part of this with me, because she is that person, that example, that I hope they see. That I would fight as hard for her as any of my roster.”
“For the short year-and-a-half that I’ve been with her, I can’t even fully explain in words how transformative this has been,” Kelades says. “I just trust her more and more. I couldn’t be more proud to represent Soli Productions.”
Atlantic Scholarship Organization
Being proactive in the modelling industry isn’t the only way Shortte helps Black Nova Scotians. She and her sister started the Atlantic Scholarship Organization (ASO) in 2020 to be there for young Black students in the province like those who once helped them during their collegiate days. Shortte recalls how uncertain those days could be.
“We didn’t know what would happen next, but we still pushed through,” Shortte says. “We wouldn’t have these opportunities if we didn’t move here and didn’t meet people who were generous enough to support us as we navigated all the barriers that were in place. So we can partner with students who are struggling, who need that extra support.”
Their first year was an unexpected challenge, what with COVID and the lockdowns pulling the rug out from everyone, ASO included. But they still managed to provide two scholarships in 2020, one worth $400, and another $1,500, to Black students in the province who showed a drive and dedication in their scholastic endeavours.
“They have to be in year two, so I’m looking for their commitment to the journey that they started,” Shortte says. “And commitment to community. I look for the people who want to do it, even within their circumstances; they’re looking beyond themselves.”
The ASO has three more scholarships ready, up to the 2022 winter semester. All the funds so far have been raised by the sisters through their fundraising efforts, but she says others are certainly invited to help raise funds, too.
“They can donate on our website, or they can create their own initiative,” says Shortte, who adds the amount of funds raised isn’t as important as the desire to raise them. “Your time and effort, for me, that says a lot.”
