The Fashion Records Spotlight: Deborah Vanessa Owusu-Bonsu

Fashion, Featured, Models | Jane |

She both beautiful and inspiring. This Ghanian princess is self-motivated and wears many hats in the entertainment industry: from model, to T.V presenter to actress to aspiring entrepreneur. It’s lovely to come across women who are empowered and motivated to follow their own vision. Meet Deborah.

Name: My full name is Deborah Vanessa Owusu-Bonsu. My brand name is Deborah Vanessa. My friends call me Debbie or Debs.

Location: Ashongman Estates, Accra-Ghana.

You are a model, an artist, a TV presenter…. is there one role you play more than the other? And how do you find balance?

At the moment I am the hostess of ‘The Late Nite Celebrity Show’ on e.tv Ghana thus I play the host of a TV presenter most. However, on seasonal breaks or when off duty, I model and/or paint and design. My TV job is part time and flexible so I have time to do video shoots or commercials, photos shoots or just do my artwork (fashion design and abstract painting).

What do you like the most about what you do?

I love the fact that I get to meet a lot of different people, attend a lot of events and get pictures of me taken; it keeps me creative and stylish. I get a lot of new ideas running through my mind always.

What are some of the challenges you have faced in your industry? How did you overcome them?

Being over exploited, thus I am starting my own production of a new TV show where I’ll not be employee hostess but creator, hostess and co-executive producer as well as co-producer. That is my solution, to be my own boss.

Any interesting modeling job you can recall?

Shooting billboards and a TV commercial for Vodafone Ghana. I hadn’t relaxed (chemically treated) my hair for nine months, so I struggled to keep it under control as; we were shooting and the director asked I if it was against my religion to relax my hair. It was also interesting because I was against one of my off-script lines but had no say in altering it. That off-script line made the commercial controversial to some extent.

What initially drew you to go into modeling and becoming a TV personality?

I have always loved the limelight. I got paid for my first commercial at the age of nine; my dad introduced me into it because we did an ad for his car Rental Company and restaurant. Since then, I’ve been dancing and modeling at various shows but mainly as a hobby, and sometimes, a paid hobby as school always took most of my time. My friends always said to me (as a teenager) that I needed to have my own talk show…it eventually came to me.

What is your best attribute?

Physically, my eyes, else my positive personality is my best attribute.

Any tips you can give to anyone out there looking to enter the modeling and TV industry?

For modeling, you need to do a lot of TFPs (time for photos); usually done with upcoming photographers, stylists and make-up artists, so that neither party get charged a fee, yet you both gain images for your portfolios. And you need to work with different ones so that your portfolio is versatile.

For television, start with the attitude of eventually doing your own production; then work with an established company to gain exposure and experience and all the marketing tricks for like a year or more and then do your own thing after.

What are your future goals?

My future goal is to be one of the leading female entrepreneurs in Africa and beyond eventually. Be it through design or TV production and to be able to impact the youth in the most positive and encouraging way possible with my success.

In moments of weakness you…

In moments of weakness I remind myself of all of my achievements as a way of self-motivation and I read a novel as well. I love reading fiction based on African experiences and I put my self in the story I am reading so that I am away from the actual world for enough time.

Favorite quote:

“Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.”

~Napoleon Hill~