The Kiss Of Paradise Puckers Up Around The World

Ed Hawk and Paradise Nicole Hendrickson arrive for interview -- sweirsweir photo

Oprah Winfrey’s day in Paradise and other gigs for Toronto's Paradise Nicole Hendrickson

By Stephen Weir

Oprah Winfrey never looked so good!   It was “no biggie” for Toronto broadcaster, model, actress and Official Goodwill Ambassador for St Vincent and the Grenadines, Paradise Nicole Hendrickson to portray the Queen of All Media in a TV movie – it is all in a day’s work!

“ Really it was just another gig, but it was fun,” explained Paradise Nicole Hendrickson. “ I do quite a bit of acting and modelling whether it be here in Toronto or where ever I am needed. I played Tasma Brighthaupt the wife of Anna Nicole Smith’s bodyguard in one episode of the Final 24 TV series. Then I was doing a fashion shoot!”

Paradise

 Although her bag is always packed and ready to roll, these days the former beauty queen is busy busy as the executive producer and host of Kiss of Paradise, a popular YouTube channel made here in Toronto.

“ For years, Ed (her husband Ed Hawk) and I had the Caribbean Connection TV show which aired Saturday morning’s on CITY TV,” Paradise told the Caribbean Camera. “ We decided to make a change with it.  We rebranded it from Caribbean Connection to Kiss of Paradise and moved it onto the web because we are not just looking at the Caribbean; we are looking everywhere and covering everything from culinary to fashion to events here in Toronto. It is my baby now and we are having a lot of fun with it.”

This week The Kiss of Paradise posted video interviews and reports from Toronto’s Jerk Fest and the annual Caribbean Carnival Parade.  The Carnival 15-minute video blog saw Paradise taking her teenage daughter Rebecca to watch and learn about the annual fete.  At Jerk Fest Paradise she had a 15-minute video report on the food festival and headline performer singer Fantasia Barrino.

You will never take the Caribbean out of now-Canadian Paradise Nicole Hendrickson. She was born in St Vincent, the daughter of a retired Police Officer and Actress /School Teacher is the eldest of four siblings.

Paradise’s performing skills were realized at the tender age of three back in St Vincent. At an event she was asked to do a little something on stage in front of 300 people until the booked adult dancers were ready to start the show. She mesmerized the audience with her song and dance act and her career was launched.  

Paradise

Local theatre and singing gigs followed. She became the beauty Queen of St. Vincent & the Grenadines (a crown she wore for a record three years) and continues to act as an official goodwill ambassador for the country here in Canada and around the world.

In Canada she has worked on a number of breakthrough TV programmes including Dance Me, and Let’s Rockk It.  Her modelling takes her across the continent and movie and TV roles continue to be pitched to her agent (just prior to talking to the Camera she made an audition roll for the part of a sexy undercover cop in a new TV show – no word yet of if she got the role).

“ I am the Bionic Woman,” Paradise likes to say, She has to be, the new Kiss of Paradise encompasses posting a lot content – videos, vlogs, stories and pictures - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. The YouTube show alone has a following of 12,000 and her own Facebook account has over a 1,000 fans and friends.

And what is next?  “I seriously thinking of a game show with four couples.  I can’t talk much about it just yet, but the working title is 4 Better, 4 Worse.”