Kunkletown girl appears on kid’s network election coverage
Juliana DeLuzio is as confident, poised and charismatic as any top model in the entertainment industry.
The only difference is that Juliana is an adorable 8-year-old Pleasant Valley Elementary School student from Kunkletown.
And, what might give her age away is certainly not the sophistication in which she speaks nor is it the straight-forward responses about her political views, but the unmistakable tone of a girl who has come to understand at such a young age the nuances of what it takes to be successful.
“I’m not shy, I’m joyful and I really love what I do,” Juliana said.
Part of what she does is being cast in Nickelodeon’s “Kids Pick the President” campaign, a cross-platform effort by the kid-friendly television network where young fans who are too young to enter the polling booth are afforded their say in the presidential campaign.
On Friday, Oct. 28, kids will get to choose between Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her Republican challenger Donald Trump. They’ll have until Saturday, Nov. 5 to submit their virtual ballot when Nickelodeon will announce the results live on air.
“I like Trump,” Juliana said.
And, just as diplomatic as one might expect from someone much older than she, the 8-year-old explained her choice without the slightest hiccup and in a manner that would suggest that the Republican’s campaign could probably use such a reasonable voice.
“I like him because he’s honest with everything. I know that he’s done some bad stuff in the past but now it’s a new start,” said Juliana, whose favorite actress is Julia Roberts because “everyone says I look like her.”
During every presidential election cycle since 1988, Nickelodeon casts children ages 4 to 17 in their “Kids Pick the President” effort and the young ones have correctly selected the electoral college winner six out of seven times.
So, if the majority of the other children who vote go along with Juliana, Trump would be on solid ground.
“Juliana is just extra special,” said Laura Baylo, a close family friend who has had a helping hand in raising Juliana and helping her with an acting and modeling career in which the young Pleasant Valley Elementary School student has now appeared on Good Morning America where she modeled bridal fashions.
Juliana has also appeared in a dance segment with ABC TV’s popular “Dancing with the Stars” partners Karina Smirnoff and football legend Doug Flutie.
“This is as exciting to me as if I were Juliana’s mom. We have such a special bond and I’ve taken care of her since she was six-weeks-old,” Baylo said.
“I don’t take care of her full-time anymore because she’s in school but her mom and I are super close and Juliana is so deserving of this. She’s very grounded and very genuinely humble,” she said.
When Juliana appeared on Good Morning America, a show that’s watched by millions of Americans each morning, Juliana said she didn’t let the butterflies get the best of her.
“That was exciting. At first I didn’t know what to do so I just stepped in and made myself happy and I was not scared,” she said.
“I was like, ‘Ok, I’m on Good Morning America, not scared, I’m doing it.’”
Juliana was discovered and signed by a top New York city modeling/talent agency in the spring of 2016 for representation and work in television, film and print.
She auditioned and was cast in “Kids Pick the President,” the series of campaign specials produced by Nickelodeon. Commercials featuring Juliana are currently running regularly on the Viacom-owned network.
“Sometimes, when I’m at recess people come up to me and say, ‘I saw you on a commercial. I saw you again on another commercial’ and I get really excited,” Juliana said.
Her Nickelodeon spots are not only running day and night through November, but the commercials are airing across the United States as well as world-wide reaching approximately 94.7 million viewers, Baylo noted.
If that weren’t enough, Juliana is also being featured on Nickelodeon’s website while she continues to work on other acting and modeling projects, including other Nickelodeon projects.
“It’s her genuine charisma that attracts people,” Baylo said. “I’ve known her since she was a newborn and people have always gravitated toward her because she’s just a genuine soul who is so likeable and so loveable and I think that’s why this is happening because she’s so positive,” she said.
Having Baylo by her side has been a godsend, Juliana said.
“If I’m doing something that’s hard, I can have someone by my side that will tell me that it’s fine and that I’ll get used to it,” she said. “I just believe you can do anything that you put your mind to.”
Story and Photos from the Pocono Record
