jesspark

Jessica Steele Allen was a geek before geek was chic. She grew up a bespectacled tomboy near the beach in Cocoa, Florida, spending her days reading, drawing, and playing video games since the time she was old enough to pick up the original gray brick of a Game Boy.

Her answers to the question "What are you going to be when you grow up?" were varied as a child -- paleontologist, dolphin trainer, animator, and film director being the main ones -- and, after moving to Orlando in 2000 to pursue a degree in psychology, her career choices have been every bit as fun and interesting. She realized her dream of working with dolphins during the two years that she worked at Sea World Orlando in both the Animal Care and Education departments; she's been a scuba diver and marine conservation education instructor at The Seas with Nemo & Friends inside Walt Disney World's Epcot theme park as well as a lifeguard within Disney's Sassagoula region of resort hotels; and, every year since 2005, she's performed as a "scareactor" at Universal Orlando Resort's month-long annual Halloween event, Halloween Horror Nights, where she's had the opportunity to take on several fantastic and memorable roles.

Today, Jessica combines her interests in costuming and photography in her work as a model. In addition to participating in assorted photoshoots with a number of talented photographers, she occasionally acts as a promotional representative at Universal's after-hours events, she's been the featured subject of Dr. Sketchy Orlando's monthly live figure-drawing session, and she's collaborated with "Orlando Attractions Magazine" and izonOrlando.com as a video host. Jessica's been described as "a blue-eyed Julia Stiles" as well as compared to actresses Jewel Staite and Kate Bosworth, but she brings her own unique look and personality to every project she's involved in.

Her love of comic books, video games, and movies has also inspired Jessica to take up the hobby of cosplaying, a form of costuming most often seen at comics and sci-fi conventions. Her depictions of some of her favorite characters have caught the eyes of their creators as well as fellow fans; early photos of her Abbey Chase costume were published in "Danger Girl: The Deluxe Edition," a hardcover collection of the comic book series released in 2010, and her costume based on Jess Jennings from "Wildsiderz" won first place in the inaugural "Lovely Ladies of J. Scott Campbell" contest at Dragon*Con that same year. Jessica has only just begun attending conventions in costume, but she's had so much fun that she plans on adding many more to her list! She's met a great deal of wonderful people and loves making new friends in the world of costuming and comics.


If you have any questions or you would like to book Jessica for a photoshoot or an event, please feel free to email her at jessica.steele.allen@gmail.com. You can also learn more at the following websites:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/j.steele.alle…
Model Mayhem: modelmayhem.com/JessicaSteeleA…
Cosplay.com: cosplay.com/member/194677

The English shepherd, also known as the farm collie, is a relatively rare breed of dog related to (and often confused with) the border collie and the Australian shepherd. Bright, biddable, and loyal, the English shepherd makes an amazing pet for those who understand the breed's intelligence, drive, and need for a "job."

Unfortunately, the English shepherd's rarity hasn't insulated it from tragedy. In Ballantine, Montana, nearly two hundred dogs were removed from puppy-miller Linda Kapsa's property in December 2008 after she was charged with two felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty, two misdemeanor counts of having a dog at large, and two misdemeanor counts of failing to provide rabies information. The dogs that were still alive were found extremely malnourished, in some cases sick or injured, and almost entirely unsocialized; the dogs that had died before authorities arrived had been left unburied, both outdoors and inside Kapsa's residence. One deceased dog was discovered lying next to the woman's bed. Reading the charges filed by Yellowstone County is guaranteed to turn the stomach of anyone who loves animals, and it seems obvious that Linda Kapsa should never own another pet.

The seized English shepherds are currently being held as evidence in Montana and cared for by a host of wonderful volunteers. Due to many of the females being pregnant when they were rescued, the dogs' numbers are growing -- already, more than fifty puppies have been born, with more on the way -- and, if Linda Kapsa is found guilty of the charges against her, they'll all need to find new homes.

That's where the National English Shepherd Rescue (NESR) comes in. This non-profit organization's mission is "to see that no English Shepherd is unwanted, unloved, or destroyed for want of a good home," and it will need all the help it can get to foster and place the Montana dogs.

And this is where I come in.

To raise money for the NESR, I'm selling fleece hats inspired by the English shepherd. Like the English shepherd, the hats come in four color patterns: black and tan, black and white, sable and white, and tricolor.

I'll be uploading a couple of examples here on deviantART; the rest can be viewed (and purchased) at jesspark.etsy.com if you're interested.

Each hat features faux fur ears that are poseable to best capture the low semi-prick carriage typical of an English shepherd -- and to allow you to change the ear set if you so desire! Every one is handmade, meaning that your hat is one of a kind, and handsewn elements add charm and uniqueness.

These hats are designed to fit small- to medium-sized adults, with a band circumference of 22-23". Given the nature of the material, the fleece will comfortably stretch a couple of inches beyond that.

A portion of the proceeds from each fleece hat sale will go to the National English Shepherd Rescue to assist this breed in need. For more information on the NESR, the Montana dogs, and English shepherds in general, please visit the NESR at nesr.info and the English Shepherd Club at www.englishshepherd.org.

Thanks for looking!

Twentysomething Capricorn, off and on Psychology major at the University of Central Florida, current Seasonal Event Performer at the Universal Orlando Resort, former Sea World Orlando Crew Member (in both the Education and Animal Care departments), all-around theme park geek, night-owl, animation fan, ocean lover -- I'm married to a firefighter who makes my every day a joy, and owned by Brody, an English shepherd.

(Man, I have so many more photos that I want to share that weren't necessarily taken by me... I need a pro account at Flickr!)

Like a lot of kids raised on Disney and Don Bluth, I wanted to be an animator when I grew up, and it was a rare time that you didn't find me sketching in the margins of my notebooks when I was supposed to be learning algebra. (This might explain my math skills today, or lack thereof.) I don't draw much anymore, but I still enjoy being creative when my Muse Juice hasn't run dry, and, as you can see from my gallery, I bounce all over the place, medium-wise. While I'm not particularly skilled in any one area, I still have a lot of fun dabbling in various styles and materials.