Miss NH Gets Extreme Makeover

Donald Trump's MISS UNIVERSE Organization has announced that this year's Miss New Hampshire pageant is getting an extreme makeover. K2 Productions, which directs the California and New York pageants will also produce the Miss New Hampshire USA event. The company stated in a press release that it expects to take the NH pageant to a higher level, introducing a chic and contemporary production in music, program and fashion. This year's pageant will be held November 25-27, at the Radisson in Manchester. 

We're taking a new look at a traditional idea and revitalizing it, says K2 Production's Keith Lewis, co-executive director of MISS NEW HAMPSHIRE USA. We plan to bring this pageant into a new era with the high energy, fashion and style of a New York City runway show.

K2 Productions has had success producing the California pageants and grooming young women to compete at the MISS USA national pageants. Lewis said Miss California titleholders have been top 15 finalists at MISS USA every year since K2 took over seven years ago. We also had three runners-up in the Miss USA pageants; and our team trained Miss California, Alyssa Campanella, who went on to capture the current Miss USA title, said Lewis. 

Young women in New Hampshire ages 13 26 who want to be trained exclusively by a professional team, and have opportunities to win scholarships and prizes, are encouraged to participate in this year's MISS NEW HAMPSHIRE USA and MISS NEW HAMPSHIRE TEEN USA pageant, the official preliminaries to the prestigious MISS USA and MISS TEEN USA pageants. This year there will be over $300,000 in prizes and scholarships. Some prizes go to all the competitors and many go to the top five.  The winner gets to do appearances that sometimes pay between $1,000 and $3,000 per booking. 

Recruitment for MISS NEW HAMPSHIRE USA is currently underway; President of Chase the Crown, Inc., the official recruitment and marketing company for K2 Productions, Erik DeSando, can be reached at erik@chasethecrown.com; 310.709.1259.  And for more information on qualifications and the application process, competitors should visit missnewhampshireusa.com/apply.html. 

We are very pleased about this announcement of recent changes to the MISS NEW HAMPSHIRE USA Pageant, said Lori Harnois, director for the NH Division of Travel & Tourism Development. High-caliber events like these attract a significant number of visitors to our state, and also serve to showcase the wonderfully talented people from New Hampshire.

According to Keith Lewis, the pageant seeks to recognize and celebrate the uniqueness of New Hampshire, and involve as many vendors and sponsors inside the state as possible. One of the NH designers already on board is BRAVO Boutique of Concord, which has designed gowns for every occasion for 23 years.

Lewis said, This year's pageant seeks to empower women to be recognized for their internal as well as external beauty to give them their own distinctive approach and technique.

Uniform-like sashes and swimsuits are being eliminated in favor of individual clothing styles that compliment the figures of the women, for a more natural presentation, according to Lewis, whose goal is to inspire the contestants to recognize that their outer attractiveness is a manifestation of their inner confidence and sense of worth.

Another addition to the MISS NEW HAMPSHIRE USA Pageant, like California, will incorporate social media; The Social Network Awards will be awarded to participants who gather the most votes on their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

LacyJane Folger, current MISS NEW HAMPSHIRE USA, said, Having the chance to compete in such a prestigious pageant was the opportunity of a lifetime. After K2 Productions took over the pageant, the guidance I received from Keith Lewis and his team was invaluable. They helped empower me to become a more poised and self-assured woman who felt beautiful from the inside out. This year's contestants will receive this type of instruction right from the start.

The winner of the MISS NEW HAMPSHIRE USA Pageant will go on to compete in the MISS USA Pageant, the precursor to MISS UNIVERSE.