Deanne Dawkins
- Actress
Mini was born Deanne Dawkins on October 22, 1987, in the island of
Kingston, Jamaica to parents Cleveland and Euleta Dawkins. Growing up
in a very close knit family she makes it clear that her three siblings
Michelle, Dahlia, and Robert are her best friends. Being inspired at an
early age by her father, she always loved to entertain whether through
rapping, singing, acting,or comedy. Deanne moved to Brooklyn at the
tender age of seven with a big dream and a lot of expectations on what
the Big Apple had to offer. It was a life changing experience for Mini
as she met dance teacher, and choir director Ms. Deborah Kennedy and
step team coordinator Johnny. She was apart of the step group called
the Lady Steppers, and has done a hand full of shows, and entered many
competitions throughout her four years at Middle School P.S.399. At age
ten Mini started Walt Whitman Junior High where she met her media
teacher Mr. Foster and fell in love with filming, which she continued
throughout her three year Junior High School career. At twelve years
old Mini started South Shore High School, where she joined the women
Vikings soccer team. Between playing soccer and wanting to find her
true calling, Mini auditioned for a few acting agencies. She got
accepted to all of them and later turned them all down because they got
too expensive for her parents to afford. One of her biggest auditions
was for the movie network Starz, in which she was the youngest person
from New York to make it to the final eight out of about fifty two
people before being cut. She also auditioned for B.E.T. new faces
search, BET music mega star, and auditioned with little sister Dahlia
(star) as a duo dance group at Show Time at the Apollo, but was not
chosen as one of the finalist for either. Not being discouraged Mini
got back focused on music. This time she was 18, approaching college,
and wanted to be taken seriously as a female rapper. She met with a few
underground producers to start making mix tapes and learning the dos
and the donts of the industry, what to expect and the behind the scenes
of the glitz and glamour. After a couple of songs under her belt and
ready to be heard she tested the waters. She teamed up with manager
Shauntelle Nelson who saw her vision and quickly joined her movement.
With her manger in tow, Mini performed for the first time at a talent
show at Medgar Evers College, the College she was attending. The
results were so positive that she performed at another Medgar Evers
event and then she did a basketball tournament later on that year.
Mini, younger sister Star, and older sister Michelle set out to make
Mini music as popular and as successful in New York as anyone you might
hear on the radio. They pressed their own CDs and sold them at
different events and shows. Recently Mini has entered the realm of
acting in the upcoming film titled "Remember Me". Even though it's a
small role, she made the best of it with intentions of doing more
screen work.