EC Malta recently welcomed Italian actor, model and the 2011 winner of Italian TV show Big Brother to its student cohort. The school is using its celebrity student to publicise its ELT offer among its target student demographic.
Sophia Fergus, EC’s Marketing Manager, told The PIE News: “Of course this is wonderful publicity for EC, but what we are really excited about is that we think Andrea can be a real inspiration to other ambitious young Italians who are aiming for success on an international scale.”
“I want to improve my English because it’s so beneficial when you’re working in the entertainment industry”
Andrea Hirai Cocco visited Malta for the first time in December and enrolled on a short intensive one-to-one course to improve his English for future acting projects. Fergus added: “Andrea is an energetic and charismatic public figure who understands the importance of being able to speak English, so we think he’s a great role model for our current and potential students.”
EC, a chain of 17 English language schools worldwide, has capitalised on its glamorous alumni and released a YouTube interview with Andrea, which you can view here. “It made sense for us to record his visit on video so we could spread the word,” explained Fergus.
In the interview the aspiring actor discusses the importance of learning in bringing new opportunities for his life and career.
Hirai Cocco himself says: “As a model and actor hoping for more international recognition, I want to improve my English because it’s so beneficial when you’re working in the entertainment industry.”
Andrea explains that two of his upcoming projects are international and also cites the warm climate and beautiful island setting of Malta as a great environment to study English.
Among his acting roles, Andrea has starred in Io è Morto, directed by Alberto de Venezia and co-starring Marina Suma, which is due for release later this year. He is half Italian and half Japanese and has also lived in Paris for three years as well as Hong Kong and New York, where he worked as a model.
