V Factory

Asher Book, a charismatic 19-year-old from Arlington, VA, who got his big break at an open casting call for the theatrical production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Cast in the principal role of Chip the Teacup, Asher traveled the U.S. on tour with the show for two and a half years, becoming so popular with fans that he was wound up playing the character for longer than any other actor in the show’s touring history. Impressed not only by his obvious talent (Asher’s other credits include the ABC Family original movie Pop Rocks, Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101, and the feature film Come Away Home), Page was also struck by Asher’s upbeat personality and easygoing way with people. “I knew immediately that he was the one to anchor the group,” Page says. For his part, Asher says that after focusing on acting, singing with V Factory makes him feel complete. “I get to be on stage and perform and do what I love every day. Why wouldn’t you want to be doing that?” he says with a laugh. “And the fact that I get to do it with these four guys, who are all really fun and lighthearted, is just awesome. Wesley and I are roommates, and we’re probably the most alike. We both like to live in the moment.” Asher will also star as "Marco" in the 2009 remake of the hit movie, Fame.
Wesley Quinn, from Greenville, SC, is, at 18, the group’s youngest and most fun-loving member. He was bitten with the performing bug at age 6 after attending his younger sister’s dance recital. “I told my parents, I really want to do that,” he says. Wesley embarked on 11 years of intense technical dance training (“I’m from the South, so I even did seven years of clogging,” he says), followed by voice lessons. Wesley, who admits he loves to be the center of attention, is excited about being in V Factory because “I strive to entertain everybody, no matter who it is. It’s in my blood, I just have to do it.”
Nick Teti, a Philadelphia, PA, known by his nickname Nicky T, who got his start doing musical theater in high school then taught himself to dance while in college. “I knew if I wanted to be a great all-around performer, I’d have to learn to dance,” he says. “I’m a huge Justin Timberlake fan, so I’d study his moves in his videos, go the mirror, try them, re-wind the video, go back to the mirror and try again until I nailed it. That’s pretty much how I learned to dance.” Described by the others as the most hard-working member of the group, Nick has a laser-like focus when it comes to performing. “I’m one of those guys who when he sets out to do something, it’s my main focus until I accomplish it,” he says. “So I’m kind of like the motivator. I’m the one who always gets on them when they’re tired. I’m that guy who will always keep on pushing.”
Jared Murillo from Mapleton , UT, is now known to legions of young fans for his appearances as a featured dancer in HSM, its nationwide tour, and HSM II, for which he also earned an Assistant Choreographer credit by creating the dance number for “I Don’t Dance.” Born in Honolulu, Murillo moved to Utah with his family at age 4, began singing in church at age 5, and enrolled in dance classes the following year. At age 8, he appeared with Donny Osmond in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. A trained competitive Latin Ballroom and West Coast Swing dancer, Murillo is a former World and United States Champion, and was once ranked the No. 1 male ballroom dancer under 20 in the U.S. While performing at the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002, Murillo met Kenny Ortega, who cast him three years later in HSM. “I almost didn’t audition because I was really involved with ballroom dancing,” Murillo says with a chuckle. Luckily he did, or he wouldn’t have met Tommy Page (Warner Bros. Records' VP of A&R), who began scouting for other group members immediately, starting with a lead singer.
Nathaniel Flatt, from Cookeville , TN, was inspired to pursue entertaining after seeing a production of Peter Pan in his hometown of Cookeville, TN, at age 5. “I remember thinking how amazing it was that the guy was flying,” he says. As the attention- starved youngest child of four, Nathaniel got his start acting in local plays and eventually found his way into musical theater, which required him to study voice and dance. Not long after moving to L.A., he landed a major campaign with Target, as well as numerous print ads, music videos, and commercials for Sony, Heinz, and The Disney Channel. The wisest member, whom the others say they all look up to, Nathaniel was excited to join V Factory, because “it was something completely different,” he says. “I thought it would be an amazing experience. I’m inspired by the other guys all the time.” And is he ready for the V Factory mania that is sure to follow when the album drops this summer? Nathaniel surely speaks for the group when he says, “Are you kidding? I was born ready.”