Pilar Scratch says she knew her son River Mason Eromosele was special when he started reading the captions on the children’s shows he watched while she worked on set. He was 3.
“That’s when I started to notice his abilities,” she says of River, who’s now 11. “And I was like ‘OK, this is a little strange.’”
Once in school, his teachers couldn’t help but take notice, either. And by third grade, his teacher, wowed by his prowess in math, decided to give him an IQ test, his mother said.
He scored 145 — “that’s at the highly gifted level,” says Scratch, “and that’s kind of what solidified it even more, what we already kind of knew …that yes, he really was gifted.” River, who’s now in 6th grade, goes to school in Hillside Township.
His gifts, however, extend beyond the classroom and mirror some of the same success as his mother, who’s a Newark-based celebrity stylist.
He starred in his first-ever promotional ad campaign for a diaper brand when he was …well, in diapers. And has continued booking modeling and acting gigs steadily since then, even appearing in singer John Legend’s official “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” music video in 2018 when he was 7.
Shanterra Lane, owner of Manhattan-based sneaker brand RIZR Footwear, said she first found out about River after following “his talented mom” on Instagram. And last October, she hired him for an ad campaign that featured billboards in London Subway stations.
“He was so much fun to work with and had such great energy,” says Lane. “But he was also very mature and I just remember that I kept saying, ‘He’s such a pro.’”
Scratch says River “has a knack for modeling, acting and all things entertainment.” But she doesn’t tell me what most people who know them already know, that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.
River Mason Eromosele, a talented 11-year-old from Newark, has been modeling since he was a baby. He’s shown here in a sneaker campaign for Manhattan-based RIZR Footwear. Photo credit: PG Productions LLC.
Scratch, during her decades-long fashion career, has styled a long list of stars, including Kim and Samantha Wallace, of reality show Love & Hip Hop, Afro-Latina singer Amara La Negra, and rapper Jim Jones.
Her aunt is rapper Rah Digga, of the Flipmode Squad, a hip hop group led by Busta Rhymes. And her twin sister is iHeartRadio personality, Madison Jaye. “River does come from a family of entertainers,” she says, pausing as she tries to remember all the brands and companies her son’s represented.
“I can’t remember them all,” she says finally, before rattling off a few: “GoGo Squeez Applesauce, AlternaVites Kids vitamins, Junkless Granola Bars, Moon Pod bean bag chairs, he’s been on Dr. Oz and in commercials for Nickelodeon …you know, just so, so many.”
There’s no doubt she’s beaming with pride as she talks of all her son has accomplished in his short years but I wonder what River’s most proud of. And I’m surprised when he tells me: “That’s easy!” he says excitedly. “Of my book, The Sky Is The Limit. I wrote it because I wanted to teach kids about positive affirmations and meditation.”
Oh yeah, as of 2019, he’s a self-published author, too. He’s sold over 3,000 copies and had his book picked up by retailers Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million and Walmart.
If only I could go back in time and be like River. Writing books, selling them, meditating … and all by the age of 11?! I ask him why teaching kids about those things was important for him and he says, “well, because my mom taught me and it’s really helped me.”
“When I’m feeling nervous or stressed, like right before I’m going on set or if I’m traveling somewhere and I have to get on a flight, on a plane, I just close my eyes and meditate for five minutes and I instantly feel better,” River says.
“It helps to clear my mind. And I want other kids to be able to do that for themselves, too.”
So, what next? What are your dreams, I ask, what are your goals, are there more children’s books on your horizon? “Yes, I’d like to write more books, maybe about compassion or kindness,” he says. “But there’s another thing I’d like to do, as an actor.”
He tells me he’d like to one day win an Academy Award, an Oscar, but mainly so he can dedicate it to his mom. “I would stand up there and just give all the credits to my mom,” he says. “She’s my inspiration.”
And the award of best son goes to …
I’m sure nothing’s impossible for this sweet mother-and-son duo. There’s no dream too big and the sky really is the limit. May they both continue shining and inspiring, in New Jersey and beyond.
Daysi Calavia-Robertson may be reached at dcalavia-robertson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Instagram at @presspassdaysi or Twitter @presspassdaysi.
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