Strike a Pose: My life as a Model

Enjoying a great day in Idaho on Lake Pend Oreille.  Who know this photo could lead to so much?
 

My life as a model.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I am now a professional, working, fashion model.  Yes, me.  Don't be so shocked!!!  Okay, you can be surprised, but my own vanity and ego won't allow you to be completely taken aback.  It is an interesting story of how it all began so enjoy a look at my foray into the modeling world while I go exfoliate, moisturize, put on a mud mask, starve, or do whatever it is I am supposed to be doing, now that I am a model.  Warning, massive amounts of sarcasm ahead, lest anyone think I'm taking myself too seriously.  But come on, I'm a model.  You can say you knew me when...  Embrace it!

This all came to be through a friend of mine that is a professional model/actress/host/etc.  She does tons of stuff on a regular basis and is well-known here in Arizona.  She alerted me to a photo shoot that was happening for a national sporting goods chain where they were going to have an open audition supposedly looking for "real runners".  More specifically, marathoners.  Now, I'm no model(well actually, now I am) but I am most certainly a marathoner and not just someone that runs to finish them, but I actually race them, for time and to place and I've run many of them.  I know I don't have pretty-boy, model looks, but I know I'm not offensive to look at either.  Hence the Ukrainian model I dated in Seattle, the Colombian beauty queen I dated, the Brazilian Playboy Playmate I was involved with; at any rate I could not have been involved with any of those women if I wasn't attractive on some level(At least to foreigners, apparently. Just doing my part to make us all one world.  I'm nothing if not a humanitarian).  So I have something going for me I suppose.  But the closest I'd ever really been to modeling was the time, years ago, that I attended a basketball game with supermodel Cindy Crawford in her hometown of DeKalb, IL.(Home of the Barbs!)  So I thought I would take a chance and audition for the shoot and see what happened and if nothing else it would make for a great story to tell. Or an embarrassing one.  Either way.

This is about as close to a modeling photo as I've ever had.  I had to dig it out of the archives.  I was maybe 18 and channeling my inner LA Law.  I object!!!!

To even be considered for the audition I first had to email my headshot, resume and credentials to the Casting Agency, based here in Phoenix.  Well I had none of those things, so I sent them a selfie I took over the summer(the picture at the top of the blog), told them about my running experience and waited to hear back.  A week or two went by and I figured that was that, I wasn't chosen.  But then as soon as I had written it off, I got an email telling me to come audition on a Tuesday afternoon, to wear bright running clothes and be ready to run.  I was intrigued and excited I guess, but I also figured that even though they stated that they were looking for "runners", it was  a photo shoot for a catalog, so really they wanted people that looked good wearing their clothes, meaning they would likely end up choosing real models, as if anyone would care if they were runners.  When I showed up for the audition, that was exactly what I saw.  First thing I noticed was that I was considerably older than all of the people that I was auditioning with that day.  Then I noticed that they all looked more like models than runners.  I mean if this was a race, I would destroy the field, despite the age difference, no question.  But I wasn't nervous or anything, I know who and what I am, so I figured if it's to be, it will happen.  There were "stage moms" with some teenagers and other models who've clearly been through this process a million times.  I found it all interesting. They called us into a room one by one and when it was my turn, they took video of me from every angle, asked me a ton of questions about my running and then they had all of us go outside and run around for a few minutes while they took video of us running by the camera one at a time. Then they told us they would let us know within a week.  The whole thing took maybe an hour.  So I went home and figured I would never be chosen.  A week came and went and no word.  Another week went by and still nothing. So that was that.  But again, just as I had written it off completely, they contacted me and told me I had indeed been chosen for the shoot.  It would take place in Sedona, AZ the first week of November and I would need to be available all day that day and for part of the day before for a fitting of the clothes.

The audition process wasn't quite like this, but it was definitely a new experience.  Maybe next time I'll be asked to sing!

To say I was shocked would be a massive understatement.  Over 300 people had auditioned including the professionals from the modeling agencies that were contacted directly and after being around all the professional models, I honestly never thought I had any chance. But this was actually going to happen.  I would be modeling running clothes and shoes and I was going to be paid quite handsomely(get it...handsomely).  I still really didn't get nervous but my linear brain started thinking, and likely over thinking, the whole situation.  Do I need to get my haircut, colored, do I need to get a spray tan, should I work out more or run more or less....I thought of everything.  In the end, I figured they would let me know if I needed to do anything ahead of time and meanwhile I was just going to keep up my daily running schedule and maybe eat a little bit better than I normally do, which is pretty good already, so that's what I did.

I had kept this pretty quiet from friends and family so far, figuring until, or if, I was ever booked, then I would let them know.  So now that it was official I called my parents and they were surprised and excited and intrigued as well, as our family has zero familiarity to anything involved in this type of industry.  Then I told my brother and some of my friends and of course, as guys kid each other relentlessly, I was met with the following:

"You're going to be a model?  Are you going to be the before or the after guy for something heinous?"

"Are you going to be Headache guy? Or Hemorrhoid Guy or promoting Cialis or Viagra or
something?"

"So you're going to be like the New Jan Brady?"

And my personal favorite:

"They chose you?  Are you dying? Is this your Make-A-Wish?"

All good stuff and of course I would have had the same type of response if roles had been reversed.  We are men, half-caveman, half-...., well, you can fill in your own blank. But whatever, I'm a model and I get to hang with a bunch of hot women! I win.



Looking good ladies.  I'm a model too, let's talk.

A few weeks went by and the photo shoot was soon upon me.  First thing was the fitting.  I was told to meet at a hotel where the production company from NYC that was handling the whole shoot, was set up and I would be trying on clothes and shoes so that everything would be ready for the shoot the next day.  Again, I'm new to all of this and really had no idea what to expect.  I arrived at the hotel and all the models were there.  They had chosen around 20-25 people for the shoot.  They were going to take pictures at around 10 different locations and they would have different models at each spot.  I filled out a bunch of paperwork, so that I would get paid properly(very important), and to sign away all of my rights to all the photos they would take.  In essence we were shooting for the catalog but they can then use the pictures on their website, for in-store ads or store signs, or billboards or really anything they want.  If they partnered with ISIS and used my photo to recruit new members, at this point I had signed away permission and there would be nothing I could do about it.  Obviously they likely won't use them for anything ridiculous, however, they own them and  can do whatever they choose and I had readily signed on. 

They had all of us models(yes me too, I am a model!) in a conference room and then one by one or two they were calling us into another room to try on the clothes they thought they'd want us to wear for the shoot.  Again, I was in a room full of mostly professional models from large agencies.  There may have been a few of us rookies that auditioned and were selected, but mostly it looked like to me that they hired professionals and who can blame them.  When you are in a room full of professional models, you quickly notice a difference in physical beauty.  There are tons of beautiful women in Scottsdale where I live, but in a room full of professional models, the beauty is kicked up a notch.  Again, I wasn't nervous nor did I feel out of place, per se, but I was clearly the oldest person in the room by a long shot, as most of the others were clearly 30 or younger and more likely 25.  I was having nice conversations with a  few of the female models and of course I am a man so in my mind I was hopeful that despite an age difference, maybe I could get date out of this.  A slim chance but maybe my sparkling personality could win someone over.  That was until they called my name for me to try on the clothes.  Let me set the scene.  I am in a room filled with beautiful women.  Much younger women.  And then..

Production Person:  "Christopher, you're up."

Me:  "Great, I'm ready"

Production Person:  "Nice to meet you.  You will be our Dad in the shoot"

Me:  "Okay.  Wait.  What?!?!?!?!"

That's what I said audibly.  But inside my mind it was more like: 

"Are you kidding me?  Did you have to say that out loud in front of all the young female models?  It couldn't wait until I was in the other room?  I know I have slim to no chance with any of these hot, younger models, but did you really have to ensure that I had NO chance by making them all look at me like I'm the dad?  Thanks production lady. Ugh."

Which just goes to prove, that even at our highest points, we can all be humbled.  And in this case there was no real penalty.  At least I keep telling myself that.  I mean I could have potentially dated a model!!! Oh wait, I've done that before.  But still, I could have dated another model!  But now you know how the male brain works, if you didn't already.  And I mean EVERY single, male, no matter what they tell you.  Moving on.

You mean you can't tell from this picture of me at age 7 in Florida that I would someday be a model?  Do you see those socks and the blue shoes? It was only a matter of time.  Go Green!

So they had me and my "son" try on our clothes.  The kid was 15 and I guess, realistically I could have a 15 year old son, but when you don't have kids like me, you tend to think of yourself as younger on a regular basis.  But he was a nice kid, his whole family has been in modeling and acting and this was his first gig, just like me, but without his family pedigree.  As we tried on our clothes, it turns out they thought I looked much too young to be the dad(of course they didn't say that in front of any of the female models, of course not) so they had me try on all sorts of clothes and ended up deciding on some wild designed stuff for my "son" and just a plain, solid colored light blue shirt for me and running pants to make me look "older".  Hmmmmmmm.  It was all Brooks running clothes and shoes for me and Nike clothes, but Brooks shoes for my boy.  But here's where it was interesting for me, again being new to this whole process.  When they called my name, they brought me into a conference room they had converted into a dressing room. There were about 5-6 woman and the requisite fashionista gay guy, who took photos of me in every outfit.  They had me change right there in front of everyone.  For minors they had them go to a private room if needed.  But, again, I'm new to this and I walk in the room and they are like "change into this", right in front of everyone.  Thankfully I am not bashful and almost took that as a challenge.  I mean I workout and run every single day and I may not be an Adonis, but I am a man and I have no shame so I proceeded to strip and change right there for all to see.  That may sound unusual, and it is if you're not used to it, but these people do this all day, everyday, and it is absolutely no big deal to them.  They honestly could care less and no one looks or cares, as odd as that may sound.  When they finally decided on my outfit, 3 women started working on the clothes, while I was wearing them, pinning this and taping that and whatnot as they would tailor them up to a perfect fit for me to wear the next day.  It was interesting having a bunch of people, in essence, feeling you up as they wanted everything to look and fit just right.  But it's just all part of being a professional model.  Tough life.  But don't hate me because I'm beautiful, over the years I've given you a million other reasons to do that.

Holy Cross Chapel sitting high atop the Red Rocks of Sedona.  It really is a beautiful place for a photoshoot of any kind..

The next day the shoot was to start at 7:00 a.m. in Sedona, which is about an hour and a half away from where I live in North Scottsdale, which meant I had to get up extra early to drive up there to be on time.  Our location had 6 models; 3 male, 3 female and we all met at a hotel first and then we were shuttled down to the set location at Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village where they would shoot us running around the streets.  Getting up early and making the drive wasn't so bad, however Sedona sits at 4K elevation and we were getting hit with a real cold snap.  It was, a chilly 35 degrees when I got there.  Once again, this was all new territory for me.  On set there were motorhomes and vans for the models to relax in, until we were called out for our shots.  We were all relaxing and trying to stay warm inside the motorhome when they called me up first for hair and makeup.  I've never worn makeup, ever in any way, so I had some trepidation I suppose.  But I sat in the chair and the makeup artist looked me over, put on a little bit of foundation and that was it.  She was also doing the hair, ran her fingers through my hair and said I was good to go.  Not quite what I anticipated, but no argument from me.  Then my "son" did the same thing and the two of us went out on set for the shoot.  They were going to have us run up and down one street lined with shops and the photographer was going to take pictures.  He said just keep running back and forth until he told us to stop, so we did.  Then he kept telling us to sprint and run faster and before you know it I was actually working up a sweat.  There were production people standing at the ready with my coat and anything else I needed any second we stopped.  The talent has to be catered to after all.  It was a weird feeling for me but you could easily get used to it. We did this for about 20 minutes and then we were done.  They had also chosen me to be the male shoe model, so they switched out my shoes, but they put my shoes on and tied them and such, as the talent is just there to look pretty.  Again, very strange to me.  They took a bunch of close ups of my leg and the shoes, a new version of a Brooks running line, me tying the shoes, me stretching, etc...Another 15 minutes and I was done.  That was it.  It went by very quickly and was even easier than I had envisioned.  Now I joke around a lot as I write this and talk about it, but once I was chosen, I took this whole thing very seriously and treated it all very professionally. I tried to be very easy to work with and took all direction without hesitation.  I know when to have fun and when to be serious.  I went back to the motorhome with my "son" and we pummeled craft services and the catered breakfast they had provided.  I was told I was welcome to stick around for the other shoots or I could go home.  I opted to leave, if it was warmer I may have stayed but I have thin Arizona blood now and it was freezing.  By 9 a.m. it was all over.

Right after the my shoot with Vista Ridge behind me.  Bundled up because it was freezing but I am still wearing makeup, as if you could tell, I have fantastic skin tones after all.

As I drove home it felt surreal as it all happened so fast that day.  The whole process from start to finish lasted about 2 months but really only took a few hours on 3 days; audition, fitting, photoshoot.  To get paid so much for such little time, well for me it was the easiest money I've ever made in my life.  My whole approach to this thing was simple; "If someone wants to pay me thousands of dollars to take my picture, I'm in!".  It was definitely unique to be called "Talent" and "Model" and to only be there for my looks, as no one cared what I thought or said; unless I needed something, because those things were irrelevant to getting good pictures.  Logically I understand all of that, but it certainly was the opposite of every job I've ever had in my life where I had to use my brain. The pictures were taken for the stores catalog and they may also use them online and in the stores for ads or signage. They may use a number of my photos, they may not use any.  There is no way to know as they have to look at all the pictures they took and then decide what they will use.  I am 99% certain they will use my shoe modeling shots as I was wearing new versions of a Brooks  running line and obviously they will want to promote those.  I hesitate to name the chain at this point as  maybe they won't appreciate my sarcastic wit, but the next time you are in a mall or near a large sporting goods store or if you see a catalog, take a look and you just might see my face and if nothing else you are bound to see my foot in a Brooks shoe.



Is that me and my shoes?  Could be.

So what happens next?  I have no idea.  I had to audition for this shoot and by some miracle I was chosen.  If they call me back to do anything else, I am sure I would.  But if I really wanted to make some type of career out of this I would have to get an agent and some real headshots and such.  The casting company I worked with here in Phoenix does a ton of print work, commercials and small movies and they are great people and would be easy to work with again.  I may audition for something in the future or I may just leave it like this with good memories and a great story.  But at one time in my life I can now say I was a professional, working fashion model.  It may not have been high fashion, but it was clothes and shoes and I got paid.  So to all my fans, I mean friends, you can say you now know a professional model and to the women I dated, you can say the same.  You missed your shot ladies, you didn't know what you had when you let me get away.  Then again, you probably did.  Oh well. 

What can I say, it's tough being pretty.

Stay Fired Up my friends!  I don't always drink......
But I will happily be paid to act like it!