Destiny or Randomness
My first job out of college was for Meathead Movers. Fresh, shiny, new, $xx,000 piece of paper earned and I went straight into the moving game. I got over it a few months in and turned in my two week notice. On my very last shift, I moved some guy named Glenn. Glenn spoke in a somewhat sleezy way as he smoked his fancy long cigarettes during the move. I felt like I was being watched. I was. Turns out Glenny is a model scout/has worked in the industry for years. He said some things about money and commercials and listened. At the time, I had nothing else going on except the occasional surf lesson. After moving him, I returned to his place and took headshots. Within a week, I signed with him to be my manager. After a couple more photoshoots using clothes we’d buy and return (I still cringe at this) I signed with a talent agent. The same day I signed, I was sent off to an audition for a car commercial. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was paired up with some foreign model with zero life, and we were supposed to act like we were having a great time on our way to the beach in a car. I went crazy and she did nothing. My adrenaline was pumping as Glenn waited for me outside. I got out of the audition a little sweaty, kinda embarrassed but addicted.
I’m so grateful for this guy named Glenn. He opened so many doors for me and sparked my personal branding adventure and my photo-taking/entertainment adventure. I can honestly say, I don’t know where my life would be without him. We’ve parted ways a couple years ago, but what a little angel he was.
Thoughts on Social before Glenn
I remember taking a class in business school where a professor was talking all about branding yourself. I’m sitting there thinking, “who the hell am I?”. Like how am I going to brand myself so that I can get hired? I don’t like doing businessy things..
I severely underestimated the power of social media in college. I remember my crush downloading Instagram on my phone and taking my first instagram for me in 2011. I lost the picture:( But anyways, fast forward a few years, and I thought social media was just for show offs. Like sick dude, I can do that too. Freakin posers. Or you’re sooo cool traveling all over the place wooww aren’t you special. Or dudes taking pics without their shirts or of course the booty pic. Of course, much of this is signaling and showing off, but it’s also branding.
Looking back, I realize this was some low quality thinking. The people posting were smart and on it early. That’s what branding is right there, just showing parts of your life that you enjoy. The early adopters of this thing are now reaping the rewards.
It’s taken me a while to deconstruct social and get over myself enough to post. I think it’s kind of opposite of what I used to think. I used to think that people who were super into themselves would post. But then I kinda realized that it kind of works opposite. I was too into myself to post. I was too afraid to put myself out there. I somehow thought I was better because I didn’t need likes to survive. My ego wasn’t based on likes, so I’m better. No, no, no, no, no, I had it wrong.
Social media is a beautiful curse that has blessed us in the 21st century. It’s allowed us to put our thoughts, art, and life on display for all to see. It connects us by enabling everybody’s voice to be heard and story to be told. But it’s something that you opt in to. Not everybody is playing the game. The game might not be for everybody to play. The rules are determined by the algorithm creators and who knows if it’s fair. Either way it allows for connections and tribes to be formed in a new way.
Creating media is a way to escape “The Man”. It won’t happen overnight or maybe even ever, but having the media that lives on the internet work for you while you’re sleeping is powerful.
I wonder what is next for social media and how it will continue to evolve. As we move towards the gig economy, I think it will be increasingly important to have a social media profile. These days we exchange social profiles instead of phone numbers.
My advice would be to opt in the game. Forget being employable and do you. Since you’re the only person that is you, you have an automatic niche. How to portray that niche in your social media is no easy task. But as you start to make things, your content will probably slowly improve and you’ll learn more about yourself in the process as well.
One more thing to remember is that your thoughts, skills, and interests will always be evolving. Just because you posted something years ago, doesn’t mean you’re bound to that forever.
Model Thoughts
Anyways, I now became a represented model. A world that I had absolutely zero interest/knowledge about before. It scared me and I think that’s why I’m still pursuing it today. The business world scares me in a different way. I’m scared of being bored to death. The entertainment world scares me, yet peaks my curiosity. It’s a world I never thought I’d enter growing up, now the only thing I want to do is be on a set.
What a brutal world auditions and castings are. Most of the castings I’ve been to so far consist of saying your name, turning to both profiles, and then maybe getting asked a random question then leaving. So much rejection as who knows what the heck the people are looking for. I’ve bombed so hard before too, wow. That footage would be gold.
I wish I could say that I don’t care what people think about me, and that entering this world hasn’t affected my psychology at all. It has. I care much more about my appearance and clothes now, but this might just be part of maturing idk. I do like it because it’s a challenge. I’m competing with some of the fittest people on earth. Sometimes this inspires me, other times it keeps me sitting on the couch. I see other people and it makes me doubt myself. Questions like, “Do I deserve to get these roles? Am I good looking enough?” enter my mind.
But as I said earlier, there is only one you. There’s bound to be people who look like me and are more experienced. I need to use my uniqueness, perhaps even my inexperience to my advantage. I’ve started to think about my weaknesses as uniqueness that could get cast for a role. For example, I kinda suck at dancing. What if there’s some role out there that requires a guy that looks like me that sucks at dancing?? I wouldn’t have to act at all!
The scariest part of it all is that nothing is consistent. I have no idea where my next paycheck is coming. Right now as I write, I’ve given up everything else and am pursuing the entertainment world only. Scary. I’m not sure where my niche lies, but so far, there hasn’t been a set I haven’t liked from student films, reality tv, game shows (I didn’t get to see my episode. I’m so sad), commercials, and modeling. I think my favorite part of it all is having people dress me. That or the food on the good sets. My favorite.
What a strange world. In a few years, I wonder what I’ll be pursuing and what I will have done. My mind is open and I’m ready to accept whatever challenge that captures my interest so that I can fulfill my destiny. Ciao.
