Male models usually fall into one of two categories; they’re either debauchers who float around Paris and Milan losing money, or they’re smart businessmen who take their job seriously and use it as a platform to make a career outside of modelling. David Brooke is most certainly the latter. He’s modelled in 23 different countries, has a business degree, and is a part-owner of Skin Essence Organics. The Business Model talked to him about the business skills he’s learned from modelling, and why he’s been as successful as he has.<\/p>\n
The Business Model: Did you take your job seriously from the beginning of your modelling career?<\/p>\n
David Brooke: Well, I started modelling when I was 18 years-old. I went on my first trip to Asia, and I didn\u2019t really know what to think. I went to Taiwan, to Tokyo \u2013 but I didn\u2019t even know where they were on a map. I just started asking questions. From there I learned how much money I could potentially earn, and I realized that to do that I had to take it seriously.<\/p>\n
TBM: Was there a turning point when you made that change?<\/p>\n
DB: When I was 23 was when things really changed. I reduced my travelling to part-time, so I could go back to school and get a business degree. That was also the year that I bought my company, Skin Essence Organics. When I began treating modelling as a business opportunity, results followed. When I was in Turkey making $1500-2000 per day for catalogue work, I met other models who were making $300 per day for the same thing.<\/p>\n
TBM: Do you think that men have an easier time being taken seriously as business people?<\/p>\n
DB: Yes and no. Men certainly have it easier in the business world in general. And in modelling, if I were to gain 10 pounds, I\u2019d still work, just in a different capacity. Women have a harder time in terms of their freedom with their bodies. Outside of that though, I think what matters more than your gender is your mentality, and your social skills.<\/p>\n
TBM: Outside of the modelling world, have business partners, colleagues, or investors ever misjudged you because of your modelling career?<\/p>\n
DB: People in general tend to pre-judge models as arrogant or stupid. But it really hasn\u2019t hampered me. It\u2019s always been an advantage. If someone is assuming I\u2019m a certain kind of person from the way that I look, I usually prove them wrong after I\u2019ve talked with them for 60 seconds. Because of all the experiences I\u2019ve had in the 23 different countries I\u2019ve modelled in, people actually end up taking me more seriously. When I\u2019m working at a convention representing my company Skin Essence, they\u2019ll put \u201cDavid Brooke, male model\u201d on the program and I always get bigger crowds.<\/p>\n
TBM: Have you ever encountered people on set who would rather that you, as the model, just be seen and not heard?<\/p>\n
DB: That really depends on the person that you are and whether or not you have good social skills. If people want you to shut up, it\u2019s usually because you\u2019re the one with the problem and coming across as disinterested, arrogant, or uneducated.
\nMr. brooke in Milano
\nMr. brooke in Milano<\/p>\n
TBM: What business skills has modelling taught you?<\/p>\n
DB: The biggest one is probably independence. When you\u2019re on the other side of the world, you\u2019ve had a rough day, and you really want to just call home and hear a familiar voice, you can\u2019t always do that because there\u2019s a 12-hour time difference. You really get to know who you are when you\u2019re forced to be alone like that. Plus you learn about time management, health and nutrition, languages, a lot about culture, and geography. And look at castings! I mean, talk about transferable skills. Everyday your job is to go in and make that client want to book you. You have to make a connection in that short window. I went to a casting in Milan once where they were looking for a blond, long haired, editorial model \u2013 I wasn\u2019t even supposed to go to that casting \u2013 but I booked it, because I can sell myself.<\/p>\n
TBM: Why do you think you\u2019ve been a successful model?<\/p>\n
DB: Firstly, genetics. That\u2019s a very large part of it. I was born with this bone structure, this height, and I naturally carry low body fat. Secondly, discipline. Especially in maintaining good health. I don\u2019t drink alcohol at all, and I only eat food that grows, or eats something that grows. I break my own rules once in a while and I\u2019ll have some chips or whatever, but moderation is what\u2019s really key. Thirdly, is my type-A personality. I\u2019m outgoing, social, I\u2019m interested in other people \u2013 and that makes me likeable. It\u2019s really important that clients and your agents like you. If your booker knows that they can be confident in you and your skills, they\u2019re more likely to push you for bigger jobs because you also make the agency look good. Also, I\u2019d have to say that my religion\u2019s helped me a lot. About six months before I began modelling, I developed an allergy to alcohol. And I don\u2019t think that it was just an allergy, I think that was someone else looking out for me. When you\u2019re sober, you\u2019re much more likely to avoid bad decision-making. Lastly, is my ambition and drive. I\u2019m always eager to learn and I asked a lot of questions when I was starting out. I\u2019d ask other models what they did right in their career, what they wish they\u2019d done. One guy told me that he really wished that he\u2019d gone back to school at 23. So I did exactly that.<\/p>\n
TBM: What advice would you give to younger models?<\/p>\n
DB: The modelling industry can feel like an emotional rollercoaster, but you need to treat it like a business. Take the compliments and the insults with a grain of salt. If something doesn\u2019t feel right, don\u2019t do it. Everything we do becomes a memory, so if you don\u2019t want to remember something, you probably shouldn\u2019t do it to begin with. You teach people how to treat you, by how you treat them and how you carry yourself; so, be confident in what you do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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