By Ettie Holland<\/p>\n
Simon Cole is 50-something and had never modelled before coming to We Are Models. In fact, he\u2019d never even thought about modelling \u2013his son actually got in touch with us. Fast-forward a few months and Simon is a fully-fledged classic model, signed with 3 modelling agencies and getting professional paid work. He\u2019s continued to run his other businesses, so modelling is an enjoyable side-venture and an unexpected additional source of income.<\/p>\n
It just goes to show \u2013 whatever your size, shape, age, colour or look, modelling could be well worth considering!<\/p>\n
Introducing\u2026 Classic Model Simon Cole<\/p>\n
WAM: Hi Simon! Thanks for making the time to have a chat.<\/p>\n
S.C: Hi, thanks. No problem at all. I\u2019m more than happy to share my experiences.<\/p>\n
WAM: I suppose the obvious place to start is at the beginning! What\u2019s the background? Did you always want to become a classic model?<\/p>\n
S.C: It\u2019s funny actually, because it wasn\u2019t me who started it. It was my son. He\u2019d always said that I take a great picture, and he\u2019d obviously had the idea that I could do something with it. He must have sent my pictures off somewhere, because I had this email one day from the We Are Models team inviting me in to chat about my photos.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m about as computer literate as a stone, so I asked my son what he\u2019d gone and done\u2026 I was pretty sceptical to begin with \u2013 I think you always take these things with a pinch of salt \u2013 but my son convinced me to go in and see the team.<\/p>\n
WAM: So you came in to see our model consultant team?<\/p>\n
S.C: Yes. I thought it was amazing actually. We Are Models are brilliant \u2013 they were very honest, and very professional. I had no experience in the industry at all so I wasn\u2019t sure what to expect \u2013 I was pleasantly surprised.<\/p>\n
Classic Model<\/p>\n
We Are Models are brilliant \u2013 they were very honest, and very professional. I had no experience in the industry at all so I wasn\u2019t sure what to expect \u2013 I was pleasantly surprised.<\/p>\n
WAM: It was all new to you then!<\/p>\n
S.C: Completely. Natalie explained that there are lots of different types of modelling and I had a particular kind of look that was really marketable. I\u2019d never thought of it like that before \u2013 as a business.<\/p>\n
They went through everything I could expect to come up against if I wanted to become a classic model, showing me how to handle myself and what agencies would expect from me. It was like a crash course in becoming a classic model \u2013 they explained everything.<\/p>\n
If you haven\u2019t modelled before and don\u2019t know much about the industry, you always kind of think that these people are going to be, I don\u2019t know. A bit unrelatable, perhaps? It\u2019s a world I just didn\u2019t understand; it can be quite intimidating.<\/p>\n
The team were all so supportive though; I didn\u2019t feel stupid or out of my depth.<\/p>\n
WAM: And you had images taken with our Production team?<\/p>\n
S.C: Yes, I did. After I spoke to Natalie about the types of work I\u2019d be suitable for, she explained that professional images would be the best way to present myself in the right light to agencies. She explained how those agencies are making a commercial decision based on the images you show them, so you give yourself the best chances of getting signed if you have images that show what you can do.<\/p>\n
Classic Model<\/p>\n
We Are Models explained that modelling agencies are making a commercial decision based on the images you show them, so you give yourself the best chances of getting signed if you have images that show what you can do.<\/p>\n
I probably wouldn\u2019t have gone for it normally, because you hear these stories about \u2018model advice\u2019 services that rip you off and you never hear back from them. I just really trusted Natalie and the team I suppose, because of how professional the service was. I felt like it was worth taking the leap, so I did.<\/p>\n
WAM: Did you enjoy the experience?<\/p>\n
S.C: 100%! I think the most valuable thing is that you\u2019ve got an experienced team right there, showing you how to work in front of the camera and casting an experienced eye over your images.<\/p>\n
It was really interesting, actually. I think everyone has a self-image in their minds eye \u2013 you know, how you look best, which \u2018side\u2019 is your best. We Are Models really helped me overcome that \u2013 because modelling agencies are looking for a certain look, not a person.<\/p>\n
They helped me see myself as a product, really. Like, certain things will get you booked; certain things won\u2019t.<\/p>\n
WAM: And it\u2019s certainly paid off for you\u2026<\/p>\n
S.C: Haha! Yes, it has. Natalie guided me through which agencies to apply for and showed me how to apply and what to expect if I heard back from them. When I was getting replies from agencies I was on the phone to the team almost every other day and they were always more than happy to help. I still talk to the team regularly.<\/p>\n
Since then I\u2019ve signed with three agencies and I\u2019m getting recommended for tonnes of work. I\u2019ve been to three castings already, and I had my first paying job really quickly after I saw Natalie and the team.<\/p>\n
Classic Model<\/p>\n
[Simon Cole on set at a Modelling Job]<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve signed with three agencies and I\u2019m getting recommended for tonnes of work. I\u2019ve been to three castings already, and I had my first paying job really quickly after seeing We Are Models<\/p>\n
WAM: What was your first job?<\/p>\n
S.C: It was for a big private hospital in London, for their marketing catalogue and website. It\u2019s been great, just brilliant. I played everything from a consultant to a surgeon to a patient. It was so surreal.<\/p>\n
During the shoot, it\u2019s actually really hard work. You\u2019re not just larking about in front of the camera \u2013 and it\u2019s really tiring mentally. I knew what to expect because Natalie and the team had gone through everything and taught me a lot when we were in the studio, but I was definitely tired!<\/p>\n
WAM: Modelling can be a pretty steep learning curve!<\/p>\n
S.C: Definitely. I look at advertising in a really different way now. Like, before I\u2019d just see an advert and maybe read it or whatever, but now I\u2019m always looking at the model. How they hold themselves, how they\u2019re posing. Thinking about whether I can do that, and what\u2019s gone into the shot to get the perfect image.<\/p>\n
Classic Model<\/p>\n
[Simon Cole on set at a Modelling Job]<\/p>\n
WAM: And where would you like the future to take you?<\/p>\n
S.C: I want to be the Mont Blanc guy, haha! No, seriously, anything. I just love it. I\u2019m happy to do anything; I\u2019m enjoying it immensely.<\/p>\n
WAM: What do you like most about being a classic model?<\/p>\n
Classic Model<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not something I ever thought I\u2019d do, especially at my age, so it\u2019s a nice surprise to be making money as a model<\/p>\n
S.C: It\u2019s two things, really. First, I just really enjoy it. I\u2019m having so much fun. And second, it\u2019s the extra income. I\u2019ve always had my fingers in various different pies, and it\u2019s really nice to be earning a bit extra. It\u2019s not something I ever thought I\u2019d do, especially at my age, so it\u2019s a nice surprise to be making money as a model.<\/p>\n
Without sounding dramatic, I am really grateful to We Are Models because this adventure is all down to them. They\u2019ve just been so genuine, so supportive. I\u2019m not just paying lip-service: I can\u2019t thank the team enough.<\/p>\n
WAM: Simon, thank you so much for your time. Best of luck with everything \u2013 and hopefully we\u2019ll see your face cropping up more soon!<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re interested in exploring your modelling career and would like to become a classic model (or any other sort of model!) get in touch with the We Are Models team today, or check out our membership page here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Ettie Holland Simon Cole is 50-something and had never modelled before coming to We Are Models. In fact, he\u2019d never even thought about modelling \u2013his son actually got in touch with us. Fast-forward a few months and Simon is a fully-fledged classic model, signed with 3 modelling agencies and getting professional paid work. He\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":10856,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[335,1547,84,85,1548,1546,1549],"class_list":["post-10855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-agencies","tag-brilliant","tag-castings","tag-models","tag-professional","tag-simon","tag-simon-cole"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10855"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10855\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10857,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10855\/revisions\/10857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}