I have seen many a pretty girl who wants to be a
fitness model who thinks if they stand there looking
pretty long enough, someone is going to offer to put
their face on the cover of a magazine. News flash,
there are millions of beautiful women out there and
to be noticed, you have to hussle to get that business
like everyone else by networking your butt off, or
having a good agent (if you can afford such a thing)
who is doing it for you.
Pick a few major industry shows to attend (some of
which were mentioned above) and go to them every year.
Have a plan of attack of exactly how you plan to market
yourself and network. Many fitness models, bodybuilders,
etc see a show as one big party. If that's you, then
have fun at the party, but don't think you are really
marketing yourself as a serous business person or
athlete.
Another thing that always amazes me is the number
of fitness models who either have no business cards,
or have some cards they printed up on their bubble
jet printer at home! They ask me to help them or what
ever and I say "give me your card" and they
look at me like "I am so pretty I should not
need a card you fool." This attitude turns off
editors, photographers, writers, and industry people
faster then if they found out you were really a transvestite.
Don't do it. For every pretty girl out there who thinks
the world owes them a favor, there are 100 who are
ready to act like professionals.
Ever wonder why some fitness model you know is doing
better than you are even though you know you are prettier
than her? That may be why?ever ever go to a show to
network without good cards, bios, and professionally
done head and body shots you can give to said editors,
publishers, photographers, industry types, etc. Don't
stand around looking pretty assuming they will find
you, find them first and introduce yourself. And of
course it should go without saying you should be in
good condition and have something of a tan to look
your best.
You want to go to the shows and party? Fine, but
do it in private after the work is done and don't
make a fool out of yourself at some industry sponsored
get together. Hell, I was virtually poured into a
cab at last years Arnold Classic after going to a
sushi place with some well know industry types and
companies owners (you know who you are!) but at least
no one saw me! We had our own little private get together
after the show to let loose.
Let me give you one final real world example of how
NOT to market yourself. Last year I was on retainer
as a consultant to a mid sized supplement company.
The owner of the company asked me if I knew a couple
of fitness model types that could work his booth for
a trade show. In fact, he requested "unknowns,
some new faces people had not seen yet but had real
potential to grow with the company." I went and
found him two such gals I thought fit the bill.
He offered to pay their flights, room, and food plus
a thousand dollars each for the days work. The two
girls were told to be at the booth 9am sharp. The
night before at the hotel, I saw the two girls getting
in a cab at 11pm or so dressed to kill, clearly on
their way out to party. The next day they showed up
at the booth an hour and a half late and hung over!
What was the result of this? (1) it embarrassed me
to no end as I had recommended them to the company
owner (2) they would never get work from that company
again (3) they would never get any work from me again
and (4) they would not get a reference from either
of us for other jobs.
I see this type of thing all the time in the fitness
biz, and it's not limited to fitness models. Amazingly,
a few weeks after the show they emailed me and the
company owner wanting to know when their next job
would be! Amazing?br>
Who loves you baby?
If there is one universal truth, it's that the camera
either loves you or it does not. Any professional
photographers will tell you this. For some unknown
reason, some people are very photogenic and some are
not. Truth be known, there are some well known fitness
models (who shall remain nameless as they would probably
smack me the next time they saw me) who are not all
that attractive in person. It's just that the camera
loves them and they are very photogenic, but not terribly
pretty in person.
Conversely, I have seen the reverse many times; a
girl who is much better looking in person than in
photographs. Such is the fate of the person who wants
to be a model of any kind, including a fitness model.
If you find you are not very photogenic, keep working
with different photographers until you find one that
really captures you well and pay that photographer
handsomely!
Now, to be bluntly honest, there are also some wanna
be fitness models who are not "unphotogenic",
they're just "fugly"! There are some people
out there who have no business trying to be fitness
models. It does not make them bad people, it just
means they need to snap out of their delusions and
find a profession they are better suited for, like
radio personality?
"How do I get in the magazines?"
This section sort of incorporates everything I have
covered above, and adds in a few additional strategies.
For example, as I mentioned before, competing in fitness
shows and or figure/bikini shows can increase your
exposure, thus getting the attention of some magazine
publisher or photographer. Networking correctly at
the various trade shows may also have the same effect,
and of course having a good portfolio done by a photographer
that really captures your look, a good web site, etc.,
will all increase your potential for getting into
the magazines, or getting ad work, and so on.
However, all of these strategies are still somewhat
passive versus active in my opinion. It's still the
fitness model waiting to be "discovered."
As far as I am concerned, waiting is for bus stops
and pregnancy tests. Success waits for no man?r woman
as the case me be. So, after all the above advice
is taken into consideration as having an added effect
to getting you magazine coverage, what else can be
done?
For one thing, you should read and be familiar with
all the magazines you want to be in so you know who
is who and what the style of the different magazines
are. I can tell you right now, if say the Editor-in-Chief
of a good sized fitness or bodybuilding publications
and says "hi, I am the Bob Smith what's your
name?" and the fitness model has no idea who
Bob Smith is, Bob will not take kindly to that. Why
should he? You should know who the major players are
in the publications you want to be seen in. He is
doing you the favor, not the other way around. You
should know who the major players are and actively
seek them out, don't wait for them to "discover"
you.
If you look at the masthead inside any magazine,
it will tell you who the publisher is, who the Editor-in-Chief
is and so forth. The mailing address for that magazine,
and often the web site and email, can also be found.
What is to stop you from looking up those names and
mailing them your pictures and resume directly? Nothing,
that's what. If you see a photo spread you think is
really well done, what is to stop you from finding
out who the photographer is and contacting them directly
and sending them your pics? Nothing, that's what.
My point being, you want a get a break in the business,
make the break, don't sit there thinking it's looking
for you, because it's not. Be proactive, not reactive!
Luck is the residue of design. Be successful by design.
As my older brother used to say to me as a kid when
I told him I was too scared to ask out a pretty girl
"what's the worst that can happen Will? All she
can say is no." That's the worst that can happen
to you also.
Beware of web idiots, schlubs,
morons, perverts, scum bags, and sleazoids!
This part is sort of self-explanatory but worth mentioning.
As with all industries that deal in entertainment
based media (e.g., television, theater, modeling,
etc.), the fitness industry attracts its far share
of web idiots, schlubs, morons, perverts, scum bags,
and sleazoids, to name just a few.
There is also the class of person known as the schmoe,
but we will leave that for another place and time.
Point is you want to meet the right people while not
getting involved with that group of worthless types
who will only drag you down, delay you, or just flat
out screw you up and over.
For example, a guy comes up and says he wants to
"shoot you" for the magazines, but what
do you really know of this guy? He has a camera and
some business cards, so that makes him a photographer
right? Wrong! If someone want to shoot you and they
are not a well-known name (and you should know who
the well known photographers are because you researched
that already!), find out who they are. Do they have
references you can call? Girls you can contact he
has shot before and were happy with the work? What
magazines has he published in? Does he do it professionally
or as a hobby? That type of thing.
Another thing I see is the big web scam. I'm amazed
how many girls get scammed by these web idiots. Lesson
here is you get what you pay for, so when some person
wants to build you a web site for free, you are getting
what you pay for. Yes, there is good money to be made
on the 'net, and the net can be great for marketing
yourself and making contacts, but most of it's a scam.
You are better off paying a good web designer and
web master who has experience with other fitness model
types and has references you can talk to. I can't
tell you the number of girls who have been screwed
over by some internet thing that went to hell, like
the "fan" who volunteers to build a free
web site and either runs off with any money made from
the site or puts their picks on porn sites and any
number of other things that made them regret like
hell ever agreeing to the site in the first place.
Clearly, I can't go down the list of all the possible
pitfalls of the web idiots, schlubs, morons, perverts,
scum bags, and sleazoids out there to be found in
the entertainment business, but you get the idea.
Be careful!
Conclusion.
Well that pretty much concludes my down and dirty
guide to the basics of "making it" as a
fitness model. Of course there are tons of business
related issues I could cover and tricks I could give,
but the above is the best advice you are going to
find in s small space and will do more for you-if
properly followed-than you may realize.
Now, if you want to know my opinions on the best
ways to lose fat by diet, training, and exercise,
so you can look your best as a fitness model, you
may want to read my ebook Diet Supplements Revealed.
If you are looking to add lean mass with a minimum
of bodyfat via diet, training, and supplements, then
consider reading my ebook Muscle Building Nutrition.
Good luck and see you in the magazines!
>> Click here for Will Brink's Bodybuilding Revealed
>> Click here for Will's Fat Loss Revealed
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