Learn About Modeling as a Business

Bella Model Patrick O'Brien Cristina: I am here with Patrick O’Brien and we are going to talk a little bit about his modeling career. So how old are you when you are modeling? Patrick: Since I was three. My first thing was a, I think it was a Hans underwear. Cristina: That is a good first thing? Patrick: Yes and then I stopped for a while and then after college—I work here. Cristina: Where are you from? Patrick: Chicago. Cristina: Chicago, so you do that Hans thing in Chicago? Patrick: Yes, so I started out there and I went back to my original agency after college and did it on and off and then kind of made it the full time thing and then I move to New York and then found Bella and I started working like non stop. Cristina: Great. So tell me some of the jobs that you have done. Patrick: Let us see, I have done Coca Cola, Verizon, GQ, Details, Men’s Journal— Cristina: Wow! So you are pretty much running the game between commercial friend and fashion. So you kind of doing it both. Patrick: Yes. At small one. Cristina: And this is your comp card? Patrick: Yes, this is it. Cristina: That is great. Patrick: But I am here today to pick out a new card. Cristina: And so you are going to do your whole new card. Patrick: Yes, because myself gets out dated. Cristina: Yes, talk to me a little bit about that, about yourself getting out dated and doing a new card. What does that do for you when you get a new composite card? Patrick: It makes it look like you are canceling working and a lot of times your tailor should tell you that is too small or they are not really what you want. It is like a good magazine but yet your, you know, your shots and then you know, you look different, so if your hair is longer, shorter, you know, you want to get as much updated self. Cristina: Exactly, so you want to update it, so you can keep working. I always think that a model just keeps at the same, a client, keeps getting that, and thinking they are not working. Patrick: Right, you want to make sure that you know, they have enough pictures of you to know that you know, that your friends are working— Cristina: So you see that modeling is very much like a business, you know? Patrick: Yes, you want to make sure that you are on top of your game and that you are shooting with, like a new photographers or photographers that will bring out more than you already had in the past. Where you can tell like your first cam card looks like you know—junk and then as you move on—yes, and especially here at Bella— Cristina: At least you help again very much. If you are not improving, you got a problem. Patrick: You should find a new job. But Bella is very good at pulling out like good pictures out and pushing you in a way that, you know, makes it too much— Cristina: That fits you, that is right. Patrick: Yes, because you are basically you are on business and you want to make sure that your business is running well and if your agency, you know, we have no protection, you know, they can, some people can just steal our images and whatever and you know—here we know that you are working with a team that is representing you right, is sending you the things that is not wasting your time and you are taken cared of. Cristina: For those aspiring models out there that look at you and say, that is why I want to—you know emulate—what tips would you give them? Patrick: I would say do not spend a lot of money on your pictures. I would say do you research? Go to reputable places and do not take your clothes off and I think that is it. Cristina: Wow! That is great! Well thank you so much for talking with us today. This is Cristina Dehart on ExploreModeling.com