I Am Me
Celebrating people and their passions because nobody can do it like you can.
I love that everyone has a story that is unique to them. Our journeys are all different, but we can still learn so much from one another. I am grateful that through my own journey as an actor I have had the opportunity to meet so many incredible people.
On my podcast you will get to hear their stories. This podcast is for the dreamers and the inspired. For the people who love people and are completely uninterested in living life by the status quo. Every person is unique to who they are. So look in the mirror and say it loud:
I AM ME!!!
I Am Me
I Am Sonny Dang - Unveiling the Glamour and Grit of the Modeling Industry, Club Promoting and More
Picture this, a regular New York City server, scouted and thrust into the glitz and glamour of the modeling industry. Sonny, with his firsthand experiences, will enlighten us on the inner workings of the industry, the role of modeling agents, and the stringent standards models must adhere to for bookings.
Sonny openly shares his experiences. He’ll also discuss the tough reality of an oversaturated market and the importance of having a backup plan in this industry. And for those with a curiosity for club promoting, Sonny lays it all bare, Sonny shares his reflections and advice, drawing from his personal experiences.
Welcome to.
Speaker 1:I Am Me podcast. I'm your host, Liz Bachman, and on this podcast I want to celebrate you for being you. I'm super excited to sit down with my guests each week and talk about their journey, their experiences and where they came from. So, without further ado, let's dive into this week's episode.
Speaker 3:Hey everybody, welcome back to. I Am Me Today. I'm super excited I get to sit down and talk to Sonny Dang. He is a New York City model and he also does some club promotion on this side. I've never met him before, so this is, I think, the first person I've interviewed that I have not met. So I'm excited to see how this goes. But, with all that being said, how you doing today, sonny- Hi, I'm doing great, Liz.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me on here.
Speaker 3:Yeah, of course, super excited to sit and talk with you, just kind of kicking things off. The first thing I always like to ask people is how did you get into you know what you're doing so modeling, how did that kind of start for you?
Speaker 2:So I was in college but I was taking a year off. Tuition was getting a little crazy and I was paying for that myself out of pocket. So I took the year off to say I have some money working here in there. And I landed a job as a server in Manhattan. I'm working at this Mediterranean restaurant and one day this girl comes into the store and she walks up to me and goes hey, do you model and if not, would you be interested? And out here, like, with like plates in my hands. You know I'm like, I'm serving food to people. And I go no, I don't model. People have told me in the past that I should consider it mainly my sister. But it's kind of like a scenario where, like your mom tells you oh, you're so beautiful, right?
Speaker 2:I always thought it was just because it was my sister telling me and so I tell her no, I don't model. People have told me, I guess, what I would be interested. I had no idea what the fashion industry is like.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And so this is something that, like I always thought was kind of cool. But, like again, no, no clue what the industry is about. So this girl, she tells me, Okay, come to my place in Brooklyn and I'll take photos of you. And so I'm like, oh, really Wait a minute kind of weird, like I don't know.
Speaker 2:It's like a situation where it's like, if it's too good to be true, probably is right. Well, actually it turned out to not be like the case, and I was hesitant at first. I did decline in the moment, but maybe like one or two weeks later actually ended up reaching out. Yeah, things turned out fine.
Speaker 2:We did meet up somewhere beforehand so I could get to nowhere and went to her place in Brooklyn and then, yeah, she explained the whole thing to me how it works, how it usually works for models, that I would be hopefully signing with an agent and that you know they would take commissions off of any bookings that they get me like a sort of similar to like acting. And then, yeah, she took photos, sent them out to a couple of agencies. Nothing really landed at first for a while, but I kind of took things in my own hands for a bit. And then I landed into a big agency and I had been with them for like three years and then I'm curious.
Speaker 3:So her angle, was she like a photographer who was trying to get her star, or why? I guess, what did she get out of seeking you out and having you? Because that's a lot of work on her part she actually was a model herself.
Speaker 2:She was also trying to create her own agency. She really was recruiting models in the industry. We had this thing called mother agents, and so I did sign with her initially, but we had a bit of a falling off.
Speaker 3:Okay, that's. I mean, that's common. I can't relate to modeling, but just as an actor I can relate to. Sometimes there's falling out with agents and sometimes you have to move on and you ultimately have to do what's best for you.
Speaker 2:Like my relationship with her was becoming a little volatile. We had some disagreements on like how I should be marketed, the direction I wanted to go in the industry. So I think you know we left on okayish terms.
Speaker 3:I'm. So I imagine modeling Is it like acting and that you really have to kind of thin for yourself and your. You are marketing yourself like you're your product that you're trying to sell. Is that similar and modeling that it works that way?
Speaker 2:I would say, like models don't have as much direction as actors. At the end of the day, like if you're a signed model, your booker is the one who kind of tells you like, hey, we want this certain look for you and for the most part you kind of just go with the flow, right, whatever they say kind of goes. They're the one who's pushing you out and they're the ones with the connections. Yeah, you just kind of stick to what works. Like, sometimes maybe you want to change your hair or something you kind of want like the okay from your booker. Otherwise it gets a little risky with like let's just say, you do fashion and now your new style doesn't work for fashion. Well, now your, your booker, has to totally revamp, like your com card and digital, so that when they do push your portfolio, like it's going to be for the right type of job.
Speaker 3:Is that so? Is that hard for you staying in certain boundaries? If, because you can't really change your appearance much without getting some type of approval, does that get frustrating with you? If you're like, hmm, I kind of want to like, I don't know, do something crazy, dye my hair a crazy color, or and you're just like, oh, I can't. Or are you just good with it Because you know this is what you want to do?
Speaker 2:for me personally, I don't like to go crazy type of styles anyway, so, whatever my booker says, it's usually best for me, for the industry and for like real life. You know, I don't really have a crazy fashion sense, I'm pretty simple guy. You know. Button downs, jeans, I don't know, like for some people. Like you know, you want to express yourself and it's totally normal for people. Depending on the type of things you do like fashion, maybe you can get away with it. The commercial work, right, as you know, a lot of clients want like a just a regular, normal person, your everyday, you know, casual. So you can't go like red hair, green hair, pink hair and like mohawk, right, like it just wouldn't work. So for me I mainly do commercial work lifestyle. I keep it simple.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so that's it. So I don't know anything about how booking or any of that process of what that is like for a model. How does that work for you? How does you know? As an actor, we go on auditions, but how does bookings come about for a model?
Speaker 2:There's several ways to get booked. One, obviously, your agent. A lot of times they'll do most of the legwork. Sometimes if you're freelancing, there are several ways of getting booked. I mean forums, craigslist as weird as it sounds, but I've honestly booked some pretty big jobs like on on Craigslist there's. There's like Was it backstage? Actors access, they have model jobs there all the time, just some people don't know where else. Instagram like sometimes people will reach out to you via DM, you know with the job offer.
Speaker 2:I've booked like a couple of campaigns, actually, just like the direct bookings. Yeah, that's it. It's like simple. So there's like many ways to get booked. It just depends on like whether or not you want to go with like an agent or if you want to work on your own. Obviously, you got to take care of yourself with that and track your bookings and and like your your paychecks and invoices.
Speaker 3:Okay, and then our rates for models. When you book so acting, you know we have different sag rates and stuff like that, or is it just people? Is there a union affiliated with modeling, or is it just this is what we're gonna pay you for this project, and then you just decide whether or not you're going to accept pretty much Whatever the client wants to pay you.
Speaker 2:You can negotiate.
Speaker 1:If you're freelancing right.
Speaker 2:If you're working on your own, you can. You have like room to negotiate, but you got to know like how much this job is worth. So we paid a Session fee and then we get paid usage fee depending on, like you know, the type of job. Usually it's like bigger clients that pay usage fees. Start our companies Don't, most of the time just because of like budget big campaigns, like usually that involve like a billboard, that's the type of thing that will pay usage fee. And if you Use up that usage fee like, for example, three years is what the client will use this Campaign for. If, past three years, they decide to still use it, they can renew for like X amount and that'll be, you know, determined by both parties beforehand.
Speaker 3:How long have you been modeling? Almost?
Speaker 2:five years.
Speaker 3:And then my question is how do you feel like you've progressed from the beginning to where you are now? Because I imagine modeling I mean, I definitely think it's a skill that you have to you know, get good at knowing how to pose and stuff like that and I imagine nerves in the beginning versus where you are now. I'm sure there's still nerves, but how do you feel like that progression has happened for you? Or what do what do you do to, I guess, get better at modeling?
Speaker 2:in the beginning I was marketed as like Asian fashion model. I think for me that was totally different skill to have. Fashion and lifestyle are different in the sense of what things you can do, like poses that you can do, and just like type of look Very different. One is more like edgy, more attitude. The other is just more relaxed, just be yourself, but also be mindful of the audience you want to Portray to. I did have to learn a couple of things, like Walking the runway, for example. It sounds easy, just walk like a human, just a normal human being. But then sometimes you know, depending on the outfits you wear, it can affect like really like how you walk. Or sometimes the Show will be outside in the cold and you have to look like you're not miserable, like freezing your ass off. You know what I mean right.
Speaker 2:So there's like different conditions you kind of have to be able to work in. Sometimes you have to work like just 90 degree weather or I guess like hundred new you, whether like outside in the woods or something, wearing fall clothes or winter clothes, because when clients shoot for their products they have to Shoot ahead of time, right? So if it's like winter clothes, we're most likely shooting end of summer. You're wearing Jackets right in the dead of the heat. So these things like can add up like if you're not like physically fit, I mean you're gonna, you're gonna like pass out during set and that's not good for anyone.
Speaker 3:I was gonna say do you prefer the commercial jobs more? Do you like more of the lifestyle stuff, or do you miss doing fashion at all?
Speaker 2:So for for a while I did miss doing fashion. It is the more glamorous job, but unfortunately fashion doesn't pay that much. Hmm and you know, as I'm getting older Bills are, you know, adding up commercial pays. I mean, I'd say almost three times as much.
Speaker 3:Wow, I wouldn't expect that. I would think it'd be the other. Yeah, I think it'd be the other way around.
Speaker 2:So that's really that's that's what most people kind of assume too. I mean, even for me, like when you look at modeling, a lot of what you see is fashion, a lot of what you see is runway, but turns out runway is actually what pays the least, if at all. And it's kind of like sad, because most models that come to New York they have this dream of you know, working as a model.
Speaker 2:But what ends up happening is not a lot of working models and so we have a very oversaturated market with a lot of people looking to get a leg in, looking for work and it ends up like where you need to get like a side job. So, like I'm for me, thankfully, like you know, I've been doing this for about five years. I'm grateful to say that you know I am a working model and I'm still working in the business. But I am like a lot older. I started late. Most people start, like you know, in their teenage years, especially females. They start like as young as 14 years old and I started like 23. I'm 28 now. So I'd say like modeling for me is not coming close to an end, but I do have to start thinking about like other avenues of like for a career.
Speaker 2:So, thankfully I do have a degree also.
Speaker 3:That's interesting because I, as an actor, I don't really think about having a shelf life, so to speak, but as a model, I guess you do so like an athlete that there will be a time where your looks will change to a point that you start to stop and slow down and you have younger people coming in behind you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that's why like the commercial and lifestyle is a lot better for a lot more models, just because there's not like an age limit. Really, it just depends on what's needed at the time of the season or what type of products are being marketed. A wide range of like ages that can model in commercial.
Speaker 3:Do you have a shoe like that was like your favorite, or one that really stands out, that you just are really proud of or enjoyed doing?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I have a few. Actually, I'd say most recently this campaign I did for Kohan. Just like a shoe company. They are releasing iWeard now and so I was able to do a campaign with them. The campaign was marketed on their social media so that was pretty huge and they put a billboard in Times Square. So a lot of people that I know they see the billboard and they always like hey, is this? You Like? Oh, we saw you in Times Square, like this is crazy. And it's not like a small billboard either, it's like up there, it's like huge.
Speaker 3:That's awesome.
Speaker 2:Everyone sees it like by the stairs, the iconic stairs in Times Square. So yeah, of course I had to check it out. I'm out here just like taking videos and myself just all giggling and all that, but this isn't the first time I've had a billboard. I've also worked with another company called JD Sports and they opened a flagship in New York, so I did a campaign with them a few years back and yeah they had like a smaller one.
Speaker 2:It was cool, Got to see like me up there. That one was exciting because that was the one where I got to show my parents like hey, mom, dad, like I'm in Times Square, Like this is pretty cool right.
Speaker 3:That would kind of be an epitome of feeling like you've made it. If you could go to Times Square and look at a billboard of yourself, that would just feel like I've done it, like I've done the thing. I don't feel like you could achieve much more than that. Yeah, it was definitely like.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it definitely felt like an accomplishment, especially as a model right. You always want to see your campaign up and running Times Square, especially on TV or something like that. That's pretty much always the goal. Like I said, I've had two, so right now the goal is to have two billboards running in Times Square at the same time. I don't know, that's going to be a lot harder. I'm not going to lie.
Speaker 3:Because what happens?
Speaker 2:is that when you do a job, when you work with a client and they're going to market for a billboard or something like that, it takes a while before that gets pushed out. So I did Kohan last year and the billboard didn't come out until during the summer.
Speaker 3:That's very similar to acting You'll book a job and you'll work, and then people, friends or family, it'll be like when can I see it? You're probably in like a year, maybe a year and a half, yeah if evens that. Yeah, I know I've gotten careful about showing people work that I've done until I've seen it and known that I actually made the final product. Oh yeah, I'm not trying to be cut out of it and like oh, actually, you just see my pinky in the shot, oh, what do you think?
Speaker 2:Is that the pinky?
Speaker 3:I was going to say so kind of on the flip side of that, what is a project that kind of failed for you or just did not go well, and then how did you recover from that?
Speaker 2:There was a eyewear company, a startup. They were trying to get their products out by spring, so we did a shoot in the winter. It was like third week of December In New York. It's just cold, 30, 20 degrees. We did the shoot by Dumbo. We're walking the bridge. It was just like super windy, super cold. But the client wanted some of these shots to be no jacket. They wanted it to look like it was spring right.
Speaker 2:So like jacket is what I had to wear for the shots. The photographer I was working with Like he was a great guy but very, very, very picky and he would want like certain shots in a certain pose, or maybe there was just too many people in the background or just something would affect a shot we need to retake it. And I just remember just like kill me, like I'm so over it. I'm not getting paid nearly enough for this shot. It was only like a two hour shot too, but it felt like a whole day.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And walking like from Manhattan to Dumbo and then Dumbo back to Manhattan. It was like, yeah, I remember that being one of the worst photo shoots for me and I didn't even get to see the pictures. Like I don't even think the company is up and running anymore. So I try to think of like, yeah, I try to think of that as like it only goes up from here you know?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was going to ask you. So, looking back on your career, would you, if anything, would you do anything differently? Just knowing what you know now? Would you approach things differently, I guess? How would that kind of change for you?
Speaker 2:Well, 100%. I wish somebody told me that don't like hope for too much out of like modeling it. For me really it's not a career, you know, and if for most people it's a short lived one. I really wish somebody told me kind of like just either get a side job which I've done like club promoting a lot earlier, or just work in modeling and focus on college. I was really hoping for modeling to kick off like a lot harder for myself. Definitely my expectations are more tame now.
Speaker 3:I think that's an important point to make, because that's one thing that has changed for me with acting to be, because acting is a long it's more of a long road If you stick with it. It's not a quick, you just make it or have success. I think it's a really good thing to recommend even as models or actors or anything in that vein, because they're close together, I would say, in a lot of ways. But just to find balance in your life, was it like? Did you feel like you had to just be all about modeling all the time in order to find success or achieve your goals?
Speaker 2:I felt like in the beginning, the harder I tried, the more opportunities would come to me. That's not really the case, at least for me. What ended up working best is just focusing on myself and letting those opportunities come to me, whether or not it was when I was signed with an agent or working solo, freelancing. For being with an agency, obviously you have somebody who books you the jobs, but you've got to know what type of agency will look out for you. You get the general idea of how much they like you pretty much in your first three meetings with them. Communication is really important too between model and a booker, and what to expect from them is a big step in knowing how the next three years of your contract will look like. That's how long most models will be with an agency. We have three year contracts. Whether or not it's a good time depends on how much agency likes you. Vice versa, though, with freelancing you have to submit yourself to different projects.
Speaker 2:We have self tapes as actors we do self tapes as auditions or we'll go to a casting. But as a freelancer you have to know where those castings are. They're not marketed on Instagram. Anybody can come. These are clients that are selecting people. Sometimes it can be hard to find the end for a casting per se, but that's why there's Craigslist I do say Craigslist, but it does work sometimes and there's the apps. They do help with freelance models, startup companies who can't hire these professional models, like in IMG Wilhelmina, these big agencies.
Speaker 3:Did you notice any toxicity in the modeling industry? Because I feel like when I hear about modeling, that's something I have talked to, because I have a few actor friends who are models, who transitioned into acting, but they're females and they talk about some of the toxicity in modeling. I don't know if that's the same for males.
Speaker 2:I will say 100%. Females get the brunt of the work. Males have it way easier in the industry. Our standards are not even close to being as strict as for females. Aside from lifestyle and commercial work, I do fit modeling as well. I have to watch out for my measurements. I can't deviate too much, but for the most part I'm okay. I don't have to really worry about weight fluctuations. As long as I fit my measurements I'm good Females, even if they're not in fit. They're expected to be super skinny and weigh between like 90 to 105 pounds If you go over just a little bit, your agency's.
Speaker 2:On top of that, I know a lot of girls who it does affect them some way or another. Lifestyle even they're always worried about what they're eating. It's like when I see that it kind of breaks my heart. You have to skip breakfast, lunch even sometimes. Or like when you do eat like girl dinner, right, like I know it's like a joke but it's honestly a thing and it's really sad to see some of my friends are like you can just tell they're miserable. Like when they're like hanging out with people. It's like they can't. It's like almost like they can't have fun.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because I mean, even like you think about nightlife and stuff like that, and if you want to have a drink or whatever, like alcohol is a ton of calories.
Speaker 2:So that's you know yeah, you gotta be mindful of, even in nightlife, yeah that's an interesting insight because I feel like we in the media are fed.
Speaker 3:You know that there's more body inclusivity and bigger models are a thing, but really I, when you get down to it, it feels like it's. It still has a long, long way to go.
Speaker 2:Oh for sure. I mean, a size model is just like a concept that's relatively new, right, I think the industry is still like kind of navigating how to work around that, but it is, you know, it's a step in the right direction. I mean, having more type of people model is, I think, healthy, you know, long term. And then there's like also, aside from your physical looks, like girls have to be wary of, just like photographers, the creeps. Yeah we all hear about it. It is unfortunately a thing.
Speaker 3:That's really good insight to, and I think you know as a male model one you can give us that insight, but two, you can give us that insight without fear of it hurting you. I guess in a way because I feel like some female models who are in the industry would maybe not be as willing or as forthcoming with how things are, because you always fear about how is this going to affect my jobs and my outcome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, like guys we sometimes we do get harassed certain people, but just like a much lower, much lower scale.
Speaker 3:So like knowing that about the industry, that's kind of like the downside of it. But what are some positive, like some positives of being in the modeling industry?
Speaker 2:Some of my favorite things about modeling is that I get to go to places that I normally wouldn't. I get to meet people I probably would never meet. I think opportunity kind of like. It's much different. I don't have to work as hard as people with a 9 to 5, right gigs come and go. It's like I'm not working every day, so I do have like down time for myself and I get to enjoy things that I wouldn't be able to if I'm working like an office shop or anything like that.
Speaker 3:So you have a favorite place. You've gone for modeling.
Speaker 2:I definitely have gone to some cool spots, like one client took me to Montauk oh cool, that's like the Hamptons.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:They. They had a really nice Airbnb. We stayed there overnight and clients were like really great people. They cooked and bought like wine and liquor for us to enjoy after the shoot. That was really fun core memory for me, for sure. And like the shoot itself was pretty fun too, Like we were by this lake house, so you know, the views were gorgeous, Weather was just perfect. One of the shots was us at the beach and we had like a little campfire going and the people I was working with the two other models they're great too. Like everything was just. It was just a fun time. And that's also another thing with like modeling Sometimes it doesn't feel like work. Sometimes it feels like you're just hanging out, you know and getting paid. It's like best of both worlds, right, Like when you can enjoy work.
Speaker 3:Right, we talk about an acting. There's like the hang is like a thing that we talk about. So it's like the hang, like the in between shots and like is it like? That's a really fun part of acting is if the environment's really good and you're having a great time with the crew and the other actors. It makes it. It doesn't feel like work, it's just so fun.
Speaker 2:But also, you know, not everyone's going to be fun. There's been times where it's like kind of awkward, like you know, really talking with other models right the sets really weird.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, it's a, it's a mixed bag and you always get excited when you get on a really good set or shoot and it's the you cherish those for sure.
Speaker 3:Yeah for sure. So I know like your primary thing is not club promotion, but I am kind of curious about that because that sounds like perhaps a pretty good job for someone working in modeling or acting or just the entertainment industry. So I'm kind of curious how did that come about for you, or how did you get into that, or and then just kind of how that works, because again, I don't know anything about club promotion.
Speaker 2:So don't laugh. But I got club promoting through Craigslist. I was, I'll tell you, this is weird side, but no, like I was at the time. I was looking and browsing through Craigslist, I was freelancing for a little bit and you know keywords model jobs, right. This one listing comes up as a model promoter and so I'm like kind of confused. Never really heard of that. So I'm looking through the listing. I messaged an email.
Speaker 2:The guy he responds back to me is like hey, can you come to this club for like an informal interview? I'm like, okay, I know the place, it's a really popular spot. So like I don't think anything bad's gonna happen. I go, I meet the guy, we talk, let's chill guy, and he explains to me what like promoting is. He explains to me the industry, right, and so this was like something I had an idea of doing a while back. I just never knew anybody to get, like you know, my in into the industry and so I was like yeah, let's do it. I have, like you know, a bunch of model friends. It shouldn't be too hard. But basically, like the job is to host the table at a club and have the table filled with girls, right, that's essentially what club promoting is.
Speaker 3:And then wait. How does that help the club, though? Is it like they tell their friends, or is that?
Speaker 2:so club gets their money through clients or people who buy tables, right, if you ever see like the pricing of a table at a club, it's expensive. I mean you're talking like for at least in New York for six people, eight people, you're looking to spend about like 1.2,000.
Speaker 3:Okay, geez Okay.
Speaker 2:And that's and like. The bottles that you get are like.
Speaker 2:Like, if you look at these bottles online or at a liquor store, I mean, they're only really worth like $100 at most right For like the bottom shelf and so the markup is insane right, but that's because they need to pay people who work at the club and it's not cheap. Like promoters, we make like decent money. I earn like a full rate, and that varies from club to club. So the idea is that the people who buy tables are usually like finance guys, and finance guys won't buy a table if the club is empty right or if there's like no girls, if it's just like all guys like I don't know.
Speaker 3:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:It's a little harder, right, like I think, to fill up the space with clients. But yeah, so you want a club filled with girls because it'll likely attract people to buy tables there, because they want to hang out with, like the pretty girls, right? So club earns money through that and then they pay out people like promoters. They'll have maybe, like I don't know, three, four promoters on a given night.
Speaker 3:Okay, I'm curious how do you go and find girls? How does this work for you? What's your strategy?
Speaker 2:So at first it was like kind of difficult because I got into promoting a little late. Some of these promoters are like 10 years into the game, so they already have like a built up network of girls to invite out. And as many girls come to New York City, there is like a finite amount of people that one don't have a promoter Right. So I had two who are willing to go out late and like hang out with like a complete stranger to dress appropriately and be fun. Like it's kind of hard actually. So in the beginning, like I was inviting my friends, I thought it would be pretty easy with the incentive of like free dinners, free drinks and a table and like good music at a club. Well, people got jobs, people get tired. So I had to like really find more people to invite out. At first it was Instagram right, Just reaching out to like anyone that I thought would be a good fit to hang out with me on like explore page, for example, or like hashtags.
Speaker 2:I guess that I've for me personally. It wasn't really working out, so sometimes you can find people like on the street, like maybe in SoHo or bars, right, but I'm like not too extroverted, I am like introverted.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah. So I'm like that was my other thought. Just talking to you, my impression of you isn't like some crazy extroverted person who's going to be going up to strangers on the street a lot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm not. Yeah, that was like kind of hard for me to do. I think I'm a little better now. I will like approach someone. I think is like I think would like want to hang out with me at the club. But primarily I do use dating apps to promote, like a promoting page, gotcha. So Hinge is one that I use primarily. I have set up a profile and it states that you know I am a promoter. This is all. It is Not really looking to date.
Speaker 3:Well, that's cool. That's a good way to do it, though, because that is a huge pool of females that you could potentially be getting to come out. That's actually really smart.
Speaker 2:Like I don't have to swipe for anybody. Anyone that wants to like anyone that sees my page is like oh, I would like to hang out with him for a night. They'll reach out to me because I have my Instagram. They'll reach out to me on Instagram and it's like free advertising for me. And then, you know, they come out with me, they have a good night, they refer me to like their friends and then it's like word of mouth is probably the best way.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was just curious about that because I know you mentioned it at the beginning. So I was kind of like, ok, well, that's a cool thing for someone to be doing, I guess, and making money, especially with the industry that you're in and, like you said, gigs aren't always coming in and you got bills, you got to pay bills. So, kind of closing out, like my final question for you would be what is your advice to anyone who is trying to get into modeling?
Speaker 2:Trying to get into the industry.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like they have no modeling experience, kind of what's your resources. What steps would you recommend that they take in just trying to get a foot in the door?
Speaker 2:Definitely, definitely, find a couple of models that are like big models right, who are very famous, popular, kind of see what they do, what works for them, and then kind of incorporate that into your modeling persona. I'd say it's all a persona at the end of the day, and the more you copy something that works, it'll work for you too. But be patient too. It's difficult to get in. It's not made for everyone. Not everyone makes it into the industry. So if you're committed to it, be patient. It is a whole process and just keep going, keep trying.
Speaker 3:Well, thank you so much, Sunny. I really appreciated talking to you. I'm glad we got to sit down and do this and I think you gave some really really good information and insight. Is there anything you want to say in closing or anything you want to share that I didn't ask?
Speaker 2:No, I think I've got my thoughts out OK, but thank you for having me. It was fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, of course.
Speaker 3:All right guys. Thank you so much for listening. I really hope that everybody enjoyed this episode and got something out of it, learned from it. I really appreciated talking to Sunny. If you could rate and review the podcast, follow the Instagram. That helps me do what I'm doing and, yeah, I look forward to talking to you guys in the next one.