ROMA

Alright so I got a hold of a laptop since mine unfortunately crashed... :( So I can write an update!

I got the opportunity to go to Rome this past weekend, a quick 4 day trip and it was great! Rome is by far the most beautiful city I have ever been to (yet). I really dont know if there is a more beautiful city in Europe to compare. It was my first time going, and only being in Milan in the past, I really didnt know what any other cities looked like in Italy. I had heard from many that Milan is very industrial and there is not much to see, and now I can fully understand and appreciate why I was told this! Milan is nothing like Rome at all. The entire city center of Rome looks like an ancient archeological site. Monuments everywhere, ancient buildings, statues, sculptures, buildings that look they are about to crumble :) Seeing all the famous monuments of Rome in books is nothing like seeing it in person. Its much better!

I also got to see the Vatican City. This I would say was my favorite part of Rome. It was absolutely beautiful. If you have ever read the book Angles and Demons, it was very cool to read the book and then see all the sites written in the book actually in person. Everywhere I went in Rome, parts of the book at the same locations kept popping in my head, it was really cool! The Vatican Museum was the most impressive beautiful museum I have ever seen. It was huge and full of massive paintings, floor to ceiling, done by some of the most famous artists in the world. Let alone being hundreds of years old. The Sistene Chapel was an amazing site to see. It was almost eerie to be standing in it. I have learned about it in school and in text books countless times, but to actually see it with your own eyes is a totally different experience. It was truly amazing.

If you ever get the opportunity to go to Rome, GO! It was an experience to say the least. I really enjoyed it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angels and Demons fountain

Como/Bologna

I got the opportunity to go to Lake Como as well as Bologna here in Italy so far outside of Milan...

 I'll start with Como. Como is a very beautiful lake in northern Italy... close to the border of Italy and Switzerland. I went with 2 of my friends and we took a 1 hour train from Milan. Como is known for having many celebrities having houses along the shores of the lake.

Here is a funny map I found of what I mean...

Very beautiful!

Bologna:

I was invited to go to Bolgona for the weekend with a good friend of mine. Their friend was having a graduation party and invited us to come. 

The shorter tower leans to the side, the foundation started to let go due to its age and it leans to the left. Kind of scary!

The Asinelli and Garisenda Towers, constructed in 1109!!

Bologna is known for the making of the Tortellini pasta.... so naturally I had to try it, and it was amazing! The food in Italy is incomparable to any other country... everything is so good! 

This is what cheap bagged tortellini looks like...

We went to a local market and got 5 different kinds of fresh tortellini... so good!

I am so happy to be able to travel around the world and see new cultures and experience the world. More to come so stay tuned ;)

-Mitchell

Update!

I have finally had time to update and post a new entry! (mainly from a certain someone consistently bugging me about it.. you know who you are) I've had a hard time finding free internet to use my laptop to update because the internet is RIDICULOUSLY expensive, its a joke. I have mainly been using my ipod touch and pick up wifi.. that thing seriously does everything.

OKAY

So last entry I was still in Athens Greece... I had an amazing time there. I think about it a lot. I met some of the greatest people from all over the world, got to live with them for 2 months and had the time of my life. I miss it! I left Athens on March 8th, 2011. I'll show you below a few shots from the second issue of Esquire I was in... It was the main fashion spread of the March 2011 issue and it was some of the nicest most expensive clothing I have ever worn. The entire spread was D&G, Prada and Burberry with accessories from Rolex and Ray-Ban to name a few. Not too bad in my opinion...

The leather jacket I was wearing in this shot was by Burberry Prorsum and cost a cheap $5000 USD

Behind the scenes...

The guy in the shoot with me, Ryan Mertz, was my roommate while in Athens and we booked a ton of shoots together. We did the first issue of Feb. Esquire, as seen in the post below, as well as following issue of  March Esquire, as well as a campaign together for a Greek brand 3GUYS, and a few others as well. Here is a behind the scenes pic...

Athens overall was one of the best times I have ever had in my life (so far) and I will never forget the experience. If any of you have the opportunity to go for modeling like I did... GO! Granted everyones experience is different, but mine couldn't have been better. I worked hard and played hard with some of the coolest people ever! Time of my life....

MOVING ON

I left Athens like I said on March 8th, and from there touched down in Milan Italy after a short 1.5 hour flight. And so begins my next adventure...

As well as being with Major Models in NYC I am also with their Milan office, Major Milan. The agency is beautiful, with a private garden entrance, it looks like some kind of European villa mansion. The agency takes up the entire building, with the mens booking in the basement.

I love the bookers in the mens division. I really feel comfortable with them and they take care of their guys. There are 2 mens bookers, Cristiano and Massimo. I am happy with my placement in Milan thus far. 

Famous DUOMO

Italian celebration of being united for 150 years

I have been in Milan for roughly 2 weeks now and things are going well. I have booked work already and have had callbacks for campaigns, so things are going as I hoped for. And whats really cool is that my roommate Ryan, who I lived with in Athens, also arrived to Milan about a week ago! 

As well as Ryan, a lot of the people I met in Athens are in Milan now, or will be coming shortly. It's almost like a little reunion :) I will post more work I book here in Milan as it comes out, and as to where I go next... working on that now. You'll have to stay tuned ;)

-Mitchell

Esquire Magazine

I was booked for Esquire Magazine here in Greece and here are a few of the pages in the January 2011 issue!

My roommate and I were booked together for the job. It's the Style Guide section of the magazine, and the best part is that we both were rebooked to shoot the main fashion editorial for next months issue... so stay tuned! 

-Mitchell

Athens Greece

So I've been in Athens for a week and a half now and things are going great! I'm staying with amazing people and really enjoying myself. I'm staying busy with castings everyday and I seem to be getting a great response from clients here. I'm working with an agency called X-Ray Models right in the center of Athens. I booked a shoot in Greek Esquire my first day of castings, and shot a 2nd editorial the following day. My first week was a success! Week 2 is going well too... I have two more jobs booked so far. The city is HUGE and very difficult to navigate... I'm just thankful I'm good with a map and directions!

 I love my roommates, the culture of Greece, the nightlife, and the fact that I'm doing what I came here for... booking work!

As some of the new work I've been doing here in Greece comes out in the magazines I will post for you all to see! Shouldn't be long =]

-Mitchell

Armani Code

Again since I'm new to blogging about my modeling experiences, this also is a delayed but I thought it was worth sharing about. Last January I received a casting for an "Armani project" thru KCD casting. That was the only details I got. So I went to the casting at the given time and did the usual hello how are you blah blah here is my book lets take a few polaroids etc etc. I left and received an email that evening for a callback for the "Armani project" and was to go back to KCD again tomorrow. So I go again the next day, polaroids again, but this time all the models who got a call back were all together. We went thru the usual casting process a second time. Book, polaroids. I get a 2nd email for ANOTHER call back that evening. So I go to KCD again the next day. This time there was a group of about 10 guys and 10 girls. We all were told there were provided vans outside that were to drive us out to a big studio in Brooklyn for final casting. So we all get in vans and get to this giant studio on the docks in Brooklyn. All the models shuffle in and we apparently were going to meet with the stylist of this "Armani project" and the producer of the project. So we do a 3rd casting, but I could tell this was going to be the final cut. We all meet with the stylist/producer (mind you I come to realize the stylist of this project, Karl Templer,  was the same stylist in my Gianfranco Ferre post who booked me for his show in Milan, so I felt that he was going to hook me up again for the 2nd time) After everyone was seen Michelle from KCD told us "if your name is called please stay for your fitting" so she listed off 2 girls and 2 guys that they narrowed it down to that were to stay.... and I happened to be one of them :) So STILL not knowing what this job was I went over to wardrobe and was fitted in my Armani suit I was to be wearing for the job. There was a giant set being built in part of the studio, almost like a movie set. Finally I asked, "what is this job?!" and was told its the Armani Code fragrance commercial. I had never done a commercial before, so I was pretty excited! After my fitting I left to go home, got my email for call time the next day for the shoot (which was 4am!!) The call sheet listed all the models and agencies and contact info, and I again for the 2nd time was to be working with an extremely successful female model. Anja Rubik. (As seen in DOHC post below)

Anja was extremely beautiful. She was very stunning in person as well as in her work. The shoot was 20 hours long. 4am-midnight. Was the longest job I've ever been apart of. It was a very cool experience tho working with another well known model and the fashion giant Armani in itself. A lot more goes into things than most people think. This commercial was only 15 seconds long of actual footage, yet took 20 hours! Take after take after take after take. Over and over again. But overall it was a great experience and I had a fun time doing it! 

                                      

(Double click video to watch on youtube and see larger version)

The downfall was that I didn't even get a recognizable part.... and only like 2 seconds worth, but it's all good. The experience alone was cool enough =] I'm the one in the back in the beginning who turns his head. If you look hard enough you can tell it's me! This also shows that a lot more goes into commercials and even modeling jobs period. I went thru 3 castings and 20 hours on set for 15 seconds and I was barely recognizable. It took a year of editing, I didn't even see the commercial until December of that year, Macy's being the company who bought the footage to play on TV. Modeling isn't as easy as some think, the people who decide who is going to be in their ads and jobs are EXTREMELY selective and won't stop till they get and find what they want. Some people just assume it's simple to be picked for a job such as this, but really have no idea what goes into something even as short as 15 second commercial. I've never gone thru 3 castings and a fit to confirm for a job before! A little insider of the industry for you all to see ;)

-Mitchell