My Modeling Experience with Broadway Bound Live

Behind the Scenes of the Modeling Challenge

I have been in the performing arts since I was in elementary school. One thing that I never did throughout the years of performing was modeling, that is until I became part of the cast of Broadway Bound Live Season 2. On the last night of callbacks, when we found out that we had all been cast for the upcoming season, they also announced our first challenge; modeling. I was honestly terrified. I had no idea what to expect and I wasn’t sure that I was confident enough to pull it off. What I found, however, was that I actually really enjoyed it!

I drove into Albuquerque from Denver on a Friday. Me and the other contestants from out of town were let into our housing for the season and then immediately headed to our first two fittings Boss Wear Official & MadVan Designs) for the upcoming challenge. We had Saturday off, and then we were up bright and early Sunday morning to continue the process.

On the day of, we started with headshots and full body pictures (taken by Arianne Martin) that we’d be able to use for auditions and such. As soon as that was done, we participated in a 2 hour modeling masterclass taught by Diedre Michelle with the assistance of several other local models. The modeling class was definitely awkward at first, unsurprising for someone who’s never modeled before. I felt like I did start to get the hang of it by the end though. As the modeling class ended, we were fitted by the third and final designer, Duane Topping.

It was then that the real fun and chaos began. We had professional hair and makeup artists do our hair and makeup for 4 different looks, a lifestyle look (in which we picked the clothes), High Fashion (Duane Topping), Editorial (MadVan Designs), and Fitness (Boss Wear). For each of the different looks, we also got to work with a different photographer. I unfortunately do not remember what their names were, but I will update this post as soon as I can get that information. It was definitely a day of chaos, but it was really cool to be able to work with so many different people with so many different ideas and visions. And the overall end products are amazing! You can see the final pictures for me in all of the different categories on my main page. And all of the contestants participating in the musical portion of Broadway Bound Live on their individual pages as well.

The next week, we continued the modeling adventures, this time with model walks. Again we had a 2 hour masterclass with Diedre Michelle and Jade Vargas. We learned how to position our bodies, and how to walk as a model. We explored the different ways to pose at the end of the runway as well as overall runway etiquette. Then we put on a runway show and recorded it. The best part about it, was that those recordings were submitted to an actual runway show for consideration and about half of the cast was chosen to walk in that show.

Overall, I am grateful for the opportunity to try modeling as I had never had the opportunity when I was younger. I do feel like it really helped me with overall presence and moving with confidence. Not to mention improving my skills in wearing heels. So thank you to Broadway Bound Live, Candice Neu, and Diedre Michelle for putting the whole thing together. And a big thank you to all the designers, photographers and makeup artists that helped us build our portfolios!