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Okay so this is one of the things I probably didn't expect to happen to me in my lifetime... becoming a model... well sort of.
It began when I came home one evening having been pubbing and clubbing and foolishly checked my emails (always a bad thing to do after a drink or two). One of the emails was from Jamie at Gay Men Fighting AIDS (GMFA) who I had done some volunteer work for a couple of years ago. The Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) were about to start a new campaign and were looking for "ordinary looking guys" to appear in the ads. Well I'd had a few so I though "what the hell" and sent a photo of me (also after a few) at London Mardi Gras that had taken place a few weeks previously in full Kings Cross Steelers rugby kit.
I didn't think much of it after that 'cause (a) I'd had a few to drink (b) I didn't know how long these things would take and (c) probably most significantly I didn't think in a million years they would choose me. I went to work on the following Monday and in the afternoon there was a message on my voicemail saying they wanted me to be one of the people they tried out and the photo shoot was that week. I was gobsmacked. I called them back (got their voicemail this time) and said yeah would love to do it.
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That night I went out with Ben and Kat and couldn't stop grinning. They will both testify how annoyingly chirpy I was
throughout the X-Men film because of it (and James's Marsden's leather outfit had nothing whatsoever to do with it...). Anyhow
came out of the ABC in Tottenham Court Road and checked my voicemail. First message was from Claire to say my boss had cleared
my leave for the photo shoot. The next message was from the THT saying they didn't need me after all 'cause they had enough
people. I was gutted. I had gone from being a happy bouncy bunny to being really disappointed. Even Ben, Kat and Chris from
Bath couldn't cheer me up, so I decided to leave the Ku Bar and head back home to Brighton.
That night I wrote them an email saying yeah fine and since I'd booked the day off I would keep it free just in case
anyone pulled out. I did say that I was really looking forward to it and had been disappointed to have got the second
call whereas if they had said "you're on a shortlist but you need to get back to us ASAP" then things would have been
different. Got in the next morning to work to a voicemail saying they wanted to use me after all. I never did find out
what changed their mind.
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I turned up to the shoot - they picked out three outfits, had a few shots done trying to look "thoughtful yet natural", discussed football with the photographer and that was it. All my outfits were fairly sporty, one even included an Arsenal top as they were looking for some colour. Before and after your shoot, you could just sit around to the studio and chat to some of the guys as they arrived or finished. I got talking to James who had come down from Manchester especially for the photo session. He was heading back into Central London and since he wasn't sure of where he was going I offered to show him the way since I was heading back to work in Soho. We went for a couple of drinks and got chatting, turned out he knew one of my friends from Brighton, Phil - small world. Anyway James is a dead cutey and I fancied him something rotten. As if him living in Manchester and me in Brighton wasn't enough he's also got a boyf in Manchester. Oh well. I can dream. You can see him in the second on the left "other models" photo below.
In all they took 12 guys pics at the shoot and were planning on using 8 in the final campaign. We were told if
successful we'd be on posters, in Boyz and other gay papers and one lucky guy would find themselves onto the Tube.
We were warned that some people might get confused between us in reality and the guys we were portraying in the ads.
After a few weeks of waiting THT let me know I was being used in the ads. Big grins and lots of bouncing all round.
The campaign ran from 23 November 2000 to the end of January 2001. My ad was scheduled to appear in Boyz (weeks commencing 27 November 2000
and 08 January 2001) and the Pink Voice (week com. 22 January 2001) in addition to various posters and other materials around the UK. I was stunned.
Generally people received the news that I was going to appear in the campaign really well - the family were
(perhaps understandably) a little reserved about the whole thing and my then boss was worried that I'd get beaten up. I
told him it was a bit unlikely.
To be honest the next few months flew by - I was busy changing jobs and moving to London and then the text messages
started - "I've just seen you in Boyz" and "Did you know your in the toilets in the Retro bar?" seemed the most popular. It
took me a week until I actually saw the final photograph they used (above). It wasn't however until
Rob and Chris showed up
to the Savage Garden concert with cruise (??) cards (below) of me that were apparently "all over
Birmingham" that I started to realise how big this thing was and how many people will have
seen my pics *gulp* Everyone seemed to like them - James (my ex) had a copy he was carrying around with him when someone
apparently said "and you dumped him, why??", I smiled. My mum wasn't too impressed when I showed her the final result -
although I suspect that partly is to do with the f**k word being used... ho hum.
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Some of the other models used in the campaign taken from the campaign postcards:
I will try and add the pics of the other models used in the campaign when I find the photos!!
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Terrence Higgins Trust Lighthouse
52-54 Grays Inn Road London WC1X 8JU Main switchboard 020 7831 0330
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All model images on this page (C) Terrence Higgins Trust 2000/1
Page last updated 19th February 2001 | Design (C) FreshWeb | Contact Me | Search | Legal stuff