Teen Actor Jamie Mann Hosts Virtual Cabaret for Actor/Screenwriter Obi Ndefo Who Lost Both Legs

9/11 to Covid 19…

It’s been a rough spring. I’ve gone quiet on Modelingmentor.com in the same way I struggled to churn out an issue of Tear Sheet magazine after 9/11. The modeling and fashion industry seemed so superficial from the vantage point of an office in Chelsea, where the stomach churning odor of the mass grave downtown lingered for weeks. Now, during the Covid 19 pandemic, we’ve all been in sweatpants for months and fashion shoots seem like opulent affairs from another lifetime.

Back in 2001, I coped by dedicating the subsequent issue of Tear Sheet to everyone in the fashion industry who was doing something to help the families and companies hit hardest. Those planes of doom may have changed the skyline of New York City but not its heart. Likewise, this pandemic has ravaged people and businesses across the globe, but hope is only ever as far away as the click of a mouse. John Krasinski’s Some Good News was my favorite feel-good pick-me-up of the spring. Watch every 15-minute episode if you haven’t yet.

Actor/Screenwriter Obi Ndefo

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood…

Closer to home, my oldest son Jamie broke out of his Netflix-binge-watching cocoon and did some good. He had been on the other side of the screen this winter, actually acting in a Netflix show (Country Comfort), up until the pandemic hit and halted production. It was like going from the high of your childhood dream come true with the most awesome cast and crew ever to being quarantined for four months with just your family. Oh, wait a minute, it wasn’t like that, it was that! But during that cooped-up time, Jamie took to running (briefly) with his dad. And that’s when he met Obi Ndefo, by chance, in Silver Lake, where Obi lives, and where we happened to be living during filming. Obi, a Nigerian-Jewish American actor/screenwriter was in a wheelchair and Jamie’s dad recognized his Yale classmate.

Jamie Mann and Obi Ndefo during the June 30 Virtual Cabaret Benefit

To learn what happened next and why Obi Ndefo is the role model for the attitude we need to get through these trying times, both with the pandemic and racial tensions, read the story in Broadway World.

And listen to Obi Ndefo’s powerful message for humanity:

Have a Model Citizen story for me?  That’s what I’m digging these days. Model submissions welcome as well—fingers crossed the biz kicks in so we can shed our sweatpants someday soon. But let’s not lose our new-found perspective on the stuff that’s really important.

Barclay’s Guide to Cultivating Style, Sanity, Silliness and Self-Love—in Sickness and in Health

I’ve spent the last few months collaborating with my friend and former colleague, Barclay Fryery, to share his amazing story. He is one of the most inspirational people I’ve ever met. He is also one of the most dashing gentlemen I’ve ever known. Here is a photo from his modeling days. He’s six foot six, so being too tall meant a short modeling career! Instead, he worked his way up to the top of the interior design world.

Barclay Fryery, modeling in New Orleans in the 1980s

Our book is about that and so much more…

Cancer Looks Good on You is the most uplifting cancer story you will ever read, because it is about a man who chooses to seize the day, not count how many days he has left. From his youth as a tormented gay boy in the Deep South to his rise to the top of the design world, and from discovering a lump in his neck to planning his after-party, Barclay tackles life’s challenges with grace, humor, and indomitable optimism. This book shares wisdom that will help you make over your house, your attitude, and your view of the end. Cancer Looks Good on You is for everybody but is a must-read for anyone struggling with illness or yearning to know how to support someone who is.

All profits from the Special Edition hardcover will go toward fulfilling Barclay’s vision of creating a charity focused on teen suicide prevention and supporting LGBTQ youth.

Order Your Copy and Support a Great Cause: CancerLooksGoodonYou.com

You can also read the Prologue on the website. The book and e-book will be available on Amazon soon. The paperback will be distributed to bookstores by Ingram.

Praise for Cancer Looks Good on You and Barclay Fryery:

“Barclay Fryery is a deeply talented interior designer—and an extraordinary character. His remarkable story of strength and resilience is one you will never forget.” —Margaret Russell, Editor of Galerie magazine and former Editor-in-Chief of Elle Decor and Architectural Digest

“Barclay Fryery made a huge impact on me. In fact, he has made one on everyone who was blessed to know him. Tall and blond, sunglasses, always perfectly tanned and fabulous, he lit up every room he walked into. His taste: impeccable. His humor: biting and witty and always spot on. He taught me how to find my own style and for that, I will be eternally grateful. I love you, big guy.”   —Lara Spencer, co-anchor of Good Morning America, correspondent for Nightline and ABC News, author of I Brake for Yard Sales and Flea Market Fabulous: Designing Gorgeous Rooms with Vintage Treasures

“Barclay is unbelievably talented. He has great taste. He has a great feel for color, for fabric, for any kind of décor. He probably also could have been a fashion designer. He knows exactly what he’s doing, what he’s talking about, what he’s planning, what he’s strategizing and creating at every moment.”  —Tommy Hilfiger, fashion designer

Beautiful Role Model Tyra Banks

It’s Tyra Banks’ 39th birthday today, so at the risk of OD’ing on Tyra (she’s in the previous post too), I’m picking her as an example of the kind of role model you want to emulate. Here’s a little background on what Tyra was up to way before she became the host of America’s Next Top Model.

When Tyra Banks appeared on the cover of my magazine, Tear Sheet, in 1999, she already had an endless list of campaigns, magazine covers, and acting credits, not to mention two appearances in People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” and her own beauty book—all this despite her claim: “People tell you that you have to schmooze. I haven’t schmoozed once and I am doing just fine.” From day one, Banks put being a role model at the top of her agenda. Way back in 1992, she established the Tyra Banks Scholarship for young African-American girls to attend her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. She was spokesperson for the Center for Children and Families in New York. She conceived and hosted KIDSHARE, a holiday gift exchange program for needy children. When we interviewed her, she had just spoken—in fluent Spanish—to more than 3,000 teens at the Gente Nueva (New People) convention in Mexico City, tackling issues related to body image, teen sexuality, and family values.

All that before age 30. Awesome. As for all she has accomplished in her 30s, well, you may have to be superhuman to duplicate that.

The first step to changing the world: Get your face out there and make a name for yourself. Enter the Modeling Mentor Model Search!

Extra tip: If you want to contribute to charities while doing your holiday shopping, sign up for a giveback.org account and download the giveback app. It costs you nothing and part of every purchase you make will go to the charity of your choice!

Read more about Giveback.org here.

When attorney Joan Wharton switched from briefs to boxers, her creativity blossomed, men started looking better in their skivvies, animals were saved, and aspiring models began showing off their dogs.

Huh?

Read my complete article in Westport magazine to find out what I’m talking about.

Then visit charliedog.com, buy a pair of boxers, help an animal, and plan your photo shoot (btw, “Show Off Your Dogs” takes models of all shapes, sizes, and ages. It’s more about the location, eg. check out the dude on Mt. Kilimanjaro!).

Sign Up for Monthly Blog Highlights

Landing a campaign is a big deal for a model, but an even bigger deal for Valentina Guerrero. Swimwear designer Dolores Cortes has named the 10-month-old, who has Down Syndrome, the face of her kids’ collection.

While other models with Down Syndrome have appeared here and there in ads and catalogs, Cortes is a pioneer in giving this young star top billing. Valentina appears on the cover of the catalog and in 2013 DC Kids ads. She even debuted on the runway last week in Cortes’s fashion show in Miami. The Spanish designer comments, “People with Down Syndrome are just as beautiful and deserve the same opportunities. I’m thrilled to have Valentina modeling for us.” Anyone who purchases a cute suit from the DC Kids collection will be supporting kids like Valentina; 10% of profits go to the Down Syndrome Association of Miami.

Back in 2008, when we were living in Spain, my son did a shoot for Gocco, an upscale children’s clothing line. Several children with Down Syndrome were booked for the catalog. In one shot, my five-year-old bounced on a bed with one of these sweet kids. The two had a grand time, giggling away like long-time pals. I could tell that when my son looked at his fellow model, he saw a regular kid, not unlike any of the typical model kids on set—and just as beautiful. If enough people follow Dolores Cortes’s example, perhaps we will all start to see beauty so clearly.

Gocco Catalog

Gocco Catalog

Stay tuned for an update on my kid modeling series and the answer to the question: How much money will your wee one net on a Toys-R-Us booking if Mom gets a parking ticket outside the studio?

The kids decided to set up a lemonade stand. Ordinary enough. Then they decided that rather than take the profits to Toys-R-Us for a shopping spree, they would give the money—all of the money—to the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp (founded by Paul Newman for kids with serious illnesses that prevent them from going to regular camps). After four hot days, and a menu that expanded to include watermelon, banana bread, and water (either w/or without a fresh slice of lemon—their idea), a team of 3- to 10-year-olds raised over $500. They say they aren’t done yet, so I’ll keep you posted on the end-of-summer tally.

Read the story by Dan Woog of Ctnews.com here : This Lemonade Stand Rocks

(Note: I’d say pre-tweens not pre-teens! Plus, lots of kids not pictured helped out.)

Sophie Patitz

We met in Munich 20 years ago, and even then, as a teen, she dreamed of a career helping animals. The money she made modeling (her rate reached $5,000 a day) enabled her to pay for college and take a job that is more about making a difference than making money. Watch this brief BBC report to find out more about International Animal Rescue, where Sophie works. Share the link to this page to raise awareness and help raise funds!

Find out more at internationalanimalrescue.org

Tune in on Monday to hear the talent that model Audi Martel has been keeping from the world!

On my son’s eighth birthday, I set up an account or “foundation” for him on Giveback.org and deposited $100. That money was instantly tax deductible, but my son could choose when and where he would donate the money. (Not exactly the same as choosing which ride to go on next, but Giveback has no lines and offers a life lesson that is more useful than Jedi training.) All charities in the US are linked into Giveback.org. If my son does some chores or gets more birthday money, a portion can go into his foundation. Better yet, if we need to buy a birthday gift for one of his friends, we can shop on Giveback’s portal and the merchants’ (400 of them) will kick back a portion of the purchase price into his foundation. (I noticed that the Disney Mickey’s 1st Birthday Ultimate Party Pack for 16 will yield 5% of the $111 price in do-good money, so there are ways to make Disney about giving.)

Giveback.org is the brainchild of Stephen Paletta, winner of Oprah’s “Big Give” show. Read my interview with him here and find out how he went from construction guy to Oprah mentee and philanthropic innovator.

(And Walt, your utopia is pretty cool too—when it’s overcast, anyway—so I’m just joshing. Sort of.)

See how bullying victim Karen Klein and Giveback.org’s Stephen Paletta have teamed up to promote kindness: Karen Klein Anti-Bullying Foundation