Edward:  Hello Anderson, tell Connex247 readers about yourself. What are your personal and professional  interests?

Anderson: Well I am mostly a enthusiastic person, always on the move, I love life and  experiencing new things. I guess that's why i love modeling so much because you get to travel to places and meet so many people, which in turn helps to  expose you to different things.  I am a ham for cartoons, lol, I love The  Avatar, Ben 10,etc.  I like the lighter side of things, sometimes i take myself too seriously, so it helps to have an interest that keeps you feeling like a kid at heart. I am a singer and was doing that before modeling.  I have somewhat put it to the side for now, but will get back into it at some point, because it is part of me.  I grew up in a musical family, so I now I will have to face it again at some point.

Professionally I want World Domination, hahaha, not to shabby a dream, for a kid that was born in the tiny West Indian Island of Dominica.  Such a beautiful "rich" country of rain forests, wildlife, rivers, lakes and waterfalls. It is truly a  paradise.  Traveled a bit when I was a kid, and ended up in England, and then Long Island, NY.

Edward: How did you decide to become a model and what do you think about male  modeling world?

Anderson: Hmm, well I guess the whole thing starts with Mothers right? lol.. My mom  had been at me to do it for such a long time.  But i was dealing with  adjusting to a new place, people and school, plus not to mention, my self esteem was not so great, so, I just concentrated on Track and Field and  school really. But after hearing that I needed to try from family, friends, complete strangers, I decided to take an interest in seeing how it could  work out for me.  And plus I am a business minded individual so I was also  concerned on how I could make money from this because it is a job, or work.

I started going around to castings for agencies, and seeing who would take  me. And I ended up being taken by a small agency in NYC, but that didn't  last too long, and it happened that I stumbled onto the site of my current  Mother agency In Holland Tony Jones Models. So I sent in a few pictures and  he called right away and said that he was interested.  We met at a  Starbucks in manhattan once he arrived in NYC, and he took a look at my book  and he said that he would be willing to work with me. And the rest as you say is history...

The male modeling world is a very curious one,  I am still learning more and more, as i go along.  But it can be quite difficult at times.  You have to have a thick skin to be a male model,  also very street smart and wise. Because there are always people who will take advantage of a naive model.

Edward: And how´s this market for black models? Do you think it´s more difficult to find nice booking contracts?

Anderson:  Urgh! thats another thing, as black models, people don't seem to understand,  that it can be so difficult.  When you walk into Agencies and you see 50 or more white male models on the board and only 2 black ones. It gives you an  idea of what your dealing with.  A lot of agents say that they have to provide for the demand but the fact is that it is not only demand but also a bias. Change only happens when people admit there is a problem, instead of trying to dismiss it, as not important.  And standing up for equality for all.

Edward:  Are you into sports? What´s your secret to be in good shape?

Anderson: Yeah, I love certain sports, like Track & Field and  Futbol/Soccer. Well I  love to jog, and so i try to do that at least every day or some type of cardio exercise.

Edward:  How do you rate beauty and elegance for your life? Do you think these attributes help a person to be well successful in a career?

Anderson:  Well in my personal life I feel that these things are essential but not  necessary professionally. Because professionally a person can succeed with the right tools, or contacts sometimes without "beauty" per se.  There are many models that are not beautiful in the social sense of the word, but they fair well in the industry because their look is unique.

Edward: Just imagine you are with a foreign friend and you´d really like to  show them some real nice and fantastic places in your city.  Which places would you recommend and why?

Anderson:  Hmm, thats a bit difficult, because I live in NYC, the entire city is  fantastic. The difference in ethnicities, culture, food, and personalities, are I think the essence of why people come to this city every year.  I guess i would take the person to Soho/Noho, which is the cool downtown hip shopping areas. The east village because its young and fresh with a lot of artistic young people making their way through life. The chelsea Piers because, you can see the Hudson River and look across at the shore line to NJ and Hoboken NJ.  Also uptown to Harlem to show the difference in African american culture, society and foods.  The outer boroughs would be cool also like the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island and Staten Island because it  is good to see the suburbs.

Edward:  I have some quick questions that Connex readers would like to know about you. Please, answer them and tell us why.

Anderson:
Eating: Fish or meat?  Both, because i love the taste of both.

Vacation: Beach or the mountains? Definitely.. Beaches, the sun, sand and water with a peanut colada, in one and and laying in a hammock under a palm tree is heaven.

Fashion campaign: clothed or underwear? Hmm, I think either, having a billboard for all the world to see in your underwear is the ultimate ego trip, and then having one with clothes, there's more to work with also..

Movies: Action film or romantic ones? Well i love Sci-fi movies with Action, but a cool romantic comedy can be great.

Dating: Ask or get asked? Mostly get asked.

Place to make love: at home, in the middle of a crowd, in a party or on a paradisiac island? On a paradisiac Island, its more romantic.

Sports: Group or individual ones? Group sports give you the support that you need sometimes, so i guess i would prefer that..

Music: Rock or classical? Rock baby yeah!!! I just love it, and it sounds cool.

Way of travel: by train, plane, ship or bike? Plane , just because you get there faster, I am a bit impatient when I Travel I like to get there quickly.

Best season: spring, summer , autumn or winter? Spring, because everything is fresh, the flowers are blooming, the baby squirrels  come out of their trees. Nature has just awaken after a long sleep. Very beautiful.

Politics: Republican or Democrats? DEMOCRAT!!!!!!!  We've seen what the Republicans have done in office. Nuff said.

Edward:  Now Andy, tell us and specially to the photographers, fashion designers and managers why you are their best option for the next fashion campaign

Anderson:  Well I can say that I am professional at what I do. This is a Job and I am respectful of my Clients, I am punctual,cooperative, and easy to work with.  love this industry and coming up with new fresh ideas, makes doing this all the more enjoyable.

The half faced head shot in the suit, was taken by Michael Rowe Photography (www.michaelrowephotography.com)

The Black and White pic with the hair, was taken by Peter Hurley www.peterhurley.com

Photos provided by Anderson Robin. Copyright 2006

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