James:  I grew up in a very small city called New Paris in the Midwest state known as Indiana.  My zip code holds a population of about 3500 people, and no I’m not missing any numbers there.  In my city we have “a” flashing red stop light that really isn’t needed at all other than to charge us more tax dollars.  So that should give you a pretty good idea of how small the city is that I grew up in. 

I went to a very small highschool called Fairfield High School where I graduated with a class of about 100 students in 1999.  Most people that went to my school were farmers, so it wasn’t uncommon to have a Spirit Day for Homecoming where everyone would drive their tractors/combines to school. 

Fairfield is also known for having Amish students, so it isn’t uncommon to see lots of horses and buggies holding up traffic on the county roads.

I grew up with three older sisters and some incredible parents and grandparents.  My family is known for being very supportive and they lead by example.  We are a very strong Christian family and I couldn’t be happier about that as that has made me who I am today.  My parents have been married for over 30 years and my grandparents are still married also.  That is incredible to me and a great example has been set just through that act alone.  My three older sisters are married now also and two of them have blessed me with nieces and nephews.

Now to tell you a little bit more about who I was growing up.  I began running when I was in the 3rd grade because my older sisters were cross-country runners and I always looked up to them and seemed to copy whatever they did.  That turned into a sport that I was competitive in all the way up through high school.  I was also active in other sports.  In junior high I was also active in: wrestling, basketball, and track.  I continued to be active in basketball and track for a few of my early years in high school, however, cross country was the only one that stuck with me until I graduated. 

So, being a cross country runner kept me super skinny and being from the Midwest kept me very pale.  In other words, I was the scrawny pale kid walking around at my high school and I wasn’t necessarily part of the popular crowd.

College was my chance to redeem myself, so I started college with a mission to begin making a name for myself.  While in college I had friends from all walks of life.  I was a leader of a Christian organization called Campus Crusade for Christ for my first three years of college.  Then my last two years of college I was a member of the Indiana State Cheer Team as a stunter.  I was very active in bodybuilding and ended up participating in two bodybuilding competitions. 

I won the Mr. Wabash bodybuilding competition and the Mr. Indiana State University bodybuilding competition.  I then moved on to graduate ISU in 2005 with a 3.5 GPA and had a degree with a major in Elementary Education and a minor in Physical Education.

Edward:  You ve such a amazing portfolio. How, when and why you decided to become a model. How did this vocation arise? 

James:  As a child I was known for modeling for the camera.  I always had to strike some kind of an impressive pose for the camera.  I was also the kid that was always doing something goofy for the video camera, whether that be making a face, dancing, telling a joke, or quoting a movie.  So, I believe that I was destined to be an actor and a model.  It just isn’t usually likely that someone from Midwest will move away from their comfort zone to do such a thing.

My decision to move to the West Coast came when I began bodybuilding in college 5 years ago.  As I mentioned before I was the scrawny pale kid in high school.  I graduated high school at about 5’8” and weighed about 145 pounds.  So, when I began lifting weights I found that I had great genetics to put on muscle, which is why I hit the gym so hard and got into bodybuilding competitions.  I realized that I had found something else in life that I could dedicate myself to and have a passion for, so I dedicated myself to the gym and have been doing so every since.

So, now to tie things up and finally answer your question.  My decision to model came as a result of one of my bodybuilding shows.  A photographer came up to me after the bodybuilding show and told me that I had a great look and that he would like to do a photo shoot with me and that he would pay me to do so.  I ended up shooting with him later that week and we came up with what I considered to be great photos at the time. 

I look back at the pictures and laugh now because they really aren’t that great.  Plus, I remember how nervous I was in front of the camera and I didn’t seem to know what to do or how to pose.  It was a really funny shoot that I have to say I will never regret, because that shoot brought me to the West Coast to become the model that I am today.
 

Edward:  What’s fame and success for you? 

James:  What is fame and success to me?  Well, all I focus on is my goals and as a result of attaining the goals I know that fame and success will be the reward.  My goal is to be “THE” top fitness model in the industry.  I plan to make the covers of all of the fitness magazines and be seen as spokes model for several more fitness machines.

I would also like to work into the acting field as a long term goal.  Fame is that result that you get which reinforces the fact that you are doing a good job at attaining your goals and you are creating a following that appreciates it.

Fame lets you know that you are on the right track and it encourages you to keep pushing forward and set higher goals to be the best.  Success one the other hand is a little bit deeper.  Fame is a form of success to some people.  However, getting married and starting a healthy family is also success.  To prove your success you have to be able to pass it on to others, especially your children.

The most important thing in my life is my faith and belief in God (Jesus Christ) because that is something that has stuck with me throughout my whole life.  Plus, He has given me the looks and the talent to do what I do today in the industry.  Next would be my family as they are and always have been very supportive for me in whatever I do.  The have always been very loving, caring and trusting and I know that I can always count on them.  Third would have to be my friends, especially the ones that are located out here in California, because they are very supportive too. 

A few of these friends will always go the extra mile for me whether it means dropping what they are doing, losing sleep or whatever the case is, they are always there for me.  Fourth are all others that believe in me, which would be my fans and people that have already worked with me and given me the chance to prove myself. Fifth and final is my car, LOL.  That is what gets me from point a to b.  If I couldn’t get to gigs I would be in completely different situation today.

Edward:  What do you think about modeling world? Do you think it’s glamorous?  Tell us about some of your projects in TV Ads and magazines

James:  I honestly love the modeling world and have not really had many problems in the industry.  I have a passion for what I do so nothing will stray me away as I am living my dreams.  Sure, people steal your pictures from sites and put them on sites that you would prefer not to have them on, but that is just a sign that you are making it in the industry.  If no one cared about you then why would they bother to steal your pictures?  Is the industry glamorous?  Well, I can honestly say that I really love it.  I have had people talk bad about me and try to start rumors.

Again, the way I look at this is in the same way I look at people stealing my pictures.  They talk bad and start rumors because they see you to be a threat or a challenge.  I will start to worry when the rumors and talking stop as that could mean that you have become a “has been.”  Most people in the industry would look at it and say that it isn’t glamorous and that it is a dog eat dog world.  I can see that, however, I always try to look at the positive and see what I can do to help make the industry a better place to be.

Since I began modeling I have been a part of several great TV Ads.  My first commercial was a cell phone commercial for Bulletproof Productions and it went nationwide.  That was pretty neat, because I had friends calling me from the Midwest flipping out because they saw me on television.  Shortly after that I participated in a commercial for the Ivy Hotel in San Diego and shortly after that I did a commercial for the Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel in San Diego.

I made an appearance on the reality show Sunset Tan and that was another television appearance that caused all of my friends from the Midwest to call me.  I was an on camera host for a Mini Cooper VIP event at Universal Studios.  I had a lot of fun with that as I joked around a lot on camera and had fun interviewing the individuals that were at the event.  One of my favorite reels was a commercial that I did for Yokohama tires.  It was a blast though, not only because I was driving a fast beefed up BMW, but because I was up in the mountains taking hairpin turns at insane speeds to show how well the tires stick to the road.  It was so neat and now I can put stunt driving on my resume, LOL.

Aside from the TV ads I have also been involved in a few magazines and lots of fun print work.  My biggest magazine ad was back in September as I was on the cover of Exercise for Men Only and they also gave me a center fold layout poster.  I was so honored and flattered that they liked me enough to do that and I give a lot of credit to the great photographer that shot me for the magazine, Ken Sergi.  We had a great time shooting for that magazine and we ended up with several great shots.

I was also in the December issue of Men’s Exercise in three different sections, which happened to be on the shelf at the same time as my Exercise for Men Only magazine, and Ken Sergie shot me for that one also.  Other than that I was in the July issue of Pacific Beach magazine.  I was also in the September issue of Dune Magazine for a hiking shoot in Palm Springs and that pretty much ties up the magazine appearances.  I plan to see many more magazines in the near future.

Edward:  James thanks so much for sharing your story with us. Final thoughts.

James:  Well, I have always set my goals very high and in 2008 I hope to knock several of them out one at a time.  I plan on making the covers of several fitness magazines and working into some high fashion campaigns as well.  I hope to get my feet more wet in the acting field also.

I would like to thank my family, friends and especially my fans for all of your support.  Without your support I wouldn’t be where I’m at today.  Thanks to Connex247 for the opportunity to interview with you.

Full name: James W. Ellis III
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Yahoo group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jameswellis/

My space
http://www.myspace.com/jwmodel3

THIS IS PART ONE OF THE MAJOR INTERVIEW WITH JAMES!!! STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO!!