Joel Mcmillan

Biography

Some models have the low key approach to modeling, treating it as a job, instead of a career. Never being drawn into the glamour and frenzy of modeling, Joel McMillan has reached the highest level of success in modeling business. He has walked the runways in the capitals of the world, and posed before the cameras of Bruce Weber, Mario Testino, Steven Klein and Steven Meisel. A proud Canadian from the great Prairies, Joel McMillan is a combination of a wild child and the sophistication of a gentleman, of which has been most sought after by some of the biggest designers and fashion houses, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Valentino, Zegna, Samsonite, V2, Abercrombie & Fitch, and numerous others.

Born in Hilton, a small town in Alberta Canada, Joel McMillan grew up with a younger brother and sister. At the age of eight, Joel and his family moved to Calgary (the biggest city in Alberta), where he excelled in different sports, and his athleticism flourished in his early age, especially in soccer and basketball. After finishing high school, Joel went to university for one year. While he was taking the time off from school, Joel worked as a waiter in a restaurant to pay for his training to become an aviation pilot. But it seems like destiny that had decided a very different future for Joel in a very dramatic way.

The most unlikely experience on the job happened, when one of his customers, a talent scout Dionne Williams proposed the idea of being a model to Joel. With doubts of the sincerity of the proposal and the his attitude towards modeling, the young aspiring pilot rejected the offer. However Joel's potential propels Dionne Williams' return to the restaurant three months later with a photographer being ready to take his pictures. After some background checking and the financial incentive offered by Dionne Williams to pay off his student loans, Joel finally agreed to have his photos taken.

The snapshots were sent to New York agency Boss Models. The people who are in charge in the agency immediately realized that Joel is a hot commodity not to be missed, and offered him a free plane ticket to meet in New York. Initially planning to stay for just one week for the experience, Joel ended up taking a permanent residence in the Big Apple, and started pursuing the other chapter of his life.

First time living in New York City can be a little challenging, Joel had a hard to time to get used to the new environment. He didn't really enjoy the tall buildings and the city lights. "I'm used to seeing the horizon," he says. Though he rented a New Jersey apartment, after two months he ditched the big city and headed for the horizon.

Joel's modeling experience in the first seven months was not going smoothly either, he was only able to received a small number of works, among which the shoot for Abercrombie & Fitch catalog shot by Bruce Weber was the most notable one. Finally, Joel's long wait was over in November of 1999. He was selected to carry out the spring advertising campaign for Valentino, which was schedueled to be shot by the prestigious photographer Steven Meisel.

In January 2000, Joel's career officially took off when he starred in the Valentino campaign. With this single assignment, Joel raised many interest from fashion observers and image makers around the world and became one of the most demanded models ever since. "When I first dame to New York last year, it was like, 'Wow, could you imagine being on a billboard?'" Now, among other things, he has done CK Jeans and the Ralph Lauren campaigns several times each. He is the face selling Lauren's new fragrance, Ralph.

"Don't laugh," he warns. It turns out he a little embarrassed to be perceived as heartthrob by the perfume's teenage audience. Despite his glamorous occupation, he remains a boy from the Canadian prairies. "The people who I'm use to being friends with never do the same things as my friends in New York," he says wistfully. "I gave up a lot to be here." In general, he avoids the nightlife: "I only go out when I'm forced to."

Being one of the premier male models in the industry, Joel has worked with many top female models. And Joel is clear-eyed about the pitfalls of his career: "Male modeling is a joke. We're small cookies compared to the women. I was talking to one model I was working with about finding a place to live. And then I overheard her talking about her price range $3 million to $5 million. And I thought, 'Uh-oh.'"

On average, a guy makes $250,000 a year, just a third what girls make. Though a top female model can pull in $5 million annually, the most recognized male model, Marcus Schenkenberg, just topped the $1 million mark, which perhaps explains why the guys and girls in the business don't hang out together or date each other as much as a lot of people think. Joel chuckles, "It's part of the reason why I don't date them, to tell you the truth," he says. "It's hard to impress the girls."

Joel may not be stipulated by modeling, but his success in the modeling business expanded a deeper definition of male beauty. A sense of moral outrage and a relentless pursuit of truth are represented through his works in many different ways. Including the usual advertising campaigns and runway shows, Joel McMillan has appeared in various editorials from Upstreet to GQ, to Vogue. He simply possess the most desired flesh in the fashion industry that drove designers to go back for more.