When Alden Mueller saw the Facebook post about a search for Top Model Search Canada, the 19-year-old Lawlor Jewelry employee knew he wanted to sign up for the Calgary casting call.
Twenty-one-year-old Michaela Fisher was tagged in the same post, and though she’d never before done any modelling, she decided to make the trip to Calgary to throw her name into the casting call hat.
While Mueller, who has an agent for both modelling and acting work, is no stranger to the brusque casting call, Fisher was completely new and was taken a bit off guard by the process.
“It was short and sweet,” she said. “About 60 seconds. They take your measurements and a photo.”
The agents hosting the shoot told Fisher that she would need to lose weight if she wanted to be considered, something that took the slender Stettler resident off-guard.
“I was a little perturbed,” she said, noting her job with Skaley Landscaping keeps her fit. “I’ve always been a bit slender. But there’s always room for improvement.”
Even Mueller got feedback — he should hit the gym more often.
Given the feedback they both received from the people behind the casting call, neither were really expecting the call-back to head to Toronto for the next stage of the contest.
“I heard back about a week later,” Fisher said. “I was absolutely surprised. And very excited. My whole family is very excited and very supportive.”
Mueller is looking forward to the trip, a return to Toronto. For him, it’s not just the modelling or the different competitions, but the seminars and learning opportunities for someone who’s wanted to pursue this path for years.
“I’m looking forward to the seminars that teach about the industry,” he said. “What to expect, how to present your portfolio, how to stand and walk, that sort of thing.”
Though he’s been to casting calls in the past, he admits he’s “pretty nervous” about this one.
Both Mueller and Fisher head out this weekend, with the model search activities starting on Sunday, Aug. 14.