Model of the Week

Meet Valen Custer... From regular girl, to world wide fashion....Valen is living the dream!

Amongst her busy traveling and modeling schedule, we caught up with Valen, read on to hear what she has to say about her experience as a model!

 

 

When did you decide that modeling was something you wanted to pursue? Who/what inspired you to do so?

I started modeling in fall of 2011. Since I was 3 years old and did a little mother daughter fashion show at a local mall, I have always wanted to model. The summer before my freshman year in high school, a Page Parkes scout came up to me at a snow cone stand and asked me if I ever thought about modeling. At the time, I was playing year round volleyball so I did not actually sign with Page Parkes until 2 years later. I was inspired to begin modeling because it was something I always thought was very interesting and different than the normal day-to-day teenager. I have always been, for the most part, comfortable in front of the camera and loved being photographed. A person who inspired me to begin modeling was Tyra Banks on “America’s Next Top Model”. I have watched her and her show for as long as I can remember. She always knew the right moves, angles, and expressions. The biggest reason she inspired me is because she ALWAYS made it clear to follow your dreams and strive for what you wanted, and my dream and what I wanted was to become a Model.

Share your favorite model story of yourself?

My favorite model story of myself was when I was in London I got booked to shoot bathing suits in Whales on Harlech Beach. Whales was so beautiful and green, it reminded me of where princesses would live in all the royal movies. The Harlech beach was gorgeous with blue water, white sand, and mountains surrounding us every which way we looked. I went with one other model from Poland, who was very sweet. We stayed two nights in Whales in our own hotel room with the photographer and his wife across the hallway from us. They treated us for breakfast, lunch, and yummy Welsh dinners. They were both so polite and professional. We got some very beautiful shots during the job.

If you could ask one designer one question – which designer would it be and what question?

I would ask Karl Lagerfeld how old he was when he first designed his infamous “little black dress”. I am obsessed with Channel! Everything is just so classy and elegant.

Where is your favorite place you've traveled since you've started modeling?

My favorite place I have traveled to would be Paris. For me, Paris was love at first sight. It was just amazing and took my breath away. It was neat as I was going from casting to casting or job to job, to see all the old beautifully architect of the buildings and amazing surroundings.

What made you most nervous?

When I traveled to Europe I got most nervous about being on time for all my jobs/castings. I always depended on my phone’s map to tell me which train/tube/metro to take and how long it would take. We all know nothing is usually ever on time. So, I would make sure to leave 30-45 minutes plus the time my phone/computer said it would take, earlier than the call time. After being in Europe for a few months, I finally got much better at using a paper map which saved me a few times when I would have no wifi or when my phone was dead.

What makes you most excited?

I have two things that make me most excited. One of them is traveling around the world and experiencing different cities and countries. It gives me such a thrill to see other cultures and people’s day-to-day lives. It was so awesome to meet people I worked with who would come from all different parts of the world. The second thing that is exciting is when an email, that has to do with modeling, pops up on my screen. The modeling industry is SO unpredictable; you never know what will happen next. So, it’s always a pleasant surprise when I get an email that is informing me of a cool casting, nice comments from my agents, job I booked, pictures from a past shoot, which city I am going to live in next, or what agency wants to sign me from a different market. They are all just another exciting part of my life and career as a model.

How has attending model camp and becoming a model changed your life?

Attending model camp and becoming a model has changed my life drastically but in a very good way. When I attended modeling camp, October 2011, I was SO excited. Dan Carter was the photographer for my group. He and everyone in the team made me feel very comfortable and told me to take risks. From that day on, I just fell in love with modeling and knew I wanted to do this career. Model camp was a great experience for a beginner to learn different posing, expressions, and catwalk. Overall, becoming a model and traveling for work is a dream come true.  I couldn’t possibly imagine not doing the job I do that I love so much. All in all, I am so thankful to my Page Parkes family for giving me this amazing opportunity to follow my dream. They are a wonderful agency and have supported and encouraged me every step of the way. I could have never done this without them, I am so blessed!!!

If you're interested in becoming a model or an actor, please contact us at getdiscovered@pageparkes.com