Perth model taking Singapore by storm
After five years spent writing essays, sitting in lectures and walking the corridors of the University of WA, [|Edward Russell] wanted a different kind of adventure.
He had a bachelor of arts, bachelor of commerce and a first class honours degree under his belt but, admittedly, still did not know quite what to do with himself.
So the now-25-year-old took a leap of faith in late 2012 and flew to Singapore to take up a job offer that couldn’t be more far removed from his academic career — modelling.
“After finishing (my honours) I still had no idea what I wanted to do but I did know that I wanted to stop writing essays for a bit and see what else the world had to offer,” Russell, who hails fromCity Beach , explained toAAA .
“Singapore’s a place I often visited on holiday and there had always been interest from modelling agencies but I was never in a position to accept them. Finally, with no studies holding me back and wanting to travel, I decided to grasp the opportunity with both hands and just see what would happen.”
More than two years on and the risk has paid off for Russell.
He moved to Singapore full-time last year after being flooded with bookings throughout Asia, including TV commercials, editorials and even a runway show for Chanel.
He has also made the foray into TV presenting and acting, filming comedy, drama and music series all within the past few months, and will soon begin production on a program that will showcase new gadgets, bespoke barber shops and other features relevant to the modern man.
Russell, who is of Singaporean and English ancestry, said the diversity of his projects kept him on his toes.
“I’m someone who tends to get bored pretty easily, so the fact that I can go from filming an episode of a TV drama to interviewing the managing director of Google South- East Asia to shooting a new clothing campaign from one day to the next is pretty fantastic,” he said.
On the back of all this work, Russell was recently named one of Cleo Singapore’s 50 Most Eligible Bachelors, something he said was equal parts humbling and embarrassing.
“I was worried that it could involve a lot of Magic Mike-style topless cavorting but so far my shirt has remained firmly on which, believe me, is a relief for everyone,” he quipped.
While Russell has now firmly settled into life in Singapore, he still finds time to regularly return to [|WA ] and was home recently for the festive season.
He said he felt lucky to have so much support from his [|Perth ] -based family.
“My family is definitely supportive of my career and I’m really fortunate that my parents have always backed what I’ve wanted to do, even if so far it hasn’t involved using any of the three degrees that I spent six years studying at uni,” Russell said.
