(BB): Let’s begin with you telling our viewers a little about yourself.
(JS): Well to know about me means you have to know how I am as a person. I have a rule: “If you can’t laugh about it, it’s not worth it!” So when you realize that’s how I am then you will see that I take life with a grain of salt, but I realize that if you’re doing something that doesn’t make you happy then don’t do it. I am basically your simple Midwest small town boy from St. Louis. Grew up next to a quarry and played in the woods. But I always loved staying in shape even as a child. My admiration for staying healthy was only a hobby as a child but it has developed into a career and well I wouldn’t say obsession, but a passionate life long commitment I don’t take lightly.
(BB): What has been your stepping stone to get where you are today?
(JS): Well I actually owe most of my gratitude to MySpace and modelmayhem, because honestly without those two sites well I wouldn’t have been able to get noticed and have a large network and portfolio to show the world. It’s taken 7 yrs of shooting and working out to finally get noticed by such a great photographer as John Mitchell to get to shoot for this wonderful opportunity.
(BB): What has it been like to maintain your physique? Have you done anything different lately?
(JS): It’s been rough. I will say having a high metabolism is a B*tch! Mainly because well I can’t gain weight unless I take creatine or protein supplements and well that factor actually is probably why I eat mostly whatever I want. Lately I actually have done a lot differently. Seeing most of the men I shot with this past weekend I realized yea dieting will definitely make me a lot more where I wanna be and yea if I’m this cut without dieting WHOA lookout!
(BB): Where do you reside now?
(JS): I would like to say I reside in sunny California but hey I keep it simple. I live in St. Louis. It’s an easy and fun place to live. Everything is really close by and the people are real too.
(BB): Have you ever played any type of sports or activities?
(JS): Wow, have I? I have played quite a few sports. During HS I played Football for 4 yrs. I did wrestling for 4 yrs as well. I also did 1 yr of track and 2 yrs of boxing outside of school. I was what you call and “active” child. So yea I kept busy. In the Navy, I was selected for the All-Navy Wrestling team in San Diego in 2004. What an experience.
(BB): What has modeling taught you thus far?
(JS): I would love for this to be a rhetorical question but yea I would have to say its taught me that most people are full of BS, but the one’s that aren’t will help you attain your dreams and are right there with you when it comes to support and enthusiasm, like John Mitchell. Modeling has also taught me that no matter what you can’t satisfy everyone, but as long as you’re happy and you do what you love then no one should stop you from achieving your dreams.
(BB): What was the hardest thing for you to overcome when you first started?
(JS): Simply put…. Getting noticed. I mean I get told I’m good looking but seriously I think the fact that I’m so humble is that is hard to think that someone was serious when they said I could be a model, or do underwear ads, and fitness modeling. But once I got going, the confidence went thru the roof and well frankly I love working the camera. It’s my way of life now.
(BB): What was the hardest thing you had to deal with when it came to your diet?
(JS): To be honest, I don’t diet. I hate diets, and with my pickiness I really can’t diet like most models because I just don’t like a lot of food. But yea now that I am going to have to suck it up and really buckle down and start one, well yea probably learning to like new food will be the hardest thing.
(BB): What are the key factors that dictate the way you model today?
(JS): Being me! Being me is what got me here, and being the laid back, funny guy that loves to make people smile. I have to learn to pose certain ways according to certain photographers but yea working with John was a breeze.
(BB): What titles/accomplishments have you thus far? Tell me about them.
(JS): Well I can happily say I am All-Natural and completely happy with that. I also have served my country in the US Navy. Being in the Navy wasn’t what I hoped but it did teach me quite a lot about discipline and self respect. I haven’t don’t much yet in this world, but other than the Navy I would say being a stuntman in movies and modeling and acting truly is a life long passion and dream I plan to continue pursuing.
(BB): Where do you see your career and life in 10 years from now?
(JS): Well I can see myself in quite a few places in 10 yrs but frankly I plan on doing movies full time and being a personal trainer and modeling as well. I also plan on being married to the woman of my dreams, and having a family and being a wonderful father. I never had a father figure role model and I wanna be a great one for my children.
(BB): What supplements do you currently take?
(JS): Supplements are a great way for me to help out when it comes to gaining weight but also cutting the fat. I take Cell-Tech to help with the weight gain part. People say it has too much sugar but since sugar isn’t really part of my daily diet, it’s really not hurting. I recently started taking Arson, which is a Pro-Competition Strength Fat Burner. Taraxatone is a new supplement I also started and they both have been working wonderfully. So yea weight gainer and fat burner. Now just got to diet.
(BB): What do you consider to be important in life, and why?
(JS): I consider family, and good support groups are 2 important things in life, but also laughter. Having a family there for you cheering you on is a very good thing to have, and also having friends to give you that constructive criticism we all need to keep a level head. I don’t have really either one of those so it’s a little bit tougher to be able to find a self driving motivator, but what I use is basically an internal goal building emotional platform for support. I visualize my goals and push myself to do whatever it takes to reach those goals.
(BB): Give me an example of your diet. What do you normally eat each day?
(JS): Well usually in the morning I tend to eat whatever I want. Either a bowl of cereal or I make oatmeal, with eggs and some orange juice. During lunch I make a turkey sandwich, with some grains. Then for dinner I usually have either some boneless skinless chicken that I sauté in a pan along with some sautéed green beans then some pasta or rice. Late night when I’m trying to put on weight I will have a big serving of protein either a bar or shake. When I’m cutting I just have a glass of wine and do some cardio late night before bed.
(BB): Could you tell me about your future projects?
(JS): Well currently I am prepping with my trainer for a cage fight here in St. Louis. I do MMA cage fighting for Cage of Fury for Terry Madden. I also am going to be going out to LA in 2 wks to shoot for the cover of a magazine and auditioning for a couple new Hollywood movies coming out soon next year or 2011. Hopefully I can make those. But my main focus is something I just got invited to coming up in October. It’s the St. Louis Gateway Naturals Bodybuilding Extreme Fit Competition. All in all, I look forward to all things coming my way in 2009, and I hope to keep progressing for years to come.
Experience working with John Mitchell:
Wow. Experience working with John Mitchell. Well to say the least he is a great guy personally. He is an awesome host when it comes to shoots, and takes care of his models really well. He is very professional and keeps the motivation in the shoots going and very full with positive energy. Before the shoot I did a little body analysis with him and his constructive criticism was very well taken in. I like being able to have someone tell me what I need to work on other than my own. So it was a good confidence builder as well as a different angle of how someone sees my physique. John Mitchell was a great photographer and I would love to work with him very soon in the future.
