Today we’d like to introduce you to Hope Cloutman.
Hope, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a model and an actress. I been modeling now since I was nine years old. It all just kind of happened one day while my mom and I were walking around the mall and I kept seeing signs for the Mall Model search. I wanted to do it but my mom was skeptic. She ended up putting me in though and I won the whole thing. There were a lot of people who had been entered too. Those who won, and been selected got modeling contracts. We took those to more local agencies and that its how it all got started.
I started off at Page Parkes. I took many classes and did different things, then I ended up going to TL Modeling Agency and they hooked me up with the best photographer ever (still use her today and we do many projects and shoots) Anthem in Art Photography; Jenna Barrett. I started doing even more classes and modeling then started doing some acting courses. I started getting published, started doing Fashion shows, started to shoots that were not just for us. I actually started working. I would do charity events like the Child Model Calendar and Fashion Shows and I did a huge Fashion Show for Anti-Bullying in San Antonio. I have traveled to Austin, Houston, San Antonio, DFW area and even to New York. I been published in numerous magazines and started acting.
Acting is so much fun, you get to be someone your not. I been an extra on films, short films, I participate in the $8 Hour Film Project (three years now) in Houston because they are so much fun. I have IMDb credit for two short films. I am currently work with someone for a demo reel so I can add that to my arsenal (portfolio). In the meantime, I just try to find roles I am right for, I keep up with the latest fashion trends and I keep up with my school work since I am only a junior in high school. I hope to one day move to the Houston area and make it my home, I want to continue to model and act and go to college as well. I would love to do maybe go into photography or maybe forensics. Either way, the world is at my fingertips and I can’t wait to experience it.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I wouldn’t say the road is smooth sailing, but it is a road as far what the question is asking. I would say I feel good where I am at. I have some great friends in modeling and acting and some of them hit up every audition, everywhere, as far as their parents, they are lucky because they get one of their parents to run them to their auditions and gigs that they get all the time. Also, living close help. I also have some friends that never get to do anything, and that only get to do very little. I feel lucky because I get to do so much. I don’t get to do it all, but I do what I can which is good enough for me.
As far as obstacles & challenges in the modeling & acting career… yes, there are a few. We live in a more rural area so sometimes roles (acting) will just pop up or require you to be there in a couple of hours… that is how far away they could be from me at that moment in time so sometimes the “perfect role” is too good to be true. On the same note, my mom has done so much for me, she is my world and my rock. There have been so many sacrifices she has made for me to do the things that I do. She is a teacher, and when roles come up and they need you right then and there, in the middle of the week or the next day (school day I might add), it is hard for me to take roles that are next day like that, no matter how great they are. I am also studying and learning about the industry (of modeling and acting) so I know more about what I am, myself, getting into. That’s all anyone can really do to get ahead so there are less obstacles and challenges in the future.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I have learned many things about the modeling industry in general, the “do’s and don’ts” so to speak. I have learned about agencies (modeling) and how they operate. I learned about the film industry and acting and the knowledge is just growing with this one. I keep learning more and more everyday, it is so amazing everything the is to know about modeling and acting.
However, there are many scams out there and to not be fooled, having the knowledge of the industry is key so that you’re not fooled by any scams that may breeze by your way. One thing I have learned in the modeling industry is this: “Pay to Play?? Stay away” However, it is questionable. To model, you must pay for your headshots and there is not a lot of money in modeling as it is. Same thing goes for film/ acting. Unless you hit it big, it is not a lot of money being paid out. I have learned that some agencies are schools, and some are both, some are legit, and some are scams. You must do research on the place you’re looking at to be sure it is what you want or where you want to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.tlmodelingagency.com/portfolio-view/hope/
- Instagram: @hopechanti
- Facebook: @hopecloutman
Image Credit:
Anthem in Art Photography, Jenna Barrett
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