His teammates call him “Pretty Tony.”
As skilled as Aurora University basketball student-athlete Tony Carson Jr. is on the hardwood, they aren’t talking about his game. Rather it’s Carson’s off-the-court pursuit of a modeling career that has caught their attention.
“When I was growing up, people would say I should get into modeling. I just laughed it off,” he said.
But Carson isn’t laughing now. Nearly two years ago, he responded to a radio ad about a model search. After researching the company sponsoring the search, he attended a convention at which representatives from multiple modeling agencies were on hand. Carson interviewed with several, and while he earned offers from organizations based in New York, he opted to sign with Chicago-based BMG in part because of the city’s proximity to the Aurora campus.
Since then, the senior guard has been balancing school and basketball along with answering casting calls for assignments that include print advertising, runway projects, commercials, films and music videos. Carson estimates that he collars a casting call about once every other week. He has earned about six or seven bookings so far.
Carson admits it can be a challenge to meet the demands for school, athletics and a budding modeling career, especially when many times he receives casting calls on extremely short notice. For instance, he once answered a call for a Famous Footwear commercial after receiving notice the night before. However, modeling takes third place behind academic and athletics endeavors.
“They can conflict, but it’s all about managing your time,” Carson said. “Last year, we were playing our rival, Benedictine University (Illinois), and I was supposed to do a fashion show. I ended up playing in the basketball game instead of going to the fashion show.”
Although he is relatively new to the business, Carson has learned other lessons beyond the importance of managing his time wisely. For instance, when he first began modeling. he expected to immediately begin making money and experiencing success.
“When you go out for castings, you have to have a lot of energy because sometimes it’s not about your looks, it’s about your personality. You have to be patient and be able to accept not getting the job that you go for,” he said. “The difficult thing is not getting that call-back. You think you did good and you’re sitting there waiting for the call to hear you got the job — and that’s not always the case.”
However, when the news is positive, the length of an assignment could vary. In one instance, Carson wrapped up his part in just an hour, and in another, the photo shoot lasted several hours. Other assignments could span days at a time and involve traveling, although Carson hasn’t had an opportunity to accept such a job, yet.
For the foreseeable future, though, Carson is committed to pursuing modeling and possibly acting. Along the way, besides the training he received at the initial convention he attended, Carson’s agency has been coaching him through each interview, offering instruction on every detail, including how he should dress. He also keeps in touch with the agency’s owner through weekly talks.
Despite being tagged as “pretty” by his teammates, Carson doesn’t mind the light ribbing.
“They joke around, but nothing too serious. It’s always just having a good time,” he said. “My team is full of characters. We make cracks about everybody, so of course I’m going to get mine, too.”
Perhaps it’s easy for Carson to brush aside the jokes and the sometimes hectic schedule because he’s having a good time.
“Most of the photographers I’ve dealt with have been funny people. They get me going and it makes my job very easy,” he said. “It’s just having fun. You just go in, smile and have a good time.”
Carson is on pace to complete a degree in communications with a minor in business from Aurora. As part of his long-range plans, Carson is considering a career in broadcasting, advertising, marketing or sales.
