Josh Milko Essay

Josh Milko

To the majority of people, humility, modesty, affability and gentleness are not words we would use to describe models and modeling. Yet Josh Milko says these are the virtues that successful, international models live by. In the cutthroat modeling world, Milko has had to live by these virtues to stand out. To survive and do well in the business, a model has to learn to maintain great relationships with bookers, agencies, and photographers. For the last decade, he has experienced the glamor and the not so glamorous sides of modeling and has been tremendously successful.

Looking at Josh Milko, you can hardly envision the skinny, shy guy he once was. The most straightforward thing to see is the glamor his life attracts today. The 30-year-old

model did not always exude the confidence he does today. He says his self-esteem and confidence grew back in high school when he began playing football and working out.
Then it happened.

At 19 years of age, he was discovered by a scout for models. This happened in Winnipeg Canada as Milko headed home from the grocery store. Josh Milko comes from a small town in Ontario, Canada but had moved to Winnipeg to pursue his dream of becoming a movie producer. After the encounter with the scout for models, Milko decided to try his hand in modeling. He dropped out of school, borrowed plane ticket money from his mother and flew to Toronto to meet with leading modeling agencies there.

The transition was swift and surreal. Josh says the agencies in Toronto could not get enough of

him.
“They were fighting over me. They were calling me saying which one I was gonna go with,” he says.
He ended up signing with Ford models. This was a big deal. It enhanced his confidence and primed him to face the world of modeling he had just been thrust into. While at Ford, an agency from Milan, Italy which was scouting for models got interested in him and convinced him to go with them to Milan. He agreed. Two days later, he was in a plane headed to Italy.
When he landed in Italy, his first engagement was with Giorgio Armani, the renowned fashion designer.

Ten years later, Milko is still modeling. He has achieved a great deal of fame and fortune. He has modeled in Spain, Greece and Germany and is now in Los Angeles working with Ocean Drive, among others. During this year’s Latin America Music Awards, Milko was invited as an internationally acclaimed model to walk the red carpet. All indications are that he is enjoying his stay in Los Angeles.

Some of the runways and fashion shows he has worked for include Ed hardy, Dsquared, and Chanel. The major editorial magazines he’s been in include Italian Vogue, Drive, and Cosmopolitan.

Josh has had his fair share of challenges in the industry. When he arrived in Italy, it quickly dawned on him that he did not know Italian and that it was going to be hard to assimilate without understanding the language. Soon after, he found himself living in the same room with five other Brazilian men. Furthermore, the castings were always intimidating. “You’re going to these castings. You’ve got a bunch of other guys that look just as good as you from all of these countries… you’ve got hundreds of people you’re competing with. The competition is huge,” he says.

He has been told ‘no’ many times, but Josh says his positive outlook has helped him navigate an industry where relentless rejection is the

norm.
“Here’s the way I look at it; every time you’re told ‘no’; it’s one step closer to a yes,” Milko says.
Milko says he eats well because he believes that what you do on the inside does reflect on the outside; that when you eat well and you feel well, you project well for the rest of the world.
Josh says the key to being a successful international model is building and establishing great working relationships with agencies, bookers, photographers, and clients. He also says a great model does not sit around and wait for an opportunity to come to him, he makes it happen. He says a successful model talks to his booking agents to establish the direction his career is taking and what he can do to improve. And when the job finally comes, Josh says you have to be friendly and positive. Josh acknowledges that models are notorious for being late. He says he used to be that way too but learned that unpunctuality is bad for business.
Josh’s mom has played an important role in making sure he stays the course. In times of rebuff and frustration, he would call her and get the affirmation he needed. Now he yearns for using his influence and success to inspire and empower people. He wants to give back to a world he feels has been immeasurably kind to him.