Friday, January 23, 2009

SuperELITE Model Spotlight: An Interview with Cooa Spyker

Recently I got the opportunity to sit down with Cooa Spyker as she was on her lunch break from her RL work, the following is an insight into another of SuperELITE’s Alumni success stories.

Tiara Calvert: Can you tell me how you came to be in SL?

Cooa Spyker: Well I have participated in online games before with my brothers. One of them saw a story about SL on TV I believe and mentioned it to me. I checked it out and here I am.

Tiara Calvert: And what was it that you found appealing, that kept your interest over more conventional games?

Cooa Spyker: I like the diverse nature of SL. There are so many interesting aspects to the game and many ways to be involved. I am constantly finding new "nooks and crannies" to investigate. Plus I enjoy that SL is not just a "shootem up" but is a more social game. It is so fun to meet many different kinds of people and interact with them! I am quite outgoing so I like to talk to folks. :)
Tiara Calvert: And how did you come to be involved with modeling and fashion here in SL?

Cooa Spyker: Well at first I was involved in the typical club scene in SL. Over time I met some nice people, some of whom are my current SL family. One of my friends mentioned a contest that she was in at JCNY and got interested in Fashion at that point. I started investigating and upgraded my appearance, took modeling lessons and networked heavily. Eventually I was able to launch a career from those contacts.

Tiara Calvert: You mentioned training, where are some of the places you've trained?

Cooa Spyker: Well I have trained at SuperElite Academy. That is really the only place I have trained. But I found their training to be excellent and just what I needed. Then I was able to hone my skills on the runway through contacts at Opium Fashion. Then in Stills through Voodoo Vogue. Subsequent to that, I began the pageant at Ms. Beautiful and I was able to perfect my runway techniques there because they have many smaller pageants within the larger one. So I was walking maybe 3-4 times a week. That helped me become silky smooth on the runway... :)



Tiara Calvert: You've had no small level of success, what would you say has been your greatest achievement so far?

Cooa Spyker: I think that my greatest achievement was being crowned Ms. Beautiful 2008 back in December. I did not expect to win and I was very lucky to have won. There were a large number of contestants and it was a long and grueling pageant.

Tiara Calvert: That is an incredible achievement, congratulations. Having won such a prestigious event, what goals do you have for the near future?

Cooa Spyker: Well I enjoy coaching other models and I have made a number of industry contacts through my efforts in the fashion field. I have begun working for Simone! As a sort of Model Coordinator, and Stratten Fashion as a model coach and Event Host. So I would like to continue that work and help my those organizations successful! I also will likely join another pageant and have more fun doing that. Additionally I want to continue my general modeling career for my agencies. :) I hate being bored. :) And I can stay quite busy in SL. I like that!

Tiara Calvert: Sounds like the fashion world is going to be seeing and hearing allot more from you. Having now experienced the industry from both sides of the runway, is there one particular area you enjoy more? And if so why?

Cooa Spyker: hmm. I like both sides. Being on the runway is very fun and challenging. Behind the scenes is perhaps less exciting, but also very rewarding. I will do both as long as I can. I have seen the "nasty side" of modeling on the runway and I don’t really like that allot. BUT I try to be the "nice person" who is polite, and helpful to new models etc... To help offset that ugly side... :) And that applies to both sides of the fashion scene.

Tiara Calvert: Cooa, how would you summarize your style and who are a couple of your favorite designers?

Cooa Spyker: I have to change my style to suit the clothes I am wearing. I have skins from Gothy to Fresh to Hot. As is typical, they interchange as needed. My style fits to suit. I would say I like the edgy side of my personality (like the hair I have on right now). That is probably my preferred style but I can run with everything from Gowns to Bikinis. I do pretty well across the board that way. My favorite designers are Simone Stern of Simone! And Amutey DeCuir of Bliss Couture. Amutey made my "one of a kind" gown for the finals of the Ms. Beautiful Pageant. I also like Niki Ree.

Cooa Spyker: ^^giggles^^ Oh... and Amutey named the Gown I wore after me and now sells it in her shop! I was soo flattered. OMG.

Tiara Calvert: That’s quite an honor and sounds like something we should all take a look at, I know I will. What advice would you give to new and aspiring models?

Cooa Spyker: Well. I do counsel models from time to time. Modeling can be very difficult to break into; it has an ugly side that models sometimes encounter as well. My initial advice is to get good training. Also, be sure you have a polished look. That might involve spending some lindens. That is invaluable. Get your name in front of the industry, join some model groups and network if you can. Watch for a break. Don't get discouraged or give up, persist. There are many nice folks in SL modeling both on the agency and modeling side. Find them and try to work with them.

Tiara Calvert: That sounds like excellent advice. Lastly, are there any final thoughts you would like to leave with our readers?

Cooa Spyker: YES! Here are the links to my blog http://cooaspyker.wordpress.com/ And flikr can be accessed from my Blog. Thank you for having me for the interview. I enjoyed it.

Tiara Calvert: Thank you Cooa for a wonderful opportunity to sit down and meet with and learn more about you. All of us here at SuperELITE wish you continued success!

Cooa Spyker: Thank you very much Tiara. You are a wonderful interviewer!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wonderful interview!