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Jed: Well, these perhaps only covered the more "popular" gigs you did, how about some of the other projects that left quite an impression with you?
Milan: Any job that shoots on location somewhere nice always leaves an impression on me. And usually you're with a crew that you're with ALL the time, so usually you get to now them very well and end up having a great time.
I recently shot a catalogue for a Spanish designer (Massimo Dutti) in the Dominican Republic for 5 days. I had the time of my life! Studio shoots tend to get blurred together. Unless they're with a really great photographer.
I love it when a photographer can really bring out another side of me, or have me actually DOING SOMETHING, instead of just looking into the camera with an expressionless face. If it's a shoot with attitude, then it's a fun shoot. And doing it with a sexy lady doesn't hurt either.
Jed: This may sound silly, but what did you bought when you got your first paycheck?
Milan: Some new gear (new kicks, jeans, whole new wardrobe) and a really nice TV. But, I'm not stupid- I've been in this business for a minute now, I've seen guys out in Europe with hardly enough money to buy a plane ticket home, they haven't worked in months.... then all of a sudden they get a job, and they're like "Cool! Now I'm gonna go and buy a bunch of state-of-the-art crap!"
And it's like they think that everything is gonna keep going well, and they totally forget their state of unemployment. The problem is that on average, work is sporadic and paid in lump sums. So often the satisfaction you get from booking a job is closer to that of winning the lottery than busting your ass at a 9-5.
When I get paid for a job though, I don't think about the job, I think about all the shit I had to put up with and endure in order to get that job (staying in shitty places, walking around for days meeting clients, constantly being in the airport etc.).
And that gives me a sense of earning the money. Right now I'm quite fortunate though, I'm working frequently (I guess I probably wouldn't be doing this interview if I wasn't) and getting booked for good jobs. I don't take it for granted though; I know it can't last forever, so I'm being smart with my money-invest and save. Not to say I don't spoil myself every now and then-next week I'm taking my brother on our very first real vacation-probably to the Bahamas-hell yeah!!
Jed: In retrospect, was it easy or difficult for you to be convinced to become a model?
Milan: It was a little bit of both actually. I obviously liked the idea of making money by just having to walk and have my pictures taken (which is all I thought it involved at the time).
But at the same time I was unwilling to have my teenage social life interrupted. I had many fights with Norwayne over him wanting me to go somewhere or do something, and there would be a big party happening on the same date or I was supposed to go to someone's cottage for the weekend and I would always choose the social over the modeling.
