Kim Cloutier- Canadian Model

    My upstairs neighbour Jenna and I were watching the Victoria Secret Fashion Show (my first time ever) and she voiced the idea that I should consider interviewing a model. It hadn't really crossed my mind before, but as soon as she suggested it, it was something that I felt could have some serious potential. With that in mind, Jenna and I started looking at a list we found of well-known Canadian models. To be honest, we looked for a mix of a good story and, well, honestly, who we thought was one of the best-looking Canadian models currently in the business. Hey, it's best to be honest, right? We decided who I was going to try and reach out to, a 26-year-old from Quebec named Kim Cloutier. I really had no idea how to reach out to her, but I did notice that she had Twitter. Well, it's a modern world we live in, so I just decide to send her a tweet asking if she'd consider an interview. Imagine my surprise when I hopped on Twitter the next day and realized she had followed me, and sent me a private message curious for more information. After we messaged back and forth on Twitter a few times, Kim decided she'd love to do an interview. With excitement, I planned a time and date to Skype.

     Leading up to my interview with Kim, I realized I knew very little of the modelling world- from how you get into the career, to how you come around to getting contracts, and what the work week was like. It all seemed like really basic knowledge, but I didn't have a single clue and was really curious. Unfortunately, school and work got the best of me, and by the time I was to speak with Kim, I had no questions prepared. With that in mind, I winged it. Totally winged it. Luckily, it turned out great. It was an hilarious, wide-ranging discussion, touching on The Notebook, musician Adam Lambert, and even some of the psychological troubles of being a model. There was tons of laughter from both of us, and it turned out to be one of the funnest interviews I've ever conducted. In short, the story of Kim Cloutier is incredible.

Kim's first "big" photo shoot- Abercrombie and Fitch, 2008

Retrieved from http://abercrombieandfitchmodels.blogspot.ca/2008/06/kim-cloutier-next.html

     At about the age of seventeen, Kim's father (well-known photographer Michel Cloutier) voiced the idea that maybe "she would interested in modelling" herself, to which she replied with a definite no. Photos may have been her father's thing, but it wasn't something that really interested her. Her life as a teenager continued as normal, and (as I've learned some teenage girls tend to do), Kim and her girlfriends would occasionally flick through magazines. After a while of seeing photo shoots that seemed fun, she decided to ask her father after all if he could get in touch with the people he knew in the modelling world, and see where it went from there. To both of their surprise, her career exploded. Her first shoot was pretty big in itself, Elle Quebec (a magazine, branching from Elle Canada). I didn't know much about Elle Quebec, but when I asked what she felt to be her first "big contract" was, it was a name I recognized immediately- American clothing retailer Abercrombie and Fitch. It was a big set with 25 models in total, and a really welcoming photo crew. Having the chance to shoot with Abercromie as a teenager was a fun experience, and when explaining modelling to others her age, it was really a company that stood out. She finished high school, and turned 18. In was then that she moved it, and started travelling for her career.
     I couldn't imagine what she was going through. She told me it was difficult at first, she was "really suddenly, and really early" dropped into an adult life. From having her mother there to "cook and do my laundry", Kim transitioned to being based in Montreal and France for the sake of her career. That back and forth lasted for about three years, and then she finally moved to New York state. During the span of those three years, she had the chance to do one of her most memorable shoots, and I made sure to ask about it. I asked all about the time she had the chance to do a "rather racy" photo shoot with Grammy-nominated pop-musician icon Adam Lambert, only a few months after he was named runner-up in American Idol season 8.

Kim Cloutier and Adam Lambert (one of the "non-racy" shots)

Retrieved from http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f52/kim-cloutier-41778-35.html

     Although she seemed sort of shy when using the wording that she had heard back then, I asked how she ended up getting that contract. It was like any other contract, Adam had voiced that he wanted to do a shoot with a "sexy woman", and Kim's agency was approached. They decided that she would be the best for the job, fit their criteria, and she was pleased to take it. She was nervous at first, but that eventually changed. It wasn't due to Adam as a person, since he was "super nice" as Kim informed me, it's just that some of the shots in mind were a bit outside of what she was used. Never the less, it was a blast.
      Kim then seemed to predict one of the things I was going to ask about right after, by saying she could never forget the time she had the chance to be in the famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. This was back in 2009, a year before the Adam shoot, and had to be one of the funnest photo shoots her career has yet to ever hold, Kim informed me. This was due in part from how well known the publication was, and in part from how different of an experience it ended up being. She told me how she was flown down to Mexico and was working with an extremely incredible team of photographers. This was paired with a red carpet release, and I'm sure the feeling of a real appreciation for her (occasionally) underrated art form. In that 2009 issue (with Bar Refaeli on the cover), Kim was named "Rookie of the Year", a title she still proudly lists on her Twitter biography. 

Kim Cloutier posing in a photo shoot.

Photo from http://www.listal.com/viewimage/1474439h

     Sitting on a stool, while Skyping Kim from my kitchen of all places while making some coffee, with my roommate beside me doing some homework, I decided to take a more serious direction to the interview and touch on what I have heard to be some of the biggest struggles of modelling as a profession- the competitive atmosphere, and what I assumed to be the inevitable toll it took on your mental well-being. I was glad when Kim was not only willing to answer, but willing to answer with complete honesty. First, I began with competition, wanting to touch on other models from Canada. Kim voiced some of the other big names on the scene today from our home and native land, such as Coco Rocha, Jessica Stam, Heather Marks and Linda Evangelista among others. When asked, she said she didn't feel in competition with them at all. In fact, it was the opposite. She was always proud to see others from Canada excelling in the industry, especially those from her home province of Quebec. Being Canadian is also a big asset globally, as she recalled several memories of people getting excited whenever she mentioned her home nation, or informing her "how cool Canada is".

     Then, the psychological. Kim told me it's ever present, even if her, especially in her early day. At age 17, she would have people commenting on your visual appearance (negatively as much as positively), which got to her. There was pressure "to always be thinner, be more toned, change your hair", she was literally in an industry that paid based on appearance. She realized at a young age that you needed to be grounded, and a strong person mentally to not let it get you to a place you shouldn't be. Luckily, she had those traits. It got to her, but never made her stay up at night worrying. It was taken in stride, and the next day was always a new one.

      There was one last stereotype, that I had knew to be around from a life of television and film viewing, that I decided to not question Kim about. I didn't need to, as she busted it without even mentioning it. I hate to even write it, but there is the common stereotype that models are generally not that intelligent. I was never one to believe this, and Kim solidified that for me. Even through our short Skype conversation we had the chance to have some incredible conversation, on topics ranging from authors Marie Laberge to Paulo Coelho and his famous book, The Alchemist. I sincerely hope that stereotype is bashed soon, because like most stereotypes, it's based on nothing. We also did have the chance to touch on her favourite movie, The Notebook. Although it's a great movie, I still had to poke some fun at her choice. She knew it was coming though, she began laughing before she even got her answer out and started with "oh, this is going to be very cheesy, but..."

      She knows that the career she's in is generally a short one, and really depends on being "in the right place at the right time" or "the look of the month." As of now, she's travelling for work about once a week, and is enjoying every moment while she can. For model Kim Cloutier, the dream would be a chance to do a shoot for a cosmetics line, or a perfume, as she feels that would something really fun that she's never yet had the chance to do. Of course, the best case would be getting a contract with Victoria Secret. I laughed, thinking at how full circle that would be from how the idea to speak with her came to mind.

       Maybe I'll just have to watch next year to keep an eye out.

Kim Cloutier strikes a pose.

Photo from http://www.viewmanagement.com/models/969-kim-cloutier

"Feeling Music" with Craig Cardiff

     It was getting close to midnight if I recall, and I was sitting in a rather comfy armchair at the Brown Dog coffee shop, located on my university campus. On the couch beside me sat Juno nominated recording artist Craig Cardiff, listening to a group of fans discuss with him the show he just put on, and simply how their days had been going. Just as I had experienced a few weeks before with Rob Dyer, Craig seemed to be someone who genuinely loved hearing people's stories, and more importantly, someone who loved to share the gift of music with all who would listen. I don't mean just sharing his amazing voice, but also discussing how music can actually make you feel something, something about yourself, others, or life in general.
     As the crowd dispersed, Craig turned around and with a smile, and introduced himself formally. We had met for a couple minutes before his show began, but more so just exchanging pleasantries. After some small talk and explanation of the Canadian Stories initiative, I pulled out my cue cards holding the discussion points I hoped to reach during our short time together. But, before I could get a question out, Craig had some comments and questions of his own for me. First, he informed me that him and I "listen to music the same way". That led me to look at him with what must have been a confused face, because I really had no idea what he meant. So, he explained.
     "You had your hands grasped together, and you were looking down." He told me that he knew I wasn't being rude and not paying attention, but that I was, as he worded it, "listening with my whole body." What I think he meant by that was that it wasn't simply in one ear, through the brain and out the other, but that I was listening to the words and the sounds with it, and trying to figure out what he meant by it all. It's not something I think I intentionally do, but something I've for sure noticed since meeting Craig.

Craig Cardiff!

Photo provided by Lindsay Chung

     Like me, Craig Cardiff came from small town Ontario. But unlike me, his singing voice set him on the course of an amazing journey. All my singing voice (and more importantly, my rapping) gets me is disgusted looks and pleas to stop. Since Craig had a long drive home ahead of him, we didn't have much time to touch on his early days, but there were some career highlights I wanted to touch on. One of them being a rather large and unique experience, singing with the former Governor General of Canada, The Right Honourable Michaelle Jean. For those who may not know, the Governor General (David Lloyd Johnston being the current one) acts as the Queen's official representative in Canada for ceremonial and Constitutional duties as she acts as the Sovereign for fifteen current nations. I had the chance to travel to Rideau Hall (the official residence of the Governor General) once in grade ten as part of a field trip, and Michaelle Jean (who was Governor General at the time of the trip) had always been someone I found extremely interesting, so I really wanted to know how this experience came around.
     It was 2012, and Craig found himself nominated for his first ever Juno award! The nomination was for "Roots and Traditional Album of the Year: Solo", and he found himself up against David Francey, Dave Gunning, Lindi Ortega and Bruce Cockburn (who eventually won). The experience with Jean was dubbed by Craig as a "happy accident stemming from the nomination". As a collaboration between the National Capital Commission and the University of Ottawa to raise awareness of the Juno's being held in Ottawa, the two organizations offered him the chance as a nominee to preform with the well-known stateswoman, which he gladly accepted. The nomination alone to him meant a lot, this only adding to it. It was nice for him to be acknowledged more so than often, and it was nice to meet the "gracious and very kind" former Governor General. But, this time really put other aspects of life into perspective for him. Fully recovered since then, at the time, his father suffered a stroke. With a newly increased media presence directed at Craig as a Juno nominee, questions for him asking what he was thinking or how he felt about the experience automatically made him think about the well-being of his father, a valuable lesson regarding what truly mattered in life.

Craig preforming at the Brown Dog, in Brantford

Photo by me!

      As an artist, Craig has the chance to learn valuable lessons, learn what really matters in life at every single show. Not just by taking the time to speak with one or two fans afterwards, but with his self titled "Book of Secrets", one of the coolest things I've ever seen. He felt that his performances, and that of other performers, were "very egotistical". "I mean, look even here, there's only one microphone." With his books, he's able to give people the chance to share their stories with him, as they've allowed him to do for them. The books, essentially, are free range. At the start of the show, and during the performance, a blank notebook and pen are passed around for you to simply write or draw in. What you're feeling, how you're feeling, the concerns facing you in life or even why you're life now is better than it has been before. They're for you to be honest, and anonymous, and finally say what you may have been holding in. Quite frankly, I find it amazing. Craig equated it to my interviews. "Like your writing, there's a story that gets told and a story to be ferreted out." Like I do, he loves hearing people's stories first hand. It's an honour.

     Though, since he encourages you to be honest, to not be afraid to finally say what's on your mind, I imagined there must have been some difficult things to read. His reply confirmed my thoughts. "For sure, there are some difficult things, but also some beautiful things." Some of these anonymous messages are then shared online by Craig to show the range, and often the similarities, of the happiness and sadness in people's lives. I think to end, I want to share one of the most touching I've seen, and thank Craig for sharing so much with us. His voice, his cheer, and the message that, as his album says, "Love is Louder than all this noise"

     "The night I thought I lost my love, he sent me a song. I sent him back your 'Last Night at the End of the World'. And I took a break, and let go.

     He's sitting beside me tonight, holding my hand, and this is the second time we've been to see you.

     We'll be back every time you're here.

     I've never been so happy." -Anonymous, to Craig Cardiff

Craig and I meet before his show.

Photo by Jaime Addario

Frankie Flowers (Frank Ferragine)- Canada's Weatherman!

     In short, it takes somebody really impressive to have me get up at 4:00am on my Christmas holidays. Not to mention, it takes somebody really impressive for me to talk my photographer Victoria into getting up at 4:00am as well to take photos. Needless to say, Frankie Ferragine (also known as Frankie Flowers), a special live viewing of Breakfast Television Toronto and a tour of the Breakfast Television studios was enough to get us up. By 4:30am, we were on the 401 heading to Toronto, music blaring to keep me awake, with the recurring message from my mother in the back of my mind. "Make sure you meet Kevin Frankish. His suspenders are sexy!" Okay mom...
     We were to be at the studios for 7:00am, but when I arrived in Toronto I came to the startling conclusion that I really didn't know where the Breakfast Television Studios were. I pulled out my phone and went to the ever handy Google to help me as fast as possible. Luckily, my decision to park under Toronto City Hall at Nathan Phillips Square was smart, as the studio only happened to be about one kilometer away. The problem is, when it's freezing, a kilometer still sucks. With the thought of meeting the hilarious television hosts, and Canada's favourite weatherman in person, I hustled as fast as possible. That wasn't the only thing keeping me driven. This may seem juvenile, but upon my research for the Frankie interview, I noticed some of the amazing guests Breakfast Television had on their show. From Hilary Duff to the Right Honourable Mr Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, on their show within the weeks prior to my arrival, I was very curious as to who else I may be able to meet. I did in fact meet someone I thought pretty cool, but that comes later.
     After getting to the studio and being given seats right near hosts Kevin Frankish and Dina Pugliese, Victoria and I came to a conclusion that surprised us both. The studio was nothing like we expected. It was a large room, rather empty, with only about fifteen people on the floor working. They were all working extremely hard, and the dedication and passion for their jobs was evident, but we both just expected more. More people, more cameras, more, I guess.

Hosts Dina Pugliese (left), and Kevin Frankish (right)

Photo by Victoria Alexander

     After having the chance to see "holiday outfits for the whole family" from lifestyle expert Shoana Jensen and "last-minute gift ideas for the techie" from the shows' Digital Media Correspondent Winston Sih, someone pulled up a seat beside us. After learning that the university I currently attend (Wilfrid Laurier, Brantford campus) happened to be her alma mater, I found out that she in fact was a recurring guest on the show (although, not today). Her name was Christina Cravero, the author of the successful fashion blog titled "The Style Mogul." We discussed our respective works, and made sure to "like" each others pages on Facebook. While chatting with Christina, another guest came on the show, who looked oddly familiar. Victoria felt that way also, and she's normally better at noticing those things than I am. When I asked Christina, she told me it was none other than Brad Smith! The bachelor from Canada's most recent season of, well, The Bachelor (also, coincidentally, their first season)! As it happened, I knew a fair bit about Brad already. Not from watching the show (not saying that I haven't seen it... guilty confession), but from the fact that I had been asked to interview him before, and I had found his dad, Larry Smith, interesting in himself. The Honourable Mr Larry Smith is currently a Senator for the Government of Canada from Quebec, a former Canadian Football League Player (as was his son Brad), and the former Commissioner of the whole Canadian Football League. But, it was Frankie I was there for, and I decided to post on Twitter about just that. Evidentially, a smart move.

     Having not yet actually met Frankie, I saw him hurry into the room where Dina was filming segments from his upstairs domain. He came over and introduced himself, and apologized. A rather odd start to our meeting, until he explained why. In all the busyness of his early morning, it slipped his mind that we were coming today! Until, that is, he happened to check Twitter and read the post I had made only a few minutes earlier. We spoke in quite tones as the commercial break was ending, and then he suggested we head upstairs to his weather fortress (my term, but feel free to use it, Frankie). Excitedly, Victoria and I hopped in the elevators and away we went.

Frankie shows us the green screen he films in front of.

Photo by Victoria Alexander.

     Now, everyone I've interviewed has been extremely welcoming. From Prime Minister Paul Martin, to my hometown mayor of Ingersoll Ontario, Ted Comiskey. But, some people just go that extra mile during interviews, Frankie included. I had the chance to look at some pictures hanging around his office of candid Breakfast Television memories (such as a Toy Story themed Halloween costume shot), learn the history of the building in which they filmed in, get a detailed weather report for the upcoming few days of my hometown, have the chance to meet everyone behind the scenes and to have them explain their roles to me. It was an interviewers dream, to really have the chance to be fully emerged in the experience. Not only that, Frankie happened to be one of the most photogenic people in the world. Big smile, nice outfit, and an eagerness to take as many candid photos as possible. One with him open-armed at the green screen, or presenting fake weather in front of it in a style reminding me of Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White, one of him and I pointing to the Breakfast Television logo, or one of me in front of the screen database with tons of different news networks on behind me. After the whole tour, we sat down at his computer and I had the chance to learn all about a job I sincerely, no word of lie, considered at one point. A television weatherman.

As I sip my coffee, Frankie shows me the weather report.

Photo by Victoria Alexander

     Two generations back, Frankie's grandfather made a long trek from Italy, to England, finally settling in Canada. Fellow Ontarian's (well, Canadians) will agree with me, we're all about our farms. Near Bradford, Ontario, you can find several of those, one of them being the long maintained Ferragine property. As a child, Frankie was responsible for packing heads of lettuce, as everyone was part of the work. It wasn't just vegetables that were sold though. At one in the morning, then and now, Frankie's father would be awake selling flowers. Loving his work, and sincerely loving the people he had the chance to communicate with. These passions, flowers and people, would be passed on to his children- Frankie and little brother Tony. At a young age, Frankie developed a motto- "wild about weather, passionate about plants." After all, these two "made the perfect marriage." He realized from a young age that without truly learning the weather, you truly couldn't master the art of gardening- his passion. Therefore, he learned all he could, with such individuals as Bob McIntyre from CTV guiding and inspiring him. Initially doing some spot work on television networks, he soon solidified himself as a recognized weather personality and gardening expert, and as the years progressed, even developed a fan base as the Breakfast Television weatherman.
     If a career as a weatherman came as a surprise to everyone, including Frankie, the so called "mild-celebrity" he's developed has come as an even bigger shock. Be it pumping gas, coaching his tyke hockey team or walking down the street, he's recognized as "that weather guy" or "Frankie Flowers", a welcomed shock. This made me wonder, was it all good attention? I mean, even I've became angry at the occasional weatherman for getting the reports wrong. Although the majority of the attention was positive, it wasn't always. One of the issues I voiced, getting the weather wrong, was something he was stopped for every now and then. The response to this from Frankie surprised me. To him, they had every single right to criticize him for messing up. "People can pick on me, people can tease me. If I got it wrong, the have every right." It goes to show how seriously he takes his job. On the other hand though, he jokingly reminded me that he had an Italian father, and was used to being given a hard time for just about everything, so it didn't get to him too often. The times when people complain about the weather as if he could change it though, that gets pretty old.
     This goes hand in hand with the very early mornings, lack of sleep, not being able to see his children off to school, and general lack of his ability to have a social life at night. Ever the optimist though, Frankie told me the joys of no lines at the bank, no lines at the coffee shop, no traffic and how his "mild-celebrity" can be used for charitable reasons- such as awareness for Ewing's sarcoma, a form of cancer that very much effected Frankie's life.

Frankie discusses the life and memory of his brother, Tony Ferragine.

Photo by Victoria Alexander.

     The younger brother of Frankie, Tony, grew up to become his best friend. Yet, in 1998, disaster struck the Ferragine family. At only 22 years old, Tony was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, and passed away. Breakfast Television has given Frankie a platform for advocacy and awareness for families such as his own who have lost someone, or are fighting battles with cancer. Something he is forever grateful for. Flowers may have become his trademark, and I see constant videos of him explaining the benefits of home gardening. His third book for example entitled "Power Plants" written with Bryce Wylde (which comes out later this year), explains just how much homegrown plants can help you as an individual. But, after meeting with Frankie in person, I see just how much he's using his appearance to benefit a wide-range of things. He truly is a great guy. 

     His brother taught him many things, one of which was to live each day to it's fullest, with no regrets. It's Frankie's sincere belief that he is now living everyday for two, himself, and his brother. The future of television personalities are never guaranteed, but he tells me he does have some goals in mind. First, hoping to maintain the balance he has of being on television and his work at the Bradford Greenhouses. Second, motivate as many Canadians as possible to garden, and third, create something he will be able to pass down to his young children. To me, he already has something he can pass down. His incredible personality, dedication to his work, and love of life in general.

     Frankie told me "if interested, I should keep in touch." Don't worry Frankie, I will be.

Frankie and I fool around in the Breakfast Television Studios.

Photo by Victoria Alexander.