MINDSPEAK: "Winning gold medals at the New England Championship and breaking a 20 year old high school record in the backstroke, I was pretty sure that swimming was going to be my future."

Armed with a drop-dead stare, a champion swimmer’s built and an awesome personality who can talk about almost anything under the sun, who could ask for more? That’s Damian T for you!

Represented by one of NYC’s foremost talent manager and agent, Lana Winters, Damian Tomczak is one of the most successful male models today, with stints for Burberry and Rene Lezard fragrance.

On the runways front, he has appeared for such designers including Byblos, Carlo Pignatelli, Cerruti, D & G, Francesco Smalto, Gianfranco Ferre, Iceberg, Jil Sander, John Varvatos, Paul Smith, Ralph Lauren, Valentino and Vivienne Westwood, among others.

A champion swimmer who broke a record in high school, Tomczak recently graduated with a Business Administration degree and is looking for more challenges ahead- both on the modeling front and a future career in International Business. Get to know one awesome scholar-sportsman-model, in this exclusive interview!

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Jed: Hi Damian! Tell us, how did you become a model?

Damian: I was out with a whole bunch of my friends in Boston when this photographer came up to me, took me on the side and told me that I should be a model.  I laughed and took his business card and never called him back.  A Few months after he again found me somehow but this time he took my number.

Jed: Was it easy or difficult for you to be convinced to become a model?

Damian: Growing up, I was very much into swimming.  Training 35 hours a week and swimming for 3 different teams in Massachusetts, I was on a quest for a full college scholarship.  Winning gold medals at the New England Championship and breaking a 20 year old high school record in the backstroke, I was pretty sure that swimming was going to be my future.  That all had changed of course when I got my first paycheck from modeling.

JED: Tell us about some of the modeling stints you have done that really made you feel good being a model, perhaps you could list down some of your favorite modeling assignments so far?

Damian: I really enjoyed some of the shoots I’ve done at beautiful locations with amazing warm tropical weather and an incredible ocean to jump into after the day is done.  It’s like a paid vacation and those are my favorite.

Jed: THE Burberry ad campaign is perhaps one of the most coveted jobs ever for a male model. Tell us about this experience. What was it like doing this cool job? 

Damian: At that time I didn’t really know much about fashion industry.  I didn’t know who Mario Testino was or that shooting with a beautiful girl named Kate Moss was a big deal.  I had a really nice time doing this job considering that I was on a break from college and had something to talk about when coming home to Boston.

Jed: If given the choice between Milan, Paris, London, LA or New York, what fashion capital do you wish to be known as a top model? 

Damian's transformation: From the boyish-looking model at the Burberry shoots, to this sexy look in an editorial. Photo courtesy of VNY Model Management.

Damian: New York City is where I see myself in the future.  I feel more at home here than any other city.

Jed: What have been your impressions about the agencies that represented you? In particular, tell us your experiences being managed by VNY Model Management and Lana Winters? 

Damian: I think representation is everything when it comes to modeling, therefore I don’t know anyone else better than Lana that can better manage my career. 

I think she has done an amazing job, she is an extremely hard worker, and for sure she’s heading the right direction with VNY.

Jed: Tell us what would be your dream modeling assignment. Your ideal location shoot, photographer, the models you wished you would do the shoot and the Designer/Fashion you will be modeling for?

Damian: I’m not exactly sure what combination that would be, but warm weather and some beautiful water sounds good.