Meet the 18-year-old Filipino model you should watch out for

Looking for a new Filipino representation in the international modelling scene? Well then, meet Troy Untalan, an 18-year old Filipino-Japanese model based in San Francisco, California.

At 17, he was booked for a Nike campaign in the 2019 Tokyo marathon, a feat for any young model who is just starting out in a very competitive industry. He has done various collaborations with different photographers and stylists for editorial shoots, and according to one of his Tiktok posts, he has also shot for global beauty brand and fashion label. We’ll definitely watch out for those!

Prior to modelling, Untalan has been training as a professional ballet dancer for 12 years, which would explain how easy it is for him to flex and come out nicely in his fashion shoots. In 2018, he jumped into modeling through the encouragement of his brother. He shot his own modeling portfolio, and submitted to every agency he could find. Two days after, he received an email from California-based Look Model Agency asking for a meeting.

“During that two-day period, I got declined by a smaller agency so I wasn’t very sure if I was going to be signed by anyone,” Untalan said in an Instagram post. But those doubts were proven wrong quick because Untalan got signed by Look Model Agency, and four months later, was able to book the Nike 2019 Tokyo Marathon campaign.

He knows what to do in front of the camera, but he knows just as much about the work behind it. Untalan also does photography (he shot his first modeling portfolio, remember?) and has been shooting fashion editorials on his own in his free time, sometimes inside his bedroom through a home studio he himself has set up.

Creating is what keeps him busy during quarantine. So far, he has recreated famous fashion poses on Pinterest and international magazine covers. He has also shared tips on how to self-shoot your own fashion ed, which sure comes in handy to those who has been itching to shoot something during the quarantine period. Let this young model show you how to produce your own fashion shoot without the heavy equipment and a huge production team on his Tiktok and Instagram pages.

Young, aggressive, and creative, we sure can’t help but keep our eyes peeled for where we’ll find Untalan next!