Trading Hoops for Shoots
Broderick Hunter has excelled in modeling for the past seven years and recently branched out into the world of acting. At this point in his career, he is beginning to consider what it is that he wants people to know about him and is opening up about the industry that was not too kind to him at the start. He describes himself as an honest and straight-forward person, and we had the privilege of hearing him speak deeply about his upbringing, career, and various experiences in the industry.
Broderick grew up in a two-parent household, his mother half Nigerian and his father from Detroit. Throughout his years of middle school and high school, Broderick was a talented basketball player. In high school, he describes himself as “fluid,” regarding the way he got along with all of the different cliques. Looking back on his young adulthood, he never considered himself as the popular type, and received a better understanding of himself when he entered the industry. His life has consisted of lessons that have molded him into the man he is today. There are countless things he learned during years of basketball practice and studying to be an EMT that have shaped his mindset today.
Broderick’s high school basketball team in Houston, Texas was very highly recruited, and he looked forward to the promise of attending a prestigious school. However, Broderick played on a team with a very strict coach who would not allow him to play the way he wished, and therefore, he was not getting recruited by the division one teams he knew he had the potential to join. He dreamed of attending the University of Central Florida--a dream that came crashing down when he suffered a career-ending injured while attending a camp to be re-recruited. Following the injury, Broderick recalls being in a the lowest mind state that he has ever been in. It was during this time that he realized what “the down” feels like. Broderick recalls that at the end of every gym session, he would always shoot three free throws. After the last shot that day, something in him shut down and he knew he didn’t want to play basketball anymore. His time at the gym gradually decreased until finally, he wasn’t practicing at all.
Broderick remembers being on Facebook one day when a photographer reached out to him and repeatedly insisted that Broderick had a “good look” and should try modeling. After Broderick initially declined, the photographer did not stop insisting that Broderick had modeling potential.
Looking back, Broderick says that the photographer “Saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself.”
Broderick eventually booked a shoot and the photos went on Facebook and moved across the internet very well. Different bloggers and websites began taking notice and talking about his potential. Once that happened, something clicked in Broderick, and he knew he had something, but didn’t tell his parents about his plans initially.
Broderick’s mom found out when one of her friends sent her a photo that was on his facebook. When Broderick grazed his first magazine cover, he brought a copy home and smacked it on the coffee table of the room where his parents were watching TV. They both glanced at it for a moment and then casually resumed watching TV. He became angry and started insisting that his parents were never proud of anything he did. They looked at him and said “It's not that we’re not proud of you, but how do you expect us to eat at a table that you didn’t invite us to?” Since that day, Broderick has very much kept his parents in the loop of his journey.
Broderick had a hard time securing an agency when first beginning and once he found it, he worked hard to maintain it. He describes how important it is to have someone in your life who you can trust. Very early in his stages of becoming a supermodel, Broderick met Chris Holland, who had spent a lot of time around guys doing successful modeling work. The fraternal synergy that they had was apparent from the first time they met. After a hot yoga class, they knew their paths had crossed in a way that would not soon be reversed. Since then, Chris continues to help Broderick maximize on who he already is, in a way where Chris describes coming alongside Broderick and simply confirming what already exists in real life. Chris describes Broderick as “very consistent.”
We are so proud of all the success that Broderick has had, and look forward to what is next for him. To check out some of Broderick’s favorite items in his Souler store, clickhere!