Meet Adam Lundberg

Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Lundberg.

Adam, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was raised on the big Island of Hawaii in a small town, Kohala, where I was fortunate to be surrounded by such a rich and diverse culture that taught me so much. My Mother is Japanese and my Dad is Swedish, Danish, and Scottish. As a kid, I had a hard time identifying with who I was and where I fit in. In Hawaii I was referred to as Hapa (Half Asian mix). Even with being Hapa, I was still considered “Haole” (literally means “without breath”) which can be used to describe someone light skinned or it can be used as a derogatory term towards white and white looking people. It was strange, but that was my norm growing up… I remember being so upset after some days in school that I went home and started praying to God for my skin to be darker. The identity crisis I felt growing up was because I wasn’t white to white people and I wasn’t recognized as Japanese or a local kid to other locals.

These were moments that impacted me in a way that changed my life and made me who I am. My home and the people there shaped me into the man I am today and I see any hardships I went through as blessings because I got to see things from viewpoints that not everyone gets to. I love my home.

Talking things through with my Dad on how to handle things helped me a lot. I came to learn that it was an unintentional culturally taught thing; that I would have to find my place in all of it and learn who I am, learn when to stand up for myself and also learn when the juice was or wasn’t worth the squeeze. As I entered high school and eventually not being the only white-looking kid for the first few years in grade school helped me learn confidence in myself and really find my voice.

When that movie 10 Things I Hate About You came out, there was that male model character that had a moment where he does the “underwear” and “swimsuit” poses and tries to point out the differences to one of the female characters, despite there actually being any difference. Ever since then my dad and I always made fun of that guy and that moment.

A few years later while working as a bus boy at a local restaurant I was found by a photographer, Monica Schwartz, who asked to take pictures of me at the beach. My parents were divorced at this point in my life and my Dad said “why not? what do you have to lose.” Looking back I wouldn’t have started at all if it wasn’t for Monica. She did all the initial legwork of reaching out to agencies, pitching me as a new face, and working with agencies in NYC and Europe. FORD NY ended up signing me and worked on direct booking me from 18-20yrs old. At 20yrs old I had finished two years of college in Hawaii, so I moved to NYC for the “summer” that turned into ten years. My first week living in NYC and running around to castings and meetings with clients, FORD NY dropped me saying I didn’t look the same as I did two years prior and that they couldn’t work with me anymore. I admit I was crushed. I ended up partying for a week straight, not knowing what to do and realized that if I didn’t get myself together, I wouldn’t have anything to show for coming to NYC. After that week of wallowing I hit the pavement, set up appointments with agencies and within days Wilhelmina signed me.

My agents at Wilhelmina NY, Greg Chan and Lorri Shackelford, really got me going and launched my professional career. From GQ to United Colors of Benetton, Missoni to Nikon, runways in Milan and Paris, to jobs in Barcelona, Asia, and Telluride. Meeting, working, and collaborating with people along with traveling all around the world has been some of the greatest learning and eye-opening experiences of my life.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road up to now has definitely had ups and downs. Moments of success, moments of “Oh shit! What am I gonna do now?”, and even a few broken hearts… but I’ve been fortunate to have a mindset to see that all the things in my life that seemed like setbacks were actually for the greater good.

Being dropped by FORD and moving to Wilhelmina was my first hurdle that made me wonder if I was even making the right decision to be living in NYC pursuing modeling as a career. Then 2008 came and the market crashed and everyone had to learn to deal with that. I started in hospitality when I was 16 and got back into it when the market crashed. It was my support blanket while I pursued things with modeling. I also did odds and ends like help friends with projects or opening new businesses in NYC.

One pivot I made with all the changes was I became a hand model because my first girlfriend told me I had “great hands”. I initially thought she was crazy about that, but I met her agents and started working like crazy doing hand jobs… ok, bring on the dirty jokes and the Seinfeld episode about George being a hand model, I’ve heard them all. I actually have never seen the Seinfeld episode about George being a hand model, but I sure feel like I have with how many people have brought it up when I tell them about hand modeling haha.

Adam Lundberg – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Being my own business was a bit weird of getting used to, but once you realize that you are your brand you start to make decisions differently. Also, the evolution of social media has turned a lot of models and people in general into the modern day influencer.

I don’t know if I’m known for anything in particular, if I am, I’m not privy to it haha. I’ve done everything from high fashion editorials and runways, to international campaigns and advertisements, to lifestyle print and recognizable/unrecognizable e-commerce. So, I have done a good majority of the work available out there, it’s just always a changing thing.

Something I’m proud of is how much I’ve learned and been able to learn from others in this ever-changing industry. I have been fortunate enough to meet, work, and surround myself with dedicated and driven creative minds that do incredible work.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Well, I just got married a year ago and my wife and I plan to start a family soon-ish, get some investment properties under our belts, and also to take advantage of some recent opportunities that have come our way. We’ve had a few investments not work out the way we would have liked, but we’re working on some projects and wanting to build a comfortable life for ourselves and our future family. Once we have kids that will probably be the most immediate and drastic change in our lives, so we’re just trying to plan for that haha!

I look forward to seeing how our industry and others adjust to ever changing markets and economic and social issues. One thing I’ve recognized since I was a kid is that with big changes comes big adaptation. If you don’t learn to adapt or create your own way of doing things, your probability of ‘making it’ goes down.

I think ‘influencers’ is the way the modeling and talent industry is moving quickly towards. The sooner people realize that, the sooner people can change their outlook on how to approach things… that’s if you want to fall in line with everyone else. I like the advice that some of my friends have recently said, “Stay true to who you are, and eventually it will pay off.” I don’t think this could be any more true. Don’t try to be anyone else, do you, do what makes you happy and brings you joy. That’s what Joe Rogan did for years and now when his value has skyrocketed, he finally took that $100M deal with Spotify. People want to play the short game to fame and wealth, when in reality it’s the long game that you’ll succeed. Some of us get lucky in a shorter amount of time, but most of us have to grind and always keep our eyes and ears open to opportunities that present themselves.

I’ll round this out with saying in times like now we need to pursue what we love, but also be loving and kind to everyone that comes into our lives, whether for five minutes or five years. My father always taught me to “speak the truth, but in love”. I can speak the truth and tell someone how horrible they’re acting and that they’re being an asshole, but am I loving them in what and how I’m saying that to them? I think if we all could check ourselves, and have the open minds to have friends and family be able to open and honestly check us as well, we’d all be much more honest and loving towards not just ourselves but each other.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @adamslundberg

Image Credit:
Michael Blank
Blake Ballard
Nino Yap

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