Today we’d like to introduce you to Waleed khan.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a model/actor from Los Angeles, California of Pakistani descent who is also one year away from having his bachelor’s degree in Medicine/Surgery (MBBS). I began medical school in September 2015, following a gap year following my completion of high school. My medical school is located in Shanghai, China and is a six years program. I was set to graduate this year in 2021 however with my return to the states and ongoing coronavirus pandemic/travel restrictions, I have been shut out from china and thereby the completion of my studies since January 2020. Coinciding with my studies on hold provided me the opportunity to really pursue both acting and modeling in Los Angeles during this time, primarily modeling. To touch on my modeling pursuits, I have to take this back to the second half of my second year of medical school in 2017. I was scrolling away on tinder when I matched with this girl who immediately began the conversation with, “are you a model?” To that, I replied “no” afterwards she would say “do you want to be?” From there, I asked a slew of questions regarding the industry and my chances as well as what is my draw and who do I appeal to and I was off to the races from there. I also tried to see this opportunity as a sign from the universe if I’m really meant for it. A huge sign I saw for myself was during the same summer after I had begun modeling in China, I came home to LA for the summer break. During that time, I took some friends from China to the Griffith Observatory and while we were there, I was approached by a prominent photographer who likewise asked if I was a model and then and there, we exchanged information to set up an eventual shoot. I truly felt maybe I should give it an honest effort and it took off from there.
From then on, I was able to partake in a few runway shows, a beachwear brand to which I was the cover of, lookbook campaigns for Chinese brands, and even a mall exhibition show. Following the completion of my second runway this time for Shanghai’s biggest fashion presentation, Shanghai Fashion week, I began to look at my prospects in my hometown. I had a few meetings set up for me upon my short break scheduled for March 2020. When the news of the pandemic hit, my parents felt they had no other choice but to bring me back, thereby accelerating my modeling pursuits in LA. Trying to get signed during the pandemic was a bit of a chore and could’ve made me give up as I had a few meetings with agencies but I didn’t agree to any of the agencies from the meetings. Following a hiatus during the spring/summertime, once it seemed the modeling industry was back up and running, I applied to and was signed with my current modeling agency, Storm Model Management which I have had a dream/goal to be signed with ever since I started modeling. Once it seemed modeling could be a good fit for me, my mind started to veer toward the possibility of acting. For so long, I felt my people were so underrepresented in both fashion and entertainment I never felt I had a realistic shot at either endeavors but once I signed with Storm the dream of becoming an actor as well felt like the door had opened. Ever since then, I have been in pursuit of both my modeling and acting dreams in Los Angeles with the hopes to take these talents worldwide.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would not say its been a smooth road, coming from the culture I come from its unheard of to pursue anything deemed “impractical” which falls into the category of anything not names “medicine, lawyer, architect, businessman”, anything in the academia as well as I’ve seen my fair share of setbacks and rejections in the fashion industry. My parents were initially very against my pursuits into modeling and acting because they felt it was an unnecessary and fruitless distraction from my studies that had no potential. Most notably, I ran into a shady distrustful dealing while modeling in shanghai which had me second-guessing this industry. While I was attending a Shanghai Fashion Week casting, a modeling booker/agent I seemed to trust took away my first opportunity for Shanghai Fashion Week and painted me to be a money hungry “diva” to a designer who chose me to be in his show by asking for 3x the amount of money the other models were making and claiming I wouldn’t take no for an answer when me and that booker never discussed pay, leading to the designer cutting off all communication with me and negating my selection. Me and the designer both only found out that we had been duped by the same booker as we showed each other messages after I inquired about a spring show for SHFW. For our clarification, we had seen that he played both ends me and the designer telling us opposite stories to keep us away. Seeing the ugly side of that made me believe I can’t trust just anyone in the industry and for a time pursue things on my own and that even if they provide me with an opportunity, they may not be looking into my best interest as they have their own agendas. That is why I am thankful to be in my current position with Storm, having an agent who is so good at their job and able to provide in depth guidance and explanations to my questions of the industry to where I don’t feel the need to keep my guard up in that sense.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am both an actor and model, but at the moment my focus has been geared more toward the modeling profession. I am a professional male model currently signed to Storm Model Management-LA as both LA exclusive and mother agent representative. I have been working more in the commercial aspect of modeling with aspirations of runway, editorial and high-end fashion collaboration. I am known for the work I have partaken in such as Vans e-commerce which can be seen on in the “men’s new arrivals” section of the website, a feature in MAC Zine an editorial magazine published by MAC Cosmetics, AKILA eyewear social media campaign as seen on Instagram and many more projects as well as some unreleased ones. I am currently most proud of my Vans project because Vans is my favorite shoe brand ever and to be able to be featured on their website is a dream I can barely put into words. I feel what sets me apart from others is my diversity and unique look which is saying something considering modeling is the land of unique and diversity. My unconventional facial features as well as long curly/wavy hair makes for a very interesting combination allowing me to stand out from my peers and catch the eye of the casting directors for the projects I have been a part of and featured in.
How do you think about luck?
I believe luck has played the biggest role both good and bad in my life and professional pursuits. The good luck of being convinced into believing in myself to give the modeling/entertainment dream an honest effort, as well as bad luck with my studies being on an indefinite hold thanks to the pandemic and travel restrictions. However, I believe they’ve blended in and the good and bad luck have flown in harmony almost to provide me the current positioning I have today which is pursuing my lofty childhood dreams of being a performer and star while having time off from my studies through no fault or stoppage of my own.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stormmanagement-la.com/men/waleed-khan/4673/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tannjesuss/
- Other: https://app.castingnetworks.com/talent/profile/248962985
Image Credits:
Akila Eyewear, Vans.com, Storm Model Management, Jassie Headshots.
