Hi! I’m Chris Randolph and I am a model from the United States. I’ve lived in Sofia, Bulgaria for close to 3 years now. I was a professional basketball player for 8 years all around the 
world in Europe, Asia and in South America. During this time is when I discovered modeling in 2019. I modeled a little when I was 7 years old. My mother had put me in a few shows but I did not like it and asked her if I could stop. People had always told me I would be a great model with my great skin complexion and body tone. I really did not think much of it as I was too busy with basketball.
While in China, I had only done some basketball modeling and a few fitness photos for companies. 
It was then one of my best friends who was also a basketball player and is now one of the most famous models in the world and models for the likes of Ralph Lauren Polo, Levi’s, Nike, and many others, told me I should start taking modeling seriously. He also suggested that I get someone to take photos of me because he believed I had the look to do it and could be very successful. I did not really want to do it but in 2019 I signed a contract to Vietnam for basketball and while I was there a friend took some photos of me and posted them. After that many agencies and companies reached out to me. She then taught me how to pose, how to stand and helped me to continue to work on my pictures. After doing a few campaigns and a lot of future things booked from my agency for the next few weeks, the world shut down due to a spike in COVID numbers.
I waited for 2 months hoping things would open back up but they only got worse so I decided to come to Bulgaria to visit my friend that was playing basketball here for a team.
While being here for only a week another friend of mine booked a French skincare campaign for me. After I finished the campaign the photographer asked me if I lived here and I said no. However, he suggested that if I did, I would end up with a lot of modeling work. As time went on, me and my now wife were dating and I kept doing a few campaigns. I then thought about signing with an agency here as I was only booking smaller campaigns and wanted to have the opportunity to work with the really big ones.
As I hunted for agencies I talked to a few and had heard about Kirilka and Alia Models agency from another popular model here in Bulgaria. As Kirlka and I began to talk she told me what she thought of me, what she believed my market was and what she could do for me and my career. We came to an understanding and I signed a contract with the agency. After I signed she booked me a few test shoots. We went to work immediately and I managed to book jobs through the agency for clients including Coca Cola, H&M featuring Naomi Campbell, PlayStation, Foodora, Carlsberg, Ali Express with David Beckham, and many more. I have also had the opportunity to be in many runways including Sofia fashion week and New York fashion week.
Going from being an athlete to a model has a lot of similarities in terms of taking care of your body and having to study your craft. I approach it just like I did with basketball. I study posing, I look at the kind of shoots similar models with my look do and I am always doing test shoots to get better behind the camera. One thing I do enjoy is having the opportunity to work with companies I always watched growing up and having the opportunity to meet famous models and actors from around the world. I hope for the future to continue having the chance to work with big clients and seeing where my career will take me next.
Author - Christopher Randolph
