Albert Reed
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
featured in numerous high-end clothing ads and commercials. Raised in the surf culture
Surf culture
Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion and life surrounding the art of surfing.The culture began early in the 20th century, spread quickly during the 1950s and 1960s, and continues to evolve. It affected fashion, music, literature, films, jargon, and more...
of Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 16,939. It is the county seat of Indian River County...
, Reed's modeling career accelerated at the age of 19 after appearing on the cover of Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch is an American retailer that focuses on casual wear for consumers aged 18 to 22. It has over 300 locations in the United States, and is expanding internationally....
's 2004 back-to-school catalog. In August 2007, Reed was selected to appear in the fifth season of the U.S. television series Dancing with the Stars.
Early life
Albert Reed was born in South Miami, FloridaSouth Miami, Florida
South Miami is a Miami suburban city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,741 at the 2000 census and as of 2007, according to the U.S...
(specifically South Miami Hospital) to Barbara Foster and John Reed. At the age of thirteen, Reed moved with his family about 150 miles (241.4 km) north of their middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
Miami neighborhood to Vero Beach
Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 16,939. It is the county seat of Indian River County...
, which Reed refers to as "a little surfer town located on the east coast of central Florida." The family's proximity to the beach allowed Reed to surf
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
just about every day. He quickly integrated himself into the local surf culture
Surf culture
Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion and life surrounding the art of surfing.The culture began early in the 20th century, spread quickly during the 1950s and 1960s, and continues to evolve. It affected fashion, music, literature, films, jargon, and more...
and adopted a live-to-surf casual lifestyle.
In 2000, Reed began attending Vero Beach High School
Vero Beach High School
Vero Beach High School is located in Vero Beach, Florida, the county seat of Indian River County. Founded in 1925 , VBHS is a large, comprehensive high school, located on Florida’s east coast. The high school serves 2,675 students in grades 9-12 who reside in the southern portion of Indian River...
. While he was in the 10th grade, Reed's parents, who Reed describes as hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
s, divorced. This largely left Reed to figure things out on his own.
Reed's free spirit and a need to take care of himself clashed with the structures of high school. Although he hated the classroom environment and had a strong desire to be elsewhere, he was well liked:
"In school, I was that popular outside kid, who stayed close to my few surfer buddies, but was always on good terms with everyone. I just kept my mouth shut and listened. I spoke what was on my mind when it needed to be said. People respected me for that. For sports, I played everything that I could get my hands on as a kid. But high school was different. I became so indulged in surfing that it was the only activity I wanted to do. The ocean was my playground. If the surf weren’t good, we would be spear fishing or wakeboardingWakeboardingWakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques....
."
At 16, Reed began bussing tables at The Riverfront, a four star restaurant in Vero Beach. During a trip down to Miami, Reed's modeling potential was discovered accidentally while accompanying a friend to her modeling agency, Karin Modelshttp://www.karinmodels.com/. Although his friend was not signed, Karin Models immediately signed Reed, who then began modeling part-time while he finished high school.
Modeling
At 18, Reed graduated from high school and moved to Miami to pursue modeling and public relationsPublic relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
work in clubs. He received a steady string of modeling jobs, which lead to opportunities to model in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and then Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where Reed lived for about six months. While in Italy, Reed was featured as the sole male model in the Spring/Summer 2004 catalog for Italian sportswear company SLAM. Although his European experience was positive, the ongoing Iraq War left Europeans "a bit sour" towards Reed and other Americans working in Europe, and Reed returned to the United States.
A 2004 meeting with internationally acclaimed photographer Bruce Weber
Bruce Weber (photographer)
Bruce Weber is an American fashion photographer and occasional filmmaker. He is most widely known for his ad campaigns for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Pirelli, Abercrombie & Fitch, Revlon, and Gianni Versace, as well as his work for Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Elle, Life, Interview, and Rolling Stone...
lead to Reed's big break, a photo shoot and website video appearance for Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch is an American retailer that focuses on casual wear for consumers aged 18 to 22. It has over 300 locations in the United States, and is expanding internationally....
. Reed appeared on a billboard in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
with a LIVE TO SURF tattoo and subsequently on the cover of Abercrombie & Fitch's 2004 back-to-school catalog. More than 10 million homes throughout the United States received a copy of that catalog, and that cover subsequently has appeared as an ad in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, GQ
GQ (magazine)
GQ is a monthly men's magazine focusing on fashion, style, and culture for men, through articles on food, movies, fitness, sex, music, travel, sports, technology, and books...
, Teen Vogue
Teen Vogue
Teen Vogue magazine began as a version of Vogue magazine for teenage girls. This US magazine focuses on fashion and celebrities and offers information about the latest entertainment and feature stories on current issues and events.- Description :...
, and the premiere issue of VITALS. Reed credits the 2004 Abercrombie & Fitch cover for giving him the needed credentials to make it as a professional model.
In September 2004, Reed signed with IMG
IMG (business)
IMG, originally known as the International Management Group is a global sports and media business headquartered in New York City.-History:...
, a global talent agency and production company in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In December of that same year, Cosmopolitan magazine named Reed as their December 2004 Cosmo's Guy Without His Shirt.
In January 2005, signed with The John Crosby Management Company, Innovative Artists Talent and Literary Agency in New York and Bleu Model Management in Los Angeles. In this same month, Ocean Drive
Ocean Drive (magazine)
Ocean Drive is a magazine that reports on fashion, society, entertainment and celebrities in Miami Beach, Florida, in the United States. The magazine has been referred to as "the Bible of South Beach" due to its coverage of nightlife and VIPs. Suzy Buckley is the Editor in Chief. The magazine's...
magazine highlighted the 19-year-old Reed as "one the 24 freshest faces on the Miami modeling scene," a fact important enough to be featured in Bleu Model Management's listing in Hoover's In-Depth Company Records
Hoover's
Hoover's, Inc., a subsidiary of Dun & Bradstreet, is a business research company that has provided information on U.S. and foreign companies and industries since 1990. Since 1993, the company has made its information available on its website.-Operations:...
. He is also with Public Image Worldwide, Elite Model Management
Elite Model Management
Elite Model Management is a large modeling agency based in New York and Paris. It is a subsidiary of Elite World S.A.-History:Founded in France in 1972 by John Casablancas and Alain Kittler, it was rebought in 1990 by Nicholas Farrae. Elite World S.A. is the parent company of Elite Model...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, and DNA Model Management
DNA Model Management
DNA Model Management is a modeling agency in New York City. DNA represents numerous notable models in the industry. Models include Natalia Vodianova, Amber Valletta, Doutzen Kroes, Linda Evangelista, Shalom Harlow, Raquel Zimmermann and Kristen McMenamy....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In March 2005, the Italian sportswear company SLAM announced Reed as cover model for their 2005 Spring/Summer Sportswear Catalog. Reed had previously had appeared as the SLAM 2004 Spring/Summer cover model and the 2004 Fall/Winter cover model.
In April 2005, MostBeautifulMan.com selected Reed as their choice for "April 2005 Most Beautiful Man." Past recipients of Most Beautiful Man selection include Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
(May 2004) and Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher
Christopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...
(Feb. 2004).
In July 2005, former Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
's cable channel, Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
, filmed Reed during a shooting with celebrity photographer Tony Duran. Current TV additionally interviewed Reed and turned the footage into a segment for their channel. The pod segment was shown on Current TV in early August.
Reed currently is the national face of Van Heusen apparel company.
Television
On August 29, 2007, ABC television studios announced that Reed would be paired with Anna TrebunskayaAnna Trebunskaya
Anna Trebunskaya is a Russian professional ballroom and Latin dancer, known for her appearances on Dancing with the Stars . She now lives in Los Angeles, California and dances in the International Latin style.-Biography:Anna Trebunskaya was born December 28, 1980 in Chelyabinsk, Russia...
(who was gone in two seasons) as a contestant in the fifth season of the television series, Dancing with the Stars beginning on Monday, September 24, 2007 (8:00–9:30 p.m., ET).
What may distinguish Reed from the other contestants is that he does not dance. During his interview to be on the show, Reed stated,
"I can't. I got rhythm. I'm able to pull out a few dance moves in a bar or wherever. I'm not unable to dance at all, but I'm definitely not a ballroom dancer by any means."The Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
lists Reed's odds of winning at 8-1, behind 9-5 odds favorite Scary Spice and three others.
Reed's grandmother, Anne Foster, 81, of Glen Cove, New York
Glen Cove, New York
Glen Cove is a city in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 26,964....
, sees herself as his No. 1 fan. Unlike the other likely 15 million viewers of that show, Foster indicated that she will not be watching a supermodel but the sweet surfing enthusiast who stays grounded enough to still enjoy grandma's company at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Her husband, Reed's grandfather Harry Foster, died in November 2006 and Reed is dedicating his Dancing with the Stars performance to his grandfather, a great ballroom dancer, and his grandmother.
On October 2 Reed was shockingly voted off Dancing with the Stars making him the second celebrity eliminated from the show.
Film
His first film was the role of Billy in the surfing movie ShelterShelter (2007 film)
Shelter is a 2007 American film directed and written by Jonah Markowitz. It stars Trevor Wright, Brad Rowe, and Tina Holmes. It was the winner of "Outstanding Film – Limited Release" at the 2009 GLAAD Media Awards, Best New Director and Favorite Narrative Feature at the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film...
.
Present
Reed owns a mountain hideaway in ColoradoColorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, but makes his home in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, where he tries getting a week of surfing in every month to keep balanced. When not modeling, Reed writes poetry and songs for his band, NERD.
Albert is also a celebrity spokesman for America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network, the largest domestic hunger-relief charity in the United States.