Catching Up With… ACY BROWN

Meet the man whose face and smile is well known and you’ve probably seen him on billboards, magazines, and more. Acy Brown, the man, the model, and the brand has 17 years in the model industry with an impressive resume to match. We couldn’t wait to catch up with Acy Brown.

S+S Magazine: Did you envision yourself where you are today as a model/entrepreneur?

AB: When I signed with my first talent agent at the age of 34 and began Modeling professionally, I envisioned myself being successful in regards to being featured on the front cover of Major Publications such as GQ Men’s, Men’s Health, Essence, and various other magazines, billboards, newspapers, and book covers. I am a very confident man and have always known after looking at various male models in magazines and on billboards, I possessed a very marketable look that could be used to promote, advertise, showcase clothing, footwear, and other products and services via photographs and TV commercials when afforded the opportunity to do so! I believe that print gives me versatility in terms of playing various characters in print. For me, the runway was walking, turning, and in someone else’s clothes. I personally didn’t think I would want to do that.

S+S Magazine: Let’s talk about your body and your health. Tell me how you keep your body looking so goodt? Share your regime.

AB: My workout regimen varies depending on what look I am going for with my body. For the most part, my goal is to keep my body-fat between 10-14% overall.From an aesthetic standpoint, my workout regimen gets more refined when I begin to prepare for photo shoots. In general, I attempt to work out 5-6 days per week with a mixture of resistance/weight training, stretching, foam rolling, and cardio-based exercises such as jumping rope, kettlebell swings, running on the treadmill, and going for a 60 min brisk walk at least 3 times per week and 5 times a week when dropping excess body-fat is required. My flexibility and versatility as a model have allowed me to be booked and featured in a multitude of advertisements ranging from being a family man to a physician to an athlete to a businessman to law enforcement officers!

S+S Magazine: Acy, do you ever look back and wonder if you’ve made the right choice to get into the modeling industry?

AB: No, not at all. In fact, I have no regrets! I would do this again in a heartbeat. I would do some things differently of course.

S+S Magazine: What would you say your favorite fashion style is?

AB: (Laughs) My favorite fashion styles are athletic/fitness and suit and tie.

S+S Magazine: What made you decide to do print modeling versus runway?

AB: I have always been comfortable with taking still photos and I get to express more of who I am in print. Plus, I get to smile a lot, my smile is one of my strongest features. Here is an example of one of my basic 30-minute exercise routines from start to finish when dropping my bodyfat percentage is the goal:

• Jump rope 3 minutes non-stop

Rest 2 mins then:

• 5 sets of 20 kettlebell swings (rest 30 seconds between each set)

Rest 3 mins then:

• 10 mins of battle-ropes (30 seconds work followed by 30 seconds rest until 10 min sites are complete)

Rest 5 mins then:

• 5 sets of 10 kettlebell deadlifts into the overhead swing (30 seconds rest after each set)
• Finish with foam rolling

S+S Magazine: What advice would you give your younger self, or another young black entrepreneur just starting out.

AB: Advice…. I would say follow your heart and get involved working with things that make YOU happy! I would advise them on making sure they learn the “business” of Business before going into business to get an idea of what all it takes to successfully operate. You have to believe in yourself, exude confidence, build a network, and trust yourself, more so than anyone else, because as the owner — it’s your company!