Modeling was not what Spencer Burhoe wanted to do when he grew up. But after playing a joke on his dad by going to an casting call for models in his home town, Spencer found his full-time career as a Mormon model who now travels the world and give firesides.
The 26-year-old started his modeling career nine years ago in American Fork, Utah. At the time he was working for a company that installed hardwood floors. Back then, he wore mismatched clothes and a layer of sawdust for work.
One night Spencer came home from installing floors to find his dad, Woody, looking at a casting call ad from a local modeling agency. His dad laughed and suggested that his son go to the audition.
Spencer wanted to 'get back' at his dad by having his mom take him to the casting call. It was all fun and games until Spencer was offered a job leading to his modeling career.
Spencer's little brother, Alex, has enjoyed watching his brother’s career go from a joke to a successful job.
'When Spencer first started modeling we all knew it started as a joke, so I thought it would be an entertaining but short lived thing,' Alex said. 'Then once he started pursuing modeling more, I enjoyed having someone in my family who was doing something out of the normal Mormon culture.'
Spencer went from a dusty installer to a successful model that travels internationally. In 2009, Spencer landed his first international modeling job after completing a semester at BYU. After that, Spencer left to serve a mission in Japan. He then continued his BYU education upon returning home in 2011.
Spencer set modeling aside upon returning to BYU after his mission. But his friends in the BYU photography department brought him back to the modeling scene.
Spencer was featured in a fashion project that was published online by the photography students. From there, an agent re-discovered him and his modeling career relaunched.
Spencer continued to model throughout his time at BYU. He graduated with a degree in Japanese in 2013 and then moved to New York to pursue a full-time modeling career.
Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints in the fashion industry is not easy, according to Spencer. Standards of morality are rarely considered by those wanting to promote their brand, according to Spencer.
'I am in an industry where they don’t place value on values. It doesn’t do anything for you. It doesn’t get you ahead in the industry if you are an upstanding person,' Spencer said. 'In this industry, they don’t care. They care about your look and if they can have fun with you.'
New York is where Spencer considers his home, but he never stays in one place for too long. He has modeled in Europe, Milan, Switzerland, Los Angeles, Miami, Mexico, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and China.
Maintaining strong standards is Spencer's main priority during his time in the fashion industry. His agents know his standards and usually book him jobs that do not represent anything related to drugs, alcohol or sex.
One job put him in jeopardy of breaking his standards. After being taken to a resort three hours outside of Mexico City, Spencer found out the job was for a beer company.
Spencer stood by his standards and told the directors he would not be participating in the shoot, even though his decision stranded three hours outside of town in a foreign country. Spencer left the job knowing that he had stood up for himself and his standards.
'I've seen Spencer turn down jobs in order to live his standards,' Alex said. 'Although he has lost some work because of it, his fellow workers have come to accept and adapt to his standards. Because he lives what he knows to be true, God has blessed him with the ability to travel the world, to work with big fashion names and to earn enough to have a good living.'
Spencer said working in an industry that wants its models to promote alcohol, drugs and sex doesn't have to be impossible. He believes that one can both model and have values.
“For me, it’s pretty basic. You live your standards and do what you want with your life,' Spencer said. 'You don’t have to compromise your standards to do anything else.'
Lia Seaver, a friend of Spencer, has seen how important his standards are to his career.
'I think that Spencer wouldn't be able to have his career without his standards because I think it would be hard for him to feel grounded and confident, and those are really important aspects of being successful in the modeling industry,' Seaver said. 'He faces lots of rejection and, accordingly, has to have a good sense of who he is as a person and his value as a child of God.'
Spencer now travels to places like Utah and Arizona to do firesides for wards and stakes. He started speaking to the youth of the church because of how important standards have been in his demanding career.
Spencer plans to continue both modeling and giving firesides throughout his lifetime. He hopes to show youth that their dreams can be accomplished while maintaining strong standards.
'I think there is a big misunderstanding there, so I want to help kids realize they can be whatever they want to be,' Spencer said. 'If they want to be an actor or a model, if they want to be in the fashion or entertainment industry, whatever they want to do, they can still do it without compromising their standards.'