Meet Kamla-Kay McKenzie | Agency Signed Model, Model & Posing Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kamla-Kay McKenzie and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kamla-Kay, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Ever since I was a child, I always wanted to become a model. But life happened and I did what felt like the “responsible” thing (for me) to do. I went to University, got my Master’s Degree, and then worked a little in corporate doing advertising and marketing. I loved the company I worked for and enjoyed the creative aspect. But that desire to pursue my modeling started to creep up again. I had been doing some small modeling gigs here and there during college and while working full time. However, it became very apparent that my heart was more driven for my love of modeling than being inside of an office space. The blessing was that whether it was advertising or modeling, both allowed me to be surrounded by creatives and eventually the knowledge of my advertising and marketing background merged well with my new career choice as a model.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I started modeling professionally for print shoots and TV commercials about 10 years ago. I was initially doing local events in my college community until I moved to Miami and fully dived into pursuing my passion.

When I first moved to Miami, I didn’t have anyone to really guide me in the direction of what it really took to become a successful model. I was simply going with the flow and guessing what steps would be ideal for the next move.

Once I got signed to a few reputable modeling agencies in the area, I started attending castings and booking paid work.

I was finally doing something that excited me the most.

But booking those jobs and going on all those castings was not always glamour…the misconception that many people have of what it’s like to be a model.

Take for instance the 10 auditions models like myself often have to attend before we actually book one of those jobs. Not glamorous!

Or the time I had to shoot in the Bahamas for 5 days in freezing water during rainy season and smile for every shot as if I were wading in warm bath water.

To say that it has been an easy journey would be a filtered view of what it really was like to build my career.

On the flip side, there have been some amazing opportunities as well. Such as when I lived in Cape Town, South Africa for 3 months and modeled there.
I’ve also been blessed to model with David Beckham and for brands such as IT Cosmetics, The Ritz-Carlton, Chase Bank, Bacardi, Tupperware, DoorDash just to name a few.

Going back to the beginning, after some time of being in the Miami area, I started to meet other models and would recognize the same familiar faces at castings.

That eventually allowed me to build a community of like-minded individuals who had similar industry goals to mine. This catapulted my understanding that some of the challenges were just part of the territory.

Once I started developing a network of support, that in turn allowed me to book additional jobs when models would refer me to their clients…and then vise-versa with me being able to recommend some talented individuals as well.

People eventually started recognizing me in TV Commercials and print ads and that is when other aspiring models started reaching out to me with a host of questions about how they too could get into the industry and even for tips on how to improve their posing skills.

To help as many people at once, I started doing posts on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok educating people about the industry and teaching them how to build their brand while avoiding industry scams.

Eventually, the demand for my 1:1 help as a coach inspired me to create a business where I now offer 1:1 coaching for those who want to learn not only about the modeling industry but for aspiring models and other creatives (of all ages) who want to have posing lessons for greater photoshoot confidence.

Overall, those who follow my accounts and who I have coached 1:1 often say that they gravitate towards my brand because I am relatable, friendly and a wealth of information.

Those are the traits and principles that I want to continue to build upon as I build my career and coaching business.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

First, I would ask my husband for suggestions on this one. Ha! He is usually my go to on names of restaurants as I am the worst with this kind of thing.

Let me think on this one….ok so my best friends are big on eating and not necessarily needing to be part of hectic nightlife to have fun. Therefore, I would take them to Wynwood to start with an early rooftop dinner at Astra. I love their Branzino fish.

Then we could head over to the Design District because 1 friend in particular would revel in the architecture and creative art in the area. Day 2 would be Seaspice or Amara at Paraiso because being out on the water is always an ideal dinner experience for us.

And since this is their vacation trip, let’s head over to Barton G one day because we can definitely be “extra” at times and the presentation of their food is certainly over the top. But this may be a tough choice considering I also love Gianni’s at The Former Versace Mansion. Another close friend that would be on the trip is a huge fan of cookies so I have a feeling a stop to Night Owl Cookies would be a big hit.

When it’s time to lounge, a poolside or beach visit to places like the Faena Hotel or Mondrian South beach would be up their alley as well.

Before they head back out of town, the final stop would probably be The Wharf Miami because who doesn’t love a good food truck experience with music and games.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Super thankful for my now husband, family and friends who supported my efforts to pursue my modeling versus telling me that it was a silly idea to try this new career.

Website: https://www.kamlakay.com/links

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kamlakay/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamlakay/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/kamlakay

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kamlakay?lang=en

Image Credits
Tereza Janakova and Clay Boutté