Brad Rowe - Star of Stage and Screen

Brad Rowe

Jaime Filer: How did your Dollar Shave Club Commercial come about?

Brad Rowe: I do commercial acting out here in L.A.; so I have a commercial acting agent, and they send me out on jobs – things that might fit my description or close to. It’s kind of a tough little industry because you get stuff on such short notice, so if you when a job or you’re a trainer, I turn down a lot of gigs and auditions because I can’t cancel on a bunch of clients. But if it’s a big enough job, then I end up making it to an audition.

So this one was pretty straight forward; the part with me taking my shirt off was not in the script, but the guy who owns Dollar Shave Club was there, and wanted to have me rip my shirt off, pose, and scream. So that was fun!

JF: Why do you think that commercial go viral so quickly?

BR: I think it’s because it’s so funny. It plays into stereotypes. Unfortunately, as a society, we like to play into as many stereotypes as we can. So mainstream media probably gets a kick out of a bodybuilder playing this typical, douchey, bodybuilder role.

In life, like a lot of things, it’s the things that are unexpected and that you don’t really try for, that often end up most successful for you. Same thing with bodybuilding; I never set out in life to be a bodybuilder. It was just circumstances that led me into that direction. It was actually the acting and model work that led me into bodybuilding. I was discovered in 2010 by a modeling agency through MySpace. They asked me if I was interested in doing any type of fitness modeling. I said, “Not really, but if you book me work and it pays, then I won’t turn it down!” Within 2 weeks, he booked me for a Muscle and Fitness shoot, and a GNC campaign (which ended up being a 5-year buyout for their advertising). Then I went out to the Arnold that year, which is the year they launched the campaign, so that was my first taste into the bodybuilding world – going to the Arnold that year in 2010. Shortly after, I went to New York to do some photoshoots after the Arnold, and there ended up being an audition for a CarMax commercial. I went, and ended up booking a job right there. So things just kind of fell into each other. As I was doing more modeling work, my agent suggested I compete because he thought it would give me more exposure, potential for sponsorships, and that kind of thing.

Sure enough, as I was getting ready for my first show, he ended up contacting Universal, and they ended up signing me as an athlete a few weeks before I stepped on stage as an athlete for the first time. Within 6 months, I had booked commercials, landed a big sponsorship, had print jobs, and had plans to be a competitive bodybuilder, so I gave up my plans to go to medical school. I gave myself a three year window of opportunity to see success, and things kind of spiraled from there.

JF: You just placed 6th at the Nordic Pro; what was that experience like, competing in Finland?

BR: The whole experience was great. Finland reminds me of the Northeast US like in the middle of November. It’s just beautiful, green, clean, and absolutely perfect. The promoter did a really great job of taking care of the athletes in terms of making sure we had everything we needed. In terms of placing, I was at my all-time best, I think. From that, I was happy. I could’ve been a little fuller, and that could’ve been the difference of me cracking the Top 5. From a marketing standpoint, this was big for me. The posing routine I did really impressed people and went viral that weekend. I got a ton of followers from that throughout the weekend. So all in all, it was a success.

JF: What’s next for you in 2016?

BR: I’ve got the Ferrigno Legacy! Just going to try and come in a little fuller and tighter, and hope good things happen out here. The ultimate goal is to get back on the Olympia stage, so I’m going to compete as many times as I can between this show and next year to earn that spot. Depending on how things go, and how my rebound goes, I would love to try and do some more overseas shows next year. Not just to try and qualify for the Olympia, but I’m looking at this from a marketing standpoint to try and build my brand. It’s a matter of finding that point where I go to shows to be competitive and make it to the Olympia, but also going to shows where I’m going to tap into a new fan base.