Up Close with Block Agency
Actress/Model Sophie Strong
by Holly Marie Tong

Upon hearing the word “model,” the average mind is almost always automatically led to solely think of someone with outer beauty without thinking any further. However, when I personally hear the word “model”, I like to think of someone who possesses more than just physical beauty alone but someone who is also a good representation of our society, has a respectable character and someone who leads by example as a “role model.” In this particular case while outer beauty is most definitely accurate, there is certainly a very strong and noteworthy case of my personal definition. Combine inner and outer beauty with a humble heart, an intelligent mind, genuine care for others along with true talent and you have actress/model Sophie Strong.

While she has clearly been successful and experienced a lot in a short amount of time, she isn’t one to boast about where she is today. From music videos to commercials to photo shoots and fashion shows, you may have seen Sophie in various places. With an intriguing personality and a fascinating journey, talking with Sophie is truly inspiring and brings genuine encouragement: “I want to remain humble and always know where I came from,” answered Sophie when I asked her the best career advice she’s been given. While Sophie’s down to earth character and positive disposition will certainly never change, I also asked her if there has been any life changes since she started pursuing modeling/acting. “I used to be a very shy person. I was not one to spark a conversation or speak to many people. Nowadays, I am very chatty with everyone. I love meeting people and am no longer shy. Modeling has really helped me come out of my shell. I am now more outgoing and personable,” she replied. Sophie acknowledges it was her mom who inspired her to model. A former catalog model herself, her mother still gets casts for music videos and commercials today. Sophie notes that together they have done three commercials together and had a great time.

So you may be wondering what Sophie has been up to these days? Well for starters she recently participated in the Grand Reopening of Gaylord Opryland Hotel’s ceremony which was a two-day event. She was an actress and played the part of a catering employee. She was also recently featured in “Insight Magazine” (Spring Edition) as both the cover and centerfold model! While Sophie has appeared in several country music videos, one of her most exciting experiences was being a featured high schooler in Taylor Swift’s “Fifteen.” Along with those memorable experiences, she has also been a featured fan in Hank Williams Jr. ESPN Monday Night Football intro/opening segment. In addition to that she was once again a featured fan on the CMT Festival’s ABC special with Kellie Pickler, Jason Aldean and Brad Paisley. Amazingly, she was also a talent escort for Larry the Cable Guy’s Hula-Palooza Christmas Luau.

Sophie has been actively involved in several different country music awards shows and special events. Notably she was a talent seat filler at the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards Show and the 42nd, 43rd and 44th CMA awards shows. She was also a Dierks Bentley featured model and was one of the dancers for the opening of the show for the 2009 CMT Music Awards Show. In 2010 at the CMT Awards Show once again, she was a mosh audience filler. Sophie played a very important role once again as the trophy presenter for the 2010 16th Annual ICM Music Awards Show this past October.

Another special opportunity for Sophie occurred when she was a featured fan/extra and crew member in the major motion picture, “Country Strong.” A particularly fun and unusual experience for Sophie was playing the role of a female ghost in the Southern Haunts Nashville Documentary. As aforementioned, she has also appeared in several commercials. Recently she was a featured fan in the Keith Urban Target Commercial. Other commercials she has appeared in were for Acceptance Insurance, Wells Fargo, and two for Dr. Beautiful.

Getting to know Sophie and the successful model she is, it doesn’t come as a surprise that she has had the opportunity to model for fashion shows such as Bebe, Cache and Dillards. She is clearly a well-rounded model as she has been a floor model, runway model and mannequin model. Other modeling and photo shoots include Gillette (Model Rep.), Gillette Fusion (Brand Ambassador – Model Rep.), Elk River Coffee Company (Website Model), David Beckstead Workshop (Wedding Gown Model), “Lunchables” (Project Potential Tour), and she was recently a college student in a “Zume” Games Print Ad. They will be launching the print ad shoot in the Spring of 2011 in Dicks Sporting Goods stores along with other sporting goods stores.

Sophie’s favorite aspect of modeling/acting? All the wonderful people she gets to meet. What would be her favorite memory within her career? Interestingly she was hired to be a wedding gown model for David Beckstead who is one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the world. They were shooting Sophie’s portion in the Sloss Furnace in Birmingham, Alabama. They were in the tunnel with 10 other photographers, including David, when towards the end of the shoot she was informed that the Sloss Furnace was actually haunted. During the shoot, David thought he even saw blood on the train of the dress she was wearing! Upon inspection of the gown, there was no blood but the photographers claimed they could see it. This was most certainly quite the crazy experience! She later found out that the show “Ghost Hunters” had recently been there to film an episode of the Sloss Furnace and many of the crazy things that happened to them happened in the tunnel they were in. She recalls this particular shoot as one that she will always remember. While it was a lot of fun, she of course recounts it as being scary at the same time (Understandably so!)

In addition to modeling/acting, Sophie has a lot of unique attributes and special characteristics that truly sets her apart. She is a true multi-talent as she has numerous specials skills ranging from everything from ballet to counting to 100 in German. Some interesting facts that people may be surprised to know are that she absolutely loves football, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter movies. People sometimes find this shocking as it is stereotyped and assumed that Chick Flicks would be her cup of tea.

Sophie quickly recognizes those who have played an important role in her career and is clearly very grateful for all the opportunities she has received all the way. She notes, “I would like to thank my beautiful mother. It was she who inspired me to model. She never pressured me, but continued to tell me how I would be so successful as a model if I gave it a chance because she saw something in me that I didn’t. What she told me was that it would help me become more confident and more outgoing. She currently works as my manager and she works very hard for me to make sure everything is in place and no one takes advantage of me. She is my best friend and I love her very much and want to say right now, "Thank You, Mom, for everything. I am so lucky to have you. I love you." The next person who Sophie always likes to thank is Lisa Dotolo, a recording artist here in Nashville.

She says that her mom and Lisa met at the Gibson Guitar Summer Jam and she in turn introduced them to Doak Turner. Doak, who is a singer/songwriter and the owner of Nashville Muse, then introduced them to Sophie’s career/image coach, Suzanne Skinner, also known as “Mama Sue.” Sophie acknowledges Mama Sue is the one who has made her the person she is today: confident, outgoing and successful. She has coached her on everything from her image, self-image, career options/choices, headshots, acting, practicing her autograph and giving her great overall advice. Sophie says that she owes her so much because in addition to everything she already does, it was she who introduced her to her agent, Mark Block of The Block Agency who has made her successful by all the music videos, commercials, and print ads that she is in. She also would like to thank Scott Jarman, a singer/songwriter here in Nashville, who introduced her to her second acting teacher, Nancy Montgomery, who she took acting lessons from for several months. "She would tear up when I would do well which would give me a lot of confidence in my acting abilities." She says the last person she must thank is her first acting teacher, Lezlie Lanza of Huntsville, Alabama: “She really believed in me and worked with me to strengthen my voice and to help me reach my confidence level. When I would have an audition to go to, she always helped to prepare me. All these people have played and continue to play an important role in my successful career. I would not be where I am today without all these wonderful friends, coaches, and agent. I love them dearly and wish to thank them for everything they have done to launch my career and for believing in me.”

It is clear that these doors of opportunity were meant to open for Sophie and she is truly thankful and grateful for where she is today. One can gather that in Sophie’s journey every chance meeting and experience has lead to another and they have combined and thrived to make for a successful career. Outside of Sophie’s involvement in the entertainment world, she enjoys time with her friends and family and is working on her college degree. Genuine in everything she does, Sophie is one who can quickly connect with others and lead a successful career while remaining modest and relative to anyone and everyone who comes her way. Sophie Strong is my personal definition of what being a “model” really means and it is people like her who serve as a true example of being a successful woman of beauty and integrity.

Photos of Sophie Strong by Mandy Whitley except the wedding photo in the tunnel by David Beckstead