The bright lights of Toronto are a dramatic contrast from living on an organic farm near Hafford.
That change is something 18-year-old Aiden Sitter will be going through for a week in August as he will travel to Canada's largest city to take part in the third annual Top Model Search Canada competition.
“It's going to be different and it will be a pretty busy few days,” Sitter said. “However, I know it's going to be a really exciting time for me and I've been looking forward to this ever since I found out that I was going to be heading down there a few months ago.”
Sitter found out that he would taking part in this year's event back in April after he attended a casting call in Saskatoon.
“It was a bit different than what I was expecting once I took my number there,” Sitter said. “There was over 50 people there and I was waiting for about an hour and a half before I was asked to come in.
“Once you went into the room, there was a lady standing there and she asked my height, my weight and basic stuff along those lines. After that she took a picture of me and then she said that I was going to be heading to Toronto.”
What took Sitter the most by surprise was the fact that it was just one person he spoke to in the room and the entire process took a couple of minutes at the most.
“I was expecting to have multiple people looking at me and asking me a lot of questions,” Sitter said. “I didn't think it would be like an in-depth job interview or anything like that, but I was surprised to be walking in and then walking out in a short amount of time.”
Once he left the room, Sitter said it really started to sink in for him that he would be able to take part in the Top Model Search Canada.
“There was a bit of a surprised feeling for me at first,” Sitter said. “I have a lot of anxiety when it comes to things like this, as I'm still a young person and I'm just getting started, so it was nice to have that feeling of relief.
“Once it sunk in that I was actually going to be heading to Toronto, I was really happy. This is something that I have wanted to try for a long time now and I'm hoping that I can expand from this into future career paths.”
Sitter has a number of goals in mind for his future, many of which involve keeping audiences entertained.
“I started wanting to get into the on-screen scene when I was 12 years old,” Sitter said. “My first goal, and it's still high up there on things I want to do, was to become a stunt actor. That's out in the Seattle area and there's a friend of my dad's that told me that he would take me through the training and all of that if I wanted to pick that up. So that's something that's always interested me.
“Later in life, I've had a goal of wanting to make people laugh. Whether that's through movies, comedy or being on stage, it doesn't matter to me in what way that I can do that. I'm really hoping that through this experience in modelling, I can open some doors that can lead me to those opportunities.”
Sitter does have some experience in modelling as he travelled to Lloydminster recently to take part in a photo shoot.
“That was through a friend of my mom and my sister,” Sitter said. “There were a number of people that were taking part in that shoot and they asked me if I wanted to try it out. So I decided to give it a shot.
“It was good to get out of my comfort zone and do something new. I think we got there around 8 a.m. and we finished up at 11 p.m. so it was a full day out there. The experience was great. We were in a nice location out in the country and we had a great photographer who took lots of photos of everybody. That really got the ball rolling for me.”
Since Sitter found out he was going to Toronto, his main focus has been on continuing his healthy eating habits and workout routines, which is something he has been doing for a number of years.
“Since my parents do organic farming that healthy lifestyle has always been a part of me,” Sitter said. “There's the saying that 'a healthy life if a happy life' and that's something I've always done. So there was no switch at all when it came to my diet.”
Sitter has always kept himself physically active as well. While in high school, he earned a silver medal in the junior boys high jump event at the 2014 provincial high school track and field championships in Moose Jaw.
“I've always enjoyed working out and staying active, whether that is through sports or not,” Sitter said. “When I finished up high school last year I stepped back from doing a lot of that but I got back into that routine of physical activity this spring once I found out that I was going to Toronto.
“I've been doing a combination of lifting weights to make sure that I'm keeping in good shape and a lot of running to keep my cardio levels up.”
Before he heads to Toronto on Aug. 13, Sitter will also be getting some items ready ahead of time for when he meets the people in charge of Top Model Search Canada.
“I'm figuring out at the moment what to bring for outfits as you have to bring a couple of pairs of your own stuff and your own shoes,” Sitter said. “There's going to be video crews following around a lot of the models during the course of the week so you have to make sure that you are looking absolute best at all times.
“It's not just one type of modelling that they will be focusing on when we're out there. There's a best portfolio and best swimsuit modelling categories, so I'm currently going through multiple photos that I'll be giving directly to the casters that will help to determine what I'll be doing throughout the week. The only thing that's determined by another format is the actual runway as that will be picked by a specific group of people.”
At this point, Sitter doesn't know his full schedule while in Toronto, but he expects the week to be hectic.
“Thankfully my mom's coming with me so she'll help me to keep my head on straight that's for sure,” Sitter laughed. “We're pretty much going to be going through everything in a quick amount of time. We will be learning how to walk a runway, when to smile, when not to smile and everything else that goes along with that.
“I've had some jobs before but this is that first real step out into a big market and a big career path. I'm just hoping that this can lead me to my other dreams.”
While Sitter is entering uncharted waters, he does have a goal in mind that he hopes to achieve during the week-long event.
“I'm really hoping that I have the opportunity to continue to do the modelling and make the connections to do some exciting things in that field,” Sitter said.
“If that doesn't happen, I may have to go out and find a job in the real world to pay the bills for the time being. With that said though, I'll keep the modelling going as that's something I really want to do.”
When asked what advice he would give to someone his age or younger that might want to try modelling, Sitter said the biggest thing to do is to give it a try even if you don't know what to expect.
“I'm not going to lie, it's a bit nerve-wracking at times but you just have to push through that,” Sitter said.
“That's really all you can do in a situation that you are not used to. When you are scared you just have to keep pushing through and in the end, things will work out for you. That's something I've done for a long time in everything that I've done and it's really helped me out a lot.”
