Words by: Miss B0mb. Image Property of: Jamie Hughes; image23.co.uk

*This article is written from a third person point of view.*

Miss B0mb’s career began in 2004 whilst at University when, fed up with the Rock nights that were on offer in Derby, she took it upon herself to do better and she set up and managed a ‘B0mbshell’ weekly night successfully for four years. Being a big music lover, she regularly attended gigs where she met a local promoter who was involved in an Internet Radio station called Rock 247 Online. He asked her to join the Rock 247 team, which eventually became Phoenix Radio, where she is currently based. Having a totally blank canvas for every show, Miss B0mb comes up with all segments for the show, conducts all her interviews and dedicates a section of her monthly show to the promotion of unsigned artists, as these are a strong element of the Rock scene.

Miss B0mb attended the UK Bloodstock Open Air festival in 2009 with the Phoenix Radio team, where she was asked to join the Bloodstock Podcast team. She has been producing regular weekly shows since then and this year the organisers have asked her to support the video interviews of main stage acts at the 2010 festival, which she has delightfully accepted.

In addition, Miss B0mb is a freelance writer for 2 online magazines, Suite 101 and Rock and Metal News reviewing and promoting unsigned bands from the Rock scene.

Not wanting to become stagnant and in a bid to raise her profile, Miss B0mb decided to turn her attention to alternative modeling. After taking a few promotional shots in her back garden, she signed up with Perfect Storm Models and takes on the occasional shoot for fashion, portfolio building, or music videos and promotions.

Miss B0mb’s Advice
If you’re eager to set up your own Rock night somewhere, take heed of this advice; it’s bloody hard work! Far more than you realise if you’ve never done it before but it is equally rewarding if you pull it off. There is nothing more disconcerting than DJing to a crowd of twelve people in a 500 capacity club, but the trick is promotion. Be creative, hold regular theme nights, set up a forum and list it on your flyers. B0mbshell became a huge cult and hosted it’s own forum, Myspace page and sold merchandise. Follow in B0mbshell’s steps and try and gain some sponsorship from a local Students’ Union if they do not already host an alternative night, there is often a good calling for it, especially in the smaller cities.

If it is radio DJing that interests you then look into volunteering, this is a key element as you can have all the qualifications in the world but no one will touch you without some experience under your belt. Look at the Internet radio stations out there as they are always keen for volunteers, or look on sites like Radio Talent or Media UK where they advertise volunteer jobs.  You can search for free. Try and be relaxed when talking and be creative and just have fun with it. Remember you are not being paid so if you are not having fun; what’s the point? It is still possible to take it seriously and enjoy yourself at the same time.

When interviewing bands, try not to feel star struck, just relax.  It helps to research the band or artist thoroughly, that way you won’t panic and feel you are going to get caught out! Look over previous interviews they have done and try to have a conversation rather than a question and answer session.  This is sometimes easier said than done, but practice is key.

Try and be creative with your radio shows, come up with jingles and special sections to make your show stand out from the rest, but mainly, be yourself and love what you do.

When writing reviews and articles, get in touch with online webzines or start your own. If you feel you don’t know where to start, do some research and read articles about people who have set up an online webzine and contact them for advice. I have found people love to talk about themselves and their careers, so most people will want offer you advice. Throwing yourself in an the deep end may seem a bit daunting but it is the easiest way to do it, expect to make mistakes and keep going. If you have to be negative in your reviews, make it constructive criticism and try and write in third person. It will help to get someone else to read your work before publishing it and take any criticism positively. Think about the audience you are writing for, the age group, gender, and social aspects, and tailor it accordingly.

For Alternative Models out there, be prepared to work hard, competition is fierce and you will suffer a lot of rejection. Don’t take this personally as it is not necessarily against how you look, it is a very small industry in this country and a lot of people  want to get involved, so just brush off every failed casting and move on. It’s important to feel confident as this will come out on your photos, as will having fun on your shoots. This is easily achievable by practicing looks and poses at home in the mirror; try and get a few signature poses that you can call your own. If you want to get some promotional shots then use a normal digital camera and get a friend to take a few snapshots but avoid the classic “Myspace” pose as these are not popular. Joining network sites like Model Mayhem and Pure Storm are really helpful and free to sign up to. You can find lots of photographers on the castings page who will help build your portfolio and you should aim to get as many different looks as you can to show your versatility.

The most important advice is NEVER under any circumstances do what is not comfortable for you. It is not a necessity for any model to pose nude and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Don’t be afraid to walk out on a shoot if you’re being pressured. Always ensure your photographer signs a Model Release form as this will stop anyone from selling photographs of yourself to disreputable companies.  You can find the forms on the Internet and are intended to protect both yourself and the photographer.

Finally, be prepared to work for free and be prepared to do this a lot! Never be afraid to talk to people, confidence is key, there will always be someone out there who is better than you, but they might not have ‘the’ something that makes you different.. Stay positive, if you want it badly enough, there is no reason why you cannot achieve it.