There are a lucky few people whose career helps them to pursue their interest in studying reptiles and amphibians – sometimes in unexpected ways. David Alderton talks with one of them.
Mitchell Robinson's career as a model is on a stellar trajectory. His career highlights to date include a L'Oréal campaign; featuring in the magazine Harper’s Bazaar in a shoot with the famous photographer Richard Burbridge, and appearing as a RoboCop alongside Lady Gaga in Times Square, New York, promoting the release of one of her albums. Growing up in the small southern town of Acworth in the state of Georgia, he was spotted by a model scout on the streets of New York and is now represented by a top NYC agency.
Mitchell’s rise to the top, as is often the case, has involved a combination of luck, determination and hard work. Long before his career took off though, he had acquired a early and lasting fascination with reptiles, as he explains.
Early days
Q What are your first memories of reptiles?
A My parents should have known they had a problem on their hands when I would play with lizard-shaped fishing lures when I wasn’t even two-years-old! By the time I was walking, I was never seen without a critter-keeper (container) in hand, catching every anole lizard in sight. I think that I was born with an obsession for reptiles.
Q Does growing up in Georgia alongside alligators and rattlesnakes have any impact on how communities and the people within them view reptiles? Did this affect you in any way?
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