Man Of Steel

Tanner Mata proves that he’s more than just your hero archetype

- Kit Singson

We paused, exasperated at the loud humming the air conditioner was making behind the man seated in front of us. All the recording registered must have been the low, tired growling the old unit was drilling through our ears, and decidedly so, just as Tanner Mata began answering my first question, he politely waited for things to quiet down.

He continued to sit there, patiently recollecting where to pick up his thoughts, you know, before he was interrupted. “I started modeling actually when I moved to Colorado with my brother,” he repeated. “My cousin told us that we should try modeling at her agency. We walked into the agency and we started work the next day.” He is represented by Wilhelmina, one of the most prominent agencies in the industry, and known worldwide to develop exceptional models. (Locally, he finds a home with IM Agency.) Look, who wouldn’t want to represent him? Colossal at 6’1, with a chiseled, proportionate body, the guy already looked like a model without trying. But even from the onset, Tanner seemed to be more than meets the eye. He may be soft-spoken, polite, and maybe even a bit starchy when you’re first introduced—a quality that gradually tapered out throughout the interview.

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