Trevor Bell is a creative force to be reckoned with. The former collegiate athlete (Columbia University football) turned model, actor and social media influencer is in the midst of a transition into a triple threat star.
Trevor is a fitness influencer and Instagram star boasting in excess of 81.6K followers. As an actor he made his debut in Regal Cinema’s trending Coca-Cola commercial currently playing in theaters nationwide. He’s also served as a brand ambassador for a handful of top tier brands including Shea Moisture and Fashionova.
This September Trevor looks to make his runway debut as well as a handful of special appearances during NYFW.
Photographer Ricky Day marks his own return to fashion with a dynamic shoot and brief conversation with the social media superstar.
M&R designs
On set during our shoot you mentioned you’re from Texas. I’ll spare you the clichés about everything being bigger in Texas, but I’m sure people are curious about where you’re from in Texas, what it was like growing up there and why the move to New York City?
I’m originally from a small rural town in Texas called Fannett, and culturally it’s pretty much the opposite of New York City. Looking back, I couldn’t be more thankful being raised in that small town because it taught me kindness and more importantly it taught me the importance of respect.
I’m sure most people don’t even know Columbia University has a football team at all, but tell us about your journey from being a collegiate athlete at an Ivy League University to a budding triple threat social media influencer, actor and model?
I actually get that all the time! Football has really grown at Columbia these past years going 0-10 to 8-2 just last year. It’s funny, I actually ran track as well when I first went to Columbia, but quickly learned that being a dual sport athlete at an Ivy League University is no joke, especially in New York City!
However, graduation marked a pivotal moment in my life. In my final semester at Columbia I had a few job offers for the upcoming fall; however, to the dismay of my family and friends, I turned down every offer. I had one goal after graduating, to play in the NFL. I knew for this to happen I would need to focus on nothing else, so in my final semester at Columbia that’s what I did.
I was fighting against all odds: undersized, without exposure, and a mediocre collegiate career. In the end, these obstacles didn’t matter to me because I believed in myself, and knew I was exceptionally athletic. I felt an immense pressure to succeed. I hated failure and feared it more than anything. I felt like I was faced with discouragement from everyone: friends, family, and even coaches. I heard all the rumors and gossip: “why is he even trying,” “he has no chance,” and “what a waste.” Despite all this negativity, I stayed with it and kept a low profile, knowing that everything would be worth it in the end. I would only get this chance once. In the end, I had the opportunity to work out for several NFL teams, but never landed an official contract. I knew I couldn’t waste my training and all of the hard work, so after much self reflection and research into different opportunities I started marketing and branding myself and creating what you guys see today @trevorbell.
You’re clearly committed to fitness, tell us about your journey into fitness and how it connects to your other passions?
Going off of what I mentioned before, fitness has really always been apart of my life through sports. What draws me to the fitness world is the concept of you being in control. Fitness to me is both mental and physical and to the extent that you can control this is probably one of the most rewarding things I’ve done.
You’re featured in a great new commercial currently running in Regal Theaters. Tell us about the experience and how it came about.
I had the amazing opportunity to participate in a Coca-Cola commercial produced by graduate students at Columbia University. I owe this to the directors Ron Brown and Max McGillivray for selecting me for the role. It was one of my first major commercial projects. The media team at Coca-Cola was amazing to work with. Filming for the commercial took 24 continuous hours, but was an overall amazing experience!
I know you’re excited about the upcoming New York Fashion Week and other projects you have in the works, you care to share some deets on what’s next for you?
I wish I could! At the moment my manager and I are in talks with a couple of pretty major brands that I can’t discuss publicly at the moment, but stay tuned!
Face mask and chainmail shirt, House of Lijon
Where did your interest in fashion and acting come from? What about the fashion and acting fuels your desire to become a part of the entertainment and fashion industries?
To be honest most of my exposure to the industry comes from social media. Meeting different people through social media has afforded me the opportunity to be included in some pretty interesting circles. It was on social media that I begin to fall in love with fashion developed a passion for creating looks that are both edgy and sleek.
You’re obviously a handsome dude and you have a massive following on social media. How do you handle all the attention and what’s the craziest thing someone’s said to you online?
I think I handle it pretty well. I try to surround myself with people who keep me grounded, and I try to convey that to followers as well.
In many ways your social media fame has been powered by your portrayal of Spiderman and other superheroes. Tell me about your love of cosplay and superheroes and how you got into it.
“My love for cosplay stems from a few things. Initially, I started dressing as Spider-Man to differentiate myself in the over-saturated fitness space on social media, but more importantly I had a vision of recreating movie sets and creating the most realistic portrayal of the character in real life. Spider-man was an obvious choice to me because of its global recognition and its association with NYC.
What does your family and old teammates think of your success on social media and initial steps into modeling and acting?
Some of them are proud, others are confused by it all, and others simply seem to not care lol
The beginning was hard. Not a lot of people believed in me, and I lost communication with a lot of friends while branding myself. However, once things begin to grow I found the people I was close to began to really understand the reasoning behind it all.
At the end of the day it taught me the importance of trusting your vision and embracing your uniqueness. This is what will take you the farthest in life and people will respect you for being true to yourself.
You and I met recently at a brunch you hosted for social media influencers and creatives. During our brief friendship I’ve noticed that you’re a pretty humble and generous soul focused on connecting people. Where does that come from?
I really appreciate that, it really means a lot. I owe a lot of that to my parents. They always emphasized the importance of being confident and having humility Most importantly, they taught me the value of community and showing others respect.
What is one thing you want people who don’t know you to know about Trevor Bell at this point in your journey?
I want people to know that my goal is to inspire people to pursue their passions and invest in themselves. I want people to know that I’m not doing any of this simply for a like or share, but that the end goal is to create things that evoke feeling and inspiration in myself and others.