Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Cannon.
Hi Joe, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My journey in acting and modeling began five years ago while I was traveling across Australia during a 6-month assignment. Inspired by travel programs like National Geographic and the Travel Channel, my eagerness to share my exploration led me to enroll in a ‘TV Presentation and Hosting’ course at an acting studio in Melbourne. This course was the catalyst in realizing my passion for media production – from authoring scripts, crafting storyboards, and of course – being on camera emoting my experiences to engage the viewing audience. Through this course, I was also introduced to the world of modeling where I did my first photoshoot.
Upon returning to America in early 2019, I relocated to Seattle, where I started to apply my newfound skills in film and modeling. By the summer, I was the Executive Producer for a short documentary competition, which went on to win a Finalist award. By the end of that year, I landed my first modeling job for the top-selling magazine in Seattle.
At the start of 2020, I thought that my journey into film and modeling was well on its way to success, but we all were in for a sudden surprise that upended our plans and projections. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought me back home to Dallas to be with my mother and weather the unknown of what was to be an unprecedented year by every measure.
Over the next three years, I took a break from modeling but was still active in short film production for local non-profits. Earlier this year, after the dust had settled from several major life events, I felt that the time was right to continue what I started in modeling and to further expand into my passion for acting. Today, I am studying acting at the reputable KD Conservancy in Dallas and represented by Houston-based TL Modeling Agency and Los Angeles-based Wild Models Talent Agency.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The past three years have been a challenging transition period, both personally and professionally. During this short period of time, I experienced multiple life stressors spanning from my mother’s death, moving homes, and starting a master’s degree program all while maintaining a full-time job. From these difficult life events, I had a quick reckoning that my time here in life is limited and that I need to be spending every moment in pursuit of my passion and helping others in pursuit of theirs. To many people, experiencing the death of a loved one is painful -which it is- however, I’m grateful that I was able to spend the last year of my mother’s life uninterrupted and express that beautiful experience in my creative endeavors in both modeling and film.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a model and aspiring lead actor; I simply love all aspects of media production. As a model, I specialize in fitness and lifestyle editorial creative projects. As an emerging actor, I aim to pursue lead roles in short and feature films that invite the audience to fully immerse themselves in a memorable experience that provokes meaningful conversation afterward. This can encompass documentaries, comedies, drama, and action productions. In addition to my creative work in modeling and acting, I am a graduate student at Southern Methodist University where I am pursuing my master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Being flexible and trusting the process will yield more opportunities than being stubborn and holding on to a fixed “plan”. Be collaborative and allow ideas from others to be heard as it will enhance the outcome in more ways than one alone could have envisioned. Last, this is from a proverb I heard while in Australia, but it has stuck with me as a valuable lesson “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go farther, go together.”
Contact Info:
- Website: linktr.ee/thejoecannon
- Instagram: instagram.com/mr_joecannon
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejoecannon
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejoecannon/
Image Credits
Natalie Goff
