He was discovered at a mall - just like in the movies.
Now he's a model for print ads, commercials and makes regular appearances on TV.
Brent Bishop, who grew up in Prince George, is a personal trainer and lifestyles coach now living in Toronto. Most recently, he was flipping burgers on the cover of last Thursday's Canadian Tire flyer in The Citizen.
Bishop's parents - Winston and Jill - still live in Prince George and Bishop returns every year to visit, something he feels is so important, especially now that he has a son, Brayden, 11 months old. Bishop is married to Lauriann and has an 11-year-old stepson, Cyrus.
"It's kind of cute, you know?" said Bishop's mom, Jill, about her son's modelling career. "At one point he was doing an ad for Slimfast and we had a good laugh over that because he's so fit. It's been sort of fun to watch him develop that way, that's for sure."
Brent does a lot of different things, said Winston, Bishop's dad.
"He didn't really want to start out as a model, as such," explained Winston. "He was mainly interested in fitness as he has his kinesiology degree and opened up his own fitness studio that focuses on lifestyle and things."
That's still a big part of Bishop's work.
"I'm an on-air fitness expert, so most of the stuff I do is around fitness," Bishop said from Toronto, where he models for Lululemon and makes regular appearances on the Marilyn Denis Show offering fitness advice. "I do adventure races and eco challenges. I like to challenge myself. "
Bishop is owner of Think Fitness studios in Toronto and has his kinesiology degree from Simon Fraser University. It was while he was in Vancouver doing his studies that he was discovered at a shopping mall.
"To be honest with you, it was so long ago I don't even remember where it was," said Bishop, who took the opportunity to go into acting part time. "I didn't like the unpredictability of it, so that's why I got into personal training and fitness and that's what I'm into today. But I still do my auditions."
And the Canadian Tire flyer is a result of successful auditioning, he added.
Soon he will be back in Prince George for a visit with his family.
"I like my little Prince George," laughed Bishop. "It's a great place to go and relax."
