COLUMBUS - West Union resident, Michael Hill is "Mr. October" in the 2003 edition of the Campus Men calendar. The calendar spotlights students from The Ohio State University where Hill is currently enrolled as a senior, majoring in Mechanical Engineering.
The calendar, which is distributed nationwide, was photographed by Sean Ashbrook and has athletic and collegiate themes, including shots of basketball, baseball and football players along with students in dorm rooms and other campus locales. His shoot was held last November. Hill is the son of Larry Hill of West Union.
"We worked with Michael to plan his photo shoot," Ashbrook said. "And everyone who sees his photo loves it."
Appearing in the calendar is considered an honor among OSU students," Ashbrook said. He published his first calendar while he was a sophomore, living in an OSU dorm. The school's newspaper dubbed the calendar "immensely popular" when it
was introduced.
While interest in being a "Campus Man" among OSU male undergrads is intense, students must be invited to appear by producers. Hill was one of 80 students invited to apply. Hill was discovered by a female student who appeared in the Campus Girls calendar who encouraged him to audition.
"Many of the students who interest us would not consider posing for professional photos without being asked," Ashbrook said.
A pleasant personality is just as important as looks to calendar producers since students who appear in the calendar participate in publicity events and media interviews. Typically, students who are willing to listen for a few minutes when first approached are the type of pleasant people sought for campus wide fame.
"These students become very popular with campus girls and women around the country after appearing in Campus Men"," Ashbrook said.
Appearing in Campus Men offers an unsurpassed amount of exposure that can bring about many opportunities. Past calendars have opened doors for many students by being excellent springboards to professional modeling or acting. Many receive offers of modeling and acting jobs, but most appear in the calendar for fun.
Hill's 15 minutes of campuswide fame has turned into a money-maker. Since being selected, he has been collecting orders for calendars from family, friends and just about anyone who was willing to part with the calendar's asking price of $14.95.
"Everyone I know says they want a calendar," Hill said. "So, I have been keeping a list all summer and it is pretty long by now."
The website version of the calendar, campusmen.com, allows fans to see outtake photos of Hill, read interviews and learn more about his life.
Copies of the $14.95 calendar may be obtained from Hill or ordered at www.campusmen.com. Local Buckeye fans can also obtain a copy by writing: Calendar Models , PO Box 3301, Columbus, Ohio 4321C, or via E-mail at sales@campusmen.com
Originally published Aug. 21, 2002. Story © People's Defender . This text is exactly as published.
