Four of us enter for the callback. Instead of being surrounded by shirtless swimmers I’m next to three other martial artists. The guy next to me is in a tank top and covered in muscles, the second guy looks set to take anyone to the ground for some jiu-jitsu, and the third guy was moments ago touching the ceiling with his toes while we were waiting in the hallway.

So what do they have us do? Bicep curls. Bicep curls with ten pound dumbbells which is really light even for a guy like me with unimpressive biceps. That next guy…his biceps are the size of my head.

Auditioning is weird, especially when it’s in a group, and super-especially when it’s for a print job where it’s based on how you look. The mind starts comparing which is a waste of time. You don’t know what they’re looking for. Either you’re it or you’re not.

The next day I get a phone call. I booked the job.

You realize that what you thought was a so-so, martial arts demonstration looked fine to them. It obviously wasn’t about bicep size. In fact, it’s based on more than looks. There is an important performance element to it. Can you make curling ten pounds look challenging and believable? Can you?! I guess so.

Here’s hoping this shoot looks as cool as my last print job for Delaware Today magazine…