Model and Colquitt native, Victoria Henley, expanding career

ALBANY — Victoria Henley, a model originally from Colquitt who appeared in “America’s Next Top Model,” recently shot an editorial spread for “Runway Magazine.” And, that is not the only recent addition to her resume.

Two years ago, “Shoot Me,” a film meant to show the quirkier side of modeling, made it to the semifinalist round for the Project Imagination competition.

“To see it bloom (and see it get bigger) was very exciting,” the Colquitt native said.

Henley has since been named a contributing host and fashion correspondent for Runway TV, Runway Magazine’s entertainment channel. “Runway Magazine” was the inspiration for the 2006 film “The Devil Wears Prada.”

“’Runway Magazine’ is always a goal (for a model),” Henley said.

Henley’s first modeling job was at 6 months old. She took a hiatus to enjoy some of her childhood and got back into it several years later.

In her adulthood, Henley has also been named the face of Native Royalty, for which she will be a cover model for its 2016 catalog campaigns, and “VonRouge Magazine” has featured her on a cover. More of her recent magazine or design house credits include “Modern Hair and Beauty,” “Vogue Italia,” “Mobile Bay Bride,” House of Wu, Eddy K, Neiman Marcus, and she also recently walked for international formal wear labels Jovani, Terani, Johnathan Kayne, Sherri Hill at the World of Prom Runway Show.

“The progress (of my career) is exciting to see … When you see some things come true, it is very exciting and it motivates you to move forward,” she said.

She also has had a hand in mentoring young models, and has developed a special place in her heart for connecting to aspiring models — particularly those with Georgia roots.

“I want to connect to as many local people as possible,” she said. “I love working with local people who have a vision in mind.”

Looking back on where her career has gone, she reminds those just starting out that a plan a person sets for themselves does not always work out.

“If you set a goal and have it work out, great … but you are not going to get a ‘yes’ on everything,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of doors open.”

Her stint on “America’s Next Top Model” is an example of that. She was 18 at the time, and lasted until the ninth episode of Cycle 19.

“I did not realize the magnitude of the show,” Henley said. “(At that point), I started growing up fast and learned how to market myself.”

Henley also hosts fashion entertainment segments for WLTZ in Columbus as well as BlabTV in Pensacola, Fla. She has reviewed touring Broadway and regional productions for the Springer Opera House, Pensacola Little Theatre, Saenger Theatre and other venues across the nation.

She has produced five Magnifique Runway shows this year. Albany area models who walked for a wide array of designers and retailers in these shows included Joni Hopson, Brandon Mathis, Haylee Brunson, Kristian Jowers and Rachel Jowers, she said.

Henley said one final Magnifique Runway show will take place Nov. 21 in Pensacola that will feature model Caitie Gordon as one of the headlining models.

In the fashion segments, she said, a number of designers and models have come together to make them successful — and that the networks have had an interest in expanding on them.

“It is one thing leading to another,” the model said.

The opportunity to be on reality television taught her something about the advantage of an image and the value of promotion. Since then, Henley said she has continued to keep making phone calls and put herself out there.

“(The job) is what it is. It’s a platform for exposure,” she said.

Her talents are coming back to her roots next year, when she is planning on producing a fashion show to benefit the Sylvester Women’s Club.

“It is in the summer, but I am finalizing booking by the end of the year,” Henley said.

In an opportunity to advise aspiring models, Henley said “never say never.”

“If you are only a model that just goes down a runway, you are not very diverse,” she said.

Calling herself a Renaissance person, it is advice she continues to hold to herself. In the next few years, doing her own talk show and correspondence on the red carpet are some of the things she hopes to be doing.

In the more immediate future, she will begin the filming stage of a project she has been working on titled “Pariah.”

Filming for “Pariah,” which Henley describes as a thriller set in the 1970s following someone struggling with the social standard, is planned to take place in Florida and Georgia. She wrote the first draft for it at 17, and tweaked it until it became a product she was ready to put out there.

She is playing the lead character, and she said there will be those from the modeling industry playing supportive roles.

“It is a different film than what people think I would make,” she said.

She has worked various aspects of entertainment, including wardrobe. She has also seen a good response out of film festivals, so she has some degree of confidence about where things are going for her at this point in her career — and hopes that confidence will carry into the future.

“I feel good about (where I am),” she said. “I’m doing all the things I wanted to do, and some things I never thought I’d do.

“You never know what will come about. I’m excited to see where all this is going.”

Those interested in getting connected to the modeling industry or “Pariah” can text or call Henley at (229) 416-7108, email [email protected] or visit facebook.com/quirkyvictoriafanpage. She also can be found on Instagram via @victoriaelizabethhenley.