Perry Ullmann is reminded of his loss on “Make Me A Supermodel” every time he checks his back account that is shy of the $100,000 the winner was promised.
Ullmann, a graduate of Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, made it past thousands of hopeful applicants and fought his way to the final four contestants on Bravo’s reality series last April.
Although he is undeniably easy on the eyes and stands 6 feet 1 inch tall Ullmann always grew up with dreams of a career that relied much more on his athletic abilities rather than his good looks.
“I was gonna rescue dolphins, but apparently it’s a long training process so I didn’t do that,” Ullman said laughing as he showed off his charming sense of humor.
“No I’m just kidding. I went to a school in Chicago on a football and basketball scholarship for a semester, but after four knee surgeries I moved back to Arizona and went to Scottsdale Community College. After I enrolled in an acting class I began ditching English and History everyday and started only showing up for acting class...that was it I had found my passion.”
To further his career and take a step in a more professional direction Ullmann signed up to take part in ProScout. ProScout is a national level scouting service that was set up back in 1993 as a program that helps aspiring actors and models get their careers launched. It is a weekend long convention that brings nearly every major modeling and acting agency under one roof and if selected by one of their scouts brings the talent face to face with them. Needless to say Ullmann was selected and received 21 callbacks.
“I was so naive to the business,” Ullmann said. “I thought maybe I’ll just stay here locally and signed with S.I.M. Agency in Mesa. My very first audition was for an independent film. I nailed the starring role and then I didn’t work again for six months...that humbled me.”
It was not long before the slow pace of Arizona’s entertainment market began to bore Ullmann. He decided to stick it out and eventually landed the lead role on the CW’s new series “Hidden Palms”.
“I was really excited,” said Ullmann. “I was working two jobs at the time. I quit both of them on the spot. A week later I decided to buzz my hair and lost the show. They told me, ‘You don’t look like a high schooler anymore.’”
It was just six months later that the feeling of impatience began to get the best of him once again. While working a desk job at a marketing firm one day, Ullmann decided he had had enough. He did not care about the amount of money he had saved up and just decided it was time for him and his girlfriend to finally make the big move to Los Angeles.
When they first got there the couple stayed in Highland Park, which is not necessarily the safest area in the city. In fact just a week before moving out there a shooting occurred on their street.
“It was really rocky,” Ullmann said. “We were staying out there with a girl I met over Craigslist. We ended up getting an eviction notice because of the dog. We were told we had just three days to find a place and it is so hard to find a place in L.A., especially on a weekend.”
After staying in a hotel for a short while the two were finally able to land on their feet. Although getting out there was initially pretty rough Ullmann eventually landed a job as a bartender at a night club and began going on a few auditions in his spare time whenever he could.
Some might call it beginner’s luck or even say the stars were aligned, but not too long after starting his bartending job Ullmann stumbled upon an advertisement on Myspace for auditions for Bravo’s new reality show “Make Me A Supermodel”. He decided to rush down there just five minutes before tryouts ended.
“They told us we would find out a week later,” Ullmann said. “I wasn’t all that sure in the beginning. It was reality television, but I saw there was supposed to be good hosts so I thought maybe I would give it a shot.”
Exactly a week later Ullmann received a call from Bravo saying that they wanted to fly him to New York City for callbacks. He once again took the risk of instantly quitting his steady job and was on the next flight to Manhattan.
About 40 people showed up for callbacks and the judges continued to cut down the competition. For those who watched the show Ullmann can be remembered as the one who notoriously flirted shamelessly with supermodel Niki Taylor and instantly caught the attention of co-host, male supermodel Tyson Beckford, as the most impressive among the male talent.
“Around Thanksgiving time they came to my apartment in Los Angeles with the cameras rolling and handed me an envelope that said ‘Congrats!!!! You’re gonna be on Make Me a Supermodel!’” Ullmann said.
“It was definitely the craziest experience of my life. We were super secluded and shut off from the world. It was absolutely you against everything else. I did a lot of soul searching. I took advantage of everything I could because I knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I told myself everyday once I leave this place I need to take everything I learned and be successful in this business. Not just modeling. I was always asking questions and soaking it all up. It’s not just everyday that you can go up to Tyson Beckford after the show and ask him questions. I was also a student, so aside from taking pictures I kinda just utilized everything. I made friends...that part was inevitable. But I didn’t go there to make friends, because I knew in the end they wouldn’t be able to help me out.”
The show is not something Ullmann will ever look back on as something he regrets. He admitted that it was extremely difficult going through personal things on national television, but he knew he couldn’t do anything about it and realized he could not quit because he was in a position that a million people would kill for. He continued by using the support from his devoted family and friends as his strength.
“This business is tough,” Ullmann said. “It’s hard. People look at it as oh it’s all glitz and glamour. It is hard work, but it’s what I have always been craving.”
Among the personal obstacles Ullmann encountered while on his journey towards the title of “Supermodel” was a rumored love triangle linking his girlfriend at the time to Britney Spears’s paparazzo boyfriend Adnan Ghalib.
“I’ve never met Britney Spears,” Ullmann said. “I’ve never even seen her in real life, but apparently I was somehow in a romantic relationship with her? It is amazing how you go from being just a normal unknown person to being connected to a major pop music icon!”
Those who knew Ullmann before his dose of stardom are not surprised by the model’s overnight success. Rachel Niu, 20, modeled with him at S.I.M. Agency.
“When I saw Perry on ‘Make Me A Supermodel’ I was shocked!” Niu said. “But at the same time, I knew he would somehow make it in the industry. Whether it was through a reality show or just landing that big break any model hopes for.”
His former agent at S.I.M. Agency, owner Aimee Sugar, recognized Ullmann’s talent and intense personality from the very beginning.
“He was true to himself on the show,” Sugar said. “How he was on there is how he really is.”
After the show was over with it was not exactly back to reality for the 23-year-old L.A. resident. Ullmann ended his relationship with his girlfriend after the allegations of her cheating on him with Spears’s ex-boyfriend (which probably made him regret getting the letter A tattooed on his wrist for her name Amanda shortly before he left for the show) and just a day after the show ended he received a call from New York Model Management’s scout Corey Bautista asking him if he would like to be represented.
“Although I didn’t win having an agency, especially a top agency in New York City is pretty incredible,” Ullmann said. “It’s definitely a blessing.”
Ullmann continues to land dream opportunities everyday. He booked numerous shows in NYC’s Fashion Week at Bryant Park, has done a few interviews in magazines and has even appeared in music videos. He is also embracing his creative side and has begun writing television shows.
“Modeling opened up doors, but basically I want to tell stories,” Ullmann said. “I have stories and ideas I want people to hear. I feel like they should. Modeling opened up all of these doors for me and now I want to explore other aspects of the industry.”
It wasn’t long ago that Ullmann was preparing drinks for intoxicated club-goers in downtown L.A. and now he is meeting with networks like MTV pitching his own television shows.
“I met with a big network a few months ago, but both parties agreed it would not be the best fit,” Ullmann said. “However, hopefully we will find a right fit and begin filming soon. I have literally not been sleeping to make sure that this happens. Bottom line I would like everyone to take from my story is that you are going to hear no a million times in life, but just continue to go for it because you only get closer each time. Anybody can do anything they want in life.”
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