Summary: Hailing from Fontana, California, Broderick Hunter has been breaking barriers and charting new paths forward for himself and those after him. He has been one to watch since he transitioned his career from the basketball courts to the camera. Broderick has been featured in fashion editorials for Cosmopolitan, GQ Italia, Essence, and Ralph Lauren just to name a few. He was also selected as the featured co-star in Ciara’s “Sorry” music video and Chloe Bailey’s comedy-drama series, Insecure. Broderick has also gone on to found his own ‘career-as-a-creative masterclass, Sell Your Look, which equips emerging creators with the tools they need to stand out and be successful in a competitive industry.  

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Born in Pomona, California and growing up an hour east of Los Angeles in Fontana, Broderick was named after his father and he attended Etiwanda High School, where he grew up playing basketball for 15 years before receiving a scholarship to the University of Central Florida. Broderick’s basketball career was cut short due to an injury, and he serendipitously picked up modelling in 2010 after moving back home.

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Modelling Career

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Broderick Hunter started modelling in 2011 at the age of 20. A photographer by the name of Tyred Redd reached out to him after seeing some of his Facebook photos. Reluctantly, Broderick did the photoshoot and noticing that he had a knack for connecting with the camera, he quickly started looking for various routes to foray into the modelling industry.  

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He has since starred in editorials for various publications including Cosmopolitan, Maxim, Essence, Vogue Paris, and Italian GQ. He has also been featured on the covers of XIOX, Fanatics and OnFitness magazines. Publications such as Business Insider, People and Harper’s Bazaar have featured him on their list of “sexiest men on Instagram.” Additionally, Broderick has been the face of Ralph Lauren and landed a campaign with Icelandic Glacial in 2017.

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While he has seen tremendous growth and success in the modelling industry, things did not come easy. When Broderick moved to Miami, he shared that he was not booking any gigs and had to work three jobs—one as a bar back and two janitorial positions.  He recalls getting his first big break to model in Milan Fashion Week but was released from the show six hours before it started. He tells Teen Vogue that this rejection fuelled his next step, which was crashing the DSquared casting uninvited. He recalls going to the casting, getting put on option, getting released, and then getting a call back before ultimately getting put in the show. This led to him being spotted by Ciara and later selected to star in her music video (more on that later).

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The modelling industry is notorious for its overt and stealth discrimination. Broderick shares that he’s received all types of feedback from agencies and casting directors. Some tell him that they’ve maxed out their capacity of Black models, others tell him that his complexion is too dark, while some share that “black boys weren’t in”. These are just some of the challenges Broderick faced being one of the only well-known Black models in the early days of the industry.

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In 2011, Hunter appeared in the music video for “Warzone” by The Wanted. In 2012, while being in Milan for Dsquared’s fashion week, he caught American singer Ciara’s attention, who was also there and later asked him to star in her music video for “Sorry” which premiered in September of the same year. To date, the video has amassed close to 60M views on YouTube.

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Broderick and Mariama Diallot also dated from 2019 to 2022 and their high profile relationship was captured by publications like Essence Magazine.

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Acting Career

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In 2017, he appeared in an episode of Issa Rae’s comedy-drama series Insecure, which aired on FOX and NBC. In 2018, Broderick starred in the sitcoms Marlon and Rel. Additionally, he has been featured in various short films, one being “Somewhere in the Grey”, which has received Best Picture awards and landed him Best Lead Actor nominations in several festivals. 

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Broderick started his namesake vlog on YouTube where he shares lifestyle, modelling, and grooming tips.

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Entrepreneurial Career

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Broderick Hunter launched a self-branding masterclass called Sell Your Look. Meant for models and actors starting their journey, the Career-As-A-Creative guidance service looks to help develop the next generation of creators in the industry. He considers the content as tools that anyone can use to market themselves, and finding success in the competitive landscapes of modelling or acting. 

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Broderick Hunter tells Bleu Magazine that when he started his career, he had many problems with resources and seeking guidance and help. There weren't a lot of people he could talk to about who to shoot with, how to sign to an agency, or how to get booked for a runway show. He had to navigate the industry on his own with God as his hands, eyes, and feet. It was a very scary process to get to the point where he’s at. He made the promise to himself earlier in his career that if he were to get to a space where he could assist and help people, he would. He created the Sell Your Look digital platform for people to watch his courses but also access him one-on-one for questions and honest industry perspective. He wants people to have a reliable access point to getting started and developing into what they want to be.