ABOUT ERIC TURNER: BIOGRAPHY

I was born on friday the 13th, June 1980.  There were 5 kids in my family which is a pretty standard sized family.  My parents were both school teachers and we lived in the mountains outside Salt Lake City, raising all manner of barnyard creatures.

Because we lived in rural Utah, the outdoors was a part of our life.  As a family, we'd frequently go camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, etc. As I grew up, music was a big part of my life. I started playing the piano around age 4, and have played it ever since. I learned to play a variety of other instruments also, and played the trumpet throughout middle school. In high school I switched from band to choir. 

I took my first weights class when I was a senior in high school and started learning about muscular development.  It was something that was a lot of fun for me, but wasn't a big part of my life at that point.  I went to college for a year after high school, then went on a LDS mission.  I was called to serve in the California San Bernardino mission.  It comprises of most of San Bernardino County, which is about an hour east of Los Angeles, and extends all the way to the Nevada border.  I served my mission for 2 years, without pay- working what would be approximately a 90 hour work-week.  As I did this, it built my character and I grew to be a man.  I had several experiences that helped shape me into who I am today.  

It was while on my mission that I began working out and making that part of my daily routine.  Though as a missionary I didn't have access to a gym, I'd wake up early every day and do calisthenic exercises that didn't require any weight.

When I returned home from my mission, one of the first things I did was buy a gym membership.  It was just at a local community center, but it was enough to start getting me fit.   After living back in Utah for a year, I decided I needed a change.  I helped a friend move to Portland, Oregon and fell in love with the city.  I returned home to Utah, quit my job and moved there.  I knew very few people there, I didn't have a job, I had very little money- but I was committed to making life work.  I started dancing at a bar, and made a lot of money.  I only danced there for a total of 5 weeks though, and had enough money to pay my bills for 3 months while I looked for another job.  During all this time, I started working out harder and it was making a difference.  I had a friend refer me to a modeling agency in Portland, and I took some pictures to meet with an agent there.  When I got there she looked at my pictures and said to me, "I'm looking these over and there's nothing that I can do for you."  So my hopes and dreams were shattered as far as being a model.  But working out had become a part of my daily routine and life, so I kept it up.

Shortly after that, I began working for Abercrombie & Fitch and worked my way up the corporate ladder to eventually be transferred to work in Arizona as a district manager for Hollister Co.  I moved there and a photographer, Carlos Arias, saw me on MySpace.  He messaged me, saying that he wanted to shoot with me and I blew him off saying that I'd never be comparable to how amazing his models look, and he'd just be wasting his time.  He persisted, and after a year of trying to convince me to shoot with him I finally gave in.  He had another model who was a personal trainer who developed a workout and diet specific to get ready for the shoot.  Carlos and I set a date 6 weeks out, and I got ready to shoot with him.

Shooting with Carlos was amazing.  He's very good at what he does.  After shooting with him, doors started opening for me as far modeling goes.  I shot with several other photographers because of the pics with Carlos.  As I started building my portfolio, people started to notice me.

A friend told me about the "Men on a Mission" calendar, and I sent in pictures to audition for it.  They picked me for the calendar and I've been in it two years now- 2009 & 2010.

I moved back to Salt Lake City and started was working as a district manager for a chain of photography studios.  I started to learn about life behind the lens.  I bought a home downtown Salt Lake, and started living life.  Three days after buying my home, my position was eliminated at work.  

Once I didn't have a job, I had more time for modeling, which I had always considered a fun 'side job.'  I signed with MegaMuscle, signed with Wilhelmina, and have had several different modeling jobs since that have been a lot of fun.  Recently, my modeling experience has afforded me to become a promoter and the 'face' of a club in downtown Salt Lake.

I don't know where modeling will take me, and I realize that I have my limits.  But as long as people want to continue to take pictures of me, I'll continue allowing them.