From Modesto to Milan: The Amazing Career of Brian Buzzini

Brian Buzzini is considered to be one of the first male supermodels. And a quick review of his professional experiences, one can understand that title. On one hand, Buzzini has that all-American, boy-next-door quality. But, then there are times that he also shows this bad boy gleam in his eye. And when that happens, you certainly hope you can be part of that fun.

Those two incredible characteristics rolled into one person helped propel Buzzini from the small farming community of Modesto, CA to the runways of Milan. But along the way, Buzzini crafted a brand for himself that has been unmatched by any other male model. His achievements are amazing. His life, well it seems to be torn from the pages of a Danielle Steel novel. And this post can only skim the surface of the complexity that is Brian Buzzini.

Born August 18, 1962, Buzzini is the youngest in his family. His father was a golf instructor and his mother was a stay-at-home Mom. Little did they know that during his high school days, Buzzini would often crawl out his bedroom window in search of fun and sometimes that fun was in the form of trouble or girls—and on several occasions, both trouble and girls.

Growing up only an hour from San Francisco, it seemed natural that Buzzini would somehow be spotted by a photographer. And those first photos made there way to the editors at Playgirl who quickly signed him on as the June 1985 centerfold. Smoldering. That’s the word many would use to describe that spread. And only fitting that this amazingly handsome young man with that bad boy gleam in his eye would be selected as the 1986 Man of the Year.

But no one was prepared for what would be unleashed with that single edition of Playgirl. For the first time in the publication’s history, the centerfold was not only nude but also showing off a rock hard dick.  Subscribers, both female and gay men, were delighted; however, religious groups were outraged. The controversy eventually lead Playgirl to make an executive decision to cover up its models. For the next year, centerfolds would be shown wearing speedos, thongs, or at the very most having only their ass exposed. That decision would lead to a decline in circulation and sales and thus the decision reversed; however, Buzzini’s spread would certainly leave a lasting impression on the history of that magazine.

For most models, that singular event might be a career breaker or might be the pinnacle of their success. Not so for Buzzini. Following up his Man of the Year title, Buzzini signed on with International Male, a mail order company specializing in men’s apparel. Prior to the days of the Internet, the company successfully sold its clothes through various catalogs. Buzzini graced the pages of many of those catalogs, often wearing only the skimpiest of underwear. With Buzzini, sales increased sharply and so did the admiration of every gay man, closeted or otherwise, who would anxiously await the next catalog.

Buzzini then began expanding his modeling career beyond print work, landing television commercials for Diet Coke and Edge shaving cream. This lead to his ultimate achievement, the first ever Davidoff Coolwater model. Take a look at one of those tv spots here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs1d-ROKw4M

With a career like that, it’s not wonder Buzzini came to the attention of world renowned fashion designer Gianni Versace. Soon, Buzzini was walking the runways of Milan for that designer.

From Modesto to Milan. What a journey. An incredible career befitting a uniquely talented individual. Today, Buzzini is retired from modeling and lives with his girlfriend in Thousand Oaks, CA. Buzzini has three daughters, whom he adores. He loves dogs. He loves riding bikes of all kind. And he loves life. And how would I know this, well, I’m not only a huge fan, Buzzini also happens to be one of my best friends. So, yes, this piece could be considered a little biased, but I can truly say I know the model and the man—and I am a better person for knowing them both. My grandmother would say they broke the mold when Buzzini was born; however, I would say that Brian Buzzini would break molds his whole life.

Follow Buzzini on Twitter: @BrianBuzzini. You can also get to know Buzzini better through his many posts on Facebook.

And, in the coming weeks, this blog will post a one-on-one interview with Brian Buzzini.