Today we’d like to introduce you to Virginio Damo.
Hi Virginio, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I’m a third-generation Italian-Dutch, with German blood, born and raised in The Netherlands. At an early age, I never foresaw a career in modeling, acting, or fitness, but I have been an athlete since a young age.
In high school, I participated in all kinds of sports such as volleyball, kickboxing, running track, basketball, and soccer in which I became a player of high value as a striker. After I graduated, I started playing soccer for a good division and only two years later we became Champions in our league. Meanwhile, I began my journey with fitness by attending the gym more than six times a week, combining this with other activities.
When I started, I knew very little about the fitness industry and lifting weights. I had neither fitness plans nor a healthy diet but after my graduation I was spending all my free time in the gym, reading books about weightlifting and doing research about nutrition. Besides these two passions, I started picking up kickboxing and within a few months of training, I took part in my first official fight.
A few weeks later, a photographer scouted me for a photoshoot that to my surprise turned out well. I was very new to this world but the photographer suggested I think about working seriously in this field. Soon after the idea of pursuing this career path began to catch on and later on, I gave up soccer and kickboxing to focus more and more on my modeling career. After a couple of local shoots for brands and commercials, I left the Netherlands to move to Ibiza, where I worked as a model and personal trainer/coach.
A few months later, I landed in the USA for a short period and there I signed with an agency in Miami. After I signed an official contract with Elite Miami, I moved there and eventually, I signed with Next Model Management which is my current mother agency.
During my fitness journey, I applied what I learned first to myself and the results were proof that my hard work was paying off; I was getting bigger and leaner at the same time because I found the perfect balance to achieve both; I then started creating my own nutrition plan and workout regime to help other people.
Acting is something that came with modeling but I wasn’t focusing on that. My grandmother used to be an actress and she stopped her career because she fell in love with a musician and started touring all over the country in Europe but she always regretted not being able to continue with what she was doing, when my grandmother was about to pass away we have had many conversations about acting, how she started, what she did, what she liked, what she didn’t like. During these tough times, I received an email stating that my 2nd work permit was approved and that I could come back to the States. After my grandmother passed away in 2021.
It felt as if she was giving me signals of becoming an actor. but back then I couldn’t connect the dots, up until this year 2023. I started to take a lot of acting classes and read books about it and sooner than later I was doing a lot of commercials, I booked a national commercial on the same day as my grandmother’s birthday that will be airing in 2024 with a celebrity from Saturday Night Live. It’s by far one of the biggest jobs I’ve ever done and shortly after that I even booked a Super Bowl commercial with stars such as Lionel Messi, Jason Sudeikis, and NFL legend Dan Moreno and this is only the beginning I can’t wait what 2024 has in store for me and I can’t wait to be in movies and shows.
I try my best to be a dream chaser, to be dedicated, disciplined, healthy, and a family man, while making sure to cherish every moment. To stand still at some points and to be able to say you can be proud of yourself for how far you’ve come I’m always super hard on myself and never satisfied but that will keep me in check to reach any goal that comes across my mind. I’m from a small country called the Netherlands trying to make it big in the USA and I’m well on my way!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has never been a smooth road I heard more no’s than yesses once I had my eyes on the prize I was so confident and consistent that I kept going.
Especially for a foreigner, it’s hard to go to a completely different country and start all over but once you follow your dreams and desires and if you’re so dedicated to them all the obstacles become hurdles that you can overcome. Never thinking problems because there are always solutions.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Always be open to people who are in your field of work.
Don’t think you know it all. So always have your eyes and ears open make as many friends as possible because it could be that someone could help you out. Especially in the acting/modeling world, it’s not about what you know but who you know!
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.virginiodamofitness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virginiodamo/
