Yahoo Finance My first boss: John Bruce, founder of PRM, the culturally diverse modelling agency
The people who helped shape business leaders
John Bruce founded PRM, the London-based modelling agency, in 2012. It is currently tearing up the rule book of old when it comes to identifying the future faces of fashion and inclusion.
Bruce has worked in the modelling industry for over 25 years, starting out as a model before moving to Premier models and working with original supermodels Claudia Schiffer and Christie Turlington.
My working career started aged 15 at a Portuguese restaurant outside Johannesburg. Working at Rio Sol under Cilo Cipriano was one of the best trainings in my life.
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Cilo was super strict, tough and instilled some great business ethics which I still use today. I was constantly learning about the menu, to such an extent that we were tested on it every week — 25 questions ranging from what was in the ingredients to naming three of the best wines.
As a 15-year-old it was daunting and pretty hardcore, but I was learning communication skills the whole time; how to talk to people, being on the customer service side and at the front of the restaurant.
I use these scenarios and learnings in practice today. At PRM, I need a team who need to learn what we are selling, to understand the models we have, their capabilities and the product we are putting out there.
The training was like a gift for me and I ended up working at one of Cilo’s other restaurants until I was 19. It was a balance with my first model booking career, where I was interning for free, and doing night shifts at the restaurant to sustain some form of income before I moved back to London a year later.
Cilo had a dedication to his business with his wife and parents on board, which created a great team dynamic pushing a great business forwards.
I also have a similar setup now with the modelling agency — I work with my partner, who helps me on bookings and scouting, while my mother runs my accounts team. You look at all these elements which help you succeed in business. Sometimes it's not all that easy to do it on your own.
We started PRM in 2012 after I left Premier after six years. I was on the Channel 4 documentary the Model Agency and just as that got released it became a bit negative and that’s when we started PRM.
My partner is Brazilian and in order for us to have Brazilian models in London we needed to have a sponsor license with the Home Office and took up a premium account which gave us access to fast track visas.
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In 2019, we were introduced to a scout who covered Africa and introduced us to some potentially incredible models. Their stories are unique and I saw it as a gateway to something that wasn’t being shown to the world. We sponsored several to come to the UK in order to help them succeed, as part of our African refugee sponsorship programme.
Following Covid and Black Lives Matter, we had models who featured on the front of Vogue, campaigns for Burberry and walking at top fashion shows. It was a great launchpad for these models.
The most amazing thing about the South Sudanese is their education. They speak amazing English but to travel away from a third world country for the first time is the biggest shock. You have gone from living where things are harder to come by to being accessible in the UK.
For my team, it was an educational and equal process on both sides. They had to work together to introduce them to London living in a way, while we have also taught them how to walk in heels as some had never worn shoes regularly.
To date we have successfully brought over 50 refugees, not just from Africa but other war-torn countries such as Syria, Turkey and Ukraine. At this year’s Fashion week, across the globe, our refugee African models and trans models Madelyn and Margo were the most booked of 2023.
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I hadn’t seen the Ciprianos for over two decades until my partner and I got married in Portugal and we linked up with them in Lisbon where they had relocated back.
I think about Cilo and my time at Rio Sol most weeks. I would say to any teenager that it’s a great opportunity to work in the hospitality sector to gain independence, understand money and learn people skills. It’s something I push for and my training at Rio Sol helped me with my business today in so many ways.
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