One of the perks of working at Rowland Publishing is that I occasionally get to model for our various magazines. It’s fun, breaks up the routine and gets me out of the office for a couple hours. Long-time readers of the various Rowland Publishing publications may recognize me as any number of characters: exasperated husband, upset manager, skeptical friend of vegetarian, and outdoor lawn gamer. And I’ve shared the fun with my family and even been able to get my daughter in Tallahassee Magazine twice — one of those times on the cover even!

That’s where my daughter trumps me. For as often as I have appeared in our publications, none of my appearances have been on a cover. And I haven’t been in 850 — The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida either. So when lead designer Tisha Keller came to me and asked if I would be on the cover of 850, there was only one thing I could say: “I thought you’d never ask.”

The set-up for the shot, as it was explained to me, was that I would need to wear a suit and be able to climb an 8-foot wall. Well, I look snazzy in a suit (if I do say so myself), and as a 6′2″ fellow, I didn’t see climbing an 8-foot wall being that much of a problem. But this is where magazine-making gets fun. The set-up changed at the last minute from a wall I could nearly touch the top of while standing on the ground to one the height of a four-story building. Wanting to get a more impressive shot (or perhaps just trying to kill me) and knowing they had me hook, line and sinker, the creative team opted to use a slightly more perilous 40-foot wall in the shoot. Unwilling to pass on my chance to be on the cover, I stayed committed in spite of never having climbed a rock wall before.

Then the fateful day came and I headed out to the FSU Reservation (The Rez) with photographer Scott Holstein and creative director Larry Davidson to climb the wall. There, each of us were strapped in a harness and had to wear a helmet. Scott and Larry went up the back way so Scott could get an angle that looked down at me as I climbed up. My directions were to get as high as I could, maybe “about halfway to two-thirds of the way up.”

I did a much better job wearing the suit than I did climbing the rock wall. I didn’t quite make it halfway. Let me tell you, if you ever have the chance to go rock wall climbing, I don’t recommend wearing dress shoes. Also, probably best to not wear a suit coat. These are just my tips. You can take them or leave them.

In the end, Scott says he got a good shot, everyone stayed safe and alive, and this will make a good story I can blog about some day (oh, hey, that day is today). Special thanks to Jordan Merrick at The Rez for his time and expertise. He definitely helped keep us all alive that day.

While we were there, a little video was shot to document it all. Take a look and have a few laughs at my expense.

Video shot by Brianna Spires and edited by Carlin Trammel
Music: “Emergency Exit” by Dr. Frankenstein (via freemusicarchive.org)

And, hey, keep your eyes peeled — you never know where I might show up next.