Charlie Hunnam
The Sons of Anarchy actor had quite the start to his career and it all began with a round of drinks. He was doing some Christmas shopping while inebriated when he happened upon the production manager of a TV show. At the time, Charlie wasn’t aware of who the woman was. But he felt quite merry and bright, so he decided to do the cheeky thing and blew a kiss her way.
Instead of getting offended, however, the production manager went up to him and asked if he had thought of going into acting. Should we credit his charm or his luck for this one?
Chloe Sevigny
The talented actress gets credit for taking on some of the most memorable yet controversial characters on film. Nonetheless, her performances never fail to garner acclaim. However, if you’re thinking that she was discovered while in drama school—well, you’d be assuming wrongly. Chloe was scouted while skateboarding through the East Village neighborhood in New York City.
She was spotted by a fashion editor for Sassy magazine. Her modeling career was quite successful, but it was her appearance in the 1994 film Kids that really propelled her into an acting career. Chloe landed that role just two years after she was scouted!
Shawn Mendes
Did you know that before Shawn Mendes released his breakout song Stitches he was just your average teen recording Vine clips in his bedroom? The video platform has since been replaced by Tik Tok, but it definitely changed the Canadian musician’s life forever. The viral video? It was of him doing a cover of Justin Bieber’s As Long as You Love Me.
The more it spread, the more popular he got. The video eventually caught the attention of Island Records and they signed him back in 2014. Since then, he has toured with Taylor Swift and has a number of hits to his credit.
The Weeknd
Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, started his musical career by posting videos on YouTube using the username xoxxxoooxo. He remained an enigma for quite a while, with nobody knowing whether the artist was a soloist or if he was part of a group. Despite the mystery surrounding his persona, or perhaps with much credit to it, his song What You Need gained plenty of traction.
Eventually, even Drake hopped on and tweeted a free download link to his first Mixtape, House of Balloons. A record deal and an entire playlist of hits after, this Grammy-winner has certainly made it.
Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan actually started out as a content creator on YouTube, often vlogging about his daily life and posting song covers. Who would have thought that he would eventually land a record deal and string of successful singles after that? When it comes to gaining public recognition, however, he has Taylor Swift to credit for that. Impressed by his initial EP, TRXYE, the singer posted it on Instagram and in the process, introduced him to her millions of followers.
Fortunately for the artist, his success continued. Troye has even won numerous accolades and has collaborated with some of the biggest names in music today.
Madison Beer
Today’s younger generation need not even leave the house in order to get their talents noticed. This is especially true for Madison Beer. She was discovered by Justin Bieber after she saw her cover of Etta James’ At Last. Left in awe by the performance, he shared the video with his millions of followers on Twitter. From there, her popularity snowballed. The artist even trended on Twitter soon after!
This caught the attention of Scooter Braun and he signed the artist. Scooter’s investments in the artist weren’t for naught, and at present, Madison has got a number of successful hits to her name.
Darren Criss
Before Darren gained popularity for his role as Blaine Anderson on Glee, he was part of the American musical theatre group, Team StarKid. Darren founded the troupe with his friends from the University of Michigan, where he also received his degree in Theater Performance. The group’s claim to fame? A Very Potter Musical.
The parody immediately became a viral hit, garnering attention from fans worldwide. Given its success, they followed it up with two sequels: A Very Potter Sequel and A Very Potter Senior Year. Team StarKid has produced a number of other parody shows since, including Star Wars and Starship Troopers.
Gisele Bundchen
She’s among the highest-paid models and is considered to be one of the most beautiful women in the world. How did she get into modeling? Gisele simply walked into a McDonald’s chain in Sao Paulo. The then-13-year-old was simply enjoying her Big Mac when she was approached by a modeling agent.
She was signed by Elite Model Management, and by age 14, she moved permanently to Sao Paulo to pursue her modeling career. Since then, she’s been on the cover of numerous high profile publications and has become the face of high fashion brands, with million-dollar contracts to her credit.
Kate Moss
Kate Moss is one of fashion’s most enduring icons, winning fans over with her style and personality. Her story is unique in that she rose to fame during a time when she hardly met the industry’s standard. The model’s small stature and unique looks didn’t fit the mold, but she managed to leave her mark.
Kate was discovered back in 1988 at JFK Airport. The 14-year-old was just returning from the Bahamas when she was spotted by Sarah Doukas. Her first big modeling credit? Shooting with famed photographer Corinne Day for the cover of The Face. Kate was only 16 years old at the time!
Naomi Campbell
Can you imagine this Amazonian beauty all dressed up in Gothic garb? Well, that was Naomi Campbell before she was scouted by a modeling agent. The future supermodel was studying at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts when she was spotted by the head of Synchro Model Agency, Beth Boldt. While modeling wasn’t in her plans, Naomi was excited about the opportunity. Her mother was against it, however.
Not wanting to miss out, Naomi went and met the agent by herself. She may have missed out on getting her university degree, but the model did manage to establish a highly successful career.