Viva Las Vegas - NEWS
(March 20, 2021)
Phyto Swiss Cosmeceuticals Named Presenting Sponsor
of Viva Las Vegas, the 2021 GMS Group Photo Shoot
Phyto Swiss (phytoswiss.com), makers of a newly introduced line of high performance cosmeceutical skin care products, formulated in Switzerland and made in the USA, has been named the presenting sponsor of Viva Las Vegas, the 2021 GMS Group Photo Shoot to be conducted in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 21-23, 2021. The group shoot will feature eight members of the GMS (Great Model Showcase), a troupe of mature fashion/glamour/editorial models ranging in age from 35, to over 70 years, and is the first major activity of the GMS since the on-set of the Coronavirus pandemic, last year.
“At Phyto Swiss we are excited to be the presenting sponsor for this unique event. The models involved in GMS represent one of the key audiences for Phyto Swiss products and represent the ideal of a strong, independent woman who is determined to create her own future”, explained Andrew Lofts, founder of Phyto Swiss.
“We’re proud to welcome Phyto Swiss into this new partnership with the GMS, and the Viva Las Vegas photo shoot”, said Gary Keith, producer of the GMS.
“I reached out to Phyto Swiss to join us in presenting the Viva Las Vegas project because I believe the mature models of the GMS represent a prime demographic for Phyto Swiss’ product line”, added Keith. The models of the GMS are all about empowerment and accomplishment. Phyto Swiss products make achieving the improbable, modeling into one’s maturity, achievable.”
ViewBug.com and Canon Cameras and Imaging are visibility sponsors of the three day photographic adventure in, and around iconic Las Vegas.
The photo shoot also features four very talented photographers, who have the responsibility of producing amazing content, working individually with each of the GMS models throughout the weekend, and collaborating with the entire group during the dramatic nighttime group shoot.
Lofts, founder of Phyto Swiss, and a longtime executive in the beauty industry, has assembled a talented group of researchers, chemists, product developers, and advisors in all areas of the industry, to formulate, refine, and introduce a line of skin care products that perform at the highest levels of effectiveness, but that are priced so as to be available to a much broader group of people in the US today.
Also on hand during the Viva Las Vegas photo shoot will be Skip Fredricks, the principal at Hollywood Drones, and one of the foremost drone instructors in the country. Skip educates novice drone pilots, and prepares them for the challenging FAA drone pilot’s license exam. Hollywood Drones has shot arial platform photography and video for publications, commercials, television, and feature films.
“Skip has been shooting on the ground, and in the air for major networks for years. His skills and creativity, I’m sure will bring the GMS some spectacular video”, said Keith.
The Viva Las Vegas shoot begins Friday, May 21, as the participants meet, strategize their one-on-one sessions, and attend a get acquainted group dinner, an opportunity to socialize before the t shooing schedule of the ensuing two days begins Saturday morning.
A full day of one-on-one sessions is scheduled for Saturday, May 22 at the Sinatra House, a photo house located just off Las Vegas’ “strip”, and decorated as an homage to Frank Sinatra and the “Rat Pack”, a groups of famed performers of the 1950s. Saturday evening, the entire cast meets up for a dramatic full group shoot of all of the models, with the iconic Las Vegas Strip as a backdrop.
Sunday, May 23, the models and photographers break into small groups for morning and afternoon sessions shooting “in the wild”, at various spots, including urban and natural locations in, and around Las Vegas. Late Sunday afternoon, the models gather again at a wide open, very natural desert site for the final official session of the weekend, a spectacular group session with ground and arial cameras shooting the eight models in the setting sun.
Monday, May 24th is an optional “video day”. In addition to shooting interview and testimonial content for Phyto Swiss, the models who opt to remain for Monday’s schedule will shoot additional video interviews and content for their various social media and online model portfolios.
A video crew will be on-hand throughout the weekend, shooting behind the scenes content and interviews for a “Making of” video to be produced and distributed following the event. The models will be posting photos and videos to their various social media in the weeks prior to the event, and throughout the Viva Las Vegas weekend.
Gary Keith has been a photographer, writer, and producer of content for print and radio, as well as video for cable television, internet video podcasts, and broadcast for nearly 40 years. Having worked principally covering motorsports for nearly 25 years, he left the track behind in 2010, and soon afterwards began assembling the models of the GMS.
Since 2011, there have been over 40 models of the GMS, and three of the founding members will be in front of the cameras at the Viva Las Vegas group shoot. The entire cast of models will be introduced on April 2, with the four photographers being announced, and profiled the following week.
One of the most interesting aspects of the GMS is that all of the models were sought out, and recruited personally by Keith. Few had ever modeled before being recruited for the specialized model troupe. A few had modeled in their teens, decades before being round by Keith. For those few, the GMS represents the opportunity to take a second bite of the modeling “apple”.
“Approaching someone who is in their 40s, 50s, or even 60s about beginning a modeling career has produced some pretty bizarre responses over the years”, remarked Keith. “Admittedly, what I propose isn’t for everyone, though It’s my personal belief that nearly all women possess what I call, the ‘model gene’. In most that gene is dormant. But in many cases, all it takes to switch that gene on, is that first experience in studio, Its there, and probably for the first time ever, they see themselves as the subject in magazine quality photographs, crafted and produced by a professional, rather than a family portrait, selfie, or in random snapshots”.
“Many GMS models will tell you, the experienced altered how they viewed themselves, elevated their self esteem, and in some cases, changed their lives forever”, said Keith.
The GMS has also been the genesis of many very close friendships that have endured since the beginning for some, and often last beyond the years spent in the troupe. The women of the GMS often refer to it as “the sisterhood”. In a field as competitive as modeling, it’s rare to find a group as committed to each others’ successes, and supportive as one might find among the models of the GMS.
The models pursue their own careers individually, in just about every genre there is. They often accompany one another on assignments, or to auditions. The troupe engages in group projects, such as fashion shows, exhibitions, and group shoots, usually once or twice a year.
The models of the GMS prove all the time that no matter how unlikely a pursuit may be, with opportunity, support, and determination, one can achieve beyond anyone’s expectations.
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Contact: Gary Keith 714 815 4737 gwkimagesaz@gmail.com
