An Irondequoit boy is going for a ride on the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull merchandise juggernaut.
An image of John Grande — an 11-year-old at Rogers Middle School and now a product model — is featured on the packaging for Hasbro's kid-friendly approximation of the bullwhip used by Harrison Ford in what's expected to be the blockbuster film of the summer.
The youngest of Paul and Laura Grande's five children, John is normally involved with "soccer, skateboarding, computer games, video games, all the normal, almost-teenage boy stuff," says Laura.
And now her son is sporting jungle-explorer's wear and a fedora, just like Indiana Jones, on both sides of the box. "He's just so darn cute," his mom says, citing his blue eyes and dimples. "He wanted to do it, and it worked out that way."
Soccer, sure. But a modeling career? "It seemed cool to do that kind of stuff," says John, expressing surprise that he made the cuts at a series of auditions, the first of which was at a local hotel two years ago, when he was 9 years old.
"There were 3,000 people; the place was packed," says Paul. "They picked 35 to go down to Myrtle Beach and showed them how to walk on a catwalk, things like that. Then they took them to do a mock commercial."
Producers and advertising agencies were on hand and, out of the experience, John got two phone calls: one from a producer in Hollywood, with whom he is still in contact, but not doing any work for, and the second with an ad agency in Buffalo.
That second contact has brought John a few jobs. Hasbro hired him for an advertising shoot for a Spider-Man web-shooting toy, although the image was not used. John's image did help market new Corning glass products being introduced in South Korea.
Neither opportunity has the potential to spread John Grande's image around the globe as much as the soft-fabric whip, which in actuality couldn't break the skin of one of the Soviet henchmen who menace Indiana Jones in the movie. But by activating a button on the handle, young whippersnappers can enjoy the sound of a cracking whip and the Indiana Jones theme song all day, until the three AA batteries, or their parents' patience, wear out.
John's evaluation of the product: "Pretty cool." His review of the movie, which opened Thursday: "Pretty awesome."
Paul and Laura Grande, who are both Rochester police officers, say their son's modeling career has involved the family paying a few minimal fees at the initial auditions, plus the travel to South Carolina. "Ninety-five percent of what he gets goes to college," Paul says. "The other 5 percent he keeps, because he worked for it. He's made a few thousand dollars. It's not like it's taking over his life."
Indeed, the Grandes have turned down several auditions, including a movie in New York City. "School comes first," Paul says. "A lot of parents push their kids into stuff like this. He did it all on his own."
With his eye on that runway of the future, John points out that a little theater work he's done at Rochester Association of Performing Arts will "help on the rsum."
"No matter how far he gets with this," Paul says, "it will benefit him in communicating himself in his adult life. And it's just a cool thing. If he never does anything again, he was on an Indiana JonesAn Irondequoit boy is going for a ride on the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull merchandise juggernaut.
An image of John Grande — an 11-year-old at Rogers Middle School and now a product model — is featured on the packaging for Hasbro's kid-friendly approximation of the bullwhip used by Harrison Ford in what's expected to be the blockbuster film of the summer.
The youngest of Paul and Laura Grande's five children, John is normally involved with "soccer, skateboarding, computer games, video games, all the normal, almost-teenage boy stuff," says Laura.
And now her son is sporting jungle-explorer's wear and a fedora, just like Indiana Jones, on both sides of the box. "He's just so darn cute," his mom says, citing his blue eyes and dimples. "He wanted to do it, and it worked out that way."
Soccer, sure. But a modeling career? "It seemed cool to do that kind of stuff," says John, expressing surprise that he made the cuts at a series of auditions, the first of which was at a local hotel two years ago, when he was 9 years old.
"There were 3,000 people; the place was packed," says Paul. "They picked 35 to go down to Myrtle Beach and showed them how to walk on a catwalk, things like that. Then they took them to do a mock commercial."
Producers and advertising agencies were on hand and, out of the experience, John got two phone calls: one from a producer in Hollywood, with whom he is still in contact, but not doing any work for, and the second with an ad agency in Buffalo.
That second contact has brought John a few jobs. Hasbro hired him for an advertising shoot for a Spider-Man web-shooting toy, although the image was not used. John's image did help market new Corning glass products being introduced in South Korea.
Neither opportunity has the potential to spread John Grande's image around the globe as much as the soft-fabric whip, which in actuality couldn't break the skin of one of the Soviet henchmen who menace Indiana Jones in the movie. But by activating a button on the handle, young whippersnappers can enjoy the sound of a cracking whip and the Indiana Jones theme song all day, until the three AA batteries, or their parents' patience, wear out.
John's evaluation of the product: "Pretty cool." His review of the movie, which opened Thursday: "Pretty awesome."
Paul and Laura Grande, who are both Rochester police officers, say their son's modeling career has involved the family paying a few minimal fees at the initial auditions, plus the travel to South Carolina. "Ninety-five percent of what he gets goes to college," Paul says. "The other 5 percent he keeps, because he worked for it. He's made a few thousand dollars. It's not like it's taking over his life."
Indeed, the Grandes have turned down several auditions, including a movie in New York City. "School comes first," Paul says. "A lot of parents push their kids into stuff like this. He did it all on his own."
With his eye on that runway of the future, John points out that a little theater work he's done at Rochester Association of Performing Arts will "help on the rsum."
"No matter how far he gets with this," Paul says, "it will benefit him in communicating himself in his adult life. And it's just a cool thing. If he never does anything again, he was on an Indiana Jones
toy box."
