Runner-up on the 23 round of America’s Next Top Model in 2016, Coryanne Roberts continued to thrive in her modeling career post-show. Landing modeling gigs for brands such as Brandy Melville, Levi’s, MAC Cosmetics, Fenty x Puma, Guess, and more. She definitely has not left her spotlight on the show and has continued to be featured in several music videos and on a Ford Explorer commercial in 2017. Daughter of 90s supermodel Stephanie Roberts reflected on her pressure of success regarding her mother’s stardom as mentioned in her time on America’s Next Top Model and absolutely has done so. Recently as well, she has dabbled in exploring being a photographer, where some of her projects are on her Instagram handles, specifically a part of the project Girls On Film.
Happy: So, a part of the beginning of your career was when you were a contestant on America’s Next Top Model on cycle 23 in 2016. Not only were you a contestant, but you were the second runner up in the finale. What was it like being on such an iconic show and how do you feel about that experience now?
Cory: I’m super grateful that I got to do something that I idolized when I was growing up. I met some of the most incredible people… Including my now best friend, but I don’t really know that it was useful for my career. It gave me some reality TV show experience, which could be useful down the line, like hosting experience and things. I’ve actually hosted a few events. I got to live in New York in an amazing brownstone for two months with a bunch of girls, make a bunch of friends, and do some interesting photo shoots… but the experience was very much the opposite of uplifting.
Happy: Wow.
Cory: It just kind of tears you down in a lot of different ways. The entire time I was there, I was so sad because I wished that it could have been something that invigorated all of us. But a lot of the contestants that were there with me, the young ladies, everyone left with the same kind of sentiment of being a little broken. Some people stopped modeling. Some people moved in with their families. Some people started therapy.
Happy: That’s so shocking to hear.
Cory: Yeah, it was a little bit intense. I wouldn’t go as far as saying like traumatizing, but I do know quite a few people who had some different kinds of traumas. And it sounds so dramatic to talk about it because it’s a modeling show, but that’s why I don’t want to get too into it because I can’t really explain it to you without sounding… It was mentally terrorizing. In a lot of different ways. I had it specifically a little bit more close to home because they involved my mother so much. Then, the social media involved my mother. So it’s one thing for people to be like, ‘you’re ugly’, but it’s another thing for people to say things about your mom. So I had a lot of trouble participating in the social media after, on Twitter and things, or even watching the show. Sometimes it made me a little bit uncomfortable, which is my prerogative and not necessarily their fault. But I just found that, especially with it coming out so close, I remember certain things happening so differently, and it was just hard to watch. It’s reality TV, and if people were entertained and had fun watching it, I’m grateful, but I wouldn’t recommend it to a friend.
Cory: If you were to say, ‘I want to go on ANTM’, I would say, ‘don’t do that’. And it hurt extra bad because I did it for my career. I was a full time UCLA student at the time, and I left school to pursue a different avenue. I thought it would open doors. But this is what really sucked… I would go to New York and meet with a bunch of agencies, and they’d say, ‘oh, my God, we love you!’ And then they’d say, ‘oh, wait, you were on America’s Next Top Model, we can’t sign you. You’re far too commercial. Give it like a year or so for it to die down.’ It was just so backwards. After two months of not working at all to be on the show, (because you don’t get paid to be on the show), I was a very vulnerable 19 year old that just dropped out of college. Now I don’t have an agency, now I have no money. I was in that spot. But like I said, I also had it worse because I had a lot of things my mom going on, and the show amplified that.
Cory: But honestly, I’m stronger for it. We’re much, much closer now. I don’t know if it’s due to the show, but I am stronger for it. And I’m grateful for a few things that came out of the experience.
Happy: I’m sorry that those things happened. I feel like everything you’ve said, I would have never expected watching the show.
Happy: So, I think it’s so amazing that you lived in Bali from ages 4 to 14. Do you like living in the U.S. more than Bali, or are there things that you miss that make you want to go back sometimes?
Cory: Well, my dad still lives in Bali, so I can go back whenever I like. I usually go back for Christmas, things like that. I love Bali and I’m so grateful to have grown up there for that time period. Four years old to fourteen years old is perfect because it shapes who you are, your morals, and your inner being. Then, fourteen [years old] was my adolescent years, so it was time to think about colleges and who I wanted to be. That made it a perfect time to leave, to start my grown-up life. So, assimilating into the western world, I wouldn’t move back because I’m very fast paced. I don’t even like being on vacation for longer than like a week and a half. I start to get uncomfortable. I feel like the world’s moving around me. I swear I’m realizing as I’m getting older that I’m not ‘that’ normal. I’m a little bit different than, I think, a lot of people. I feel like my brain is so fast, so loud, and I have so many ideas all the time… So many things I need to do. I don’t like being stagnant and Bali is very slow pace. But that’s beautiful, and that’s why so many people move there and thrive. It was an amazing place to grow up. But at this point in my life, there’s so many more opportunities and people to meet, for the industries that I dabble in. So I love L.A. for the opportunities.
Cory: That definitely makes sense. I feel like I imagine you in Bali being so peaceful, because you’re already so balanced.
Cory: That’s why it’s nice to go for like a week and a half or so. But it’s so far away that you, kind of, need to go for two or three weeks, and it’s an expensive ticket, so that’s why I wouldn’t go back very often. You have to go for a long stretch, which is amazing. I’m just super high energy.
Happy: Yes. And the energy is so good in L.A.! It’s definitely an easy place to love.
Cory: Yeah. I’ve lived here eleven years now and I know that I’ve found my place. I’m just very comfortable. I know where I’m going. I like that there’s a mix of nature and city and I think L.A. is amazing because there’s something for everyone.
Happy: So you first started modeling in Bali when you were ten years old, and began to start modeling professionally in L.A. when you were sixteen years old. Now you’re twenty-five years old and have already modeled for brands like Guess Originals, Kappa, and Lacoste. I think that the fact that you’re able to get to this point in that amount of time shows how driven you are, in general. So what advice would you give to young people that aspire to be a model in the way that you are?
Cory: I feel like I’m being a little bit dishonest if I touch on ambition and accomplishments in modeling. I love that it’s how I started in the entertainment industry because it gave me such a big network of people and artists around me and very lax schedule. The ability to live all over the world… I spent three months all over different parts of the world exploring modeling and things. But I can’t necessarily, honestly say that I am a successful model. I’ve never felt like I could categorize myself as a successful model by any of the standards that you would hit. But, that being said, I realized many years ago that it was never my goal to be the ‘top’ model. Moreso, I have always wanted to use it as a platform to do other things, to figure out what was ‘me’. I’m a photographer, mostly, at the moment and I shoot girls all the time. And I can just tell they have ‘it’ based off of the fact that they want it. It’s their ‘thing’.
Cory: They love it and that’s what they’re going to always do. And that’s beautiful, but that was never ‘me’ for modeling. It was always supplemental. Even by going on America’s Next Top Model, I realize that makes it seem like I wanted to be the ‘top’ model. But it was, moreso, that I wanted that exposure and that platform to do other things. I wanted people to see me and say, ‘oh, she could do-‘, .
Cory: I just want to be honest because I don’t want people to look at me like, ‘oh, my god, she’s made it! She’s that model!’ Because I’m really not and that’s okay! I just want to say that I’ve always pursued whatever I enjoy doing the most. That’s how I kind of became a photographer. If you told me two years ago, ‘you’re going to be a photographer someday’, I’d say, ‘that’s impossible. Would I even want that?’ But I followed what I liked. So, with COVID, when everything was so slow for modeling and acting… I thought, ‘what can I do every day that I enjoy so much?’ And that was my hobby, photography. So i just thought about ‘how can I make money doing it?’ And that’s where ‘Girls on Film’ came from, and how I am where I am right now. It’s crazy because I launched ‘Girls on Film’ a year ago, and when I think about everything that I’ve done since then, Happy, it doesn’t even seem real. I probably have done, I don’t know, like 50 photoshoots, working with so many amazing models.
Happy: That’s incredible!
Cory: But I can’t help it. That’s what I was saying. My brain is so fast. I need to always be creating something. So, about ambition, to go back to your question, I would say that I think it’s really important to be honest with yourself so you have less heartbreak and you waste less time. You know what I mean? If you like modeling because, I don’t know, you like the money… That’s fine. If it’s an ego boost for people to think you’re beautiful… that’s fine. If it’s just supplementary… That’s fine. But figure out what you really want, so that you can direct your goals and what you do, how you move in a certain direction, it’ll just save you a lot of time and things. But as far as tips for being a successful model… I wish someone would have told me this years ago. It’s so simple and surface level, and it’s going to not even sound like a real tip, but take your phone and turn on the front camera and move your face and your body around and do different things.
Cory: Based off what you think looks good, create a ‘face’ for yourself. Remember through muscle memory. For me, when I’m going to take a selfie, I do certain things. Certain parts of my face get tight and I hold a certain face because I think I look pretty. Learn what that face is. Learn the way your body moves, and have a couple of key movements or key faces, so that you feel confident when you’re doing digitals, and when you’re doing casting. Half of modeling is confidence. Maybe 65% of it is just confidence. You need to believe that you’re the best because, otherwise, they’re not going to believe it. This is such a simple tip, but I just wish that I had learned my face and body better when I was younger because I had a lot of incredible opportunities that I missed. I didn’t book just because I was so scared… I didn’t really know what to do or what I looked like. People say, ‘you’re so beautiful,’ but I didn’t feel that way.
Cory: I was shy because I didn’t have it all together. So that’s what I would say. Make yourself feel confident. Follow your team’s advice, but don’t do things that make you feel ugly. People told me to cut my hair. People told me to color my hair… And every time I did it, I felt uglier and I kept getting smaller and smaller. So confidence is key.
Happy: So what are you the happiest about, in your life right now?
Cory: I’d have to say the place that I’m at, creatively. The kind of empire that I’m building. I feel like I’ve gotten to a place where I could just make whatever I want and I’ve accumulated such a big network of such incredible, talented, useful, and connected people, to whom I can say, ‘I want to do this!’ I kind of already know who to call and if they’re not the right person. They’ll have great advice and will guide me in the right direction. So I guess it’s where I’m at in my career, which is so beta. So when I think about everything that I can make or will make, that gets me crazy. The best is yet to come. That’s how I feel, in terms of work. And it’s how I feel about family life. Don’t you get excited? We still have the part where we’re going to have kids and families… That’s the best part.
Happy: Something that I think is so cool, is that not only are you a model and photographer, but your mom was also a model in the 90s. I know that a lot of people kind of repel from the things their parents have done because they don’t want the pressure or the possible comparison. So I think the fact that you’ve kind of kept yourself from being guided by outside opinions and have done what you want to do, regardless, is super inspiring. So do you ever have moments of feeling more pressure because of the commonality that you have with your mom, or are you able to silence those anxieties?
Cory: You know what’s so interesting? I never felt like I was competing, comparing or anything of that nature until I did ‘America’s Next Top Model’ and everyone pushed that on me from the show. It just was never a part of my sphere. I never felt like, ‘oh, I need to live up to her name.’ We were always just so different. I knew very young that I was not trying to be some big supermodel, or the best of the best. My mom had one of the most incredible careers. I have her books all right behind me. It’s a different era for modeling to have that kind of career. Now there’s probably ten of them, and they all had a support system to a degree, to get them to that point. And it’s just not really a natural thing these days. I never felt like I was trying to be like my mom or be my mom. I was just using modeling to figure out what I really wanted to do, to meet people, to travel.
Cory: I feel like that’s why it was amazing to grow up in Bali from four years old to fourteen years old. Because it shaped kind of the way I think. And I sometimes feel like an outsider because I’m so confused why people want to hurt people, why people want to be rude, why people want to make people uncomfortable. I just don’t have those kind of inklings in my brain, or in my body. If I ever hurt someone’s feelings, I genuinely didn’t know I was doing it, and I need you to tell me so I can be better.
Cory: Do you feel that way about comparisons made by the outside world, and not necessarily between you and your mom?
Cory: Well, I mean, that’s always going to be there because she had the first longest spread in vogue for a black model. She walked every single runway was with Karl Lagerfeld. That was her guy. It was the golden age of modeling in the 90s and she didn’t continue the legacy, you can say, like Naomi, because she wanted to have me, and she wanted to get out of it. The 90s were really tough on the supermodels with drugs and things. And my mom just couldn’t handle the lifestyle anymore. This was before social media, so she didn’t keep her platform. My mom is also a country girl. My mom is from Jackson, Mississippi. She is a country girl at heart, through and through, and just likes to drink beer with her friends and sit outside at a nice house. That just wasn’t her lifestyle. She didn’t want to be in a mansion, and she doesn’t like to dress up. She just wants to chill, and that’s fair. I had to learn that about her, and I respect it. So we’re very different, like inside and out.
Cory: So even if people are comparing, it doesn’t really bother me, because we’re just different. It’s like trying to compare like an apple and a pork chop.
Happy: That’s amazing that you’re able to have that peace.
Happy: So your Instagram account of your film photography, also known as @corycaughtyou, has the most timeless and fun photos that you’ve taken, which features some pretty recognizable names like Rickey Thompson, Luka Sabbat, Diplo, and so many more.
Cory: I almost had it. Okay, so your Instagram account for your candid film photography, also known as Corey Caught You, has the most timeless and fun photos you’ve taken, which features some pretty recognizable names like Ricky Thompson, Lucas, Abbott, Diplo, and so many others. A part of what I find super interesting about this account is that a lot of photographers would love to take photos of these people, but even if they were given that opportunity, or even if they are, they don’t necessarily take that chance or, kind of, make that next step. So what advice would you give to photographers about having the confidence to be comfortable taking photos of anyone?
Cory: That’s interesting. I’ve never thought of it like that. That’s an interesting approach. I like that. [Laughs]. Well, a big part of photography is trust, right? That’s kind of what has propelled me in the niche I’m in, which is a sexy, boudoir niche. We need more women in photography doing that kind of thing. Women are constantly being harassed. We’ve all experienced it, even firsthand, as models. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t. So trust is a big part of it, whether it’s posed clothes or just candid. I have a bit of an advantage because all the people I shoot are friends of mine. So there’s a trust there. I’ll take a good photo of them, and I won’t post a bad one, and it’ll be fun. It’ll be this little moment in time… This memory that’s frozen. So I do have an advantage. But I will say they didn’t all start as my friends. I had to build that relationship. So I guess a good tip could be getting out more, getting out to events more…
Cory: For me, for example, since I started in 2016, I’ve spent thousands of dollars on film and camera equipment and making sure I was certain places to have some fun shots and stay inspired. So I would say to get out more and take nice shots of different things, different people. So you get that experience where you feel confident and you can just walk up to someone and take the photo. It’s also being in the right place at the right time, and understanding your style. Developing an eye for certain things. I’m sure people assume it’s just an easy thing and it is to an extent. There’s a lot of little things: who you catch them with, how you made them feel in the moment. Sometimes there’s such a spark on people’s eye when all I say is, ‘Can I take a photo of you?’
Cory: I would say to do everything with fun. What else are we going to do in this life? It’s already so difficult all the time. Why would you want to force something that you don’t enjoy?
Happy: I love that motto.
Happy: If you weren’t a model or photographer, what do you think you would choose as a career?
Cory: I was going to say I’m not saying I’d be good at it, but I want to retract that because I feel like I would be good at it. I would love to work on the business side of music.
Happy: I think that is so perfect for you. Now that I hear you say that, it makes complete sense.
Cory: I really love music. I have such a connection. There’s just so many different types. I can enjoy anything.I like being at music events and live music. And I’m going to sound like such a little dumb L.A. **** right now because I like music. But I’m also very organized, love connecting things, networking and building people up. As well as marketing and being creative. I just feel like being on the business side of music is something that would encompass all those things. I’m sure there’s some really lame parts of it, too, and you have to build up, like any job and just like any start as an intern. But there have been many times in my career where I felt lulls and slowness in modeling where I would just go online and look for music internships. Obviously it wasn’t my path because nothing ever came of it. But I was always very interested in it and I think that I could be good at it. So maybe someday. Maybe, my kid is going to be a musician and I will be a ‘mom-ager’. Wow, I’m manifesting that right now! That’s what we’re doing.
Happy: You’d be an amazing ‘mom-ager’. That would be iconic.
Cory: I think I’d be good at it.
Happy: I think you would be good at it, too. But I also think you’d be good about being on the business side of music, as you said, because I feel like you’re so good at talking to people and making people feel comfortable.
Cory: I appreciate that. It’s something I always think about. Who knows? Life is long. I’m only 25.
Happy: Life really is long. I love to hear people say that.
Happy: Yeah, people always like, ‘life is short.’ I’m like, ‘really? Last year seems like a long time ago.
Cory: It does!
Happy: So, not only are you an amazing model and photographer, but you are also an entrepreneur! I get so excited when you post your photography for your ‘Girls on Film’ brand. I always tell you that you should be a model scout because you are so good at finding people that are good for photos. I feel like when I see your photos, there’s always a certain factor to everyone you choose to shoot. So what is it that made you want to start Girls on Film? What is it that is your goal for the brand?
Cory: So I started ‘Girls on Film’, purely out of passion and hobby. It was when OnlyFans was really new and revving up. I was so interested in it. Like I said earlier, modeling and acting were slow, and I just had this idea. I thought, ‘I just want to create content and have people pay for it’, because I was spending so much money on film. And when I say ‘a lot of money’, I’m saying nine grand per year, (minimum) on film. Wow. I have almost 3000 posts on @corycaughtyou. Those are the ones that I liked and that made it to the ‘Gram, that I put hours of organizing, tagging, recoloring, and putting into a lineup. There’s so many steps to that account. That’s why I say that I really do it with love… because, someday, we’re all going to look back on it and have this nostalgia of our younger years and it’s going to be so beautiful. I care. It matters to me, and I think it will matter to them as well. And it’ ll be something that’s so amazing for our kids to see. But, I guess, I started because I wanted to make some money back for all the money I spent on film.
Cory: I wasn’t expecting it to get me a house or make me into a photographer, but obviously this is how God wanted my life to go. And I’m very grateful. It’s amazing. I upkeep the OnlyFans account purely because so many incredible models want to shoot with me, constantly. Instead of me just saying, ‘sure, I’ll do a bunch of pre production, find a place, I’ll style, organize, coordinating someone with a lighting person, producing everything, spending a couple of days on post production, editing… All that just for Instagram? So many people want to shoot with me, and I just think to myself, ‘I can’t justify all the time and effort anymore… Just for my Insta feed and for their OnlyFans or my OnlyFans.
Cory: And that’s why I upkeep it, so I have somewhere to showcase them. But it’s not enough anymore. It really isn’t. It keeps me up at night. I want it to be something important, that matters, that people care about, that is beautifully made, and not sitting on a platform that so many people look down upon. Not myself included, obviously. I completely encourage sex workers. I love porn stars. I wish I could shoot more of them. Come my way! I’ve shot quite a few, and I loved it. It’s a certain type of exciting industry, I love the confidence, and I think it’s fun. So I encourage sex workers. As far as OnlyFans… I want my work to feel more valuable. So that’s kind of what I’m creating now, is a new platform.
Happy: That’s amazing. I’m proud that you saw what you wanted to do and were able to make a way for yourself. That’s so cool.
Cory: Thank you. Now, I feel like I got a little of the structure, I know I’m capable of it, I know it’s well received. That’s a big part of what you choose in your life, and that’s kind of why modeling never felt like mine. It doesn’t feel like you found your thing when others aren’t seeing it. When you’re not getting that satisfaction, that gratification, or that credibility. But, for me, with photography, it’s just shoot after shoot. There’s so much appreciation and love for my work, and that’s what keeps pushing me up. I’m like, ‘okay, I’m not crazy.’
Cory: You’re definitely not crazy. You are super talented.
Cory: Thank you. I enjoy it, too, so it feels like I found my thing, or the beginning of my thing. I do so much production work and creative direction, and that’s all a big part of it, I think. I just got a new job helping as a production coordinator for this big company. So I’m going to learn more of the business side of production as well for my other projects. Everything that comes my way is all intertwined to this bigger picture that I’ve been kind of hinting at. I could tell you about it… It feels like it’s a little beta. It’s not that I’m scared people are going to steal it because whatever I do is going to be different than whatever someone else does, even if they copy it exactly the same. So I’m not worried about that, anymore. I realize that, and I’m not worried about being held accountable. I don’t mind, put the pressure on me! I thrive under pressure. But what I’m worried about is my telling you the idea at this beta stage.
Cory: And in a month’s time, it’s going to be something different, because I’m creating it. So I don’t want to talk about it too much before it’s exactly what I want it to be.
Happy: That makes sense. Well, thank you for mentioning it to me.
Cory: Yeah, I’m just excited about it. Like I said, it feels like my life’s work.
Happy: That’s amazing. I’m so excited for you. I’m so honored that you told me about it.
Cory: Of course!
Happy: So I feel like you are such a kind, hard working, and seemingly happy person. What is it that most inspires you to be the person that you are today?
Cory: I think to be hard working, I like to feel valuable. I like to feel like I’m progressing constantly and creating something that makes me happy, makes me proud, and has somewhat of a credibility. Even when I’m not working… or even when I go out and have fun, I’m still taking photos, I’m still trying to stay inspired. I’m still trying to meet people. I’m always working, but I like to work. I like to create, I like to move, I like to progress. So I guess what inspires me to be hard working is creativity. Maybe. I don’t even want to say an end result because that’s definitely not it. I enjoy the journey so much. Most of the time I don’t even care if I reach the destination. It’s about the journey for me. Every step of the way, I learn so much, and I love that. I guess what motivates me to be hard working is learning new things and meeting new people.
Cory: Because if I’m not pushing myself to do more and more… I won’t learn or meet anyone interesting. I’ll just get comfortable.
Cory: To be happy and kind… I wish I could give you guys a real secret, but it’s just in my body. I love to make people happy and feel comfortable. I realized, a month ago, that the energy I’m feeling when I walk into a room, is what I’m contributing to an entire group. So, if I start to feel insecure and I start thinking things like, ‘I want to go home’, or ‘why is everyone looking at me?’ All those little things that you feel in a social situation… I try to snap out of it because I think that it’s unfair to give that energy to all these people and let that be the shared energy we have. And that helps. Sometimes, my thinking, ‘no, be happy!’ ‘Be happy’ isn’t enough, but my thinking about the group will get me out of it. And that’s the same to be said for being kind. We all have our own place in this world. Feeling competitive, jealous, or envious… Those things are natural and should drive you to want more… To be more. But I’ll have those feelings, and I’ll think, ‘okay, well, why are you feeling so jealous of that, whatever she or he has… Like, what’s that about you that you need to work on?I
Cory: I read a lot of books about things like that, because I care about how I make people feel. It’ll haunt me for days. I called someone ‘ugly’ the other day, to a friend of mine, and I’ve thought about it since I said it. Honestly, why did I say that? I think there’s so much negativity and nonsense in the world, and I just don’t want to contribute to it, that’s all.
Happy: That’s so beyond. That’s incredible. It’s very cool that you have that awareness.
Cory: I just try my best. I just want to make people feel good. I have a good balance of work and social, so I don’t feel like I’m depleting and just giving all my happiness to everyone else… Because that’s important. I have to say that because a lot of people want to be this beacon of hope and light for everyone, but be careful. Take that recharge time.
Happy: I appreciate you saying that. It’s a very important detail. The importance of giving some of yourself to yourself. So you are someone who I think has really touched a lot of people’s lives, and you really give light to everyone you meet. So if today was the last day on Earth, what would be the thing that you hope people remember the most about you?
Cory: That’s such a deep question. Also, thank you for saying those kind of things.
Happy: Of course! They’re true.
Cory: I hope they’d remember the way I made them feel when I was so tired after working 12 hours and shooting nine people. And I still made that effort to get cute, to come to your event for launching your clothes so it made you feel good, even though you didn’t care. I was there, but just so I could take photos. Those little things. The way my effort made you feel. And I don’t do nice things for myself, so I don’t want that to be convoluted. It’s all for them.
Cory: But, yeah, I hope that people remember how it made them feel. And maybe that’s why I take those quirky @corycaughtyou photos… So that people can remember the night. And it doesn’t have to be about me, but remember the day, the night, the moment, and how they felt in that moment. I’m so happy and so willing to be the platform and the vessel for that nostalgia, that memory, that emotive or evocative moment, I should say. I hope people would remember that I was kind, like you said, and that I really tried my best.
Cory: That I was not trying to be my mom. I wasn’t trying to be a supermodel… I’m just kidding. That seems to be the only thing social media remembers me for. [Laughs]. What else? That I wanted to make people feel beautiful, and take their photos. And I hope they remember that I wasn’t done yet. Are you kidding me?
