Tyler Winston didn’t move to LA with a perfect plan — he pivoted from college football to TGI Fridays, got scouted on a shift, and said “yes” to a free photoshoot that turned into agency contracts, billboards, SAG commercials, and a spot on Vanderpump Villa Season 3.

In this episode of Call Sheet Confessions, Tyler and I unpack the real story behind that pivot: growing up in Houston chasing the NFL, losing his place on the team, starting over in New York, and slowly building a career as a working model and commercial actor before reality TV ever entered the picture.

We get into:

Getting scouted at TGI Fridays, shooting digitals on a phone, and landing early campaigns (including his first SAG job)

How he cold-pitches brands and uses his sports background as a selling point

The behind-the-scenes reality of Vanderpump Villa: casting DMs, blindfolded arrival, six weeks mic’d, and the pressure of being “on” 24/7

His showmance with Sage, the Love Overboard hot-tub drama, and why he now sees the lie as worse than the flirtation

The emotional and financial whiplash of Net 30/60/90 payments and waiting on thousands in checks

If you’re curious how someone actually goes from college athlete to commercials, campaigns, and reality TV — without connections, and with plenty of mistakes along the way — this episode breaks it down.

🔔 Subscribe for more raw conversations about acting, modeling, reality TV, and building a creative career without a safety net – and without losing yourself.