At the age of 33, Men Nimul Roath is already a managing dir-ector and a modelling instructor at Sun Modelling, an agency founded in August last year to provide scouts with fresh talent and educate young people in modelling skills.

The agency is located at #F2, Flat N7, St 5168, Sangkat Boengkak I, Khan Toulkok, Phnom Penh.

Around 5 pm on July 22, I arrived at the Sun Modelling building and was directed to Men Nimul Roath’s office, where I spoke with him for about an hour and a half.

When I walked in, Men Nimul Roath was bent over his desk, which contained a laptop, a printer, a few pens, books and folders containing well-ordered documents.

In the left corner, I spotted a certificate awarded to him by the  Pour Un Sourire D‘Enfant (PSE) organisation.  He told me he was awarded the certificate when he and his modelling group attended PSE’s annual charity party.

In 2000, Men Nimul Roath was working in a laboratory at the Hope Center, but was yearning for a change of pace.  So he decided to enrol in Sapor, the most popular modelling agency at the time.

During training, his teacher picked him out as a talented young prospect and he was encouraged to enter the Model Look 2005 modell-ing contest.  

“It’s hard to believe, but I got first place out of 40 models,” Nimul Roath says.  After the contest, his career in modelling really took off.  With passion, hard work, moral support from his family and financial support from the Sun Active Ad, Sun Modelling Co. was created.

Men Nimul Roath says he has faced a number of difficulties trying to manage the agency, and has had to deal with them all by himself.

He also still has his job at the laboratory.  Every morning, he works as a laboratory consultation co-ordinator at the Pasteur Laboratory Center, then hops on over to Sun Modeling around 2 pm to fill his role as manager, accountant and modelling instructor.  He has a class at 4:30pm with 14 students.

Men Nimul Roath is a very patient teacher.  Even when his students forget how to walk properly and turn on a runway, he is all encouragement and positive suggestions.

All the students seem to really enjoy the class and try their best to follow the teacher’s instructions so that one day they can become professional models themselves.

Nimul Roath says Sun Modelling has already produced four generat-ions of successful students who have participated in many fashion events in Cambodia, including a Panasonic shop opening, a shopping night at Axara, the grand opening of a Canon store and                               the PSE charity party.

Almost every year, Men Nimul Roath and his beautiful employees organise a charity event for orphanages in the area.  Under his guidance, the agency has become a well-known modelling school with acknowledged talent.

Even though Sun Modelling has really taken off, he has not quit his job in the laboratory. “Working in the lab is what I’ve chosen for my living; modelling is just an extra job,” he says.  “I love both jobs and will do my best to make them both run smoothly without sacrificing  either one,” he adds.