Direct Talk

These models are in a studio
for a photo-shoot.

They are from DON Management,
Malaysia's first all-inclusive talent agency.

Maybe ask him to go back a bit,
and fold his legs.

Okay, can you move back a bit.

At the helm of the agency,
is Bernard Benzamin Nathan.

He manages talents from all walks of life,

including models with physical disabilities
or talents who are plus sized.

For me, beauty has always been
all about being real, you know.

I feel in today's world,
everyone is trying to be a copycat.

Superficial beauty trends
and standards are impacting youths.

The global weight loss supplements market
is valued at over 30 billion US dollars,

and in Malaysia, 40% of the population

have used potentially dangerous
skin lightening products.

I mean if you're seeing this unrealistic

idea of how you should look like
this body or skin tone in the media,

they have no choice
but to conform with the norm.

We need the real you, you know
don't lose that by blending in with the crowd.

Bernard wants to change society's norms,
proving that inclusivity is truly beautiful.

One in every six people in the world
lives with a disability.

Though they make up
a large segment of the population, in 2022,

only 4% of the world's television programs
included disability inclusive content.

Bernard aims to change this.

Okay guys, the next job is
with a big production company

and they're really important clients.

Through DON Management, Bernard's talents
and models have gone on to make waves.

They have been featured
in international magazines,

advocating inclusivity while empowering
those who are differently abled.

His models have also walked on runways,
donning designer gowns in fashion shows,

displaying the beauty in diversity.

Today, DON Management has 21 models.

They are a growing name in the fashion
and entertainment industry,

working with both local and
international brands and platforms.

Their goal is to change the fashion
and entertainment industry

by redefining beauty standards
and embracing diversity.

Bernard believes that inclusive representation
is vital for highly influenced youths.

If I'm reading the magazine,
if I don't see someone like me

in the magazine,

I would start to think
there's something wrong with me.

I'll start thinking that

I am an outcast or I'm a freak
or an alien, you know.

So that's why it's so important
to see more of yourself out there

and that's why brands in the media
plays such an important role of showing

diversity and inclusion in whatever they do.

You see that famous movie star that you like,

and you try to imitate
their hairstyle, their looks

but I believe like all of us
were born unique.

You know, like we all have
our unique personalities.

Bernard knows what it's like to be
different all too well.

At 2 years old, Bernard was diagnosed with
Type 3 Spinal Muscular Atrophy -

that's a genetic condition that
gradually weakens the muscles.

For the first few years of his childhood,
he was just like any other,

but by the time he was in high school,
he needed to use a wheelchair.

I remember the first time
I sat on a wheelchair, I actually cried.

I just broke down in tears
because I didn't like it.

I felt like more like a patient.

It was not nice, you know,
being young sitting on a wheelchair,

seeing your other friends being able to

run freely, do whatever they want.

You know, young kids can be a little

difficult to deal with

and usually it's because how they are
not mature enough to understand things.

So, of course there were
the bullying and all,

like the physical and the mental,
that you have to go through.

Those definitely made
my schooling days tough.

So you see I used to be so insecure and
I used to think like they wouldn't befriend me

because I was on a wheelchair and all.

But I realized all along that
it's just a negative mindset

that is actually stopping you from
everything you want in life you know.

So it turns out that they are
actually attracted to your personality,

when I realized that,
that's when I just started being myself.

Despite his challenges growing up,
Bernard was fortunate enough

to have the support and love
of his friends and family.

This enabled him to turn his insecurity
into a strength and a passion.

I grew up with a simple family,
a family of four.

So it's just me, my sister,
my mom and my dad.

They let me do things on my own, my own pace,

to discover things for myself,
they let me test my limits.

You know, like whatever I can do

physically and mentally,

they never made me felt like
I was disabled or something like that.

So now life as an adult in a wheelchair.

I would say

I take it much more seriously.

I take it as a mission.

Realizing the importance of being empowered,
Bernard wants to do the same for others.

I want to do more, like
I want to go out there, be an influencer.

I want to help those in need,
those young generation, young people

that are in similar conditions with me.

So I started by connecting with
my friends who are at NGOs.

It was there that I met
so many amazing individuals

with so many different conditions,
like Albinism, Dwarfism,

and even those with my condition,
Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

These people have so much to offer
like they were creative,

they were fashionable, they were smart.

I was just thinking like
how can I tap into all this

and bring it out there and people will see.

Bernard truly flourished
when he was in university.

He became active in helping others,
starting projects that would assist in

exposing the challenges and concerns
of the differently abled community,

all while pursuing a degree
in business management.

By the time he graduated,

he realized that his true passion was giving
the unheard and unseen a platform to shine.

Bernard started DON Management in 2018

to empower differently-abled youths
and to challenge the negative narrative

when it comes to
differently-abled communities.

I thought the best idea
would be a talent agency,

you know, with a talent agency, you can
showcase everything they have to offer.

So that's how it started,
it started with my friends, actually.

So, the first job our talents got
was for a traditional jewelry.

I remember when the final outcome came,
and the pictures came out it was like,

wow, our entire team was just blown away.

So it is possible after all,
they were just not open to it,

and from there it just started to
grow and pick up by itself.

For Bernard, seeing positive portrayals of
differently-abled individuals in the media

highlights the impact of representation
beyond glitz and glamour.

I think the challenge of getting

our first client, I would say,

was actually getting people
to understand our message.

Because there are so many
talent modeling agencies out there.

Why should I work with you, right?

Like, your models are new,
they are inexperienced,

but it's the whole message behind it.

And our message was simple.

Representation matters to us

and we wanted to bring that inclusion
and diversity out there

to the whole of Malaysia,
fashion and media industry.

I guess people can relate it
to the deeper level.

And that's how you win

customers I would say,

and that's how you become a better brand
and better business, generally.

I got involved with Bernard,
first we were friends

and then he started DON Management
and he invited me in.

So yeah, I decided to try something new
and got myself involved.

From the very first setting today,
all the shoots I've done with him,

he has taught me to take a stand.

He has empowered me to make me realize
that I can be whoever I want to be.

So having DON Management
as a platform to break those stigmas, right,

is why I feel it's very important
to have such an agency,

because now we are
branching out to more people.

We tell them, "Hey, you know,
you don't have to look a certain way,

you don't have to be a certain way,
if you have something to say, join us."

DON Management is
based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,

but Bernard wants the impact of his agency
to reach a much wider audience.

When we started DON Management,

at first we were only
accepting models with disabilities,

because that what we were
all about right at first.

But then as we went on towards the years,

we decided that we really
don't want to discriminate,

like we want to be an all-inclusive agency.

We were just thinking like
why limit to people with disabilities.

Why not more like

there's plus size

and different skin tones.

And in fact today,
we even accept able bodied models.

The more different looks we have,
the better you know.

Because our clients are
looking for all kinds of talents

and to have like a variety, that's

good as an agency for us.

And it's exciting to see
where the future is going to go.

Because we are growing, and
we're getting applications from

all over the world I would say actually.

And it's kind of scary because
we're just based in Malaysia for now,

but we're receiving applications from
countries such as USA, Singapore.

Yeah who knows maybe
we might branch out there one day.

Currently, DON Management works with
international brands and clients

but Bernard measures his success
by the impact his agency has had.

I would say the biggest achievement
at DON Management would be the fact

that we're still here and still going strong.

Because if you look at it, we came out
of nothing and turned it into something.

And the fact that we could actually come in
and make a dent in the industry.

That itself is already amazing and
that itself already feels like a win.

Yeah, of course we don't want to stop there.

We want to keep going,
keep pushing our limits.

However, changing beauty standards isn't
something that can be achieved overnight.

Bernard has had to face the sometimes
harsh reality of the entertainment industry.

There's always this case
where people look at us like a charity,

or an NGO just because
you deal with people with disabilities.

We kind of hated that at first.

But we have no choice but to

teach them, educate them.

We are a real company and

we treat our models and talents
as equals out there, you know.

So whether it comes to rates like
what you're paying them,

like we're not going to take it cheaper rate
just because our talents are different.

I remember when we started
it was just so foreign and so alien

to even think about a model on the wheelchair
going down the runway.

But today, like we see all the time,
and I would like to believe

that was because of the work we did you know.

While Bernard has already
had an impact in Malaysia,

he hopes to be a
household name in the region.

So, my hopes and dreams for DON Management is

to be that trailblazing agency that,

you know, when people hear about us,
they'd be like

that's the agency
that gives people opportunity, you know.

We really want to break
stereotypes and stigmas.

That's our mission since day one.

And we're already there,
and we just got to keep going.

We're expanding to
our neighboring country, Singapore

and then maybe Indonesia, Thailand.

Bernard hopes that his work
will crossover into everyday life,

and perhaps be part of a social change
that can convert the way

the world views and values
those who look and live differently.

There's definitely been
a more positive change for acceptance

towards differently abled models,
I would say.

Because I noticed that nowadays
in the Malaysian environment,

seeing they are more open to this.

I think Malaysia as a country, we're
definitely moving in the right direction.

We're becoming more inclusive overall,

it's a bit slow but
we're getting there you know.

We all should play a part in doing this
and make this change happen.

So my personal motto in life
is love is the solution.

I have realised like in

a certain stage of my life you know
I have been so blessed with

so many amazing people
like my parents, my friends.

I'm difficult to take care of,
there's so much of medical bills,

so much of

hurdles that come with it.

And on top of that not to mention
the emotional drama that I would cause.

But I'm here today because of their love,
and my sister's love, and my friends.

So I think that has really influenced me.

I sometimes feel like I don't deserve
to be where I am because like...

Sorry I'm getting emotional.

I'm so grateful for what I have,
and I feel like

the best way I can pay it forward,

is not by being like

a successful businessman
that's making tons of money, or

or you know like powerful or whatever.

So, for me, love is the
most powerful thing in the world,

because of how it can actually

save an individual and that one individual
can go on doing great things you know.

So for me, this has always
been my motto in life.

Yeah, love is the solution.