Vanessa Veasley was born in Philadelphia, PA. The daughter of world-renowned contemporary jazz bassist Gerald Veasley, Vanessa moved to Atlanta, Georgia to attend Clark Atlanta University when she was 17 years old. In Atlanta she interviewed with top modeling agencies and was told she had a great look, but was too “thick” to book work as a fashion model.
Vanessa got her break when she met Bryan Barber (Director: Idlewild) on the set of the Movie Drumeline where she was an extra. He referred her to a casting agency and the following week she booked her first two music videos, “Trans DF Express” and “Welcome to Atlanta” where she had a speaking role. She instantly fell in love with the urban side of modeling, where curves and ethnic looks are celebrated.
Vanessa has worked alongside many major rappers and hip-hop groups as a featured model in music videos, and has graced the pages of the following magazines: Lowrider Girls, KING, XXL, Source, SHOW, Smooth, Smooth Girl, Hip-Hop Weekly, Urban Ink, SHOWCase, and more, with four magazine covers to date.
While best known as an urban model, Vanessa has a very diverse fan base due to her multi-media work with various mainstream publications, companies, and brands such as Best Damn Sports Show Period, Seventeen, Stuff, Hawaiian Tropic, Hooters, DUB and interviews on international websites such as Playboy.com
In 2010 Vanessa became the first Black model to be shot by Terry Richardson for the Supreme brand’s coveted Fall Lookbook. This shoot sent shock waves through skate culture and has made her one of the most in demand curvy models in the Indie Fashion and Counter-Culture industries.
In her free time, Vanessa is an avid reader. She also loves cooking, traveling, and supporting her home baseball team the Phillies. Forever in love with the city that birthed her, Vanessa frequently gives back to Philadelphia charities and participates in their events. She was one of the top fund-raisers for the American Lung Association’s 2011 Fight For Air Climb.
Vanessa Veasley is an unabashed nerd. A sci-fi geek and lover of comic books and art, animation, anime, space and 80’s pop culture memorabilia. She’s as comfortable in Storm Trooper unifrom at Dragoncon as she is fist-pumping in the VIP of a trendy nightclub. Her PlanetBLERD BLOG is a dedication to all of her interests that she and many of her fellow BLERDs share
