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Artscene Oakville Beaver · WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2006 37 Will Oakville man be the new face of GUESS Watches? By Melanie Cummings SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER At 12:01 a.m. Saturday Dec. 16, Scott Fisher was online, at the GUESS Watch website, checking to see whether he was a regional finalist in a model search. It's likely a big smile dawned on his face and celebration ensued. The 20-year-old marketing student, who hails from Oakville, made it into top spot among his Canadian competitors no less. With 3,733 votes he is sitting pretty as one of three national finalists in the worldwide competition. GUESS Watches is on a hunt to find one man and one woman with a "natural sexiness, original look and element of adventure" to feature in the company's fall 2007 advertising campaign. And without a doubt Canadians figure Fisher fits the bill. His family encouraged as many supporters to vote online too, he admits. Fisher's headshot on www.facestowatch.ca was among 20 (10 men and 10 women) from which voters could choose. This select crew was plucked from an application pool of 1,350 submitted by GUESS Watches model hopefuls from across the country. The wheels were set in motion last August when he saw an ad on television for the Guess competition and promptly sent in his photo to the website. At around the same time he signed on with a modeling agency. He managed to fit in a few jobs, mainly in product launches, before heading back to Algonquin College in September. Months later a phone call from the contest organizers came to inform Fisher he'd cleared the first hurdle. When the contest for people's choice closed Friday at midnight, Fisher had also just completed his last exam at Algonquin College in Ottawa that day too, giving him two reasons to celebrate. He is completing his final year in the marketing program. "I'm the kind of guy who likes to win," said Fisher, whose competitive fields extend beyond the runway and onto the waterway. He's a national level champion canoeist as well. And on every front, the year ahead is nothing short of adventurous for Fisher. In February he'll begin training in Florida for two months preparing for the national canoeing team and training for the Pan Am Games, which take place in July. When that's done, he's hoping he'll be among the 10 men and 10 women jetsetting to Switzerland in April 2007, as one of the finalists on the international stage. Members of a worldwide judging panel select this elite group. GUESS worked in conjunction with ELLE Magazine and Universal Music Group to select the regional finalists for each of the 70 participating countries. Upon graduation from Algonquin, Fisher also plans to move back to Toronto with some of his schoolmates to begin his marketing career. Whatever the outcome of the Guess competition, Fisher intends to keep modeling on the sidelines because it's fun, good money and gives him a unique perspective in the business. Canadian GUESS Watch finalist Scott Fisher