Amanda Cerny: From CIA To Playboy Magazine And A Social Media Trailblazer For internet sensation Amanda Cerny, a major turning point in her showbiz career was being featured as the 'Playboy Playmate Of The Month' in October 2011.

For internet sensation Amanda Cerny, a major turning point in her showbiz career was being featured as the 'Playboy Playmate Of The Month' in October 2011. Post that, her social media influence increased, leading to notable collaborations with several big brands such as Nike and Marc Jacob, and also fun videos with acting studios, actors and musicians. The videos continued to amass huge viewership, and now if you go over to just her Instagram page, she has an astounding 24 million followers. She has a strong India connection too, known to be Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez's 'twin' and collaborating with YouTuber Bhuvan Bam.

In the beginning, Amanda was more interested in pursuing acting and needing to build her reel to be able to get into the audition rooms. Her solution was to begin making her own sketches on video platform Vine, and success followed due to the comedic videos she made there. Then came the Playboy experience.

"My experience with Playboy was so positive, so fun and something I will always look back on with a smile. For me it was super exciting because I was straight out of college at Florida State University studying to become a CIA agent. I have always had to pay for literally everything in my life and worked several jobs since I was 13 to be able to do so and get that college experience. I am also a person that is very adventurous, open minded and spontaneous which always leads to some exciting and unexpected opportunities. I randomly reached out to an email on the Playboy website after the suggestion of two of my high school friends. Then I received an email requesting me to fly out for an all-expense paid test shoot in Los Angeles. Getting a free trip to Los Angeles to be able to shoot for a historic and iconic magazine and be a part of history and get to meet Hugh Hefner… I of course said yes!"

"I was blessed to be able to have this experience. I have so many fun stories from that time as it was during the height of the magazine. Hugh Hefner was nothing but a gentleman in the brief moments I had to speak with him. What I liked most about him was that he did not tolerate any one that treated people poorly or as if they were better than anyone else," Amanda tells us.

Her experience with Playboy was completely professional and something she only ever once regretted when she was rejected for a brand campaign during the 'vine days' as she calls them because of her own past as a playmate centerfold. Her regrets were short-lived though because after that she received numerous offers and partnerships from even larger household brands that she wouldn't have been able to do if the first one didn't reject her.

And the brand associations have continued to get bigger. One of her favourites was with Guess, a global campaign for over a year where she remained the face of the brand. Amanda even launched her own athletic wear line as a collaboration with the brand that sold out immediately. Her partnership as a global ambassador for the United Nations and World Wildlife Foundation is also something that is very near and dear to her heart.

The author can be reached at bkabir@entrepreneurindia.com and Instagram.com/kabirsinghbhandari