Raised in the surf culture of Vero Beach, Florida, Reed's modeling career accelerated at the age of 19 after appearing on the cover of Abercrombie & Fitch's 2004 back-to-school catalog.
[5] At 18, Reed graduated from high school and moved to Miami to pursue modeling and public relations work in clubs.
A 2004 meeting with photographer Bruce Weber led to Reed's big break, a photo shoot and website video appearance for Abercrombie & Fitch.
[5] Reed appeared on a billboard in Times Square with a LIVE TO SURF tattoo and subsequently on the cover of Abercrombie & Fitch's 2004 back-to-school catalog.
[5][8] More than 10 million homes throughout the United States received a copy of that catalog, and that cover subsequently has appeared as an ad in Rolling Stone, GQ, Teen Vogue, and the premiere issue of VITALS.
[5][9] Reed credits the 2004 Abercrombie & Fitch cover for giving him the needed credentials to make it as a professional model.
[14] In July 2005, former Vice President Al Gore's cable channel, Current TV, filmed Reed during a shooting with celebrity photographer Tony Duran.
[6] Reed owns a mountain hideaway in Colorado, but makes his home in Southern California, where he tries getting a week of surfing in every month to keep balanced.
[17] Reed is also a celebrity spokesman for America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network, the largest domestic hunger-relief charity in the United States.