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SEPTEMBER 2006

Model Consultation Scam
A model has a bad experience with a model consultation scam.

I am writing in reference to a company out of (a Tampa Bay location) claiming to be holding casting calls. It is a classic bait and switch scam and I knew it the second I referenced Independent Modeling in the interview- ( he asked about my agent) because he started stuttering, acted like he'd never heard of it, acting snotty and berating me.
As soon as he realized that I have a brain and don't need him or their "services" he began to insult my character, integrity and even my age(23). He said I was too old to compete with the "16 /17 yr old tall blondes". He also told me that I would never make it in this industry because I wouldn't allow him to sell me on their classes or whatever. It is true that I am inexperienced in this industry but I am learning as much as I can to try and get started. Knowledge is power and I love your website. If you have any advice for someone who knows little to nothing about getting started please let me know. For example, since TFP is so shady how do you recommend I get started? Should I contact Aurora for a consultation? I know I need marketing materials, is the best way to just find a reputable photog and pay for them? Please respond at your earliest convenience. Thank you very much for your time and have a great day.
- Michelle, a model from Tampa Bay, Florida

Hello Michelle,
Independent Modeling rocks! I’m not saying that because I used to be on their staff or anything, but just about everyone who has a problem with my friends is probably doing something wrong and they are threatened by any free modeling resource which teaches models how to get work on their own.
The fact that models are throwing Independent Modeling in the faces of model scams is hilarious, too! The look on his face must have been priceless.
If you encountered anyone who invited you to a model job go see only to have them turn around and try to sell you some service, then yes, that is a bait and switch scam. Any time that you are bait and switched, you become the victim of a deceptive trade practice, which is fraud. You should contact the Florida attorney general’s office, which handles consumer fraud in Florida, and also the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and report what happened to you. If you know of anyone else who encountered the same scam, get them to contact the authorities too. You can get more instructions on how to do this and get the links to the relevant resources by going to Tampa Bay Modeling’s REPORT A SCAM section (incidently, the section is going to be greatly enlarged later this month with the opening of our new model and talent agency scam-fighting resource section for models and abused agency bookers.
While Aurora PhotoArts is a good photography company to invest in model portfolio photography with, it is not the only one. Other great photographers that you should check out include Andy Meng, Craig Huey, Michael Cairnes, Susan Jeffers, and ITD Photos. Also, please note that Aurora PhotoArts is our main sponsor, and their senior photographer, C. A. Passinault, is also the director of Independent Modeling. Although they are our main sponsor, we are obligated to point out other great photographers, too, because we will not endorse one company when it could become a conflict of interest. Know that you will get excellent, professional-quality pictures with any of these photographers and photography companies. As a professional model with experience in the matter, I will say that you should avoid any photographers who agencies and model consultants refer you to, as there is a great potential for a conflict of interest there. I cannot recommend any of those photographers who work with agencies.
For a more comprehensive list of reputable, professional photographers, check out the TALON Talent Online database over at Independent Modeling. They even have a reference star-based rating system which will tell you the ration of good references over complaints that they have on file at a glance. You cannot go wrong booking the services of any model portfolio photographer or photography company on there with a four or a five-star rating (all of the photographers who I have mentioned are currently five-star rated).
Regarding TFP, it depends upon the definition that you are referring to. TFP used to be a term that described a professional collaboration between established professionals. The term has been hijacked by amateurs, though, and what it generally means now are amateur photographers and amateur models running around teaching each other bad habits and practicing poor Quality photography. Most photographers offering TFP (free shoots to aspiring models) either do not know what they are doing or are up to no good; in this case it could be considered a shady practice which has the potential to be dangerous and at the very least usually turns out to be a waste of time. Would you respect a so-called professional who did nothing but free work and never got paid? A part of human nature is something called “perceived value”. Most people do not assign much worth to things that are given to them, while the same person may think highly of the exact same thing if they pay for it. This is why TFP photographers get the dumbass of the year award from me. Not only do they not get paid for what they are trying to do, but the models who do TFP with them are far less likely to like the pictures or respect the photographer because of perceived value. For those unethical TFP photographers out there with shady hidden agendas such as trying to meet “hot girls” to try to hook up with them, they should know that if this is what they are trying to do, then they handicap any chance that they have with any model simply because they handicap the potential for respect that any model may have for them. Women are not attracted to anyone who they do not respect. Please note that I am not condoning the actions of TFP photographers who are trying to hook up with models, I am merely pointing out the irony that what they are trying to achieve becomes less likely because of the reduced respect. If you want to increase the odds that you will be rejected by beautiful women, by all means enjoy yourself. This TFP hook-up irony is something that greatly amuses me while, at the same time, I am also disgusted by the sleazy guys who try this. Talk about mixed feelings!
Sometimes, if you are an established professional model who already has a portfolio, composite cards, and maybe a few tear sheets under your belt, you may find professional photographer willing to do a professional collaboration for time (which used to be known as TFP before the guys with cameras, or GWC’s, hijacked the term). By default, it you already have your modeling career tools, you’re not in the market for investing in portfolio services and the professional photographer will feel better because they will know that the potential for a conflict of interest and cutting the throat of their portfolio photography services is minimal (no professional ever wants to find themselves in the position of undermining or competing with themselves). If you are just starting out and don’t have a portfolio already, it may be very tough to find a professional photographer willing to collaborate with you in this manner. If you are an aspiring model with no professional tools, who shouldn’t even try to book any model jobs until you have invested in the tools that you need. By all means, find a reputable photographer or photography company and pay for the professional photographs to build the portfolio and the composite cards that you will need to work on your own or by being represented by agencies.
I recently took out some time to study what could be the saddest joke that I have ever seen in the industry. It was some misguided model consultant business that bordered on being a model consultant scam. It was run by this TFP model who had used portfolio networking sites to build a portfolio with TFP. The same model was also taken in my the place that you are writing about, and had some of their pictures on her model consultant site. The pictures were so bad that they would have handicapped the career of this model rather than helped to market her. One thing that was really sad and amusing at the same time was that she had this plan where models would be introduced to TFP photographers to build their “professional modeling” portfolio. It takes all kinds, and people really need to know what the hell they are talking about before they form some sort of model consultant business around a bunch of misguided ideas. So, what do people really get for paying her a few hundred dollars? She cannot legally book them into model jobs (and there is no incentive to do that if you cannot get paid for it), she doesn’t know enough about photography to refer anyone to any photographer. The also contradicts herself. The very people who she puts down she also builds up as a source for her “professional” modeling experience. Screw the modeling schools and the pictures that show that you were taken advantage of my some model scam. Do you have tear sheets? What model jobs have you booked and been paid for? Why is your portfolio full of the crappiest pictures I have ever seen? So much for being a qualified model-turned model expert. She should spin it as “I, too, have been victimized by models scams! Let me consult with you today and you can pay me for my time so you can learn from my mistakes instead of making them yourself!”
What does she claim to offer? She claims to be able to offer models her professional connections and profiles on portfolio networking sites that only she seems to know about. Well, guess what? I can recreate her list by spending ten minutes on a search engine. I can also find superior information on this site and on Independent Modeling as well as a list of genuine professional photographers and others on Independent Modeling. The cost? Nothing but a few minutes of my time. People really need to quit taking advantage of naive aspiring models and they need to stop reselling the free information that they take from other sources. Why not just ask for donations out of pity? I’ll be sure to be the first one to send five dollars to the misguided model expert fund if they retire. That business will probably be closed before the end of the year. I am sure that she means well, but it’s more of a joke than anything else. What this is could basically be described as a dysfunctional, mentally handicapped version of a model consultation scam, and there are many others out there who do it so much better, and they are actually a danger to models! I haven’t seen a model scheme that is more pathetic than this one is.
Well, that’s it for my 1,000th rant. Good luck with your portfolio, by the way, and let me know how it goes!
~ Model Monica Stevens,
Tampa Bay Modeling Mail Bag Editor

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September 2006 Mail Bag

E-Mail us and let us know what YOU think! If you wish to add to one of Monica's answers or disagree with her and want to post an answer of your own, please let us know what letter and month you are replying to and if we see that it is relevant we may add it to that month's archive.

C/O Monica Stevens, Mail Bag Editor

© Copyright 2006 Tampa Bay Modeling

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BEWARE OF THESE TOP TAMPA BAY MODEL SCAMS: Tampa Model Search, Tampa Bay model search, Florida model searches, Tampa Bay model placement, Tampa Bay model consultant, Florida modeling consultants, Tampa Bay TFP photographer, Tampa Bay model portfolio photography scams, Tampa Talent Scams and Tampa Bay model job scams. Be aware of what they are, and be careful!

As of February 24, 2007, Tampa Bay Modeling and our industry allies are at war with unethical and unprofessional elements in the Tampa Bay and Florida modeling industry. Our primary targets are Tampa Bay model consultation and agency placement scams, Tampa Bay model searches, Tampa Bay model job scams, Tampa Bay TFP photographers, and Tampa Bay model photography scams. We expect the fight to last years, and we already know that we have been tremendously effective in helping to change the modeling industry so far, as we have the dominate voice in the Tampa Bay modeling industry. Models, your help has arrived, and it is right here.

Regarding Tampa Bay model and talent agencies, we are now convinced that the licensed ones (and all of the ones who are SAG franchised) are on the level and are not doing anything wrong. This said, they have no business managing the career of any professional model, due to the fact that they are working conflicts on interest, as they also represent other models who are in competition for the same jobs that they refer them to. Tampa Bay model and talent agencies also have no business referring aspiring models to any photographers, and we strongly recommend that models find photographers on their own and obtain their modeling portfolios before talking to any modeling agencies. Model and talent agencies should be used only as a source of model jobs and nothing more. By all means, utilize model and talent agencies as one of your many sources of potential jobs, but never let them tell you what to do and always scrutinize their advice. The agency way is no longer the only way, and there are professional alternatives to Tampa Bay model and talent agencies! Also, please note that model and talent agency scams are still around, too.

The Tampa Bay Talent Sites

ADDED MARCH 29, 2007. UPDATED OCTOBER 01, 2007

TAMPA BAY MODELING - TAMPA BAY ACTING - TAMPA BAY FILM

There are now a total of three Tampa Bay Talent web sites. These sites are Tampa Bay Modeling, which you are now on, Tampa Bay Acting, which has launched but had a rough launch and isn't as up to speed as we would like, and, of course, Tampa Bay Film, which has surprised us with its popularity; it is now the fastest growing web site in our group and its size is now equal to our own, with no end in sight. Tampa Bay Film may become much larger than the rest of us by this summer, and this will be an important property. Here at Tampa Bay Modeling we are used to conflict, as we have been fighting a modeling industry war for several years now, and our experience will surely give the Tampa Bay Film staff and their allies a major advantage as they fight for change and professional growth. All of the Tampa Bay Talent sites, of course, are Raptor Class sites which are optimized for scam-fighting operations, so we are set up for fighting.

Where are our sister regional modeling sites? These region-optimized mirror web sites, tentatively known as Miami Beach Modeling, Orlando Modeling, and Florida Modeling (don't bother looking up domain names on these, as some are already taken by others and the titles / domain names have not been finalized yet) are presently on hold until we can add new features to Tampa Bay Modeling and update some of our older content. We have teams of models and modeling industry professionals already assembled to work on these sites after they launch, although we are now finalizing site production protocols so our web master is not overwhelmed with work. For now these sites are on hold. Our regional modeling resource site editors, to assume their responsibilities once these modeling sites go active and launch, are as follows:

Orlando Modeling - Orlando model Patricia Olson is the Editor of the Orlando Modeling site. She is a top fashion runway model from New York with a B.A. in Mass Communications.

Miami Beach Modeling - Miami Beach model Maritza Gonzalez, an old friend of Danielle Cooper's, will be the Editor of the Miami Modeling web site. Maritza is a fashion model from Miami Beach, Florida, and she has worked with many modeling agencies in her career as an employee as well as a model. She is a professional booker and has headed agency divisions, such as the new faces division at a large agency.

Florida Modeling - Tampa model Heidi Duran will helm the Florida Modeling web site. Heidi is a commercial print and fashion runway model with professional experience in New York, Miami, and Europe. She has worked with the top modeling agencies in the world, including Elite and Ford.

As you can see, we have a lot going on here, and we are growing constantly. This spring and summer, we will be adding more features and a ton of modeling career tools and resources. We are even bringing back our Tampa Bay modeling mail bag, with Tampa Bay professional model Monica Stevens, this spring (with an improved, streamlined format so we can keep up with that and our web master can also work on mail bags for Tampa Bay Acting and Tampa Bay Film)! We look forward to the difference that we will make in the Tampa Bay modeling industry, and we're sure that all models are very excited by the potential, the possibilities, and the results of our hard work. These are truly exciting times for Tampa Bay Modeling and the Tampa Bay modeling industry!

Sincerely,

The 2007 Tampa Bay Modeling Staff

Fashion / Commercial Model Danielle Cooper
Tampa Bay Modeling Editor and Senior Writer

Fashion / Commercial Model Monica Stevens
Tampa Bay Modeling Mail Bag Editor, Staff Writer, and Content Editor

Model Nancy Slater
Ambassador and Tampa Bay Modeling Founding Model

Model Laura Perez
Tampa Bay Modeling Staff Writer

Model Talesha Larsen
Tampa Bay Modeling Staff Artist and Designer

Swimsuit / Bikini Model Jessica Moore
Tampa Bay Modeling Staff Writer and Public Relations

Fashion Model Sidney Thornton
Tampa Bay Modeling Staff Writer and Legal Secretary

Model / Actor Chris Capri
Tampa Bay Modeling Staff Writer, Contributing Model Photographer, and Security

Orlando Modeling - Orlando model Patricia Olson

Miami Beach Modeling - Miami Beach model Maritza Gonzalez

Florida Modeling - Tampa model Heidi Duran

SPECIAL THANKS

Tampa Bay model Jillian Nicols - Independent Modeling

The Staff of Independent Modeling, Independent Acting, Independent Performer, TALON Talent Online reference contact database, Advanced Model, and Frontier Society

California / Florida Model Kitty Kavey - Florida Models

Tampa Bay Entertainment Producer / Professional Polymath C. A. Passinault

Passinault.Com - The Passinault Entertainment Group and Passinault Industries LLC

Tampa Bay Advertising Agency EOS MediaArts, a Passinault Industries LLC company

Tampa Bay photography and design services company Aurora PhotoArts, a Passinault Industries LLC company

Tampa Bay Event Planning and Stage Production company Eventi Events and Stage, a Passinault Entertainment Group company

Tampa Bay indie film, video game developer, and music label production company Dream Nine Studios, a Passinault Entertainment Group company

Tampa Bay Model And Talent Agencies

Tampa Bay Advertising Agencies

Tampa Bay Art Directors

Chris Woods - Icon Film Studios

The following models, actors, talent, production professionals, and supporters: Lauren Moss, Danielle Cooper, Brian Steel, Monica Stevens, Jillian Nicols, Sidney Thornton, C. A. Passinault, Chris Woods, Joe Davison, Nolan Canova, Harmony Oswald, Kitania Kavey, Sarah Bray, Ann Poonkasem, Shane Kelley, Kasey Kelley, Somali Rose Kletch, Simon Lynx, Craig Kovach, Brent Cameron, Marlon Brown, Rachel Eaglin, Michael Christian, Steve Benz, Matt Angelo, Don Asbough, Jack Amos, Alyssa Bakun, Brenna Barry, Tiffany Tenn, Craig Huey, Andy Meng, Spellbound Soul, Keljean Connolly, Amanda Craft, Susan Jeffers, Stephanie Duncan, Leticia Godwin, Kinsley Goldburg, Jinelsa Rosado, Shilah Goodwin, Charlotte Mansfield, Charlotte Durnell, Kevin Hentkowski, Joy Nash, Roxanne Kowalska, Laura Lowie Narvaez, Jane Park, Erin Whitehead, Monica May, Jason Lugauskas, Jennifer Curry-Deleo, Robin Kay, The late Sophie Blackburn, Damien Kincannon, Josh Kincannon, Paul Guzzo, Pete Guzzo, Sofia Kolesnikova, Serena Lorien, Lisa Marie Lowrey, Kristen Ludwig, Woody Luke, Denise Marks, Tara Moore, Rob Mussell, Nazia, Kristin Renta, Kristen Serena Willyard, Mark Robinson, Angela Simons, Lynn Slawsky, Laura Jean Angelone, Angelique Angel Haywood, Christina Spake, Alissa Young, Rosemary Riquel, Kerri Hall, Michelle Marin, Krista Washington, Shirley Cuscaden, Catherine Croak, Danielle Dolan, Rick Danford, Porl Delinco, Terry Hogan, Gus Perez, Ann Marie Spizuoco, Melissa Webb, Rachael Lee, Rod L. Griffin, Marcus Kotch, Alissa Ali Young, Terence Nuzum is God, Lisa Ciurro, Shelby Mcintyre, Amanda Beck, and Melissa Maxim.

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