Models Switching Agencies

[cologne_rocks]

Is Ford monopolizing itself?

 

[woemwoem]

Is this the result of one of those Elite bookers leaving and joining Ford?

 

[agee]

From Reuters
via TREVOFASHIONISTO in Maryna Linchuk's thread

NEW YORK, April 28 (Reuters) - Two agencies are staking a claim to high-fashion model Maryna Linchuk, and now the fight over her contract has gone to court.

DNA Model Management is suing Ford Models, one of its main competitors, for allegedly luring Linchuk away and damaging DNA's reputation.

DNA accuses Ford of tortuous interference with contract and unfair competition. It seeks at least $2 million in damages, according to the complaint filed Wednesday in New York Supreme Court. The lawsuit also accuses the model of breaching her contract with DNA.

Linchuk, who has appeared on the covers of Portuguese and Italian Vogue, signed an exclusive management agreement in 2006, the complaint says. Since then it says DNA has advanced "significant sums of money to Linchuk and on her behalf."

"From February 2006 to the present, DNA has invested heavily in promoting, marketing and managing Linchuk's career and professional image, preparing her for and helping her choose modeling assignments, shoots, etc.," the lawsuit says. "As a direct result of DNA's efforts, Linchuk has become a successful and sought after model."

She signed on for another two years in 2008, but on April 15 of this year, she sent DNA an e-mail saying she was thinking of leaving. Immediately thereafter, DNA received an e-mail from a representative of Ford following up on the model's request that DNA pass any bookings or options to him.

"Ford through its representatives solicited and induced Linchuk to break her contract with DNA," the lawsuit says. "But for said actions, Linchuk would have not breached her contract with DNA."

The damage goes beyond the broken pact with Linchuk, according to DNA. "Ford continues to contact DNA's business clients and contacts, advising of Linchuk's alleged dissatisfaction with DNA, damaging DNA's business reputation within the modeling community," the lawsuit says.

The case is DNA Model Management v. Ford Models and Maryna Linchuk, New York Supreme Court, No. 651113/2011.

For DNA: Russell Shanks of Cyruli Shanks Hart & Zizmor.

For Ford: Not immediately available. (Reporting by Jennifer Golson; Editing by Howard Goller)

 

[fritmayo]

DNA is fully right, and if if all agencies would legally fight for the respect of the contracts, wild poaching would for sure slow down.
Unfortunately court cost a lot and last very long, so many agencies prefer to give up quickly instead of going for full procedure, or simply the cost is too high...

You have also to notice the naivety of the girls, like if ANY job in the world, you can just resign from work contract involving millions in sending an email and not dealing any compensation...

 

[agee]

^ But according to the article, she signed a two year contract in 2008 and it is now 2011, so did she even have a contract with DNA? If not, it seems like DNA's only legitimate beef is that Ford is soliciting her clients and they are talking badly about DNA as part of their sales pitch.

 

[fritmayo]

^ But according to the article, she signed a two year contract in 2008 and it is now 2011, so did she even have a contract with DNA? If not, it seems like DNA's only legitimate beef is that Ford is soliciting her clients and they are talking badly about DNA as part of their sales pitch.

i m very much in doubt that DNA would have still representing her without contract.
Most if not all model contract are automatically renew at their end for the same length of the original contract, except of course if of the 2 parts stop it, but there are of course many details in every contract about the way to stop it.
so i guess DNA had right on her until 2012.

 

[TREVOFASHIONISTO]

it doesnt seem as though Ford is at fault but who knows

 

[fashunviktim]

if i a model wants to leave, as an agent, i would want them to go too. a agent and model relationship has to be meutual if it will have success. you cannot have one side happy and the other not happy. DNA should let her go. its sad to be in court and bad for the image. not gracioius

 

[fritmayo]

if i a model wants to leave, as an agent, i would want them to go too. a agent and model relationship has to be meutual if it will have success. (

Are you serious?
do you know how much money it cost to an agency to develop girls, and on how many girls they never recover the money.
So if in agencies the girls who work and bring money could decide to leave "just like that", it would be just impossible to keep any agency afloat financially speaking...

Do you imagine a top basket ball player from the lakers to send an email to his team telling he is fed up to play with them, and the week after to play for the bulls?
so why modeling would be the only business where contract is considered like nothing?

 

[agee]

If her contract was breached, then Maryna and Ford will have to compensate DNA, but if she has had a contract with them since 2006 then they have recouped their big investment in her. She may owe them for expenses that were incurred on her behalf, but in her case, the "investment" part and her contribution to DNA'a overhead, which includes subsidizing expenses incurred on behalf of models who never became moneymakers, should have been recouped by now and then some.

 

[fashunviktim]

i guess that it my point. same as agee. she has been with them a long time and they have done what they can do with her. if she wants to leave and try to go to another place or level, she should be able to. pay the money to dna, but they should be gracious.

 

[marsnoop2]

Any news on the Elite girls?

 

[fritmayo]

i guess that it my point. same as agee. she has been with them a long time and they have done what they can do with her. if she wants to leave and try to go to another place or level, she should be able to. pay the money to dna, but they should be gracious.

Well...she is able too
all contract can be stoped, in any jobs, but there is in every contract details about how to stop them.
when you sign contract, you are aware of these details, so you can not complain after if you are put in court because you don't respect what you agreed to respect in signing the contract.

And i talk here in general, as of course no one here know in details this particuar case.

but in my experiences all these case are more or less the same, an agency wants to poach the girl and promise her good money deal if she leaves her agency.
the girl say "but i have a contract with them"
and the agency say, "no problem, they will probably shut up and if they dont we will pay you lawyers, just send them an email u leave them"

Problem...court is not exactly a pleasant experience for anyone, and in most case...the girl is not very aware of the troubles it will bring her as her new agency has told her "it will be no problem".

there is a lot of naivety in some comments (not your in particular ) but the girl in such case is just an object, her "wish" to leave is suggested to her, usually in putting her a big cheque in front of her nose, there is usually nothing like a natural motivation to change , it is just about money, and nobody should approve that, caus not all agencies are equal about that.

i mean there are agencies who makes money with modeling and who must do with what they earn in it, and agencies who dont care about TO LOOSE money in modeling as they have millions of dirtly money arriving when they need by their money backer
and the poacher being usually from the second category, it is a way of doing business which just tends to make the whole business dirty...

 

[fashunviktim]

i see your point fritomayo. i guess i think when people want to leave a contract, its usually best if they just agree to a mutual parting. like a divorce. when someone doesnt want to be together, pay what is fair, divide up the property, but move on. no one wants to be forced into anything and bitterness can be ugly.

i see what you mean about the contracts though. we do not no the whole story and it might be uglyer than i think it is.

 

[LabelWhore4]

"she sent DNA an e-mail saying she was thinking of leaving. Immediately thereafter, DNA received an e-mail from a representative of Ford following up on the model's request that DNA pass any bookings or options to him."

CUT THROAT
I literally lol'd when I read this. The sheer audacity of leaving your agency this way was pure diva. B)

 

[modela]

I hope DNA is getting their money!!!

 

[TREVOFASHIONISTO]

if i a model wants to leave, as an agent, i would want them to go too. a agent and model relationship has to be meutual if it will have success. you cannot have one side happy and the other not happy. DNA should let her go. its sad to be in court and bad for the image. not gracioius

it doesnt make sense though that she wasnt happy. She was making a ton of money with them, and unless she wants to slow down and do just editorial work or become the face of a Beauty brand (Lancome, Rimmel, etc.) which DNA could have easily gotten for her, then why switch. No one on Ford's main board has achieved what Maryna has high fashion and commercial wise except maybe Anna J. they did so much for her since the start

 

[cologne_rocks]

What makes it so attractive to switch to Ford? I see plenty of more successful models who started out along the first "new" Ford generation at Next, IMG, DNA and Marilyn.
Karmen Ps recent success is no argument, Next booked her two big campaigns shortly before she left them and Valerija Kelava for instance has done a good deal better with Next.

 

[agee]

From the outside looking in, I get why Maryna left DNA, while she may have been making money, she has been pretty much treading water for the past couple of years, although in fairness with the constant influx of new faces, it does take some effort to even tread water.* It is less obvious to me why she went to Ford, I am not saying that it is the wrong move, it is just not obvious. My hope is that Ford is hungry, and based on some of their recent activity that may be the case, and presumably they are well-resourced, so it will be interesting to see what doors they open for her.



* For the record I don't automatically see the agency as the culprit, it is conceivable to me that both the model and agent bear responsibility for a treading water situation.

 

[MyNameIs]

Wow, I bet Maryna was not expecting any of this at all. I hope her career doesn't suffer because of this, but I am really curious because I think it will have an effect on her career. My guess is that it probably won't end up being a good move for her, but I hope I'm wrong.