The Model Agency Mega Thread

[birdlindo]

The answer is in your question...
since few years, there are more and more money backing from people with hugely deep pocket, who has absolutly no plan to make money in modeling, who just put money in agencies for reasons which goes from personal entertainement to cleaning dirty money for a couple of years...
it always existed, but it gets worst the last years.


In Milan and paris, if you take the last 2-3 years, absolutly all the few new agencies born are ALL money backed from people who has absolutly no intention to make any money of them.

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I'm not sure how true this is .....if you look at silent and oui, monster.. it does not appear they are backed from such people. it's not a ford new york situation with these agencies

 

[fritmayo]

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I'm not sure how true this is .....if you look at silent and oui, monster.. it does not appear they are backed from such people. it's not a ford new york situation with these agencies

in your list, i would rather say that only one ofthe 3 is not concerned by "dark" money backing

 

[widowsofculloden]

Here's the video penny609 was talking about, if anyone was curious to see it.



Really interesting.. I don't see how Wayne Sterling can stay at MDC and have his own agency? Surely MDC would lose all credibility (or whatever credibility it has left )

 

[Tom Linkens]

Really interesting.. I don't see how Wayne Sterling can stay at MDC and have his own agency? Surely MDC would lose all credibility (or whatever credibility it has left )

Just fyi, Betty Sze with Models.com manages to juggle her job there, and being very opinionated on Twitter.

 

[penny609]

Just fyi, Betty Sze with Models.com manages to juggle her job there, and being very opinionated on Twitter.

It is not really the same. In Betty's case she combines her official job (at Models.com) with personal thoughts on Twitter and many people do it, also here on TFS. Some members do work for companies or agencies while posting unbiased (not always but still) comments, information or views. In Wayne's case, his position will be more... let's say "trouble". Of course, seeing all his models getting all the best spots of MDC's rankings won't happen, I guess the person who made this comment obviously exaggerated his words to put emphasis on how such an odd situation can grow into a weirder one. In other fields than fashion I've been involved or interested in (going from cattle breeding to politics), similar situations have never brought anything good at all. And, if I seriously doubt Wayne would favor his own models quite openly, his new position will certainly influence his other work, one way or another.

 

[Tom Linkens]

^ Let's wait and see if the models with Mix start dominating the top rankings on MDX or not. If or if not depends on Wayne's professional integrity, and obviously Models.com's.

 

[cologne_rocks]

^ Let's wait and see if the models with Mix start dominating the top rankings on MDX or not. If or if not depends on Wayne's professional integrity, and obviously Models.com's.

I really can't imagine this to happen... Don't know, but this would just be a tad too pretentious and it would damage all these rankings on MDC big time in terms of credibility. What seems more likely is that the Mix girls will probably represented strongly in Rosie's daily duo section.

Will be interesting to see if Mix will struggle against "blips" and everything else Wayne condemned about the modelling industry on TI.

 

[anlabe32]

I really can't imagine this to happen... Don't know, but this would just be a tad too pretentious and it would damage all these rankings on MDC big time in terms of credibility. What seems more likely is that the Mix girls will probably represented strongly in Rosie's daily duo section.

Will be interesting to see if Mix will struggle against "blips" and everything else Wayne condemned about the modelling industry on TI.

From what's left of it....

I hope they will focus on a smaller group of models, as Silent does for example, rather than have a big roster in which certain models will get lost like with IMG, who have tons of models still in development.

 

[fritmayo]

Seriously, i m a but surprised that even here people worrry about the credibility of MDC ranking??
I mean does everybody really take that so serioulsy?
Like everybody, i check it, but i never gave it more credibility than any other web modeling thing.

 

[anlabe32]

Yes some people do take it seriously. The list is often mentioned in interviews or articles from leading websites or publications as well.
There used to be a thread for the MDC rankings but it was deleted because it got out of hand...

 

[penny609]

I really can't imagine this to happen... Don't know, but this would just be a tad too pretentious and it would damage all these rankings on MDC big time in terms of credibility. What seems more likely is that the Mix girls will probably represented strongly in Rosie's daily duo section.

Absolutely, and that's what I basically said in my post. If there will be some effects, they will be a tad more subtle than this ranking issue.
Rosie's daily duo of course and I think Wayne's new position can influence his point of view in general.
Even today, you can spot him giving more weight to certain agencies, brands, designers, magazines than you think they would deserve and call it bias (because these people can be his friends/acquaintances or simply -and fortunately- because of his own tastes). So, imagine now he runs his agency which has a certain concept (size, scouting system, aesthetics or whatever), his opinions on various topics will be influenced by his status of agency founder and the direction of his agency. Which sounds logical...

Then, and I hope I was clear enough in my first paragraph, my target wasn't especially the rankings. I don't think they have that much influence but they are a part of the whole MDC machine. No matter at what exact level, Models.com is one of the most powerful (if not the most powerful) website in today's modeling media. If the rankings are credible or not (and personally, I don't believe so but it's my personal point) is not the question at all. Besides this Top-50 gadget, Models.com publishes news articles, models portaits (new faces, newcomers etc.) and has its editorial line. That's where, I think, we might face a problem if the same person controls this editorial line while starting his own agency business.

 

[kevinnn]

Just to clarify, but Wayne doesn't work at MDC anymore

http://models.com/company/masthead.html

 

[penny609]

Just to clarify, but Wayne doesn't work at MDC anymore

http://models.com/company/masthead.html

Things are better when clearer, indeed. Small off-topic question, does MDC simply continue without Wayne on board or did they hire someone in replacement?

So, that also means the article about Mix Model Management was pretty accurate when it stated that Neal Hamil "extracted" Wayne. I'm also quite curious to know about the staff at this new agency -- who will join the team, from where and with what purpose.

 

[fritmayo]

Am I more devil than average?? :-)
But i find odd that people seems to think than it it is current form, MDC has not already some clear adventadge to promote some agencies more than others?
I mean get real, there is nothing for free there! If you have an agency, there are plenty of marketing package proposed, nothing cheap, some other wich are quiet big money...
So the more you pay the more you are featured, quiet logical. And from business point of view, it is seems more logical to me, that this way will stay the way, no matter if anyone from there get involved in an agency. MDC is there to make money, so they not gonna give away space for free for "personal" reason, is someone else still ready to pay to have that space

 

[penny609]

Am I more devil than average?? :-)

Definitely not. Maybe more "direct" than average, but that's all.

But i find odd that people seems to think than it it is current form, MDC has not already some clear adventadge to promote some agencies more than others?

I think I understated this in some previous post I made. But it's not just a matter of money going from here to there. Reality is sometimes more subtle and... trickier.

 

[widowsofculloden]

Am I more devil than average?? :-)
But i find odd that people seems to think than it it is current form, MDC has not already some clear adventadge to promote some agencies more than others?
I mean get real, there is nothing for free there! If you have an agency, there are plenty of marketing package proposed, nothing cheap, some other wich are quiet big money...
So the more you pay the more you are featured, quiet logical. And from business point of view, it is seems more logical to me, that this way will stay the way, no matter if anyone from there get involved in an agency. MDC is there to make money, so they not gonna give away space for free for "personal" reason, is someone else still ready to pay to have that space

Exactly why I said that MDC will lose whatever credibility it has left (meaning it doesn't have much at all to begin with because of this). However, I think you missed the point with Sterling. Being involved in both MDC and an agency which competes with the agencies that pay to advertise is a complete conflict of interests, especially since Wayne played such a large role at MDC previously. It doesn't matter if the top 50 isn't full with Mix Model Mgmt girls.. the fact alone that he is working at both camps is enough.. it would be like if someone high up in the ranks at VOgue also worked high up in the ranks at a fashion house. (I mean maybe not to that extent but you get what I mean)

Anyway, all this doesn't matter now that he is no longer at MDC. Wonder who's going to replace him? I know he was the person who chose the top 50 so it will be interesting to know who's going to do that job now.

 

[widowsofculloden]

Some more major news....


THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2012

The Chic hits the fan: IMG Models to open down under?

What a can of worms frockwriter's post about the top Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia showgirls opened up earlier this month. Via a series of anonymous comments, the Sydney agency whose models dominated the event, Chic Management, was accused of the "malicious undercutting" of other agencies via its relentless "Chic exclusives" (16); of supplying underage models; and even "bringing down" the Australian fashion industry. Although Chic declined comment, the head booker at Priscillas Model Management, Lizzi Leighton-Clark, told us that Chic's offer of models for what she understood was "either contra or at an extremely low rate" is a "massive disservice to the industry". Meanwhile, reps for three designers who booked Chic exclusives - Akira Isogawa, Toni Maticevski and An One To Noone - told us they went with the agency because it offered top girls at an attractive price. While casting director Mark Vassallo said "only a small discount" was applied to his MBFWA showgirls and that show rate negotiation is commonplace around the world. Vassallo added the complaints smacked of sour grapes and suggested Chic's rivals should "get out of the office and start scouting for new talent instead". But Chic could be the least of their concerns because as it emerges, the world's biggest model agency may be about to put up its shingle down under - apparently helmed by none other than Chic's gm.

Although IMG's Australian headquarters told frockwriter they as yet knew nothing about a new model division, Chic Management reports that its general manager, Danielle Ragenard, has given notice and told the agency she is heading to start up IMG Models in Sydney at the end of July. Ragenard is on gardening leave until July 6th.

And Ragenard might not be the only senior Australian agent to jump ship. According to one industry source, "Senior players at every agency are talking to IMG. It's shaking up quite a few people".

What is the potential significance of IMG Models opening up in Australia?

Although Chic Management also declined to comment on the IMG Models news, shortly after IMG acquired Australian Fashion Week, Chic director Ursula Hufnagel told me in a 2006 interview for The Sydney Morning Herald that she believed it would be "unethical" for IMG to open a model agency in Australia, given the size of this market.

IMG is the world's largest sports and lifestyle marketing company, with 130 offices in 25 countries. IMG's fashion arm, IMG Fashion, owns the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week events in New York, Berlin, Miami, Tokyo and Sydney, among numerous other events.

IMG Models, which has offices in New York, Milan, Paris, London and Hong Kong, represents some of the biggest names in the business, from the world number 1 and 2 Lara Stone and Joan Smalls, to Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen, Daria Werbowy and, outside Australia, Australians Miranda Kerr, Ajak Deng and Montana Cox. Locally, the latter three are all represented by Chic Management.

The reaction from other model agents has been mixed.

“This is a free market and if IMG are going to open up here then so be it" said Priscillas Model Management founder and director Priscilla Leighton-Clark. "But we have fantastic Australian-owned agencies here which have produced great girls, everyone from Elle Macpherson to Bambi Northwood-Blyth. Look at Julia Nobis, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Miranda Kerr. And I think that’s really important. We need to be proud of who we are and who we can produce here".

“Sydney is a very flooded market as it is at the moment and it’s a very competitive market in a very flat sort of industry, so it depends on where they’re intending to go exactly" said Chadwick Models director Martin Walsh. While Catherine McGill, general manager of Viviens Models Management, noted “We welcome the competition, as with anyone opening. I’m prepared to compete with anyone as best we can on even terms”.

frockwriter

 

[birdlindo]

Lais Ribeiro - Women Paris - Oui Management

 

[tayloryepp]

What's going on with Silent NY? It says on their site that Vincent Peter & Eric Dubois are no longer with the NY agency.

 

[saucer-like]

Silent Paris has an updated message on their website:

ANNOUNCEMENT

Silent Paris and Silent NY are engaged in legal disputes,
Silent Paris has terminated its relationship with Silent NY and the agencies are no longer working together.