OPINION MENU - POST OPINION - PREVIOUS - NEXT

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Agency Conflicts.

Models need to find photographers and qualified professionals who can help them build their portfolio and establish their career tools BEFORE going to any model and talent agency. This is the only sure way to avoid potential conflicts of interest and the possibility of being misled and scammed by an agency. Models, use caution if an agency tells you to avoid getting portfolio photography services before going to the agency or that you have to use the services which they recommend.
We’ve said it before, and we will start saying it even more. There are some serious professional and ethical issues with some model and talent agencies in the Tampa Bay area.

In all honesty, most models that I know only trust one agency in this area, and the agency that we trust is Alexa model and talent management in south Tampa (That’s not to imply that all the other agencies are bad, either, that’s just our opinion- there are other agencies that are reputable).
What’s ironic is that professional models no longer have to put up with the B.S. that agencies seem to bring into our careers. It’s not like a lot of us need agencies that much anymore. While we do use agencies as a source of model job leads, most of us now compete with agency bookers and book model jobs on our own! In our opinion, the way that the modeling industry is set up is flawed, and model and talent agencies are working-conflicts of interest and should never be taken seriously as a source of guidance for a modeling career because most of them do not have the best interests of the models in mind. Most of the bookers who are dispensing career advice and referring models to photographers and other services are unqualified, minimum wage workers who are little more than glorified receptionists. These bookers spend much of their careers cold-calling businesses and are not qualified to manage models or discern what quality modeling career tools are.
Do you really want professional, qualified advice on what you need as a model for your modeling career? Ask the professionals who do photography and portfolio services as a career. After all, you are what you do, and there is never anyone more qualified to give advice than the professionals with the most experience in their field. If you want to know what is effective in a model portfolio or what makes a good picture, ask a model portfolio photographer who does it professionally. If you need a modeling web site or effective model composite cards, ask professionals who do that for a living. Don’t ask some middleman who has no experience in the professions that they are referring others to. If they have never done it themselves professionally, what makes them the authority in that field?
Tampa Bay Modeling is now working on a whistle-blowing resource for agency bookers and employees. Only agency workers know all of the details of what their agencies are doing, and if there is anything unethical going on, they owe it to the models who their agency represents and to themselves to make things right and to contact the authorities. This resource will be online shortly, and agencies only need to worry if they are doing something wrong. If model and talent agencies are working within the boundaries of the law and are conducting business honestly, then professional models proudly support them and they have nothing to worry about. As a professional model, I recognize legitimate agencies as being integral to my career, and will utilize several agencies and their qualified bookers as a source of model job and go-see leads in addition to booking model jobs on my own. I also realize that agencies have no business trying to manage my career or making me use certain resources because of the potential of a conflict of interest, especially when the agency is a working conflict of interest because they also represent models who are my competition.
We are not anti-agency. Tampa Bay Modeling is not against reputable agencies. Those who are breaking the law and who are taking advantage of models, however, are about to have a fight on their hands.
Here is to justice well served and to saving professional models from model and talent agency scams in the Tampa Bay area.

~ Danielle Cooper, Editor

Tampa Bay Modeling

Clearwater Beach, Florida

ABOUT - TERMS -NEWS - OPINION - RATES - FEATURES - TAMPA MODELING SCAMS - TAMPA BAY MODELS - TAMPA MODELING JOBS - MODELING RESOURCES - TAMPA BAY - CONTACT - TAMPA MODELING BLOG - TAMPA MODELING PHOTOGRAPHY SERVICES

TAMPA MODELING JOBS - FLORIDA MODELING JOBS

TAMPA MODELING AGENCIES - FLORIDA MODELING AGENCY LAWS

TAMPA BAY MODELING - TAMPA BAY ACTING - TAMPA BAY FILM - TAMPA BAY PHOTOGRAPHERS - TAMPA PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG - FLORIDA MODELING CAREER - TAMPA BAY TALENT

FRONTIER POP - TAMPA POP CULTURE

© Copyright 2004-2010 Tampa Bay Modeling. All rights reserved. Presented as-is, with no guarantees expressed or implied. Informational use only. Tampa Bay Modeling is not legally liable for the content on this web site, and use of any content waives us from liability. Anyone using the content on this site or attempting anything described on this site assumes all legal and civil liability. Please be familiar with with your local laws before using this site. Information on Tampa Bay Modeling is not to be taken as legal advice or advice which may be covered under any licensed or regulated profession. Opinions expressed on this web site are those of the individual contributor and may not be shared by other contributors, models, photographers, advertisers, or businesses who may be involved with this web site or our online community. Tampa Bay Modeling is a free, no-obligation professional modeling resource web site operated from Clearwater Beach, Florida, by a team of professional freelance and agency-represented models. For more, please read our Disclaimer.

Raptor Class Web Site by Eos MediaArts, a Passinault.Com company. Raptor Class 0001, commissioned 011806.0800 hrs.

Web Site Design and by Tampa advertising agency Eos MediaArts. Main Tampa photography and the official Tampa Bay Modeling Tampa photographer by Aurora PhotoArts Tampa Bay Photography and Design. Tampa Bay Events by Eventi Events. Word to Ya.

Hosted on the Tampa Bay advertising agency EOS MediaArts Tampa Hub server account as of 08/16/06.

Tampa Bay Modeling moved to new Eos MediaArts Tampa Hub server on 12/16/07.

Tampa Bay Modeling site moved to new, permanent TampaBayModeling.Com server on 03/23/08. Updates resume!

Raptor 1.0 Upgrade applied 01/18/06

Raptor 2.0 Upgrade applied 09/07/07

Raptor 3.0 Upgrade applied 12/16/07

TAMPA BAY MODELING UPDATE HISTORY

08/02/10: Centered site layout and added Frontier Pop support.

TBM site template and site directories refreshed on 03/12/10: Removed names in special thanks section in meta tags.

TBM site template and site directories refreshed on 02/23/10

TBM site template and site directories refreshed on 12/28/09

TBM site template and site directories refreshed on 12/11/08

© Copyright 2004-2010 Tampa Bay Modeling. All rights reserved