emodel.com, Options Talent Group
To Whom It May Concern:
I started my scout training with Options Talent Group
this past Friday.
Initially, I felt this was a great opportunity for models
to gain exposure with agencies, clients, etc., and in
theory it is a good idea.
However, after doing some research about the company
and eModel, I am now not so sure.
By the way, I am not a disgruntled ex-employee. As a
matter of fact, I got my first enrollment on Saturday.
The depictions of the scout interview process I have
read here are accurate. Also, the open call process is
correct.
As a scout, we are appealing to a person's vanity, and
when we tell them they have "the look," they
are obviously flattered. They think they are going to
have a one-on-one meeting with a Talent Director and
that they are special.
In actuality, they are going to an open call. I had
three shows my first day out as a scout, and I have seen
the dissolutionment on the faces of two people I personally
scouted when they arrived at the open call. That did
not make me feel good.
These people trusted me when I told them they had the
potential to be a model. Don't get me wrong —they
definitely do —but after their presentation, they
realized that what they thought they were getting was
not what they were offered.
As scouts, we are instructed to give as little information
as possible, to leave them guessing and wanting more
information. If they ask questions, we tell them the
Talent Director will answer them.
How can you be effective as a scout when you can't tell
them anything, and also when Options is advertising on
the radio and television?
That Options gets free labor from its scouts is another
post, another conversation.
What Options does not tell them is that they still have
to pay additional money to have photographs taken, whether
on their own, or by purchasing photography packages from
Options Talent Group.
The $495 only secures them a spot on the network, and
$19.95/month keeps them on the network. Also, why does
the model have to pay the $495 fee during the phone call
from the Corporate office right then or have to wait
one year to reapply? High-pressure sales tactics.
You would think that if these models are really the
next new faces, Options Talent Group would work with
them to get them on the network. It's not about talent —it's
all about the benjamins.
While Options Talent Group may say that the contact
rate for models is 83%, they do not say of that 83% how
much has actually resulted in work.
I would think that information is more of a marketing
tool than the contact rate. That is tangible information,
something that would increase market share.
I am not here to bash Options. I know they are going
to do well. It is the models I am concerned for. If two
or three models from Options can just share the work
they have received from being on their network, my concerns
would be alleviated somewhat.
I believe Options exploits the naivete of the hopeful
by exaggerating the amount of money models have to pay
for their comp cards. Granted, it can be expensive, but
a smart shopper does not have to spend an arm and a leg,
either.
Educate yourself on this business if you are serious
about becoming a model, so you can see a legitimate offer
when it presents itself.
Options leaves out just enough information to set my
alarms off, and I don't want to be the one who leads
someone to get taken advantage of.
A.G.
|
