OTM (On Track Modeling)
To Whom It May Concern:
Just like all the rest, I came across OTM on a very
popular radio station. For me it was in the Detroit area.
I decided to go to the free open call, and, boy, am I
displeased.
After signing with them, it was almost like they pressure
you into using their photographer. They tell you that
you can use your own, but they must be a certified photographer,
and their work (your pictures) must be approved by them
or they won't be accepted.
Of course you want your pictures done right so you go
to them. But that's not half the story in my case. So
I go to this photoshoot at a hotel, with about five other
teenage girls and four kids, where the photographer
and stylist are waiting. They tell you to bring different
wigs if possible to the photoshoot to give more variety
for your pictures.
The makeup that the socalled makeup artist did for the
other girls was OK, but it definitely wasn't worth the
price. Half of us could have done those styles on our
own. Why were we paying for this?
So it's my turn, and I go like every other girl and
hop in the magic seat. OK, I was the only black girl
there, but that wasn't the problem. The stylist didn't
in any way take to my skin tone.
My hair looked a mess (with a hair weave that she just
tossed on top of my head). There was so much makeup on
my face that I looked like a 17th century porcelain doll.
Not once did she take a brush to my hair so there was
no smoothness whatsoever.
The photography was just as bad as the makeup. There
was nothing blended in my photos. The color of my body
was not uniform. My arms looked brown, while my legs
looked green. Not one shortcoming on my skin was taken
care of.
I was highly upset but most of all I was hurt. I spent
all of my money that I had saved for a photoshoot that
ripped me off.
To make matters worse I went to an open call with another
agency (that, by the way, I have done work for), and
the agent asked to see my pictures from a recent photoshoot.
She saw my OTM photos (that I had to get developed from
OTM slides) and asked, "How much did you pay for
these?"
OTM may not be a TOTAL ripoff, but I know one thing,
the money paid for the photoshoots is!
My advice: get a polaroid camera and start clicking.
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