Modelling agency - scam or real?

Retouchguy said

Unfocussed Mike said

Retouchguy said

Unfocussed Mike my appolagies I actually ment to type ravaged but in the context I don’t think it’s really unacceptable, we often read how humans “rape the land” the word itself is not in dictionary solely for that one human description and it’s the context that matters.

https://www.nature.com/articles/144647a0

The word “rape” is derived from the Latin rapere, meaning “to steal, seize, or carry away.”

Edited by Retouchguy

I don't really have much to add beyond the content of the link I posted (because it's not my experience) but I would definitely go with something like ravaged in future.

Edited by Unfocussed Mike

Is there an alarm that goes off somewhere if i post a reply to anything ? just curious 

There is not and there was no personalised intent there -- I would like to think I would have posted that same link if anyone had said it and I'd noticed it.

But I do take your point and I'll try to let other people jump on you first next time ;-)

Well I would remind you that it’s not the word that’s wrong it is the context , while I 100% understand some words can hold personal meaning to people they have other meanings, we don’t stop using the word bomb, war and other words which hold similarity strong meanings to some and on a site that regularity has images celebrated of people bound and gagged or girls in school uniforms to mention but a few I think someone using a word in its designed use is really the least to worry about . But I am sorry ,

jonathantennantphotography.co.uk said

Reading the The Mirror article was similar to my experience as a photographer. 

I was contacted by "a model agency" to sit on a panel of experts at Pineapple Studios in London. I was paid and I guess I was a bit naive at the time. I arrived and there were a large queue of "models" waiting to get into the studio. I was introduced to the two directors of the company, and sat at a table. These models would come up to the table and present their portfolio to the panel of experts. Looking at the people in the room who turned up clutching their portfolios made me question if they had any potential as a model, after looking at the 4th portfolio I realised what was happening, told the two directors that they should be ashamed of themselves, told a few "models" that this whole set up was a scam and walked out. 

Every "model" and there must have been over 60, all had the same portfolio case, the photos were all shot in the same studio, same props, lighting etc. I asked a couple of "models" how much they had paid and it was £100 per photo and they had to have a minimum of 12 photos in their portfolio.  

For a £72,000 take, I think it may be worthwhile setting up a model portfolio event at the Timmee & Bruv home studio. 😜

Timmee said

jonathantennantphotography.co.uk said

Reading the The Mirror article was similar to my experience as a photographer. 

I was contacted by "a model agency" to sit on a panel of experts at Pineapple Studios in London. I was paid and I guess I was a bit naive at the time. I arrived and there were a large queue of "models" waiting to get into the studio. I was introduced to the two directors of the company, and sat at a table. These models would come up to the table and present their portfolio to the panel of experts. Looking at the people in the room who turned up clutching their portfolios made me question if they had any potential as a model, after looking at the 4th portfolio I realised what was happening, told the two directors that they should be ashamed of themselves, told a few "models" that this whole set up was a scam and walked out. 

Every "model" and there must have been over 60, all had the same portfolio case, the photos were all shot in the same studio, same props, lighting etc. I asked a couple of "models" how much they had paid and it was £100 per photo and they had to have a minimum of 12 photos in their portfolio.  

For a £72,000 take, I think it may be worthwhile setting up a model portfolio event at the Timmee & Bruv home studio. 😜

I build websites for a living and I've just discovered how much money these scammed models are paying for that portfolio site they are on.

I am literally considering building a portfolio tool that has a nice clean presence, for £15/yr, domain mapping on top, and the marketing pitch will be "It's a nice website and we promise you f%!# all beyond that"

Regarding online models and Soho studio... Exactly what everyone else has said, above. Unfortunately I fell for the whole thing. I paid £2.3k for a useless portfolio. THEN the same people gave me a fake job offer, posing as a Portuguese fashion designer. I needed a reference which I got from Soho studio in exchange for a video testimonial to con others. The bank details of the cancellation fee showed me this was all Oliver James. He's now threatening to take ME to court.

If anyone has paid them anything, please join my private Facebook group, scammed by online models. And if you haven't... Don't pay them a penny

EllieBelle66 said

Regarding online models and Soho studio... Exactly what everyone else has said, above. Unfortunately I fell for the whole thing. I paid £2.3k for a useless portfolio. THEN the same people gave me a fake job offer, posing as a Portuguese fashion designer. I needed a reference which I got from Soho studio in exchange for a video testimonial to con others. The bank details of the cancellation fee showed me this was all Oliver James. He's now threatening to take ME to court.

If anyone has paid them anything, please join my private Facebook group, scammed by online models. And if you haven't... Don't pay them a penny

I am really sorry this happened to you. This guy and his organisation are absolutely appalling.

There was a period of months -- during the pandemic, when a friend of mine was nearly scammed -- where perhaps one in every five models signing up in the London area had the same dark red background, underexposed, auto-retouched set of images (perhaps with a scuffed pale lilac background, a black sofa next to white panelling walls, a set of photos on the same Whitechapel back street), and the same one-paragraph portfolio.

A really diverse set of models probably numbering in the hundreds (more non-Brits than Brits, I'd say), lots of attractive eastern European women who will all have been targeted on Facebook, all clearly having been helped to set up a purpleport portfolio as part of the high-pressure scam, and all obviously lied to about their chances of getting work here.

Many links to that portfolio hosting website.

If you can write up a really good summary of what happened to you and others, perhaps Russ Freeman could see his way to making a blog post about it. Because while I can identify a bunch of models here who I think will have been scammed, it's rude to ask them.

Edited by Unfocussed Mike

Thank you! I already have a summary of what happened, with supporting evidence and there are fifty of us, so far, in the Facebook group. The man in charge of the studio ( Oliver James) is now threatening to take me to court, plus making other threats against me. Clicking the "online models" button on Facebook was one of the worst mistakes I've ever made...

Unfocussed Mike it’s much more something that Penelope - The Purple Blog & Social Media could do.

Courtney Haze I couldn't see if it was mentioned but from what i understand its against the law for agencies to charge upfront for fees - however, by not declaring themselves as such they use that loopholes a means to try their luck

Edited by Ivy Vxlentine

EllieBelle66 said

Regarding online models and Soho studio... Exactly what everyone else has said, above. Unfortunately I fell for the whole thing. I paid £2.3k for a useless portfolio. THEN the same people gave me a fake job offer, posing as a Portuguese fashion designer. I needed a reference which I got from Soho studio in exchange for a video testimonial to con others. The bank details of the cancellation fee showed me this was all Oliver James. He's now threatening to take ME to court.

If anyone has paid them anything, please join my private Facebook group, scammed by online models. And if you haven't... Don't pay them a penny

Pre-pandemic the average an aspiring model (or her parents/partner) got stung for a 'scam' listing/portfolio was around £1,600. Inflation has obviously been a significant factor since then!

Gaia Mann said

Heya, so a golden rule for agencies is if they mention ANYTHING about joining fees then yes, they're a scam. I think some take digitals almost right away for you to basically set up a little port if they immediately wanna hire you, but I know the latter is for certain.

Agencies work on a mutual basis: you join them, they give you work, THEN you both get paid.

Good luck! x

Edited by Laurella Rose

 

"a golden rule for agencies is if they mention ANYTHING about joining fees then yes, they're a scam"

This is not true, agencies may and usually will discuss things such as registration fees when signing a model. What agencies may not legally do is demand payment in advance of modelling fees being earned and remitted - they're legally obliged to deduct any initial fees from the model's first income via the agency, not before.