Promotional Models

Question by Dakota: Wilhelmina Denver asking for money upfront?
Hello, I was recently offered a contract by Wilhelmina Denver, but they also wanted $ 1100 upfront for classes, portfolio, comp card, etc. Yet, according to almost every website dedicated to modeling safety this is a serious red flag. Even more interestingly, I have found quotes from the president of Wilhelmina also warning about these things. I’ve included a few I’ve found:

“There are several ways for parents to protect themselves from scams. First, you should immediately be wary of anyone who asks for money upfront”
- Natasha Esch, President, Wilhelmina Models

“Agents who ask for money upfront — whether it be for a photo session, composite, head sheet or any other promotional tool — should be avoided.”
- Natasha Esch, President, Wilhelmina Models

Obviously, there is something that just doesn’t add up.And before all of you just scream scam, you must understand Wilhelmina is a huge agency so there lies some kind of reason. Please shed some light on the situation?

Best answer:

Answer by Gray Area
No. What YOU must understand is Wilhemina was ONCE UPON A TIME a huge agency. It is now a hollow shell of its former self, subsisting on luring in the unsuspecting, naive, ignorant and too lazy to do their own hustling and research. Wilhelmina Denver???? Come on. Do you not know what a franchise business is? Whoever runs this place has merely purchased or leased the use of the name. Since when has Denver been the hotbed of the modeling industry? It isn’t and never will be.

While you will certainly have to invest in your own modeling career via pictures, cards etc, you do so under your own power. You find your own photographers to work with to build you book. A good portfolio is made up of many different photographers, not just one. Eventually, it is made up of actual “tear sheets” (an old term, might be something different now) of your former work. Meaning you can tear the sheet out of the catalogs or magazines ads you’ve done and your book is mostly comprised of that.

Show some initiative and do some real research into what it will take to build a career as a model. Now more than ever the resources exist in book form, online, via blogs in the many ways a modeling career can be built.

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