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NOTE
FROM THE NEW EDITOR OF FLORIDA MODELS
About our modeling
job board, new models, modeling, modeling agencies, modeling scams, content
theft, and career risks.
Effective immediately, as of
September 27, 2012, I am now the owner and the editor of Florida Models,
and new editorial and posting policies are IN FORCE. The point of this
modeling job board is to provide a source of legitimate modeling job leads
in the Florida region for professional models.
There will be no honeymoon or “getting to know you” transitional
period. Everything changes now.
These policies are identical to the ones which I developed for Tampa Bay
Modeling, Independent Modeling, and my other modeling and talent resource
sites (I’m sure that you are all aware of these sites, as they are
the best, and most advanced, talent resource sites in the world. I am
certainly not new to this). They have been developed, from experience,
with over 10 years of hard work, and are very effective. Since becoming
the new owner of Florida Models and Florida Actors, those innovations
will also be used to enhance these sites, as well.
If you are a legitimate professional, these policies should have little
to no impact on you. If you are not doing anything wrong, you should not
have anything to worry about. If you ARE doing something wrong, however,
this site, and our readers, will become very unaccommodating for you.
It’s as it should be.
If you are an aspiring model who has not invested in their career, you
do not have a modeling portfolio and composite cards, and you operate
from some freebie portfolio networking or social media account with instagram
pictures from a smart phone, you really have no business trying to book
any modeling jobs, and we will make sure that every single modeling job
which posts on this board is aware on how to minimize risks of booking
models without going through an agency, using Independent Modeling’s
Risk Analysis System (RAS), as this is the only way to maintain integrity
for independent models. This RAS system is not friendly to models who
do not invest in their careers, and it will undermine your ability to
book work if you do not have a real professional modeling portfolio, composite
cards, and a legitimate web site marketing your modeling career. Models,
if you do not invest in your career, you are not serious about it, and
you will not be taken seriously. So-called models who take short cuts
will not be able to compete with professional independent models, and
we will help give those professional models every advantage as they find
and book modeling jobs without going through modeling and talent agencies.
If you are a new or an aspiring model, please do not try to book any modeling
jobs from our board. Find a legitimate professional photographer (one
who is not connected to any modeling agency, as this is the only way that
you can guarantee that an agency is not running a scam and receiving illegal
kickbacks from unethical referrals. Modeling and talent agencies have
no business referring models to any photographer, as this is how photo
mill scams work, and agencies are only supposed to make money finding
and referring models into modeling jobs. Always invest in your portfolio
and comp cards before going to any agency!) who is in business to do modeling
portfolios and composite cards (and who is honest about what they are
really in business to do; never buy anything from anyone pitching you
modeling jobs, or promising you work, with the requirement that you have
to buy something from them before they can refer you to the job/s), invest
in your professional career tools, and then come back to book modeling
jobs once you have the experience needed. Also, avoid high-risk modeling,
such as glamour, pin-up, boudoir, nudes, modeling in skimpy bikinis, modeling
in provocative poses, sexy modeling, or modeling in photographs which
could be easily taken out of context and used to misrepresent you (there
have been several incidents in the Tampa Bay area where sleazy photographers
took swimsuit pictures of models and then sold those pictures, which the
models thought were safe, to adult businesses and 900 line ads; usage
which the models would have never agreed to had they known. The models
had signed releases, however, and could not do anything about it. This
scam hurt their careers, too, as it crippled their marketability!). Protect
your career, and don’t allow some unethical photographer to end
your career before it begins. Modeling is a visual form of marketing,
and you need to make sure that you are as marketable as possible to book
modeling jobs. If what you put out there conflicts with the image that
a business or a modeling job is trying to maintain, they are NOT going
to book you, and we don’t blame them.
Obviously, since this is now an Independent Modeling site, independent,
freelance models will be given priority (it is the point of having a modeling
job board, too). We will continue to support agency models, but we will
not support Florida modeling and talent agencies, nor will we promote
them. There is a reason that talent agencies (which includes modeling
agencies) are regulated in Florida, and you only have to be familiar with
the state statutes regulating Florida talent agencies, which are enforced
by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR),
to understand why. Simply put, talent agencies, in my opinion, have to
be regulated because of the high risk of unethical conduct and running
modeling scams, such as selling models portfolios instead of doing what
they are supposed, and what they claim, to do, which is finding models
jobs. It is also my opinion that the outdated industry propaganda that
the “agency way is the only way” is the root of all modeling
and talent scams. Most modeling scams use the agencies as a “destination”
to send their victims to after they are finished with them, or they mindlessly
parrot (repeat) the same agency-centric industry propaganda that everyone
else says.
It’s time to start thinking for ourselves, and to work for our own
self interests.
Modeling and talent agencies ARE still a legitimate part of the modeling
industry today, even with independent freelance models finding and booking
work on their own without going through an agency, but they must be kept
in their proper place. A modeling agency should only be used as one of
many sources of modeling jobs. Modeling agencies work FOR the models whom
they represent, as a model, even the agency models, are independent contractors,
and work as a self-contained business (you wouldn’t believe how
many ignorant models out there think that they work for the agency, or
are employees of an agency. The agencies often do nothing to discourage
them from thinking this, as it gives them leverage over the models. You
also would not believe how many so-called freelance models send modeling
job leads that they find to their agency booker to screen the job because
they are not confident, and do not know enough, to discern for themselves
whether a modeling job is legitimate or not; the models actually do the
work for their bookers, which is NOT how it is supposed to work. Also,
because of high turnover in agencies, it is common to find bookers who
know far less than the models about the business, and who are little more
than minimum-wage cold-callers who try to tell the models what to do).
Modeling and talent agencies, in my opinion, also have no business managing
the careers of any models or telling them what to do (remember, they are
supposed to work FOR the models). Why? Because it is my opinion that any
agency managing any model is a working conflict of interest, and the reason
is that the agency also works for the competition of the model, who are
other models whom they also work for. Can you see how such an agency could
manipulate and abuse models this way? It’s great to have someone
out there working for you and getting you job leads, but when they are
also working for your competition, do you really trust them when they
try to control your career? I didn’t think so. Think about it. Besides,
is your agent going to book the job for you, hold your hand, or go to
the go-see with you? Once you are referred to a modeling job by an agency,
you still have to book the job on your own, anyway, and realizing this,
it’s no longer a stretch to cut out the agency middleman whenever
you can. It’s not difficult to figure this stuff out if you take
a moment to think about things before you go out and do it. You have to
have a plan for your career. Smart independent freelance models use modeling
agencies as one of MANY sources of job leads, and that is it.
Think that an agency is going to get even with models who go around them
and book work independently? Think again! Who has leverage here? Is it
a sellers market, or a buyers? On the contrary, IF a model is out there
booking work on their own, a legitimate modeling and talent agency is
going to be strongly motivated to find and book work for the independent
model before that model can find and book the work on their own because
they do not want to be cut out of the deal, and lose money. It is common
sense. The independent freelance model demonstrates, by finding and booking
work on their own, that they are marketable, and the agency is going to
work harder to find them work. What do you suppose that this will do to
the agency-only models who are entirely dependent upon the agencies for
work? Think that they will be able to compete with independent models?
Think again!
Models, YOU have the leverage, and YOU have power in your careers. USE
IT!
In closing, I would like to address the businesses who are looking for
models for their modeling jobs, and then you can return to the job board
to do what you need to do. Obviously, if you are posting on this modeling
job board, you are smart enough to realize that a modeling and talent
agency is a middleman, and that you save money by booking models independently.
Now, the agencies will tell you that booking models through them is safer,
as “their” models are more professional and more dependable,
but what do you expect them to say? The agencies want to make money off
of you. The agencies WANT you to be completely DEPENDENT upon them, because
it gives them leverage over you. Also, if an agency has the nerve to suggest
that an agency model is more professional and dependable than an independent
model, have them guarantee it IN WRITING, and hold them to it. You might
as well get something, and some sort of assurance, for spending money
that you don’t really have to, right? For some reason, however,
I have the feeling that an agency might say something, but they won’t
back it up in writing. I wonder why. Don’t be surprised if they
refuse to put their claims in writing.
This said, this is a free modeling job board on a modeling resource
site. I will not accept liability. I will not guarantee anything.
We are not an agency, we are not licensed to be a talent agency, and we
do not make a dime from referring models into any job. This is what it
is, and for those who put some effort in, it works as well as what you
put into it. For booking independent models, and this is how I do it (and
this is also how the Risk Analysis System used by Independent Modeling
works), I look at the investment that a prospective models puts into their
career. If a model has a modeling portfolio, obviously has invested in
professional pictures, has composite cards, and has real web site, with
a .Com domain name, to market their career, they are serious about what
they do, and are much less likely to be unprofessional or unreliable.
I have never had any problems with any model in the past ten years which
I can recall, and I’ve worked with hundreds of them; all without
going through an agency. The agency way is not the only way.
Now that this is out of the way, I want to state, again, that our modeling
job board is intended for LEGITIMATE modeling jobs. Although most modeling
scams are JOB SCAMS, a modeling job does not have to necessarily be a
scam for it to be something that is a poor value for the career of a model
(And I do not like posting job offers which have poor value, either!).
I am a modeling scam expert, as well as an expert on the Florida modeling
job markets. I constantly do research and monitor what is going on in
the industry; I know who most of the players are, and I know what they
do. So, I will now state the types of modeling jobs that we will
not allow on this job board. Also, please note that this
screening policy is, in no way, any obligation for me, or for this site,
to accept responsibility for any job post on here. I just want
to ensure that most of the jobs on here are legitimate, and are worth
it for models. Precautions or not, though, I cannot guarantee it. Use
at your own risk.
Effective immediately, Florida Models will not accept modeling job posts
for teen modeling web sites, web cam modeling jobs, or videos
where models are fighting, wrestling, or doing something other than actual
modeling (the model should sell a legitimate product or service,
and not themselves as a “job”. Don’t get exploited!).
We will not accept modeling job posts from modeling agencies,
modeling management companies (which cannot work as represented,
as you have to be a licensed agency in Florida in order to legally make
money by referring models into jobs, and if you cannot make money that
way, what is your motivation to find models jobs if you can’t make
money doing what you profess to do? What are you really in business to
do, and how do you make your money?), placement companies who
claim to refer models to agencies and jobs, and any service company which
is obviously trying to pull a bait and switch by advertising a modeling
job and then requiring those who respond to buy something from them.
We will also refuse to allow job posts where there are a lot of questions
which are not answered, and posts which are obvious bait and switch scams
or some sort of misrepresentation. Lying to anyone, or misrepresenting
yourself to get business, is a scam, and it is fraud! If you are in business
to sell someone a product or a service, there are legitimate ways to run
that business. How? Be straight-up about what you are in business to do.
Be honest. If someone finds value in your business, you will sell them
without having to resort to scamming them. You will get work legitimately!
Additionally, regarding the modeling job exchange/ TFP/ service trade
section of our job board, models will be educated on how to evaluate if
one of these “trade” arrangements are worth it. Models
do not have careers to work for free! You have to make a living
in an actual career! If a model brings more to the table, with their experience
and capabilities, than the offer, then the model should not do it for
free; only if the arrangement is mutually beneficial, and does not undermine
legitimate paying job prospects or their marketability, should it be considered,
and even then, it should be an exception rather than a rule. There
are way too many modeling events and fashion shows which have so-called
modeling “jobs” where the models who are booked work for free,
and this needs to stop! It’s for charity? We hear that
a lot, too. The bottom line, models, is that, even if it is supposedly
for charity, if they are charging money for an event cover or for tickets,
and are making money, the models need to GET PAID! Needless to say, you
shouldn’t have to guess that we will not be posting pseudo jobs
where businesses exploit models by making money and not paying the help!
There is no point in posting “jobs” like that, and we will
not pad our job board with such unbalanced offers.
Florida Models will also not tolerate a problem which has plagued this
site, and other modeling and talent resource sites with job boards, for
years. We will not tolerate other web sites and modeling scams stealing
job information from our board, and using it to bait models into buying
what they are selling by withholding contact information and making them
buy whatever it is that they are really selling before allowing the models
to respond to a job offer which was advertised free of charge in the first
place. Not only do we reserve the right to take legal action against anyone
stealing content from this site, but we will also educate the sources
of the jobs on how to avoid being an unwilling part of a modeling job
bait and switch scam by their information being misappropriated and used
in a manner in which is was not intended. No one who is ethical would
knowingly enable a modeling scam, either willfully or through negligence.
Although I cannot go into all of the countermeasures that we have in place
to discourage the theft and mis use of our job board information, I will
state that EVERYONE posting jobs here will be instructed to VERIFY the
source of the job referral, and if it isn’t from this site (or another
site which they legitimately posted to), that it will be strongly recommended
that they IGNORE the model who came to them that way. After all, they
would not want to be part of a modeling scam, now, would they? Avoid potential
liability by verifying the source!
If you are offering a legitimate modeling job, you are welcome to post
your job post here, free of charge. Please note, too, that, while we do
advertise services on this site, that no one is obligated to buy anything
to use it, and we do not withhold information such as contact information.
Welcome to Florida Models!
Sincerely,
C. A. Passinault
Editor
Florida Models
Return
to the Florida Models Job Board
To respond to this
statement, ask a question, or make a suggestion, please e-mail FloridaModelsContact@Yahoo.Com
09/27/12
- 09/30/12 - 12/31/13/1047 - 06/04/14/0956
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