For publication July 25, 2002 in issue #25 of the Hook

BY BARBARA NORDIN

"Audition with John Casablancas Representatives," the postcard began, for "Fashion, Commercials, Print, and T.V. Bring a non-refundable photo, & dress casually. Under 18 must be accompanied by a parent."

From what I can tell, just about every young girl in Charlottesville got one of those cards, which invited the recipient to "audition" at the Emmet Street Holiday Inn on Sunday, July 14, at 2pm. I've been around the block a few times with these modeling outfits, however, and quickly located the line of near-microscopic print that says, "Training may be suggested to qualified candidates."

There's the rub: they're really selling classes-- classes that promise (but never, of course, in writing) entry into a world of excitement, money, and fame. In the end, they rarely deliver more than a worthless diploma.

These outfits fascinate me; I got my first taste of the world of modeling scams in the fall of 1997, when I began following a local woman's three-year battle to get her money back from a company called Pro Images ["Model Seduction II: the model's revenge," February 14, 2002]. This past winter I reported on a group called Models Net International ["I'm not ready for my $249 close-up," February 7, 2002], and last week I explored a notorious business called the W.I.SH. Shopping Network ["Super look," July 11, 2002]. Now, on a Sunday in mid-July, I was set to explore the world of John Casablancas.

First, an overview of where John Casablancas fits in the world of modeling (or, to be exact, the dismal underside of modeling); these groups fall into several categories. For instance, Pro Images charges $325 and guarantees four "modeling assignments" within the following year. What you're really buying, however, is advertising space in the voluminous catalogs Pro Images churns out. Along with pictures of hundreds of others, yours is mailed to "clients" who, no doubt, promptly throw them in the trash.

Models Net International charges $249 to take a few photographs and then produce a "mini-portfolio" you can allegedly use to launch a modeling career. The W.I.S.H. Shopping Network is especially brazen; they collect $289 and deliver, in most cases, absolutely nothing. More precisely, they mail you a cheap item of clothing, you have your picture taken wearing it, you send the picture to W.I.S.H., and then you sit back and wait-- until it dawns on you that the whole thing's a scam.

And so we come to John Casablancas, which "may suggest training to qualified candidates." I was familiar with this category's modus operandi already, thanks to a young woman who told me about her experience with Creative Talent Management when I was investigating Pro Images. Like John Casablancas, CTM signs up "qualified" candidates for expensive classes in modeling, acting, and whatever else they can sell an impressionable young person.

When the young woman's father read about Pro Images, however, they quickly re-thought the contract they'd just signed with CTM, drove to Richmond, and demanded their money back. They were lucky: they succeeded.

The Washington Post ran an article on these businesses ["Some Hopefuls Say They Learned an Ugly Lesson," April 11, 1999] that includes a list of things to watch out for. Number One is a warning against agencies that charge a fee (legitimate agencies ask only for a picture, never a fee; based on a photo alone, they'll tell the applicant whether she has a chance with them).

Another warning: be wary of agencies that "charge you for their classes before you are eligible for modeling work." Bingo! Like CTM, John Casablancas-- as I know from talking to a former applicant-- does just that.

In the end I didn't get to see the John Casablancas' "auditions" for myself, as the postcard had a mistake. The "auditions" started at 3pm instead of 2pm, and I had to be elsewhere.

When I left at 2:30, the lobby was beginning to fill with hopeful souls, and although I tried to warn some of them off, I know that hope is a potent force and can conquer many things-- including harsh reality.

Do you have a consumer problem or question? Email the Fearless Consumer or write her at 100 Second Street NW, 22902.

John Casablancas fits in the world of modeling (or, to be exact, the dismal underside of modeling); these groups fall into several categories. For instance, Pro Images charges $325 and guarantees four "modeling assignments" within the following year. What you're really buying, however, is advertising space in the voluminous catalogs Pro Images churns out. Along with pictures of hundreds of others, yours is mailed to "clients" who, no doubt, promptly throw them in the trash.

Models Net International charges $249 to take a few photographs and then produce a "mini-portfolio" you can allegedly use to launch a modeling career. The W.I.S.H. Shopping Network is especially brazen; they collect $289 and deliver, in most cases, absolutely nothing. More precisely, they mail you a cheap item of clothing, you have your picture taken wearing it, you send the picture to W.I.S.H., and then you sit back and wait-- until it dawns on you that the whole thing's a scam.

And so we come to John Casablancas, which "may suggest training to qualified candidates." I was familiar with this category's modus operandi already, thanks to a young woman who told me about her experience with Creative Talent Management when I was investigating Pro Images. Like John Casablancas, CTM signs up "qualified" candidates for expensive classes in modeling, acting, and whatever else they can sell an impressionable young person.

When the young woman's father read about Pro Images, however, they quickly re-thought the contract they'd just signed with CTM, drove to Richmond, and demanded their money back. They were lucky: they succeeded.

The Washington Post ran an article on these businesses ["Some Hopefuls Say They Learned an Ugly Lesson," April 11, 1999] that includes a list of things to watch out for. Number One is a warning against agencies that charge a fee (legitimate agencies ask only for a picture, never a fee; based on a photo alone, they'll tell the applicant whether she has a chance with them).

Another warning: be wary of agencies that "charge you for their classes before you are eligible for modeling work." Bingo! Like CTM, John Casablancas-- as I know from talking to a former applicant-- does just that.

In the end I didn't get to see the John Casablancas' "auditions" for myself, as the postcard had a mistake. The "auditions" started at 3pm instead of 2pm, and I had to be elsewhere.

When I left at 2:30, the lobby was beginning to fill with hopeful souls, and although I tried to warn some of them off, I know that hope is a potent force and can conquer many things-- including harsh reality.

Do you have a consumer problem or question? Email the Fearless Consumer or write her at 100 Second Street NW, 22902.

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