The Neeley Drops

 We have a thousand studio props that we've accumulated over the years and many of them have been given nicknames.  The names usually come from some interaction with a particular model.  

Such is the case with what are known as the "Neeley Drops."  Our model Neeley had a habit of smearing 5 gallons of body oil all over herself when we shot bikinis indoors.  Looked great but.....we still remember the horror of looking down & seeing the oil drops forming all over our brand new $230 Westcott muslin. 😧  

The last image tells the tale best.  We still have this muslin & do still use it occasionally.  Almost every time, the model that day asks "what's all these spots on this backdrop?"  

  

Child Models

 We're seeing a lot of child & teen models lately & that's a good thing!  More than ever before, we are seeking out booking opportunities in the Greater Indianapolis area for our models age 4-15.  This age group will never equal the number of bookings we have for our adult models but the gap between the two is closing each year!

If you want to find out if your child is a potential match for our agency roster, submit their info using this link: www.indymodels.com/careers.htm.  

We Need More Roster Models

Our work is growing again very quickly and, as of now, we don't have enough roster models to match up with our job opportunities.  

If you've been thinking about getting involved with an agency, now is the time!  Visit our website & click on the Join Us link.  

We especially need kids ages 10-15, females ages 21-30, and males ages 25+.  

"Scouting" Events

Someone asked today about an event coming up later this spring.  The concept has been around for a long time: they advertise that agents want to meet you at the event and maybe you'll be who they need for their agency.  Sounds great, right?  

Not so fast.

Firstly, and most importantly, it's not how legitimate agencies (NYC, L.A., Miami, Paris...pick one) find new talent.  These events, in reality, are nothing but thinly disguised opportunities to take your money and make it their money.  The "agents" are actors pretending to be so and the "agencies" are in name only.  The "agencies" they represent are never quite defined because, in reality, they either don't exist or are a known scam.  

Why would a "scout", or a local to you "agency", fill you full of hype for these events?  That's simple:  $$$.  An agency local to you can make a fortune sending you to such an event.  The scam often works like this:

"Mrs. Gullible, your daughter may be exactly who the scouts in Paris need!  There's a great event coming up (in a marquee City somewhere....Paris for this example) where there's going to be a lot of talent agents and I think your daughter should be there!  The usual total cost to attend is $3650 (air/hotel/entry fee/stylists, etc.) but I think I can get your daughter on the "elite" list!  If so, it would only cost you $3000.  Let me get back to you tomorrow and I can tell you for sure!"

Of course, when tomorrow comes, they were able to get Mrs. Gullible's daughter on the "elite list" (because it doesn't exist) and the scam price for EVERYONE  is $3000.  The cut to the "agency" that got you involved (they're working with the scammers) is $500 and the scammers running the event get $300 per girl.  The $2200 left pays the overhead of getting you there (air, housing) and pays the scammer's costs (venue, insurance, scam actors pretending to be "agents", etc.)  

"Is that legal" you ask?  100% legal.  They even tell you in the scam paperwork you sign what they're doing, they just do it in a legalese way that is confusing & deceptive.  It's up to you to keep your eyes open & realize when you're being scammed.  All the players in the scam make great money.  You?  Well....if a trip to Paris (or wherever) is worth being scammed, and you understand going in that the entire thing is fake, then go for it!  Just understand it has zero to do with becoming a working model.  The one and only reason for the event is for the scammers to make a lot of money.             

Classes

We're getting a lot of inquiries about modeling and posing "classes."

If all you're looking for is something to do that's "fun" then, yes, go for them!  But understand that such classes are almost always plagued by the following:

1.  Those "teaching" have no real ability to do so.

2.  What they're "teaching" is useless to you in a Midwestern market.  

3.  They're not doing it for free.......

We conduct informal training sessions for models on our roster, with instructors who have been in the industry for decades, and they don't cost anything.  

If you want to take classes that might actually help you with work in the Midwest, perhaps what you're really looking for is a legitimate agency.  In Indianapolis, it's a very short list.  Choose wisely.  But, again, if you're really just wanting to do something "fun", then the modeling & posing "classes" out there likely won't be bad for you.      

Social Media

 The Internet completely changed the way modeling agencies, and nearly all other businesses, engage with potential customers.  

Mostly, the Web has been a wonderful tool and likely the most significant addition to our lives since electricity was harnessed over 100 years ago.

One of the things that has exploded in the past 10-15 years is what we call "social media."  Facebook, Instagram, Snap Chat, Tik Tok, etc.  

We've noticed that the other "agencies" (the real ones and the scams) have chosen to engage in the practice of buying followers & "likes."  They all do it.  While having 15-20K followers might look impressive at first glance, it shouldn't take long for you to realize that it's not practical (or even possible.)  Businesses pay services on social media to feed them followers and a bot (a non-human computer program) posts "likes" on a predetermined schedule (based on how much $$ you pay for the service.)  

We're often asked why we don't do the same?  Well....if we did, we would be just like the others. 😉  We became the largest agency in Indiana by doing our own thing and we're going to keep doing it our way!  We think the models on our roster, and our clients, prefer our business ethics.  It's a large part of why we became the largest agency of our kind in the Midwest.      

  

"Mother Agency"

 We're seeing a rash lately of agencies, both known scams and even formerly legitimate ones, claiming that they have "placed" someone with another agency in a large city and that they will be their "Mother Agency."  

Nonsense.

There is no such thing in our industry as a "Mother Agency."  If you remember nothing else we teach here, remember this: "All Modeling is Local."  No Indianapolis agency can magically make you a model (or actor) in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, etc.  If you want to be a model in those cities, you have one option: pack your bags, move to that city, and pound on doors - just like the other thousands of models in the city wanting the same work you do.  

Agency bookings are slow right now due to the COVID scam and the failing economy.  Some "agencies" have resorted to scams, like posting Mother Agency nonsense, to try to make it look like they have something going on so you'll pay them money to join them (yes, ALL agencies have an upfront fee for joining their roster.  Some just disguise it so they can falsely claim not to have one.)  

All Modeling is Local.  Remember that and you can spot a lot of scams from the very start.