Julia A Florida Model back from Boston
By Bill Olsen
Julia was recently referred to our photographic artist Marc Gagnon which Marc Gagnon Inc. represents. Mr. Gagnon spoke to Julia one day on a Saturday and the conversation went well. Marc left her his phone number and how to reach him both with his Florida and New Hampshire numbers. Julia was actually visiting the Boston area to return back to Florida. Mr. Gagnon sent her a text that when she is ready as he knew she had just flew back, to give him a call when she had the chance. In the text, he stated he was looking for professional and models with a strong work ethic. He also stated, that if he does not hear from her wished her the best of luck in future endeavors. Most times than most, models in Florida do not return phone calls nor do they follow up. She responded to Marc Gagnon with profanities and texted him to f**k off. Obviously, this type of behavior is not that professional and we are all appreciative to find out early than spending and investing the time in her.
This also indicates the lack of intelligence that this model has. Obviously, when a model hears from a prospective customer, photographer, vendor, etc., they should thoroughly check them out. The first thing for example that they should do is to check out their company on the State of Florida Corporation site to see if they are actually registered (www.sunbiz.org). If they would have checked Zoom info, they would have found that Marc Gagnon has some 40 people as part of his staff located in 9 locations. They would have found that his photography is in the permanent collections of 4 Presidential Libraries, the Smithsonian, the Vatican, and a number of other institutions. She would have found that his work is also collected by some of the richest people of the world, owners and shareholders of Fortune 500 companies. In fact, the list that all of these people are on, The Forbes List, she would have found pictures of Marc Gagnon with Steve Forbes himself as well as other people as Martin Luther King Iii, Dan Marino, Bryant Gumbel and other notables. The model would have also found him on a NBC News interview - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRCJi1fOTlY . Marc Gagnon’s story of his life can also be view ed on a cable TV show called the G Spot viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF3MxZoRCmQ .
Obviously, this model is totally unprofessional and not business savvy. It is important to consider the following when dealing with people in the business place whether you are a model, owner of a small or middle market business, etc.:
· Do your research on the person you are speaking with to see how influential they are in the business world. This model would have found that Marc Gagnon for instance is a member of the Nashua Chamber of Commerce, Coral Springs Chamber of Commerce, Metro Charlestown Chamber, and the St Johns County Chamber of Commerce. Marc Gagnon is also a member of some 14 professional photographic associations, 12 art associations, and the Founder of the Innovation Forum and the Breakfast Club International. Marc Gagnon has also contributed to the PSA (Photographic Society of America), Western Photographer, CAI Journal, and a number of publications. Gagnon has also been featured in some 28 publications and his worked has been on 15 of these covers on featured articles of his work. His work has been featured in the United States, Canada, Europe, and in India.
* Find out what types of work or needs the company has. Try to be as specific as possible.
* Every professional company has a media kit. Ask for one.
* Ask for what work has been published. If they are anything, they should have been published. Models that are not published are want to bees. They are not professionals yet.
· Does the model have an agent or a personal manager? If not, why?
· The model should have asked, who mentored the photographer and in this case Marc Gagnon. The model would have discovered his blogs and who he learned from.
· It is important to view the company website to see the type of work the company does. Marc Gagnon Inc. actually has a number of websites which encompasses some 20,000 images, press articles, pictures of Marc Gagnon and notables as well as letters from these people. The model would have discovered the merchandise that Marc Gagnon Inc. sells in 37 stores.
Obviously, this is an extreme case. Overall, Marc Gagnon receives some 100 applicants per year and may only take on one person to work with. Marc Gagnon Inc. does not charge a single model and pays them for their time.
