Be aware! Be cautious! Be careful!
To be honest, I am not one of those dreamers. I decided to try modeling just by a spur of a moment. A friend of mine suggested me to try it out as she saw the potential in me. I was astonished and thought: why not? I am young, energetic, tall, skinny and experienced in many areas of performing arts such as theatre and movie making. I though to go for a new challenge, just because we live once and everything is worth trying. So I did. So I stepped in a trap.
The trap was called Form Modeling Platform. Firstly I want to give a short and sharp advice (in case you are too lazy to read further): Do NOT try it out! For the ones, who are eager enough to continue reading, go ahead and follow me...
Form Modeling Platform is not an agency and they state it very clearly in their webpage. However, they also state a few other, slightly controversial things as well. They claim that they do their best to provide their models with work in the industry and I personally was told: "When you take this package (=when you pay us 1350 pounds), we will guarantee you jobs 100%." The package included a CD with 40 pictures taken at their London Studio and a so called webfolio, where these pictures were put along with my personal information. This was done within 2 weeks after I had visited the studio for a photo shoot and paid the money (yes, I, idiot, paid the money and was brainwashed to believe that it was worth it).
However, they also state this: "The Form Modelling Platform team will provide access to your portfolio for casting companies, fashion magazines, television production companies and model agencies. The ultimate goal is to secure you paid work within the industry. This could include television appearances, magazines shoots, catalogues work, reality shows, Internet promotions, promotional work,
catwalk and so on." --> I copied this statement on 13th of December, which proved to be a right thing to do. Later I visited their webpage and saw that this part had been cancelled, most likely as a result of my inquiries and demanding emails. They had no answer to my question: Why am I the only person, who has an access to my web folio? Why do you claim that the people in the field can access my web folio, if they can't? The web folio was not available in Internet or Form Modeling webpage as promised. I paid for pictures only, even though much more was promised.
This rubbish company provides their "models" with a portfolio and charge an enormous amount of money for it.Later I was told: No one should ever pay more than 200-300 pounds for a portfolio! I am completely new in the industry and so are many others. I a not a blue-eyed person of any kind and I tend to suspect and question EVERYTHING. This time I was badly cheated, what makes me very angry. They are very good at manipulating and brainwashing young women, who dream of the lifetime job in modeling industry. And I did not even dream about it! I just dreamed of a nice, new experience, a little bit extra money to fund my studies and so on! And still: I believed it. I paid and was left alone without any further help. I got answers to my emails and inquiries, but every time I was told this: I am not responsible for this issue. You have to contact this and this and this person in order to get your issue solved. I was thrown to different people all the time and no one answered my most acute questions, which were vital in order to find out how to get jobs.
In addition to this, the company claims that they have professionals in their studio making the portfolios. Rubbish! I talked to the photographer and a make-up "artist" while they were doing my photo shoot. The girls (I emphasize: the GIRLS) told me that they had studied their profession by themselves and not gone to any schools. The customers pay ridiculous amount of money for the portfolio made my amateurs! And naturally this leads to natural consequenses when showing the portfolio to professional people in the field. I walked in to a number of different agencvies in London to show my portfolio and in 80% of them I got a reply: You look very interesting and your look suits to commercial photography, BUT this portfolio is not of the best quality. They could instantly see that it was not done by professionals AND that it had been modified by computer. I was disappointed, again. In the studio I was told that the pictures will not be modified at all but they will keep them natural. That was a lie. A big big lie, just like everything else in the company as well.
As a result of my totally negative experience and a great loss of money, which I was supposed to earn back very easily, very soon and very much beyond the sum I paid for them, I decided to open a blog. This blog is for all women and girls with a dream of a career in modeling and all the others as well. You are free to share your experiences with any Modeling Platforms or Modeling Agencies and as anonymous you can tell all the hidden facts and stories from behind the surface. I am also happy to hear the opinions and experiences of the Form Modeling Platform itself. I started to realise that all the "positive comments" and feedback they have got in Internet, may actually be written by theselves as well as all the praises and texts in their facebook page. I do not believe anything they say anymore. And so shouldn't you.
Let's reveal all the bullshit that the people in the modeling industry try to feed to young people who have dreams! And girls: do not let anyone destroy your dreams!
Stay alert! Stay clever! Question every single promise and offer!
Do not fall into a trap. Do not become cheated, do not lose your dream and do not believe what you are told unless you can prove they are 100% right. And finally: Do not pay anything in the first place. Asking money in advance is a sign of unreliable business. If they need to charge you in advance, it means they do not have enough money in the end either.
Hugs and kisses.
- An angry woman who wants to raise awareness of shitty businesses
