Modeling Industry Gossip
The Las Vegas Weekly has
pulled advertisements for models by someone they accused of scamming them.
The ads ran for six years. The socalled photographer who advertised for
glamour models is now reacting, spreading malicious lies.
Francesca Detolomei, the ready-for-retirement,
in-her-60s (?) Italian chick from Beverly Hills, who sells photography
in the US, because she wasn't deported, has been sighted in Orlando at
Fashion Rock and at MAAI, according to two sources, still selling photography
to aspiring models after the Los Angeles DA busted her a$$ in a photo mill
scam. The only DA-prosecuted photo mill case in LA that EBC is aware of.
There are pictures on her website foliofoto.com of her in her youth, according
to someone who met her; the site itself didn't identify the pictures as
being of her.
Former employee(s) of John Robert Powers/IMTA started IPOP,
the new modeling convention started in the last year which is as expensive,
if not more expensive, than IMTA. IPOP has apparently replaced IMTA as
the major client of John Robert Powers. IMTA is none too happy about this
development. Losing the JRP account, according to a rumour, has led to
a lawsuit by IMTA against IPOP/its owners (non-compete violations?). JRP
represented probably 1/3 to 1/2 of IMTA's sales leads (split with Barbizon
Modeling Schools and John Casablancas development centers or modeling schools).
IPOP, however, a source says, have no idea if their new convention will
be a success. Have they set the price too high ($7,000)? Who has 7K nowadays
to flush down a convention drain. IPOP scheme is to seek sponsors for the
event. Rumour has it that Ron Patterson, owner/president of JRP, is trying
to sell John Robert Powers for $140m.
The people behind the infamous Pro Images
Studios (Pro Images International) scheme sold the business
to their photographer Allen Coefield after being hounded
by the Clayton County DA's office. EBC had provided the DA's office contact
info on a web page about Pro Images Studios (PIS) for people scammed.
They called and the DA investigated. The DA's investigation included
calling the owner of PIS who told them EBC should be investigated instead
of him. It looks like he got so scared of being prosecuted for fraud
he sold the business before he was arrested.
"Tiffani," a model wrote in about an agent
in Florida whom she says, writing from an AOL account (not yahoo/hotmail),
tried to set her up; she alleged the "agency" is running a prostitution
ring. This agency is quite successful, and its owner fairly well known.
- Just wanted to let ya'll know about a couple of strange things that
have
happened:
1) - One day, out of the blue, I received a phone call from a man saying
that he got my private cell phone number from a modeling agent in Florida
named [. . .] [. . .] (whom I have NEVER heard of). According to him, she said I
was one of her models living in LA, and I could probably use his help. He
told me he wanted to be "my mentor" and help me financially. He said he was
an attorney. I got freaked out and googled her name, found a listing for her
agency in FL, and called her. She told me she never gave my number out, and
didn't know the guy, but that she was familiar with my name ( I have had a
couple of tv shows) and was going to be "scouting" in LA the following week,
would I like to come meet with her. I blew off the meeting. - 2) - A couple of weeks later, [. . .] [. . .] called me and said, "Hi,
[. . .], I
don't usually do this, but a friend of mine in LA saw your pic in Maxim (I
have never appeared in Maxim) and called me to see if I knew you. He told me
that he would give you $2000 just to spend a couple of hours with you. I've
sent some of my girls from FL out there to him before, and they loved him!
Would you be interested?" - Now, let me ask you this, she's "never done that before" but
she's sent
girls out here to him??? I informed her that I am not a prostitute, and was
absolutely appalled at her call, and to leave me alone. - Have ya'll received any other complaints of this nature about this woman?
Under Investigation: The inside story of the Florida Attorney General's investigation of Wilhelmina Scouting Network, the largest model and talent scam in America. by by Les Henderson
Don't be a victim!