Crimes of Persuasion

Schemes, scams, frauds.



Infinite Talent LLC (infinitetalentusa.com) by Katie Ludwig

According to their website, Infinite Talent LLC operates in Oregon and Washington. The emphasis of their site was "high fashion" photography: "We are NOT a modeling school and do not require our models take classes. To get involved in the industry, you will need to have the proper high fashion photos. If you do not already have these, you will need to get them upon acceptance."

http://www.infinitetalentusa.com/faq/index.xhtml [Aug. 5, 2004]. But they didn't say if any of their models have received high fashion modeling jobs.

According to a few sources, including the BBB and a consumer complaint website, Infinite Talent is run by former workers/leaders of the infamous Wilhelmina Scouting Network scam which misled consumers about the value of their internet advertising service and misled them into buying professional photography before getting agency representation and did not pay their workers ("scouts").

BBB Reliability Report

Options Talent
1200 112th Ave NE Ste C245
Bellevue, WA 98004

General Information

Principal: Mr David Humpherys, President
Phone Number: (425) 451-9006
Membership Status: No
Type-of-Business Classification: Modeling Agencies
Website Address: www.optionsmodels.com

Customer Experience

As of July 15, 2002, all complaints are processed by the BBB of Central Florida. To file a complaint or to request a reliability report, please contact them at (407)621-3300 or at www.orlando.bbb.org. Their address is 151 Wymore Rd. #100, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714.

Additional Information

Additional Doing-Business-As Names: Transcontinental Talent
  Edge Talent
  Wilhelmina Scouting Network
  Infinite Talent
Additional Phone Numbers: 888-771-5042
  206-427-3469

Company Management

Additional company management personnel include:
Ms Katie Ludwig - Director

http://www.thebbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=41001051 [Aug. 5, 2004].

[Heather Duback, Rachel Skirving and Katie Ludwig]

See also http://www.badbusinessbureau.com/reports/ripoff75185.htm and http://www.badbusinessbureau.com/reports/ripoff75163.htm

Katie Ludwig

"Katie Ludwig, director of Options' local office, staunchly defends her operation. "We just help people get exposure," she contends. "We never mislead them, never tell them they will become a model." She admits the company takes all applicants, asking, "Just because you're missing your two front teeth, who's to say you can't be an actor?"

Quoted in Sandeep Kaushik, "Glam Scam? Seattle Youth Complains of Modeling Rip-off," Stranger/Seattle, Aug. 8, 2002. http://www.thestranger.com/2002-08-08/city2.html [Aug. 5, 2004].

See also Rip Off Report-Swank - Katerina Ludwig - Katie Ludwig Swank ... and Rip Off Report:Trans Continental Talent & Model Scouting ripoff ...
... State at the time Katie Ludwig was the Office Director.

Make sure Infinite Talent has paid the employment agency bond if it is a talent agency and meets the legal definition of an employment agency:

“Employment agency” or “agency” means a business, service, bureau or club operated by a person, firm, organization, limited liability company or corporation engaged in procuring for a fee, employment for others and employees for employers. . . . Each employment agency shall maintain a corporate surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit issued by an insured institution as defined in ORS 706.008 of $5,000 . . . No employment agency shall charge an applicant a charge for services when help is furnished to an employer, an agent, any employee of an employer, a member or person who has a financial interest in such employment agency." http://landru.leg.state.or.us/ors/658.html [Aug. 5, 2004].