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International Model Agency - Is it a scam?
Hello, Does anyone know anything about IMA? Are they a scam? They asked me to pay a marketing fee of £80.00... Please let me know if you know anything about them! Thanks, Jenny Nov 30 09 05:46 am Link tzeni_kas wrote: Errr, does not really sound legal to me. They are making money with you in their agency so why should you pay them in the first place? Nov 30 09 11:57 am Link Just ask one question. How do they make money? Nov 30 09 12:15 pm Link I want to know that too...they offered me a two year contract....and i thought it was suss that i had to pay. Jan 08 10 05:01 pm Link tzeni_kas wrote: I note that you're in the UK, and I am not CERTAIN but I believe that some of our posters who know the studio system in the UK have de3finitvely said that it is NEVER legal there (as opposed to the US) for models to be charged an up-front fee. So that bit sounds shady. Given the time difference it might be tomorrow for you before John or Danny or Stefano come by & address this. Jan 08 10 05:07 pm Link If you were a receptionist/secretary/chef/admin assistant who went to a recruitment agency and they asked *you* to pay *them* to get you work you'd walk right out of there without a second thought. Why should a modelling agency be any different? Whether it's legal or not, my advice would be to leave them well alone. HTH, Rob Jan 08 10 05:16 pm Link Here we go again. The essential reading list: The MM FAQ Unofficial Site Related FAQ New to MM? --READ THIS FIRST! CLT's Survival Guide For MM Newbies New Models dot com The list of answers already answered Jan 08 10 06:35 pm Link I had the same with these people.They state in the small print their website that they are a Spanish company and legally dont have to comply with UK rules and regulations.I sent Simon Carter (the CEO or what ever he is) an e-mail asking that the £80 be deducted from my first paid job on their books.I await a response as i type!I would avoid this company as due to it being based in Spain,if you do pay any money you wont be getting it back. Jan 10 11 09:52 am Link tzeni_kas wrote: Address? Website? Jan 10 11 10:42 am Link Without even looking...Yes. Any Agency that ask for money up front is a scam. IF you are good enough..they will not ask for money. They will take it out of your pay. End of Story. Goodnight. Jan 10 11 10:46 am Link studio36uk wrote: I think it is this site: Jan 10 11 10:48 am Link It's a scam. Just found a MM model on their board, who isn't signed with them. Jan 10 11 11:28 am Link S_H wrote: studio36uk wrote: I think it is this site: Yup, I sniffed them out while you were posting. See above ^^^ Jan 10 11 11:39 am Link thanks everyone for this! i just received an e-mail from IMA offering me a 2 year contract, but ive to pay £80 marketing fee!! the e-mail went like this.... Dear Sherylanne Green, We are very pleased to confirm that we are to offer you a two year contract with IMA. After looking at your photograph we are more than certain you have what it takes to become an IMA model and succeed as a professional model with our agency. Your new member log in and user name details are below; Username: --- Password: --- Once you have read this e mail please go to www.internationalmodelagency.co.uk and complete sign up using your personal log in details as described above. When you do log in you will be asked to agree with our terms and conditions then you will need asked to pay the marketing pack fee of ã80.00. ã80 marketing fee to cover; -100 model comp cards -Profile on www.internationalmodelagency.co.uk -Self printable z cards from www.internationalmodelagency.co.uk -Inclusion in the 2010-2011 IMA model directory sent to over 100 clients We are constantly asked the same 10 questions so please read our answers below and if you then have any more questions relevant feel free to contact us and we will be more than happy to answer. I will sign off for now and we hope to work with you very soon. Regards, Simon Carter. International Model Agency. 23 Castalia Square, Docklands, London E14 3NG The questions and answers they provided: Q 1.Do you want to meet me in person? A. We will in time but for now we are happy to accept you on the strength of your pictures. Here at IMA we no longer do drop inôs as it takes up far too much time. The majority of our clients will book a model on the strength of a model card and photographs without actually meeting the model in person so the same applies to us. We do however run IMA model nights at least every 3 months where we all get together and mingle, so obviously we will meet in person at one of these events. Q 2. Why do I need to pay the marketing fees? A. Because you need to be marketed!!! A. In this cut throat industry we need to prove to a client that they are booking a professional model and our marketing pack ensures just that. The marketing pack will also ensure maximum exposure in all the correct places and get you seen in the best possible light. Q.3. I am always told not to pay anything upfront so why are you asking for ã80? A. Who told you not to pay anything upfront to a model agency? Was it your photographer while he was taking hundreds of pounds from you while doing your photo shoot? Was it some dodgy model advice site on the internet? We are not claiming to be the worldôs biggest agency and we simply could not afford to invest in all of our models. We just do not have the financial resources to do so. We know that you have what it takes to work as a model so you need to help us to help you. . Think about it if you where an hairdresser going to college you have to buy a hairdryer, a brush, scissors and so on. You have to purchase these tools as they are the tools of a hairdresser trade and you need a portfolio and a marketing pack as they are your tools of the trade. Q 4. Are you sure I will work and where will I work? A. We would not accept you if for a minute we did believe you never had the attributes and potential to become a model so we are more than certain we can find you placements in your chosen modelling category. The main place models work is in or around London however we do find work nationally. Just remember no matter where the job is expenses are always paid. Q 5. What commission do you take from me and what will I earn? A. Here at IMA we will negotiate the best possible rates a model can get. We do that as the more you earn the more we earn so expect anything from ã350 for a day to maybe thousands a day. Out of any work we do find the model we deduct a flat rate of 20%.Please note this rate does not differ at anytime and is totally capped at 20%. Q.6. I work full time shall I give up my day job? A. NO! Start your modelling career part time then see where it goes. We do have some models that work twice a week and others that work once a month so our advice is always the same. Q 7. Do I need to travel for jobs and do I get notice? A. As mentioned previously a lot of the work is based in or around London so depending on where you live then yes travel may be necessary however expenses are always covered for models travelling to and from assignments. Most jobs you are booked at the very least one week prior to sometimes one month so you should have plenty of notice. Q 8. Are my pictures good enough? A. YES and do not go to the expense of purchasing anymore! Your portfolio teamed with our marketing pack will ensure we find you some lucrative placements. Also when you are booked out for work our contract insists we get a copy of the images once they have gone to print. Therefore we will build your portfolio for free whiles being paid to do so. Q 9. I have another agency can I still register with IMA? A. Yes we are not a sole agency agreement, in actual fact we encourage models to work with other agencies as the more experience a model has the better all round. If you are thinking of joining another agency feel free to ask our advice on them. Q10.I see you are based in Spain also. Does this affect me? A. Yes double the work, two countries gives you double the opportunities. This applies more for models over the age of 18. We would also like to point out we adhere to the majority of UK BERR rules and regulations so you are completely safe. However by law we are governed by the Spanish authorities. Q 11. What shall I do now? A. Go to our website and log in using the personal log in details that you have been given, agree with our terms and pay the ã80 marketing fee. Once that is completed we will contact you within 24 working hours and guide you through the next easy steps. Jan 20 11 08:15 am Link Sherylanne Green wrote: Oh, really? The "majority"? Not ALL of the Regulations just the "majority"? I'd sure like to know what parts they don't "adhere" to. Kind of like the part that says they can not collect up-front fees for some of the stuff they are selling you. Jan 20 11 01:39 pm Link Sounds like a scam to me. Legit agencies does not charge their models any fees to sign with them. Jan 20 11 02:42 pm Link RJTphotos wrote: However if you wanted work with an extras casting agency, you would need to pay a monthly fee out of your income, depending on which one you work with. Weird huh? Jan 20 11 02:49 pm Link C A T H Y wrote: That is not universally true in the UK. There is one particular thing they [an agency] can charge a fee for, and even with that there are conditions attached to making that charge... but zed cards isn't it. And an undefined vague "marketing fee" isn't it either. Jan 20 11 06:27 pm Link I am at the starting point of this conversation with IMA. They now ask you to go and get one photo - shot by their nominated studio. You are asked to pay £20 for that and you are able to keep it ( so far so good). The photographers are told to push a portfolio and the agency gets a fat slice. So you would end up forking out loads of money for a port and then get tied up with a two year contract. +£ 80 fee. I was sent simiral form with a log in - all online - no one will see you. So you could be sending your gran for castings :-) Apr 26 11 07:54 am Link Juliamodel wrote: Don't waste your time (or money) with them. They're not even a real agency as far as I can tell, just a service to which you subscribe (for a fee) to receive an unspecified number of "castings" for jobs that may not even exist. Apr 26 11 07:59 am Link Thanks again Stefano, I have also been approached by the Fresh Fashion Faces. On receipt of my pics they sent me a contract (no interview) asking to sign up and not to find any work unless they OK it. Sounds well odd to me. Is that what agencies ask? Apr 26 11 08:19 am Link Juliamodel wrote: They could certainly write that into a contract. But that means that they would also likely demand a %age of everything you earn as a model whether they got you the gig or you did all the work yourself. For them that would mean not having to do anything to actually earn it - - - if anyone would be dumb enough to sign that kind of contract with one of these dodgy Internet based scamsters. And anyone who did would very likely be well and truly stuck with it as well. Apr 26 11 09:01 am Link tzeni_kas wrote: Apr 26 11 09:19 am Link Juliamodel wrote: FFF is NOT an agency - it's a scouting service. You may find such a service useful or you may not - that's up to you to decide. Apr 26 11 12:39 pm Link this thread (scammers) seems to be never ending. Prior to my MM forums access I wes invited and visited Tush studios management in Paddigton. 'Nice lady'- director, who had a string of youngsters with their parents visiting took my details and looked through my CD. Nothing was signed at that time. Only now, 2 months later I noticed my pictures figure out on Tush website with my details she took??? Does it mean I am committed to them> How come they published my images without me signing anything? The images of me are hardly recognisable - I mean very blured for those with srtong nerves and imagination I encl. a link http://tushmanagement.modasphere.com/we … -maglione/ I have written several e-mails trying to communicate - but there is no reply. What does one do? May 22 11 02:18 am Link PYPI FASHION wrote: Like she said: they ask money from models that are subscribing to them. May 22 11 02:41 am Link I used to test for IMA years ago but this was a real land based agency. This one mentioned on the forum is not the same one. May 22 11 02:53 am Link so what do you think Tush are? May 22 11 02:56 am Link Juliamodel wrote: I just took a look, they are horrible... /hug I'd advise you to inform your photographer who took these and let him contact them as well. To start they need his permission for publication as well, plus they clearly don't respect the integrity of his work, nor yours for that matter. May 22 11 03:10 am Link Juliamodel wrote: A total waste of time! May 23 11 03:56 am Link Done all - thanx, again JuliaM May 25 11 12:09 pm Link This thread had made me so angry, I co own freshfashionfaces - i was scammed myself at a young age, paid loads out my own money to get a portfolio that was a scam. I am utterly disgraced by being called scammers. We never EVER charge models - the only time this fee is put in place is if a model gets signed without going through us, we work with the likes of Premier, profile, FM, elite, First, Ford, wilemina and loads more. We have over 200 agencies in which we regularly contact. We find models that have real potential and help them break into the industry. We work so hard on building profiles - setting up meetings and going to meetings with models for support. There is nobody else that does what we do without a large fee to join. We give models a chance and get them signed - have a look at our signed page and please dont say anything unless you actually know who we are and what we do. I am here to help models not scam them. Jul 23 11 12:27 pm Link Laura Amy Model wrote: That's fine - this thread is about IMA not freshfashionfaces. Jul 23 11 01:14 pm Link They have changed that fee, you now don't have to pay anything to get into their books, they just ask that you do a shoot to get pictures for their books which they pay for. I have an appointment with the studio tomorrow. Apr 02 12 08:11 am Link Trina Smale wrote: Let us know how it works out. Apr 02 12 09:26 am Link |
