What this 'agency' is doing falls under the category of a photography scam as outlined by modelingscams.org
They sent out a notice on craigslist asking for new faces for their agency. I went in to see them for the first time at 7:00 P.M. On a weekday. According to modelingscams, one of your first tip-offs should be if they conduct business during regular business hours, 9-5P.M. Mon.-Friday.
I went into their office and met with a very nice man named Kurt. He asked me all the usual questions, looked at my photos, had me walked, etc... He gave me a form with a reference number and told me to call the next day and give my reference number to the person on the phone, who would then tell me whether or not the agency was interested in working with me. This is strange too, because i understand that at most modeling agency the booker looks at your photos and tell you right away whether or not they are interested in working with you.
I called the next day, and they said they were very interested in working with me and that I should come in for a second interview.
A few days later I went in again. Now that it was in the middle of the business day I noticed a strange thing about their office. It's a huge office in a very expensive building in century city, however, this huge office is shared by SEVERAL businesses. MMI itself has only two LITTLE rooms inside this suite, so they can't be paying very much in rent.
I sat down with a very nice man named Dimitri. When he looked at my photos, he said what I knew he'd say, "The first thing we have to do is get you knew pictures". I understand that this is typically the first thing your new agency will tell you, however I've also been told by friends who are professional models that a legit agency will always either give you a list of photographers they like and trust, or give you the option of having pictures taken with a photographer of your choice.
After Dimitri went over all the usual questions, he began to launch into what is essentially a sales pitch for a photography package that new models are REQUIRED TO PURCHASE before joining MMI. The package including 4 looks for the comp card, and 1 YEAR POSTING ON THEIR WEBSITE. I asked him if they do any direct submissions, and he hesitantly added that they do. But other modeling agency do not offer the model being featured on the website as something that is included in a PURCHASE, it is simply a part of being repped by them. The Cost for this package? $ 800 DOLLARS.
At this point I stopped and asked Dimitri if I could get my own photos taken soon and bring them in. He said that they 'can't have unprofessional photos on their website, and only trust this photographer'. He told me to call him back when I was ready to get these photos taken. It was noticeable how his demeanor changed when I told him I wasn't taking the photos. He had just lost a sale.
Needless to say, I was very disappointed. These people seemed like professionals in the beginning, but the more experience I had with them the more shady the whole experience ended up being. I can't say whether or not they actually manage to get any of their models work, but I can say that you shouldn't bother with them and spend your time and energy on them unless you are prepared to hand over 800 dollars right from the beginning, with no guarantees.
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