In good faith, I worked as a promotional model for Allen Knauer, aka Allen Longstreet of Indy Models, aka Statement Models, aka First Place Models. I have not been paid for work I completed in April and have had several awkward conversations with him. I now understand through researching Mr. Knauer, aka Longstreet, that he is not an honorable person. His actions have affected young models across the nation.
The following is detailed information about my experience with Indy Models, aka Statement Models, aka First Place Models.
Until recently, I was featured on the Indy Models website. I began working for this agency, and its sole owner, Allen Knauer (aka Allen Longstreet) in October. The first paid job I accepted through Indy Models was for the annual FDIC Fire Fighter's tradeshow in April. I was not paid for this job until September. Due to a few e-mails sent by Mr. Knauer stating that he was ill and having financial troubles he'd not experienced before this time I assumed that the five month lapse in pay was not typical of how he conducts business. However, I had heard from two other promotional models who had worked for him once in the past that they were still waiting to be paid for services rendered.
Since I had worked as a promotional model for over a year at that point, I knew that some models were harder workers than others and knew that if a model was dismissed from a job by the client (not necessarily by the agent), it would be completely feasible for her not to receive a paycheck depending on her contract. So, despite the 5 month wait for my paycheck last year and despite the bad references Indy Models had received from these other models, I was not hesitant to accept a four day contract working for Indy Models for the FDIC tradeshow this year.
On the third day of this tradeshow, Mr. Knauer, who had spent a portion of each day of the tradeshow walking the floor with a camera, spotted one of the models I had worked with on her way to one of the connecting hotels. She had been working for two hours and per the client's advice to take a break if she wanted to get anything to eat or sit down, was taking a break to go to the McDonalds in an adjacent hotel with another model contracted through Indy Models.
Mr. Knauer took this opportunity to publicly berate them despite the instructions from the client to this model. When reminded of this, he replied that the models worked for him, NOT the client. He threatened that he would not pay these models unless they returned to the registration booth in five minutes, despite our client's instructions that they wanted us to walk all levels of the convention center to create attention and encourage guests to come to our booth (the booth number was clearly printed on the back of our shirts above our micro skirts of Barbie proportion).
It should be noted that the client paid extra to earn the privilege of advertising outside of their booth. Most tradeshow exhibitors are only allowed to advertise within their own booths. Following this run in with Mr. Knauer, the models I worked with and I went to our client to make sure none of us had done anything to merit being reprimanded. Our client assured us we were doing a great job and that there was no reason to not expect a paycheck as soon as Allen had promised us (our original contracts state that payments are received within four weeks of completed assignments) as PBI had paid him in advance and had already received a check for our work.
A week passed after working the final day at FDIC. Another model and I made an interesting discovery after following our suspicions of Allen's threats of not paying us what he contractually owed us for working FDIC. Our suspicions led us to the following sites.
Http://usacomplaints.com/reports/0/283/RipOff0283068.htm
Http://usacomplaints.com/reports/0/282/RipOff0282426.htm
Http://www.mymodeltalk.com/jobs/watch-list/45682-promotional-models-please-read.html
Http://chicagotalents. Hyperboards.com/index.php? Action=view_topic&topic_id=388
I also found this very disturbing article in the Chicago Tribune re-posted by another model in a myspace bulletin (which unfortunately I cannot find at the present moment).
Modeling agency got ugly over pay
Jon Yates | What's Your Problem?
September 30th
Denise Marks has been modeling for seven years and never had problems getting paid for her work, until she signed a contract with 1stPlaceModels in April.
Under terms of the deal, Marks would work four days at the Coverings Expo in McCormick Place, earning $250 per day hosting an exhibit for an Egyptian exporting company.
She was supposed to be paid by the end of May.
When her check didn't arrive, Marks e-mailed the Indianapolis-based modeling agency, asking for her money. She said the agency e-mailed a couple of times in early June, saying that it was having some financial problems but that her check should be mailed soon.
Marks said the next e-mail from the modeling agency, sent June 30, made her blood boil.
The message, sent to Marks and other unpaid models, and eventually forwarded to What's Your Problem, was attributed to agency director Allen Knauer. It claimed that some of the models had demonstrated "a knack for whining" with "Guinness Book potential." The e-mail summarized the models' calls and e-mails as "Whaaaa! Whaaa! Whaaaaa! Me! Me! Me! It's all about ME!!!"
The e-mail stated again that 1stPlaceModels was having financial problems.
"We pay you when we pay you. Period, " it said. "If you are in a financial position that requires you to live a desperate life of week-to-week survival, being an agency contractor is probably not a good choice for you."
The next e-mail arrived July 16, again attributed to Knauer.
"Writing or calling will not get your check e-mailed any faster, " it said. "Excessive writing or calling can certainly move you to the bottom of the list to be paid."
That's apparently where Marks wound up. When she still hadn't been paid in early September, she wrote What's Your Problem?
Marks said she was appalled by the e-mails from 1stPlaceModels, which also does business as Statement Models. Marks said she had found the agency through an advertisement on Craigslist.com and thought it was reputable. After not receiving her check, she said she called Knauer, but he refused to talk to her about payment.
"He's a real jerk and I want my money, " she told the Problem Solver. "I thought [the e-mails] were really out of line. Not very professional, for sure."
The Problem Solver called Knauer almost two weeks ago. He said he remembered hiring Marks, and said 1stPlaceModels was preparing to send her check within days.
Knauer said he didn't remember sending the e-mails to Marks, but said it was "possible" someone else from the agency sent them under his name.
He said that the company had experienced some problems and was behind on its payments, but that the check to Marks would soon be on its way.
"The bottom line is to resolve this issue, " he said. "It's all going out in the mail."
A week later, Marks did receive a check in the mail — for $500, half of what she was owed.
The Problem Solver called Knauer again and asked why she had not received the full $1,000.
"That's already all been explained to her, " he said. "I think at this point, we'd really prefer not to receive any more phone calls in the future. It's obviously of no benefit to me or anyone else."
Since making this discovery, I and many other models who worked the show were removed from the Indy Models website roster. I was not informed of this by Mr. Knauer. I had planned on removing any affiliation with the agency after I received payment for FDIC regardless. Once I noticed our absence on the website (www.indymodels.com) I immediately contacted Mr. Knauer via his myspace page, from which I was also removed (big deal, right?). I asked if we were still on good terms. He tells me this:
Lindsey,
The performance of all 4 girls at the PBI booth was an unmitigated disaster. We will be very fortunate if we are paid. Even more fortunate if we work with them again.
Of the 4, you were the only one who had a chance of surviving on our roster. That was until you posted the comment on Facebook regarding the image from the party. If you didn't like the image, there were plenty of other ways, privately, to make that known.
"We're still on good terms, yes?" Amazing...
Keep in mind that I know he HAS been paid for the work. The comment he is referring to on a photo on facebook was nothing more than a comment in jest about how I needed a tan and how silly I looked for posing with a stack of dollar bills in my hand, as we were collecting money for the People's Burn Foundation that night for our client.
At this point, I believe that Mr. Knauer will find any excuse not to pay his models, as this has clearly been the case with models from the past. I have been a successful promotional model for over two years and have always received excellent feedback from my clients who are often International businesses which expect the best and most knowledgeable tradeshow model possible. I have never had a problem booking other events based on positive recommendations from these clients.
In June, I was in the process of obtaining a letter of recommendation from the client and a copy of the cashed check issued to Mr. Knauer's agency in advance of the FDIC show, whatever name that might be, he has several names for his company (1st Place Models; Statement Models; aka Glamour Photography). And luckily, I have several connections to attorneys who are more than willing to write a letter or make a call on my behalf, should this situation turn into a legal struggle to be paid the money Indy Models owes me. However, many of the other models waiting for payment do not have such advantages.
Since June I have received quite a few e-mails from Mr. Knauer, only further delaying the date of payment.in an e-mail he dated June 19th he states "Those on our Terminated For Cause list can expect to receive checks within 90 days of the last day of work. For the FDIC Expo, that would be somewhere around July 12." He has since further delayed payment until Saturday, July 19th. I have cause to belive that this agency has no intentions of paying me for my services and is a gigantic rip off.
0 comments