Monday, June 10, 2013

Industry Professionals To Know and Network With


  • Photographers
    Davide Photography - Detroit, MI.

    Treagan Photography - Detroit, MI.

    Butler Boys Productions - Las Vegas, NV.

    FFTV Photography - Los Angeles, CA.

    Michael Bell Photography - Palm Springs CA.

    Risque Photography - Los Angeles, CA.

    Urban Soul Photography - Los Angeles, CA.

    Dexter D Cohen Photography - Virginia Beach, VA.

    Chris Visuals Photography - Denver, CO.

    Joseph Labisi - Los Angeles CA/Miami, FL.

    Tay Price - Las Vegas, NV.

    King Yella - Saint Louis, MO.

    One Shot Mike Ho - Los Angeles, CA.

    Tomek Pleskaczynski Photography - Las Vegas, NV.

    Walid Azami - Los Angeles, CA.

    Arthur St. John - Los Angeles, CA.

    CurveScience - Nationwide/UK

    Derick G - Worldwide

  • Talent Management/Talent Casting Agencies

  • Production Companies/Directors
    LiveliHoodFilms - Los Angeles, CA.

    Tay Price Films - Las Vegas, NV.

    Antwan Smith - Miami, FL./New York, NY.

    Gil Green - Miami, FL.

    Wuz Good - New York, NY.

    Riveting Entertainment - Los Angeles, CA.

    Happy Place Films - Los Angeles, CA.

    Joseph Labisi - Los Angeles CA./Miami, FL

    TAJ - Los Angeles, CA.

    One Shot Mike Ho - Los Angeles, CA.

    6mic Films - Albuquerque, NM.

    This Is Frank - Manhattan, NY.

    Tommy Labuda - Los Angeles, CA.

    3rd Eye Film Works - Los Angeles, CA.

    Walid Azami - Los Angeles, CA.

    G Visuals - Atlanta, GA.

    Ray Rich - Hollywood, CA.

    Mr. Boom Town - Houston, TX.

    Director X - Hollywood, CA.

    DNA COMMERCIALS & MUSIC VIDEO - Hollywood, CA.

    Andrew Bennett - Los Angeles, CA.

    Derick G - Worldwide

    Ricky Tyree - Atlanta, GA.

    TANDBFILMS313 - Detroit, MI.

    Tri Destined Studios - Los Angeles, CA.

  • Modeling Portfolio, What To Know:

    It’s a collection of your modelling pictures. How many pictures you need varies. You should only keep strong pictures, you are only as good as your worst picture! Models should aim for quality not quantity! Avoid using 2 pictures of the same shoot (same look) Black and White is the favourite of the industry. 9 by 12 inches are the standard size. Your agency will require you to buy an 11 by 14 inches for their book (portfolio). A basic but versatile portfolio would have a casual head shot, styled head shot, body shot (conservative swimsuit or lingerie), a fashion shot (sexy), action shot, an editorial shot and even a catalogue shot. As you gain experience replace the olderpictures with newer one. Keep your best picture at the end to leave a lasting impression! Do not wear jewellery for those prints, it takes the attention away from you. The wrong choice of undergarments may show panty line or bra straps and will distract the viewer (on the job, or in interviews it can mean the difference between looking professional or not). Tailor your portfolio for your strengths and the type of modelling you are doing.
    Portfolio is a set of professional pictures that helps you in getting the best assignments. Generally in a portfolio 5 rolls are clicked. In each roll one to two dresses are used and the Best 2 pictures are selected. So in all you get around 10 pictures in a 5 roll portfolio.
    Portfolio Tips
    The tools of your trade are your portfolio photographs and your resume. Portfolio is a model’s basic promotional tool consisting of an album showing the best photos from tests and bookings.
    At the beginning of your fashion modeling career, your portfolio should include: At least two head shots with two different expressions (one smiling and one serious, or one in the studio and one outdoors). At least two fashion shots (one casual and one a little more formal). If you move well, you might like to include an action shot. At least one full-length shot showing the proportion of your body (feet to knees, knees to thighs, thighs to waist, waist to shoulders, shoulders to the top of your head). You could wear a leotard or a body suit, depending on what makes you comfortable and flatters your figure. A full portfolio consists of about twenty-four 9″x12″ p
    hotos and tears ( from magazines). Remember: it is better to have less photos, but ones that are really strong, than a full portfolio with photos that are mediocre. Every portfolio needs a mix of commercial and editorial shots, location and studio. You will also need at least one great body shot (professional and tasteful – editorial style is best) and one beautiful B&W head shot with minimal makeup.
    Get trained in the various techniques required to be learned before going for a folio then Go to an Expert, trained and an experienced Fashion Photographer who could advice you about your best looks and specifically could give you more time as you are a learner, so you require more time to be comfortable with the camera and the shoot (never give shot unless you are comfortable).
    A strong portfolio opens doors, a weak portfolio closes them. Your portfolio is often the only thing a person sees before deciding whether or not to contact you, and in many cases you may not be present to explain it (particularly on-line portfolios). There are fundamental qualities that all outstanding portfolios share, and a variety of principals and techniques that can help take your portfolio from average to excellent. If at all possible, your portfolio should be appropriate to the situation and reviewer, and all portfolios should show creativity, skills, range, thought, and ambition. It is the overall combination of these, plus that “special something,” that makes one designer stand above the others.
    How many photos do I need to have?
    Less is better! You will not impress with quantity – you will make a lasting impression with quality. The purpose of the modeling portfolio is not just simply to show that you are attractive – it is to show your ability to portray different characters, age ranges and importantly personality!
    As a new model – 6 – 12 pictures is adequate to present yourself to a new agency. 20 should be a maximum – but only if they are 20 “WOW” pictures. Good pictures don’t make the grade.
    Should the pictures all be in Color?
    Black and White is not only an artistic medium that can be effectively used to create and convey a mood, but it is also a medium that is still very much in use today – so don’t be afraid to include a few great Black and White photos in your portfolio.
    Your portfolio should be organized and visually appealing
    Loose photos, cut up contact sheets, loose slides, torn or bent photos, are signs of a poor portfolio presentation. Just as an accountant wouldn’t present his resume on a crumpled piece of paper, you shouldn’t have a sloppy portfolio. Your portfolio represents you, make it a lasting, positive impression.
    Kinds of Photos
    A high quality headshot is a must. After you get some experience, you should have a couple different headshots showing different hairstyles and makeup looks. Your book should also contain shots of you showing the kinds of work you want to do. If you want to be a swim wear model, have swim wear shots, not high fashion, in your book. Versatility is good but don’t get caught up in trying to be everything. Stick to what you are suited for and are interested in.
    If you take the time to review and select your work, and put together a well thought out book, you’ll be rewarded many times over throughout your career.

    HB Models Kicks Off Summer Madness Weekend with Christian Keyes - Las Vegas Friday July 19 - 21, 2013


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    Come out and start your Summer Madness Weekend with the ladies of HB Model's Management at Diablos Cantina Friday July 19, 2013. Your hostess will be @Maria_Leanna @EnvyGoldz@StephanieTjada and more.

    Monday, April 29, 2013

    Think Like A Man, Too Casting by email

    You can still submit your materials by email, read the bottom part of the casting notice.
    You can still submit your materials by email, read the bottom part of the casting notice.

    Wednesday, April 10, 2013

    Stolen Photos and Photography Copyright Laws:


    Photography Copyright Laws
    If it does not belong to you, it is not yours. If you take it, you are stealing. A simple, moral idea that is often betrayed. Copyright laws protect an artist’s work. Writers need to protect their words; photographers need to protect their images. The laws may appear to be complex, but the rules are basic.
    Copyright
    The U.S. Constitution and the Federal Copyright Act protect the original works of “authors.” The “author” is the copyright owner, and has exclusive rights to make copies of his work, create other works based on the original, display or perform the work in public and make copies of the work for sale, lease, rent or lending.
    Photo Copyright Ownership
    The “author” is the person who took the photo; the owner is the person who snapped the shutter. If a photographer takes a photo of you, that photographer owns the copyright of the photo. A photographer who is employed by a studio–or even newspapers–is not usually considered the “author,” the employer is.
    Copyright Registration
    Registration is not required for copyright protection. There is a $20 fee as of 2009 and forms that need to be filled out in order to register a copyright, which makes it a pricey and time-consuming for a photographer to register thousands of photos. Instead, a photographer may chose to register just his portfolio photographs.
    Web Photos
    Copyright infringement, the unauthorized use of copyrighted work, includes photos on the Web, as well as in print. Even if you do not see a copyright symbol, you should suspect that it probably is protected and not available for public use. It is recommended that photographers use copyright watermarks or include a copyright symbol to protect their images that appear on the Web.
    Idea Copyright
    An artist’s work is their own. There are more than a half-million images of the Golden Gate Bridge on Flickr, but each is unique to a specific photographer. It is possible for someone to try to recreate a more stylized or studio shot that is truly an original concept, but the infringement can be challenged, and it would be up to a court to decide on the degree of similarity between the works.

    Talent Agent or Talent Manager – Know the difference?


    Acting can be a confusing profession to those just starting out. There are so many unwritten rules, not to mention the scams that ruin the dreams of many talented actors. However, going into an acting career armed with knowledge will help minimize the confusion and maximize the success.
    Many beginning actors mistakenly think that “talent agent” and “talent manager” are two names for the same job. Actually, they are very different, but in a similar way. The best way to explain the differences is to tackle the job responsibilities separately, giving actors a good idea of those differences.
    A talent agent works for a talent agency where they use their contacts to arrange auditions for the actors represented by the agency. An actor should never pay a talent agent up front for auditions or representation. A legitimate talent agent should receive a ten to fifteen percent commission only from the work they find the actor. A talent agent should never receive any percentage above fifteen percent. 
    Actors need a talent agent to survive. A talent agent is able to provide an actor with auditions they would not otherwise know about. Without the appropriate industry auditions, an actor’s career will go nowhere.
    When securing a talent agent, actors should seek talent agencies franchised with The Screen Actors Guild (SAG). This means the agency and its agents have signed a contract agreeing to follow the rules regulated by the actors union.
    A talent manager’s focus is more on managing an actor’s career than with arranging auditions. Talent managers keep in close touch with talent agents to ensure a shared vision for the actor, but a manager stays mostly on the management end of the actor’s career. Sometimes a talent manager may set up an audition for an actor, but that is not their focus. A talent manager will not guarantee auditions for an actor. Securing auditions is a talent agent’s job.
    A talent manager handles public relations, business matters, and helps to make a plan and keep the actor on a path toward success. Actors usually don’t have a talent manager unless they have already seen some success and want to make a big jump in their career. Most actors cannot juggle the acting demands, interviews, and appearances that come with a prominent career. That is where a talent manager comes in.
    Just as with talent agents, an actor should never pay a talent manager up front or for representation. Talent managers take a higher percentage of an actor’s earnings than a talent agent does. Typically, a talent manager receives a fifteen to twenty percent commission.
    The differences between a talent agent and a talent manager vary, but their responsibilities are geared toward the same goal… advancing an actor’s career and getting the actor more acting jobs so the actors makes more money. The bottom line is that when an actor succeeds and gets paid, everybody gets paid. Both talent agents and talent managers will work hard to make that happen.

    Management’s Responsibilities and Commission


    A personal manager is not an agent (whose role is to obtain employment). A personal manager is not a publicist (whose role is to generate publicity). Nor is a personal manager an attorney (whose role is to provide legal counsel). And, a personal manager is not a business manager (whose role is to provide accounting, investment, and other financial services).
    So what is the personal manager? All of it!!!!!
    A personal manager is responsible for everything and anything that enhances the development of a performing artist’s career. From simple staging suggestions, to complex negotiations, to long term career plans, a personal manager lives the artist’s career every day behind the scenes. The manager’s commitment to and involvement in the artist’s career is one hundred per cent. The personal manager is the driving force breaking through the barriers of frustration and difficulty so often encountered in the entertainment industry. A personal manager is the person who believes in and keeps fighting for a client when all others have given up.
    A personal manager advises and counsels talent and personalities in the entertainment and modeling industries. Personal managers have the expertise to find and develop new talent and create opportunities for those artists which they represent. Personal managers act as liaison between their clients and both the public and the theatrical agents, publicists, attorneys, business managers, and other entertainment industry professionals which provide services to the personal manager’s clients.
    Picture a wagon wheel. At the very center is the axle. The axle is the performing artist around which everything revolves. The hub protects and supports the axle. That is the personal manager. The rim of the wheel is the artist’s career which travels on what can often be a bumpy, long, winding road. Connecting the hub with the rim are many spokes which give the wheel support in different directions. These are the agents, publicists, attorneys, business managers, and other industry professionals which support an artist on the road to success. When the wheel is well constructed, the artist’s journey can be smooth, speedy and successful.
    With responsibilities like that, it is a prerequisite that a personal manager must have the broadest of experience in the entertainment industry. Professional personal managers are also well informed on industry practices, standards, and regulations. Plus, managers are alert to the constant changes affecting the entertainment industry. Only with experience and up to date knowledge can a personal manager benefit clients.
    Commission
    Personal Talent Managers shall generally be compensated on a commission basis.
    • With the exception of reimbursements for monies advanced, no fee may be charged or collected for profit at the expense of a signed client by any Personal Talent Manager from any Model for:
    a) Registering or listing the Artist in Entertainment Industry or other publications or registries
    b) Letter writing
    c) Photographs, film clips, graphics, video tapes or other reproductions of the Model’s likeness or performances
    d) Any other charge or fee of a similar nature.
    • Commission shall not exceed 15% of Models’s gross income from the areas of film, television, live theatre, publishing, licensing, merchandising, commercials, industrials, live performances, personal appearances and/or any other related fields of the Entertainment Industry, except for the areas covered by the Music and Modeling Industry, in which commission may not exceed 20% of the Model’s gross income.
    • The term of a Personal Talent Management contract shall not exceed three years, except in the music field, where the term shall not exceed five years.
    This helps the manager maintain resources that is used for the Model’s benefit; mobile devices, computer, electricity, and other basic needs to provide effecient services for the model.
    Not paying commission will hender the manager from accomplishing their duties and can keep the model from working.
    Ask yourself, would you consistently work for free?