"Hey baby, I'm going to make you a star."
The words may cause some people to roll their eyes in skepticism. But for many Utahns each year, promises of instant stardom, fame, money and glamour from so-called modeling or talent scouts prove irresistible.Modeling scams have been around for years. In Utah, they have spanned the spectrum of severity. On one end, there are agencies making lavish promises, only to deliver third-rate mug shots and etiquette lessons, if they deliver at all.
On the other end, there have been agencies investigated -- their leaders or employees convicted -- for felonies ranging from theft by deception to sexual exploitation.
Still, the talent business in Utah is booming, largely because there is a need for models and actors in the state's burgeoning film, advertising and television markets. Moreover, big-city agencies consistently recruit Utah men and women, citing their "clean, fresh look."
"We have an incredible pool of talent in this city," said ZCMI fashion coordinator Sandra Ence Paul. ZCMI utilizes hundreds of models each year for its fashion shows and print and television advertisements. "I think it's unusual for a city this size to have such good talent, but we do."
As the industry has grown, so have the scams. Unscrupulous people prey on the aspirations of the young, and their desire to be among the rich and glamorous.
"Who doesn't like to be told, 'Oh, you're so pretty'? It's a human frailty," said Vickie Panek, co-owner of Talent Management Group. "We like to be told we've got something special. . . . In this industry, we're dealing with people's emotions, people's dreams, and that makes a scam so much more painful."
How can prospective models and actors avoid becoming victims of talent agency scams?
"The most important thing you can do is educate yourself about what it is you're getting into," said Susie McCarty, owner of the McCarty Agency. "Get some legitimate knowledge. Most often, it's not going to come from some of these so-called schools, because a lot of them are just going to take your money and run."
These "fly-by-night" recruiters -- those who travel to various Utah towns under the auspices of a nationwide talent search -- are often legally within their bounds, but they are rarely legitimate avenues to success, Panek said.
"Those groups that go through town, they may offer you widespread distribution, but people really have to question what they will get out of it," Panek said. "Most people don't hire out of those books. It's just not logical. You've got to start by looking for work where you are."
"If you can't make it locally, you won't make it nationally," said Jim Dunn, McCarty Agency head of New Faces.
The national recruiters typically ask the prospec- tive talent to pay an upfront fee -- many times, the fee is several hundred dollars -- to include them in the agency's headbook, and they promise national exposure. But what the customer gets, Dunn said, is a lighter wallet. That's all.
"Ninety-nine point nine percent of the time nothing comes out of it," he said. "These types of people are there to scam you. They're there to take your money and run."
One school that has an aggressive nationwide recruiting campaign is Barbizon Models. Thomas Brandt, who owns the Barbizon Utah affiliate, denies his agency/school is out to scam anyone.
Though Brandt says the agency has an active client list, he admits it's Barbizon's school that attracts most patrons. In fact, he said Barbizon will not accept talent unless they complete the school's curriculum.
"I think our mission statement says it all," Brandt said. "We want to allow individuals to face life's challenges with confidence and self esteem. A lot of the girls who come here are here for the sole purpose of gaining confidence. . . . We work from the inside out, not from the outside in. "
Tuition at Barbizon starts at $1,295, which includes a 60-hour curriculum, skin care and cosmetics, a photo shoot, and an agency listing.
"It's one thing to offer self-improvement classes," said Laurel Hill, a Utah native now modeling in New York City, "When I worked at McCarty, we taught classes like that. But we had the girls separated into two classes -- the ones for self-improvement, and another for model training.
"We had all kinds of girls saying they had spent over $1,000 (for classes), and they didn't know how to walk the runway, or how to make their turns. It was such a shame."
"It's fine if all they want to do is help people feel better about themselves," said Kagen, a model currently with TMG. "But don't call yourself a modeling agency or school. Don't give people the illusion they're going to reach stardom. They're not."
Brandt insists his agency makes no such promises.
"I never tell anyone they're going to be a star or on a cover of a magazine. If that is what you're looking for, to say, 'Oh, I just want to be a model,' then maybe you should look at some other places. We do book our models, and our models get paid. But the modeling part is the icing on the cake. Modeling is not the bread and butter. The bread and butter is education, career and family."
Brandt estimates about 90 percent of his agency's models work as "spokesmodels," promoting a product or service. Some can be found at department stores, malls or school campuses, handing out samples of a product -- shampoo, for example -- to follow up on a national campaign. Others work at hair shows, or doing fashion shows for mall stores. Few work overseas.
"If we're comparing who gets the biggest modeling contracts, it's not me," Brandt said. "But I don't care, because I know what this business is all about. I'm against the editorial stuff, the waif, do-whatever-it-takes, go overseas modeling. Regardless of whether a model ever works a job in her life, that doesn't really concern me.
"If a parent comes to me, and says, 'My daughter learned self-confidence, but what else did we gain?' I feel really sad. If self-esteem is not gift enough, what is?"
Barbizon is not the only agency to face a critical eye in the community. Others have faced the sting of the legal system.
In 1992, two Sandy men faced more than two dozen second-degree felony charges for allegedly bilking 24 people in Utah and Idaho out of money while promising them acting and modeling jobs. Court documents stated one victim was "guaranteed" three hours of work per day a few times a week, at $150 per hour. When the woman called the agency to ask why she wasn't getting work, court documents said the agency owners first told her they lost her photos, then denied knowing who she was or why she was calling.
Each of the 24 people named in the charges paid an upfront deposit, but none received jobs or photographs.
In 1995, another Sandy man posing as a photographer for a modeling agency was charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after he allegedly photographed two girls, ages 16 and 17, partially nude. The agency denied ever working with the man.
This year, Salt Lake City Police Sgt. Ken Hansen confirmed there is at least one investigation under way of a modeling agency in the city. That agency, while not one of Utah's "big three" -- the McCarty Agency, TMG, and Urban Model and Film Management -- still actively books its talent for work.
"Their motives are suspect," Hansen said. "They're asking the girls regardless of age to disrobe. Every month or two we'd get a complaint."
Police will not release the name of the agency because the investigation is ongoing, Hansen said.