Without wanting to sound like I’m bragging on my own kid, my 17-year old son is gorgeous. Where he gets it from, well it’s gotta be his mother. While he’s not tall, certainly not “model tall,” he’s got a great body, fabulous hair and a classically handsome face.

Why am I telling you this? Well sure, I’m a parent, so of course you don’t really have to drag it out of me, but no, I’m telling you this as a warning.

You see, a few months ago, Z was approached at the Palisades Mall in West Nyack, New York by a woman who told him he “the Look.” That he should consider modeling, and if he wanted to, he should give her company a call, and handed him her card. The company was called Interface Talent, located in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Z came home and told me what had transpired. I figured it’d be a fun little experiment to see what this was about. So Z called the agency to arrange an appointment. On the phone, the woman was very adamant that both parents be present when we meet with their “producer,” as it was a legal matter if we made any decisions for our minor son. I told them that would be impossible, that my wife is away on business for the summer, and I would be the only one attending. She asked if I had decision-making power regarding my son’s affairs, and I told her that yes, I could make these decisions without my wife present. She seemed hesitant but we made an appointment for a week hence. We should bring some sample photos of Z with us, we were told.

Z went out with a photographer friend of his on a casual photo-shoot. They knocked out about 60 shots of him, of which we printed out about half a dozen on nice glossy paper.

We made the 90-minute trek to Norwalk for 2pm our appointment.We were given some forms to fill out, asking questions of Z about what type of modeling he thought he’d be interested in. Runway? (No.) Print ads? (Yes). Acting? (Not Sure). There were a bunch of other questions about his availability and his vital stats. Once he’d finished, he handed the clipboard back to the receptionist and we waited. Every so often, one highly dressed or made up person would walk purposefully through the lobby. All very model-like, very haute couture, chi-chi and frou-frou.

After about 10 minutes, a very attractive woman, probably in her early 30s, came out and introduced herself to us. Her name was Callie Bundy and she was our Producer. We followed her into her office and sat down to talk. She began talking about how excited they were to have Z here, and how they could help him launch his career. She told us they had hundreds of agents who subscribed to their service, and they regularly have people who get jobs modeling for some of the biggest name brands in the world. She showed us a 3″ ring binder with a variety of her clients, with their head shots and ads that they’ve done. She said Z had a very “Hollister” look and she could see him doing ads for companies like them or Abercrombie. Z’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm, and I could see she was just fawning over him, shoveling compliments at him in what seemed like just part of the conversation. It was speech right out of Salesmanship 101.

Now, as an aside, I’ve worked in Advertising for over 25 years. I’ve been an Art and Creative Director for all sorts of photo shoots, and have hired dozens of models, so I know the process. I’ve also, much as I hate to admit it, been a car salesman, and I know a good schpiel of BS when I hear one.

So here came The Pitch. Interface does not charge an agency commission, so they make their money by charging for head shots and photo shoots. They have two types of head shots, both of which Z should have. The smaller ones are $1.75 each; the larger $4.00 a piece. She recommended we start with 50 of each. Interface would set up a modeling photo shoot, with makeup and wardrobe help, and include the first set of shots, with a package that started around $1200. We could schedule something within the week, sign here.

Um, no. I didn’t feel right about the deal, and even though it really wasn’t an enormous amount of money, we’d be making the commitment, and Interface was offering no guarantees.  I told Callie I’d like to think about it.

And here’s where the hard sell started. The dance was right out of the car salesman’s manual. Keep asking questions, find out what price would get the deal done today; keep overcoming objections, and if all else fails, get the Sales Manager.

So Callie excused herself, and returned shortly with Bob, whom Callie said was the company President. Bob told me he’d cut me a deal for the $1200 package for only $800 if I’d put a deposit down right there. (They had packages all the way up to $5500!)  I told him I was still on the fence. I told him I needed to discuss the situation with my wife. Each objection was met with a comeback, looking for a “commitment.” Finally I threw out an offer, that I’d give him a $100 deposit if he could come down to $600. He jumped at the offer, and I figured it’d be safe to put a “fully-refundable” $100 on my Amex. I could always dispute the charge with Amex later if it all fell apart. He stage-whispered to me, begging me not to tell anyone what a deal I just got, and that I was only putting $100 down. At this point I was so skeptical that I was ready to call Amex to cancel before we’d left the building, but I let it lay, and we signed the papers (but only after reading the parts about how/when I could get my $100 back).

Z and I walked to the car, and I told him of my doubts, and that we’d do some due diligence once we got home. He was both excited at the prospect of making some money and being a model, and disappointed about my suspicions. Undoubtedly, had he been of legal age, he’d have written a check for the full amount then and there.

A few hours later, I sat down in front of my computer. I Googled “Interface Talent + sucks.” The top 5 hits were a litany of complaints and horror stories regarding the company. They’re under investigation both in New Jersey and Connecticut. Their representatives have been banned from a number of malls, and well, basically, Interface Talent is a company to stay away from. I immediately pulled out our contract and started the refund process, following it to the letter. (Long story short, while they did give me some minor, shady push-back, I did get a check from them exactly 30 days after  they received my Certified Mail refund request, as the contract stipulated).

So to all you parents; and to all you pretty young girls and handsome young  boys, I will tell you, unequivocally, stay away from Interface Talent Agency. They are running a scam on you, and do not fall prey to their slick attempts to appeal to your vanity or their hard-sell ways.  If you want to be a model, find a reputable agency, one for which you can find independent recommendations.

If you’d like to read further, two of the links I mentioned above are:
<http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200809/1221584332.html>
and
<http://bbs.backstage.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6031061/m/344106201/p/2>