Spin it Again

I’ve been fighting off a return to the modeling industry for about 2 1/2 years now from friends, even some fam, and of course clients who are convinced that my past knowledge of the business spectrum of things can help make a difference in the rapidly-deteriorating NYC area scene. It’s wild that I’m still getting feelers from some industry people who are convinced that I’m joking when I fell back from the industry back in June 2007, but here’s the thing why I’m probably not looked on as bad as I once did 3 years ago during my reigning terror days: the evolution of new media versus the decline of print media outlets.

With the loss of major urban print outlets like KING and media platforms like BET pre-reality show haven, the girls of the urban world suddenly have to put on their thinking caps and do something not generally associated with modeling: think and be smart. Factor in that most of the managers from the good ol’ days haven’t successfully adapted to the growing new media practices, not to mention their lack of business focus that’s likely landed them with pennies or court cases, and you’re talking about an industry that’s on the decline faster than hip-hop at the moment. Without these easy outlets to meet supply and demand, these people now have to build their own brand base, as well as establish their ability to actually put forth effort since those outlets aren’t around to easily put the stamp of approval on them.

If you think about all of the different distribution streamlines used a few years ago back when I was involved (Calendars, Magazines, Posters), they have been conquered, with really a calendar being the only somewhat business-worthy gamble of the bunch, and even with that – unless a sponsor is backing it, there’s no turn of profit whatsoever putting one out. I know, it’s about the bigger picture of establishing a brand, but at the end of the day, because of these lack of other traditional outlets to help put $ in the account, the calendar thing now becomes more business-driven than ever before.

I remember a few years ago when I was coaxed into an idea of putting together a combination Magazine/Calendar (Calen-zine to be exact, LOL), and at the time, URM had built a nice strong machine to the point where I was going to do this project without any major established names, despite reaching out to a few big name friends to have as backup/fallback options just incase. I felt at the time that the URM machine was much bigger than the girls at the time I had on the client roster, and decided to mute Melanie’s constant “it will ruin the business” chants and put together scheduling and art direction. Since I was shooting all of it and putting up the $ to get it pressed (all of this with Elaine’s cashflow of course LOL), I felt that it was an easy go since I was more focused with piling up stats under the URM name moreso than helping establish the girls who were set to shoot for it (believe me, if you saw the list of a who’s who of former clients who were confirmed to do it, you would’ve rolled over in your grave 5 times over). It was then about “doing the industry way and jumping in.”

Then reality hit: I’m about to blow $3,000 of someone else’s money to shoot a half-assed Calenzine with a bunch of clients I barely liked or cared for, with the intent to work a machine that’s engine was becoming very outdated to a demographic I wasn’t even targeting (urban) and needed a refresh from the ground up. I also noticed the new wave of digital platforms that were surfacing that could provide a better reach to my actual target audience and help build a better long-term “brand trust” enough to do something else down the line more effective and with clients that actually did more than sat on their ditzy asses.

I fell back and put the halt on it altogether, which strained some relationships with a couple of my then-clients (FYI: nearly ALL of the people I had on deck to shoot that thing with, didn’t even make it to the end of the year as clients, so that would’ve been a complete disaster marketing-wise), and then the birth of what is now Digital First came with a completely new objective and bottom line. Turned out to be the best decision I ever made in my entire career, as my friendship with Melanie was damn-near toast because of me choosing to do it.

I’ve been asked for some advice every now and then from people “in the know” who are still establishing their brands from behind the camera, and have this suddenly brainwash idea that they can put together a magazine based on some unknown names who aren’t even working their asses off in what has to be the easiest era of modeling marketing since 2001 – why are people continuing to beat down a dead horse when there’s so many other effective ways to establish brand identity and turn a profit? People thought I was stupid years ago when I got my first publicist … who happened to be one of my good friends and helped me start URM at the time, but I knew that by having that strong communication present, it saved loads of money trying to do things to “follow the pack.”

Even today, although I’m no longer in the modeling industry at least in an active capacity, I still am tied to and connected via my past history, shrewd business practices, and some of my current clients who have migrated into other avenues after being full-fledged in the industry for years. But the one thing I always try and tell people who ask is you HAVE TO watch the market and adapt AND embrace it. Think about it: if you see thousands of kids making heavy use out of social communities and a more intimate platform to make their internet experience more enjoyable, why would you reverse direction and decide to flood the market with print? Even with todays models, if you are not aware of the culture of the business you are marketing your eventual paid products towards, then why assume what you are doing is right although the entire culture moves in a different direction? If you have 10 or so photographers form a collective in the same metropolitan region ALL doing the same direction of photography, what makes these people believe they won’t be essentially fighting for the same business? Just things that I’ve been observing from the outside, but what labeled me shrewd for years actually now labels me “smart.”

Interesting, right?