Ford Models
Evandro
Photo: Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin for Narciso Rodriguez
Ford Models [
agency info]
Models in top rankings:
Top 50: 7 
Click Link For More Details
PRO: Range. It is not the easiest thing to provide in male modeling and most agencies resolve the conflict on focusing on only one aspect of the business. For most, it's either/or. Edgy or commercial. Mass market or boutique. What distinguishes Ford is that ability to service the complete spectrum of clients with complete discipline and passion and that ability is what makes them such a a joy for clients to work with. Whether in dialogue with the lucrative commercial clients or the edgy editorial crew, Ford has options aplenty. With top models like Brad Kroenig and Evandro continuing to shoot everything from Chanel to Arena Homme Plus to Giorgio Armani, Ford is truly laying down a blueprint for how a smart agency operates.
CON: As is typical of any agency this scale, the board tends to be large so be prepared to work hard to stand out. That said, the entire industry is keeping a keen eye on Ford right this minute, which means you'll be well placed.
SCOUTING CALL: If offered a chance to be a part of this board, run don't walk. This is a spectacular moment at Ford.
Public Image Worldwide [
agency info]
Models in top rankings:
Top 50: 9 Click Link For More Details
PRO: IMG Men's board (now spun off as Public Image Worldwide) emerged as one of the most reputable names in male modeling in less than 10 years and has grown such deep roots, so many critical client relationships, so many mother agency alliances: that they can be as selective as they wish when building a model's career . The Public Image Worldwide board has always displayed a very focused ability to take a new face from nothing to maximum visibility, very quickly. Since the nature of the editorial male modeling market is constant turnover, PIW shrewdly avoided the dangers of a stagnant board by being able to bolster their commercial blockbusters (Tyson Ballou and RJ) with a constant supply of strong newcomers (Ryan Taylor, Taylor Fuchs). Now the most editorial of all the power agencies has transitioned into a state of enviable stabilty because of the staying power of the fixtures like Tyson and RJ. By playing the full service game perfectly and by exploiting their global muscle, PIW has become the desirable destination for today's ambitious new faces.
CON: Be warned however, it's a pretty big board. The more personality you bring to the table the better your chances of breaking out of the mob as a new star. Because, should you fail to shine, this team will not hesitate to move on.
SCOUTING CALL: Their management model is based on servicing the constant need for new editorial stars. Public Image Worldwide is as inclined to search for you, as you are to reach out to them and that makes them a top choice.
Wilhelmina New York [
agency info]
Models in top rankings:
Top 50: 8 Click Link For More Details
PRO: Wilhemina's President Sean Patterson has worked tirelessly to cultivate long term relationships with power clients and is innovative in the way he cross-promotes his brand. Those ventures can range from the mass market proposition of a hot popular reality show (The Agency) or a high taste point endeavor (like the V Magazine /Calvin Klein, Armani Exchange poster pullouts). The Wilhelmina name is synonymous with top of the line "men"; not boys, not fads, not passing fancies. That has made Wilhelmina into a giant: strong, stable and incredibly good at negotiating major rates for their superstar models. This is the home of the Mark Vanderloos and the Gabriel Aubrys; where the careers run long and client loyalty is paramount. The tightly edited board of 60 models may feel boutique scale but the mentality here is all about maximum dividend on the investment.
CON: Once you sign with Wilhelmina, do not presume than you can agency hop to your heart's content. This company is very, very protective of its assets and is very strict about its commitments.
SCOUTING CALL: If you ache for major male model stardom, this is the place to join your peers. They might not bring in a lot of new faces per season, but when they do bring a player on that highly selective board, it's full steam ahead.
DNA Models
Matt Gordon
Photo: Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin for Gucci
DNA Models [
agency info]
Models in top rankings:
Top 50: 7 Click Link For More Details
PRO: At DNA "editorial" is king and the impressive thing about that stance is the ability of this boutique to cross those editorial faces over into very lucrative money jobs. DNA is currently burning with a major roster of must-have finds, a fact that the blue chip photographers find irresistible. Working with a very concentrated board that serves as a virtual microcosm of "model types", the very driven men's director Gene Kogan has made this agency into one of the bluest of all blue chip male modeling shops. DNA is that boutique able to maneuver you to the coolest magazines, choicest campaigns and vital runways. Interesting trivia fact: DNA has held the Prada campaign for most of the past 8 seasons past. Very well positioned and showing no sign of wear.
CON: Hot today, discarded next season, that is the sad destiny of many editorial kings. The challenge is to make some fixtures of those faces that stand in jeopardy of being fads. DNA's done it before (see Johnny Zander and Matthew Avedon). There is more than ample proof that DNA can guide from the cool editorials into the lucrative catalogue bookings at your premium rate.
SCOUTING CALL: If you feel more comfortable at an image conscious boutique, then DNA's your perfect ticket.
Major Model Management [
agency info]
Models in top rankings:
Top 50: 9 Click Link For More Details
PRO: By focusing on an always coveted look: the ideal of the very classic American good looks (like the damn well iconic Chad White), Major has exploded on the market. This shrewd throwback to the aesthetic of 80's "Greek Gods" and matinee idols has proven to be very lucrative indeed. Clients have expressed a degree of comfort with the very sellable beauty that men's division head Jason Kanner markets with perfect skill. Mr. Kanner also registered very high marks for his efficiency and professionalism in managing his client relationships. Interestingly also, is the fact that in a market that is not extremely welcoming to ethnic diversity, Major has managed to maneuver an impressive number of talent into the mainstream of money jobs. Most enticing of all, the majority of the Major models are NY based, a boon situation for clients in that city. If scouted by Major, rest assured this company is poised for a major future.
CON: Major can be edgy at the drop of the hat but it's not their reason for being. If cool is your motive, Major will clearly be able to accommodate that, but if the big bucks is what you dream of, that you'll find a lucrative home here.
SCOUTING CALL: By banking on almost fifteen years of experience in the business, Agency Director Jason Kanner has brought a powerhouse sensibility to a boutique agency currently boasting a highly select board of 40 men. If you are invited to join the winner's circle, don't hesitate.
New York Model Management [
agency info]
Models in top rankings:
Top 50: 4 Click Link For More Details
PRO: They boast one of the most formidable teams in all of male modeling, which means here is a board that is driven, unified and as loyal to their models as their models are to them. NY Models excels at steering ground breaking faces (like Mathias and Will) to the clients most able to platform that aesthetic. This is not a booking table full of burn-outs but rather a compilation of individuals determined to keeping their models at the top of the trade (See Mathias at No 1 on MDC's Top 50). From Dutch to Burberry, Testino through to Thomas Schenk, that direct line to fashion's most adventurous lensmen is what puts NY Models heads in the distinguished category they have carved for themselves. Credited by clients as having a very unique eye, the scouting and management team at NY Models is known for promoting their models with 100% passion.
CON: One of the disadvantages of a boutique scale operation is clients might head for the bigger shops first when casting for a certain model before angling towards NY Models. Too established to be one of the "of the moment" agencies, NY Models, ironically enough, is probably what a lot of the instant mavericks would want to be. Incredibly stable.
SCOUTING CALL: The spotlights are on NY Models right this second and the energy level of the staff is as high as the expectations. If scouted by this shop, strike while the iron's hot.
VNY Model Management [
agency info]
Models in top rankings:
Top 50: 5 Click Link For More Details
PRO: What a magnificent moment VNY Model Management is having, right this minute, crashing into the power boutique crowd via major bookings for the Prada and Calvin Klein campaigns. And it is well earned as this agency has earned a reputation for being nurturing of their models. It's a quality that has endeared VNY to the mother agencies at maximum trust level and now the dividends are paying off in the form of a board that is a client must book. The agency driving force, Lana Winters now finds herself in daily dialogue with some of fashion's biggest and best forces. See what tenacity can do for a career.
CON: VNY fought with a passion to get here, now it will have to fight with greater passion to stay there. The challenge is to prove that those FW 07 bookings were not a fluke, but the sign that a new power-player has arrived. And that means if VNY scouts you, then they'll be battling like it's life and death to make you a star.
SCOUTING CALL: Passion, dedication and drive. It's all here in spades. If contacted by VNY, rest assured that they'll be burning the midnight oil on your behalf.
CLICK
Garrett
Photo: David Sims for Calvin Klein
CLICK [
agency info]
Models in top rankings:
Top 50: 2 Click Link For More Details
PRO: If there was no Click, would the male modeling industry be what it is today? Most likely not. If male modeling has a modern cachet these days then Click is a pioneer of that ideal. As one of the venerable agencies in this industry, Click has built a base of loyal longtime clients defined by such powerbrokers as Bruce Weber and Ralph Lauren. But now the in crowd is starting to cluster around this board and the booking board finds itself fielding calls from V Magazine and L'Uomo Vogue. If it's one thing Click has proven, it's the ability to log lucrative fees for its formidable board proving that cool is not a language exclusive to the new kids on the block.
CON: Now that Click has grown up into a stable money maker it must bring a smile to Frances Grill's face to see the word "venerable" used to describe the Click agency. But reinvention is the very definition of fashion and with a massive scouting hunt underway, don't be surprised if the Click show rolls into your town very soon.
SCOUTING CALL: Click knows the clients, with an intimacy and detail that very few agencies can even begin to imagine. If they recruit you for their new Cool Brigade, rest assured they'll also be thinking of ways to make your "cool" as financially rewarding as possible.
Next Models NY [
agency info]
Models in top rankings:
Top 50: 4 Click Link For More Details
PRO: In a sentence: Next is a nexus of major money clients and that fact has made them a favorite of European agencies looking to place their coveted new faces in the NY market. Flagshipped by new generation stars such as Vincent LaCrocq and Nicolas Bemberg this classic imprint has returned to its rightful spot at the upper echelons of the business. Which is not to say that Next lacks for cool. It can certainly service that end of the spectrum while keeping a shrewd eye on the bottom line.
CON: The irony is Next really doesn't have an obvious and glaring fault. The problem of the past of having to restructure and re-stock the board has been nicely solved. If anything, Next has become a vortex drawing in disgruntled models from other agencies. And that is a testament to some shrewd management.
SCOUTING CALL: As a new model it would be very smart to ride the rising wave coming from this company.
Red Model Management [
agency info]
Models in top rankings:
Top 50: 3 Click Link For More Details
PRO: When an agency shuts down in its former incarnation and manages to keep every single one of its key faces, that is a testament to the talent and integrity of its managers. Consider the implications of that achievement when you imagine the scale of the checks waved in the faces of those male models. Red Model Management simply put, is a paragon of how talent should be treated in business that believes talent to be disposable. With a lethal combination of impeccable scouting, focused development and shrewd management, the powerhouses at Red, George Brown, John Babin and Dave Fothergill, have consistently delivered to the editorial market, exactly what the blue chip clients are looking for, right that second. In addition to being au courant and hip, Red has also stabilized into a pragmatic and business savvy operation which means the future of the men's market.
CON: It's the classic challenge issued to all mavericks. Fashion loves a new sensation but also loves to get over a new sensation just as fast. Red has clearly learned that the next level of evolution is to turn its cool guys into wealthy fixtures.
SCOUTING CALL: These guys don't even leave the booking board for lunch; that's the level of commitment involved here. The passion that Red brings to the men's game spills over not only to the models but also to the clients. If you are looking for an agency that is fresh, clear-eyed and driven then Red is your ticket to ride.
Request Model Management NY [
agency info]
Models in top rankings:
Top 50: 2 Click Link For More Details
PRO: It's almost legendary now, the speed with which Request put themselves on the map. Request exploded on the NY scene landing some of the hottest models of the moment on their board.Their cool and unique crew of models (like newcomer Cole) is well-respected because it represents a brave departure from the cookie-cutter ideal where often times Manhattan model boards can sometimes be a series of clones. Request's management team also is known for its excellent relationships with photo-reps, in NY and especially in Paris where their dexterity with that market allows them to do a steady trade in direct bookings there.
CON: The blessing of being able to source amazing newcomers left Request vulnerable to that constant curse: the poaching that is typical of an overcrowded market. While Request has displayed a proven ability to build the boy, the challenge is to keep him locked in place. Once the money bookings start to balance the cool editorial profile however, look for those Request models to realize that loyalty can sometimes make for the best kind of stability.
SCOUTING CALL: If you want an outpost that is hip and hungry, then Request is one of the best choices imaginable.
Fusion Models
Joseph Culp
Photo: Mark Segal for Another Magazine SS08
Fusion Models [
agency info]
Models in top rankings:
Top 50: 1 Click Link For More Details
PRO: The drive and the focus at Fusion is such that in less than 3 years, one of their discoveries was highlighting a Dior campaign and Louis Vuitton was booking their new faces. As they reach the 5 year mark, Fusion continues to have the fresh energy and genuine excitement that they bring to the business, anchored by their strong editorial eye in scouting.
CON: It's that smaller agency syndrome. Fusion is going to have to work harder to build those client relationships so that they leap quickly to mind when castings arise. They've been off to a great start, so this goal is truly within reach.
SCOUTING CALL: The ability to see the model's potential before the model manifests himself on camera is a gift. Fusion has this without doubt.
Q Model Management NY [
agency info]
Models in top rankings:
Top 50: none
[x]Q Model Management NY
Top Male Models ranked
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PRO: The continued success of Q proves one thing. There is a wide range of clients activating the men's market today and they canvas everywhere in search of the right talent. Dedicated to the idea that their models are full-scale personalities, Q has distinguished themselves from the field by focusing on the uniqueness and individuality of each of their models. The diversity of their board continues to put them in very good standing with those clients looking to move away from interchangeable male models. Whoever is scouting and signing these faces is very adept at editing an interesting selection of new faces.
CON: It's a very crowded field in the men's game and though Q has achieved an admirable level of stability, it's not their instinct to call a lot of attention to themselves.
SCOUTING CALL: Q has forged very tight bonds with a slew of money clients. If you aim to be a solid earner with a base of strong commercial clients, then Q is very much ideal for you.
