Congratulations on landing the Roc A Wear account. That Naomi just has a sixth sense for updating and redefining her image.
Naomi was really happy to do that job. She's very good friends with Damon Dash. Plus it paid very well. And with Naomi it's doing things like that, breaking new ground that keeps things interesting. With Women, it is always about going beyond being the typical modeling agency.

How did your interest in photography evolve?
I went to school to study painting so everything I've been doing has always come from the idea of an art aesthetic. The reason I started to take pictures in the first place was because I would see a girl a certain way but I would have no one to take the picture. And so that's what I started doing...cutting a girl's hair, taking Polaroids...and then finally I called Stephen Sprouse one day and said "Stephen, why don't you do this photo shoot with me" because I figured he would know how to take a certain picture. So we did this shoot with this beautiful Brazilian girl. I styled it, Stephen was shooting and I was being really specific and going "Maybe we could do it like this..." and he said .."You should shoot!" I was really petrified but I did it and that's when I started doing pictures. I'm not aspiring to be a "Fashion Photographer". Women is my priority but I love the idea of having special projects that I can do with the girls. I have a couple of ideas about things I want to do...strictly with my own girls...because the interesting part about photography for me is about how I see the girls that I represent and how I can capture what I see in them .

Paul mugging for the camera

It's all a part of an extended vision, from the interior design of the agency to the graphics on the model cards to the girls' haircuts.
It's just not me though. We have a graphics department and those kids are so talented. They come to me with stuff everyday that's new and different. Did you get our e-mail newsletter?

Wicked idea. Wished we'd thought of that design!
Our whole idea here is to keep people aware of what our girls are doing because there are so many girls out there. That email is sent worldwide. You push a button and boom-it's sent to the world. It's a whole new way of branding. Down the line, in the next year or two, we're going to get into licensing with certain girls, with the idea of Women. Naomi for instance has a second fragrance coming out plus there are other major projects we're working on right now. There's the idea to one day do a book, either with a girl like Naomi or several girls and showing the fantasy of how a girl evolves into fashion. It's a girl like Ana Paula. I love this girl and it's an exciting project to slowly get her there, so that she's right. That's why we don't have 300 girls.

Inside Women's NY office: Poi, one of the agency's mascot
in front of an early Kate Moss shot

Is the aim of launching Women Worldwide to make the company financially competitive with the Next's, Elite's and IMG's of the world?
Yes, we will be financially competitive but alongside that we'll be innovative. I'll tell you why I do this. I want Women to be the best in the world. What that means is it's not just about being the best financially. Along with being the best financially I want the image to be the best, I want the ideas to be the most imaginative. The one thing that I do live for with Elite is their scouting system. They have the most brilliant scouting system

It does seem to cover every point on the globe.
We're slowly doing that.

With your scouts are on the road permanently these days and your staff looking highly mobilized the next few months should be interesting.
Here at Women I give people the freedom to work but when it comes down to the images it's me who sits there figuring out that this works, this doesn't work. I just don't ever want Women to become just another agency. Things are going to get bigger and better but it will never become complacent. You need to stay a little hungry all the time. The thing that I really treasure about doing this is the ability to create something that is strong and beautiful so you can look back and be proud of what you achieved. Knowing that it was never mediocre. It's a tough challenge but that's the way it's been since the time when I was fourteen and playing football in high school. It's like there's always these obstacles that you're running to and pushing against. That's the story of my life.