 Could
you tell our readers a little bit about your background and how
you came to be at LUCKY?
Next
Model Management gave me my first break into the business about
7 years ago. I was hired to work in the New Faces division, running
the annual model search contests and working with the winners. Next
taught me about testing, comp cards, go-sees, castings, and model
development. After 2 years, Wilhelmina Models hired me to head their
marketing and contest division. I worked with a dozen fashion magazines
to find new, fresh faces every year. Two years later, when celebrities
started appearing regularly in ad campaigns, I helped form a Celebrity
Division for Wilhelmina, representing actors and athletes for commercial
endorsements and campaigns.
With
a background in sales, I never turned down a meeting (I still never
do). One day, I went on an informational interview at Conde Nast
Publications. I happened to be in the right place at the right time
because the Bookings Editor position at LUCKY magazine had just
opened. With a model agency background, I felt my experience was
suitable for the position. Within two weeks, I had a job offer as
the Bookings Editor, and accepted immediately. I welcomed the challenge
to find the "faces of LUCKY."
How
would you describe what it is that you do at the magazine?
My
job is to cast and book the models for the fashion stories
and covers. I see 20 to 40 models per week; I present about
10 of those models (via Polaroids) to the fashion editors
for their stories, after which one or two will get jobs. If
I really believe in a model, I will learn all about her career
and what her agent has done with her so far. Out of 100-plus
models I see on an average month, only 6 to 8 make it in each
issue of LUCKY.
|
"Out
of 100-plus models I see on an average month, only 6 to 8 make
it in each issue of LUCKY" |
How
do you sync the choice of models with the products being highlighted
in each issue?
I try
to match the models with the styles in the upcoming stories. For
example, if I'm working on a trend story, I look for a model with
a funky haircut or downtown look; a story showing more sophisticated
clothing calls for a classic beauty; say, a model who would look
great for a work and travel story. Personality counts too when booking
a model - I can't say that enough. I ask each model to make a funny
face or jump around for one of their polaroids. I need to see that
they can have fun - even if it's on the 8th floor of a corporate
office in midtown-Manhattan.
Does
LUCKY shoot several choices and test the covers before releasing
the final choice?
Yes.
Most Conde Nast publications shoot models for a "cover try"
- there has never been an instance at LUCKY when a cover has been
guaranteed. After the cover try, LUCKY will often test the cover
in the market research department to get initial reader response.
In addition to the model, we have to remember that clothing and
cover lines also help sell LUCKY - two elements we often forget,
but are crucial to its monthly success!
Do
you feel that certain models have the ability to move more product
than others?...
|
no.
36
