Every time a major model builds her career to its saturation point, a funny thing happens. More often than not she develops an urge to become an actress. And more often than not (especially after nailing a beauty contract) she leaves behind the hip agencies of NY/London/Milan for the hills of Hollywood.
One shrewd talent manager saw this coming before anyone else. The man in question is Michael Flutie, the power behind such MTA successes as James King, Laurie Prepon and Alexis Bledel. Here Michael gives MDC his take on the nuances of guiding a career from the hippest heights of fashion to the mass market triumphs of film and television.

MDC: There was a time when MTA was code for "Big name fashion model does 5 sec walk through as herself in a bikini." Now it's found actual respectability in Hollywood. What do you think caused that shift?

Michael Flutie: I think that first of all historically there have been a lot of actresses who developed a strong presence in film and television but there never really was the media machine to bring them forward on a fashion platform. Consequently a lot of very beautiful women who wanted to make their mark on the movie industry had to move away from being seen just as "beauties" or as models to gain credibility. You saw that happen a lot with the Cybill Shepards, the Sharon Stones, and the Jessica Langes. Just around the Andie MacDowell period...
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