As I shared with all of you beautiful people, I went to Wilhelmina for a meeting on Monday. For those just now hearing about this, I submitted pictures online, they invited me to an open call, now they want to sign me. (MIND YOU it’s only the Wilhelmina in PA)! Note: I tell a story with my links, click on them! :}
My mom being the GOD SEND that she is, agreed to take off work and drive me to Harrisburg to meet with the Kelli Walters (Harman) owner of Wilhelmina of PA this past Monday. I am glad she did because as it turns out there are a lot of fees/training tools I need to pay before getting work with Wilhelmina. When I first found out about this I got nervous. The gist is there are several people saying they are a scam because of these fees. But as you might have seen earlier I asked famous model Lizzy Miller about the fees and she said this. Which doesn’t exactly make me feel a whole lot better, but at the same time it all makes sense. Wilhelmina of PA is there to help prepare you to get to Wilhelmina of NYC/LA/Miami or whatever. It’s a development agency, a mother agency. I have called Wilhelmina in NYC about the office in PA, and I can move up from them. As a matter of fact, when I went to NYC that’s exactly what the lady told me to do while I was in Wilhelmina. So it can’t be a scam.
But anyways, I knew all of this before I showed up to this meeting. I did hours of research about it, because a lot of people (Tyra Banks) say that you can be successful in modeling without paying a thing. Which is true, for the agencies I have been with thus far (I got one job after 2 years)- but it isn’t true with bigger agencies like Ford or Wilhelmina. You have to pay for comp cards, fed ex fees, photo shoots, classes, etc. Those usually come out of your account when you sign with them, but these peeps charge it ahead of time. But yea…
SO back to Monday, we got there on time. I was all nervous, but I was glad my mom was with me because I tend to act on an impulse. I knew if they gave me the contract I would feel obligated to sign it. And sometimes I don’t pay attention to details in paper work.
We first go to the wrong floor of the building because I made a mistake (typical), then we walk into the office. NOT as glamorous as the NYC office, but not shady either. While we wait the girl at the front desk hands us the contract to look over before we meet with the head honcho. The contract seems pretty decent, but the money is due within the first 4 weeks of your contract being signed… Which is why I am not “signed” yet, I don’t have all of the money yet.
Then we go in to talk to the lady, she is really nice, an ex-model, and didn’t seem shady at all. That made me feel better. She kept the meeting short and sweet. Basically I told her that I have one more full semester of college, so that might come in the way of me being able to attend jobs. She said that was completely fine. I also told her that I want to progress to Wilhelmina in NYC. I had a lot of energy talking to her, I think she was surprised. She just smiled. I think its hard for skinnier models to understand why I am modeling in the first place. haha But here: check out the other models they have for plus models… So, I am pretty sure I am not like any of them. I’m kinda different. haha Don’t know how else to explain it. Most of them are smaller too.
Wow, this post is long. But yea, I didn’t sign the contract yet. I left with it, I did that on my own, my mom was like sure sign it now. I had to remind her that I had no money. hahaa Then we left, and I fake studied for my midterm the next day. (Probs failed)
Kelli (owner of Wili of PA) said most of my jobs will be in Philly… Ugh, a 6 hour drive from where I live. But whatever, I will figure out how to get there. I am ready for this. I am ready to take a chance and if it turns out to be a complete waste of money (I will bitch-blog a LOT about it) I will press on. I am not even close to ready to give up on this dream, so whether or not the world is ready for it.
Here I come.
