By Melissa Sim
POLYTECHNIC STUDENT Karen Ong claims she was told she would get jobs in magazines, bridal shoots and TV commercials. SHE claimed she was told she had the makings of a model and had hopes of seeing her face splashed on glossy magazine pages and TV. But before she could land any modelling job, she would first need a portfolio of her pictures taken.
Singapore Polytechnic student Karen Ong, 19, paid an agency $450 to do so but after waiting for over a month, no offers have come her way. It all started in June when a talent scout from Create Talents - now known as Create Talents Pte Ltd - approached her at the Orchard MRT station.
She was later persuaded to sign up as a model and pay $450 for her portfolio. But she said that when she went for the photoshoot, she was dismayed to find that the clothes offered her were old and yellowing. The photographer, she claimed, was just a teenage girl.
Ms Ong wrote in to Stomp, The Straits Times' interactive Web portal, to share her experience. The Sunday Times subsequently spoke to three other girls, aged between 15 and 29, who also claimed they had similar experiences.
Two paid $188 and $288 to Create Talents, while another said she paid $660 to an agency called I Models International. All have not been given modelling jobs. Ms Ong and Ms Julie Low, 29, a cashier, have since lodged claims with the Small Claims Tribunal.
But Ms Low and Create Talents could not agree on a settlement amount after mediation. She chose not to pursue the matter and has not been refunded.
Ms Ong claims she was told she would get jobs in TV commercials, bridal shoots and magazines, but was asked only to go for an audition as a car model after she filed her claim with the Small Claims Tribunal. Her case is still undergoing mediation.
Checks by The Sunday Times showed that Mr Teng Kim Wah is a director of both Create Talents Pte Ltd and I Models International. But Mr Teng did not want to say if he was linked to the latter company. His sister, Ms Teng Chuey Wah, was the owner of the defunct Create Talents.
When contacted, the brother and sister team said they do not guarantee any of their models modelling jobs. They said they had, however, called Ms Ong at least three times this month regarding print advertisements.
Ms Ong denies this, claiming she got just the one offer to go for an audition to be a car model. But the agency said it did not call her to go for such an audition.
On how models are chosen, Mr Teng said as long as the models can look 'okay' after a makeover, the company will produce a portfolio for them. Charges range from $200 to $500 or more, depending on the number of outfits the model uses in the shoot and the number of pictures taken of the model. When asked how many models he had in the company, Mr Teng said he did not know.
The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) told The Sunday Times it had received a complaint against Create Talents on Sept 14. But this was not lodged by Ms Ong.
Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said it is always advisable for models to have a contract in writing. He said the terms should include specifically what type of jobs the model will be offered.
'Unfortunately, if a modelling agency says it will help look for jobs, but the opportunities are those that you could get through an open audition, there would still be no breach in contract,' he said.
It is up to the models then, to find out if agencies have prior agreements with companies who are looking to advertise. Mr Teng, for his part, said his agency has worked with major telecommunications companies and restaurants.
According to the president of the Association of Modelling Industry Professionals Singapore Calvin Cheng, modelling agencies could arrange for a model to have her portfolio done with payment made directly to the photographer, and it would cost only $150 for eight to 10 shots.
'If we can help, we'll even try to get a free photoshoot for them. Some photographers who are building up their portfolio will do it for free if you let them use your pictures,' he said.
He added that modelling agencies do not make money from portfolios but from a 25 per cent cut from the model's pay. 'Some girls would not make it in big agencies, but the small companies appeal to their vanity,' he said.
His advice to models is to e-mail the association for advice on which agencies to go to, or work with the 11 agencies registered with the association.
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