August 14, 2012 marks the official opening of Wilhelmina Evolve! The official name Wilhelmina Evolve Fashion Arts Studio has the attention of  Wilhelmina International in possibly setting the standard for affiliate offices around the country. Director of Affiliates for Wilhelmina Tara Treacy indicated that Wilhelmina Evolve is not a “school” its a professional developmental studio that focuses on a set standard of talent that Wilhelmina Models has the privilege to watch develop with a strong desire to advance those candidates to the next level. Plans for the studio  include getting regular visits from the New York office so that developing talent will have the chance to be seen by some of the foremost agents in the business. Wilhelmina’s New York agents are looking for that next new face they can promote from model to supermodel to celebrity status. “Its a very exciting time for the entire organization to be able to offer a professional development program here in Upstate New York to aspiring models and actors with unprecedented access to a major agency like Wilhelmina,” said Director of New Faces, Melissa Herman.

From the design of the studio and its amenities to what it promises current and future roster of models and talent, casting professionals and clients, the space is a luxurious amenity to the highly successful Wilhelmina Rochester agency. The space is a beautiful modern studio amid the classic architecture of an 1860 built home. Michael Cavalcanti – real estate developer who was one of the attendees at the opening of the studio said “this is a first-class project that anyone associated should be proud.” Envisioned and designed by Agency Director, Billy Powell he admittedly stated ” For a first time project of this magnitude I was a little intimidated but as the project progressed, I certainly got more confident in my abilities to actually deliver the vision I had about the studio.” Powell worked tirelessly in bringing together a functional artistic space that exemplifies fashion, acting studio, photography, styling, hair and make-up artistry. Powell is a 30 year veteran in the industry who knows talent and the work that it takes for success. I asked Billy what he thought was the number one ingredient for success in this industry and he replied, “focused determination…without it, you’re talents will fail you”.

As for the launch party? A huge success! In attendance were journalists, fashion week organizers, models, actors, filmmakers, artists, fashion designers, photographers and real estate developers. Food, music and fashion adorned and from the looks of things, everyone had a great time.

For that great time, Wilhelmina Rochester would like to thank some wonderful people for all their contributions and hard work in making our event a huge success. A VERY SPECIAL THANKS to: Edsel Patterson, Melissa Herman, Anne Strauch, Jessica Peak, Kiersten Shaffer, Kathy Powell, Pete Di Martino, Ira Morris, Karen Burnett, Ronnie Raimonde, Madison Leiker, Roy Richards, Elena Zweers, Danielle Lusardi, Mercedes Brien and Carly Strang.

Although a launch party was hosted exclusively for media and some long-time clients an open house for talent, new clients, casting directors, producers will be upcoming. A formal announcement on the open house will be sometime in the fall. Stay tuned!

W!  This morning Wilhelmina’s Susan Francia secured her second gold medal finishing ahead of Canada and the Netherlands, securing USA’s 13^th gold medal of the London Olympics! 

Olympics-Women’s rowing eight final – result – chicagotribune.com.

Congratulations Anne S. for making the cover of Rochester Magazine!

We are so proud of you!

From all of the staff at Wilhelmina Rochester, we want to congratulate Mark Garcia as model of the month for August!  Mark proves his willingness time after time to go the extra mile in  his commitment to growth in his modeling career, and has achieved many accomplishments this month working for several key clients for Wilhelmina. As a top model at Wilhelmina Rochester, Mark  has performed impressively for  our professional  clients. We’re  proud of  Mark Garcia and our successful relationship that we enjoy.

This month offered an opportunity to talk to Mark and get to know a little bit more about the other personal side of  him. Besides his modeling career here at Wilhelmina, Mark also enjoys a solid professional career as a dental sales representative. His motivation is inspired by his girlfriend Heather and his fantastic daughter Alexandra.

Some of Mark’s favorite:

1. Favorite song: Anything by Jack Johnson

2. Favorite Movie:  I love so many movies but have to pick Life is Beautiful. (a rare movie that makes you laugh, cry and think)

3. Biggest turn off : Inconsiderate people

4. Signature dish that you can make: Poached eggs

5. Hidden talent: Louie Armstrong karaoke

6. Favorite Actress/Actor: Will Ferrell

Mark showed his gratitude to the agency by commenting: “You guys make things easy and fun which translates to better performance outcomes.”

Here’s to many more accomplishments Mark!!

First of all,  I’d like to express my gratitude, give praise and encouragement to all of the models and actors who we represent that understand what this business is about and who understand our commitment to providing the best model or actor in this region. Our industry is not an easy one but it can be very rewarding both in life, rich in the experiences you’ll encounter and worth every minute you’ve invested in time and training to be the best. Personally, my acting training helped me with my confidence, encouraged the pursuit of excellence and supported my quest to never stop trying. And the results? The privilege and honor to be in the business I love for over 30 years and run an agency for 21 years.

Not everything is as cut and dry as we’d like it to be and our work as agents is a job that never ever gets done. Much less, one that is rarely appreciated. For those of you who do recognize our efforts…we love you too! Whether you know it or not, we’re always looking for the next opportunity for our models and actors while industry opportunity ebbs and flows like a river of molasses.  Job and casting opportunities have been steady but with the ever changing economy, we’ve adopted a “just say yes” mindset to help support our models and actors experience factor in building that portfolio/resume of experience….within reason of course! Our goals, encourage, teach, build experience and help our talent achieve success! And yes!! There is a significant and exemplary path to success we employ!

SUCCESS…How to Achieve it!

One of the biggest unasked questions on everyone’s mind is “how can I be successful in an industry with so much competition?”  Back in March, we posted an article about training by Tiffany Minomi and the importance of that aspect in a model or actors career.  Please read that article found in this blog. It explains the importance of  that path. Any field you enter whether it be modeling or electrical engineering will require a designated path in training. I’m still amazed that most new models/actors coming into the business think that because they have seen some reality show, think that it’s a walk in the park. Best part is, when we audition new talent and give them specific tasks  to perform. Anyone new to the business and many who claim to have experience cannot perform up to professional standards that would land them a job! It’s frightening!  Yet some still don’t get it that you will not succeed without training. Some of the biggest names in the industry are still training or getting coaching. To be the best, you have to think like the best. Most people who I know that  are successful have one trait in common. They REFUSE to LOSE!. And in this business….you can LOSE a lot if you don’t have a solid foundation of training and experience. It always goes back to the training and experience. Ask anyone who is on the casting side of the business and they will unequivocally tell you that your best formula for success is hard work, training and body of work that is conclusive to professional experience. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation about the business and many newbies seek advice from people who are unqualified and  have never really worked in the industry. Sorry, soccer moms need not apply as career counselors to the modeling and acting profession. Seek the advice from a professional agency, casting director or director. Get the facts yourself and don’t listen to the many myths out there. Remember at all times….this is a very competitive business. Outside of us agents, casting directors etc. who are on the business side of the business, there are very few supporters of your quest other than your immediate family. Friends will be envious and your competition will be your competition. Don’t seek advice there unless you want the latest on “how to do everything wrong”.

Believe it or not your agent has your back. We want you to succeed….REALLY WE DO! Why? If you’re successful, so are we! We get paid a commission! It astounds me that most talent don’t even understand the reciprocal relationship that success brings. You do well….we do well. You train to be the best….you increase your skills that translate to better jobs…you get paid more….your agent gets paid more…everyone is happy! So why do we encourage talent to get training? So that you get more opportunity, build your portfolios and become a more marketable and sell-able talent. Bottom line!

You’ve undoubtedly heard that old familiar tune “Ye’ll take the high road and I’ll take the low road”  The low road is the path to achieve greatness as it is with patience and diligence to develop your craft that you will succeed. And success comes on many levels…not just superstardom. Today at Wilhelmina if you take the attitude that you don’t need training when we recognize that you do, that you’ll put nothing into your career and have no skin in the game so to speak, as a professional in this business for over 30 years, I turn and walk away. I’m sorry, I don’t have time for you. But I wish you the best on your chosen career path.

Attention Models! Wilhelmina New York is having an open call on June 12th at the agency – with callbacks on the 14th.  For men AND women! Models from Upstate market should contact the Rochester Office if they are interested in attending.        

Wilhelmina Rochester wants to acknowledge Rochester Magazine, the photographers and all of the stylists involved for designing and shooting a great photo for the cover. Great job! Last but not lease, we especially want to  congratulate Sevinc on her successful Cover Shoot! You look gorgeous! Great Job!

Elena has quite a diverse career in the modeling industry. She is a sports and fitness model, commercial/fashion model, a make-up artist, personal trainer, writer and actress with Wilhelmina Rochester. Living and working in the UK she got her College Degree at London School of Beauty and Makeup. After competing for the first time, Elena won the NGA East American Bikini Contest. She went on to win numerous swimsuit competitions. One could say with out reservation, she’s a fitness Pro earning titles in – Miss Bikini World; Gold medal, Pro Status in Vegas during WNSO World championships, Miss Bikini Chicago WNSO, Miss Bikini Tall – NPC Rochester and Miss Bikini Tall North East USA.

She’s written articles for Bodybuilding.com http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/elena-zweers.html and recently wrote a fitness article for Rochester Women Magazine. When asked about her fitness articles Elena said, “Writing about fitness and nutrition is something new and very interesting for me, I love to share my experience with people who love fitness and want to learn more.”

Elena Z Eastview Mall Campaign

Recently Elena has been quite busy just finishing a sports/fitness photo shoot with photographer Ira Morris, a photo shoot for Rochester Jazz Festival, an Eastview Mall Print/TV Campaign, Fashion Show at Seneca Niagara Casino and auditioning for several other modeling opportunities.

Elena while living abroad studied in London School ( London) of Beauty and then stateside at Lee Strasberg Acting School (NYC). She works with Bobbi Brown Cosmetics company as a freelance artist and one of the best artist in NY state, loves, skiing, hiking, swimming, dancing, traveling and has traveled to 20 countries already. Some of Elena’s favorite places she’s visited are Paris, Amsterdam, Monaco and Crete in Greece. Elena has been know to organize parties, gatherings with friends and events, like her Christmas charity event where she and others collect presents for kids in need. Elena also can be found in the kitchen where she loves to cook and have friends over  usually enticing guests with very interesting, healthy and different recipes. Some of her favorites include Greek cousin, Japanese, Indian  often creating something completely new on her own.  Elena hopes to write her own recipe book one day.

Some of Elena’s Favorites:

Favorite restaurant is Next Door, the best sushi in town:)

Favorite color is red.

Favorite movies Avatar, Love actually, Wedding crashers, Hangover:)

Favorite Music – Adele, Shakira, Beyonce.

One of the reasons Elena is so successful in the industry is she is knowledgeable about her craft, make-up, skin care, has made a commitment to self-improvement and continues to work hard! In our book, she’s an exemplary model and a big reason she was selected for Model of the Month! Congratulations Elena!

Last but not least…Elena thanks her agency Wilhelmina Rochester for the “awesome support and work we do for her and that she’s excited to go on all castings representing her agency!”

Julie G is Wilhelmina Rochester’s Model of the Month!

Julie G. at WilhelminaRochester.com

Julie shows what determination, good training and the ability to work hard gives back! Lately her campaigns with Eastview Mall, Wegmans, Fashion Outlets and Skillsoft have been just a few of her successes with Wilhelmina Rochester. As a model, Julie possesses a unique, likeable personality that is easy to work with making booking her a joy! Clients really remark how professional and poised she is at every job. She’s a model model!

Aside from modeling Julie is finishing up her PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Rochester. As part of her training, she is involved in research projects to better understand how maternal depression effects kids and how it can prevent depression in adolescent girls. A really rewarding part of her graduate training has been getting to work directly with many kids and families in the Rochester area.

In Julie’s  free time, she enjoys playing volleyball, Pilates, gardening, wine tasting, and watching shows you can learn from like those on HGTV and the Food Network. Pizza is her all time favorite food, but she also loves farmer’s markets and finding fresh, local produce to cook up for dinner with her boyfriend. Julies has been primarily vegetarian for most of her life and feels good about making choices that are healthy for her and sustainable for the environment.

Originally from a suburb of Philadelphia, she still spends a lot of time with friends and family in Philadelphia, New York City, and Long Beach Island, NJ. Julie was also lucky enough to live in London for a semester during college. During that time abroad, she got to visit several amazing cities including Milan, Rome, Paris, Barcelona, and Dublin, which according to her….was amazing!  Julie has a true love for learning about and exploring new cities.

According to Julie, “Working with Billy and Kathy Powell and the entire team at Wilhelmina Rochester has been a dream come true for me. I’ve had the opportunity to do commercial, runway and print work with this agency, and they have really helped me learn about the industry and find my niche in the modeling world. They have taught me that it’s not just about how you look, but also your attitude, personality, and drive for success. ”

Julie G….April’s Model of the Month! Congrats Julie from all of us at Wilhelmina Rochester!