First Person

quot;I used to model in my college days but faced so many problems it was literally like a horror movie. The casting couch, exploitative...

Written by Menaka Jayasankar

July 2, 1999 12:00 AM IST

4 min read

quot;I used to model in my college days but faced so many problems it was literally like a horror movie. The casting couch, exploitative agents, coordinators ripping you off a new-comer has to deal with it all. So I teamed up with old school friend Gaurav Mehra to set up a modelling agency, YSG Worldwide. The present way of functioning in the modeling world is very unprofessional and we wanted to set up a system that is clean8217; and more organised.

We also dabble in event management and marketing but our main thrust is on models. Our latest project, YSG Models, is to bring out a CD-ROM listing information about 2,000 models across the country. We have been working on this for a couple of years now and have finally come out with a user-friendly product which will hopefully change the current style of working. Now you can just sit in front of your screen and run through a complete selection of models. We will slot them in different categories: male, female, children and character8217; models. The Regular section features six photographs of each model while the Special includes 12 photographs and a 10-second voice chip. The response in Mumbai has been pretty good so far and models like Helen Brodie, Amrita Arora and Rajiv Anand have already joined in.

It is a totally new concept. The simple, Net-friendly programme encourages people even with a very rudimentary computer knowledge to explore this option. We will be distributing about 1,200 copies to ad agencies, music companies, fashion designers and film makers 8212; in fact anyone who uses models. Nowhere will you be able to access so much information, on so many people, in one place. Of course, it will be most useful to freshers in the field. We have an agreement with photographer Ram Bherwani in Mumbai to shoot a complete portfolio for upcoming models who want to feature in the CD. We plan to start something similar here. The CD would even benefit more established models, as we are planning to distribute it to agencies abroad too. Naturally, we may have to compromise a bit on the quality of models, if we have to find 2,000 faces. But we believe everyone is special in their own way, so we8217;re willing to feature anybody who is interested.

Our job doesn8217;t just end with making and distributing the CD. We will also be following up on it all personally. We are also offering our models websites which we will be updating every few months. The CD itself will be updated annually. So far we8217;ve concentrated on Mumbai, where we8217;re receiving about 75 call every day and now we8217;re keen to launch the Delhi chapter. This city has one of the worst professional reputations so such a CD will be useful. As we8217;re affiliated to the public relations firm, Inter Publications, we also plan to take this project to all the cities they have offices in, starting with Bangalore.

What I find most exciting and rewarding is the knowledge that I8217;m actually helping youngsters get that coveted break without undergoing the usual trauma. It has been pretty smooth sailing so far but I know there is a lot more to do. All the same, I can8217;t wait till for it all to be over so I can finally go on a much-needed long holiday!

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