How did the idea for Elegance Talent Group come about?
I have always been interested in photography and networking with people since I was a child. When I got older and learned a little bit and understood the business, I pursued it and built the site to display my talent only.
What is your position within the Elegance Talent Group project?
President/CEO
How has Elegance Talent Group grown or changed since its inception?
Now with over 900,000 hits a month, over 200 models and working on various events nationwide. We also changed the name from Elegance Of Memphis to Elegance Talent Group for business purpose.
How large is the team that currently assists you with running this project?
Over 30 people worldwide help network and promote for us. Each person has their own territory to work and they love being part of a growing company.
During an average work week, how many hours do you spend working on the Elegance Talent Group project?
Over 50 hours goes into this company Sunday through Saturday.
What's the most challenging part of maintaining or operating your website?
Maintaining the site keeping it fresh, new models, new jobs and working the phones is a constant thing.
What are your goals at the current time for Elegance Talent Group?
We are looking to open offices in various states in 2005. We are adding more features to the website daily, our own magazine will launch soon and DVD will hit the market in 2005. We will also have a television set on the site soon this will bring live footage from events nationwide. Investors are always welcome. (Hint)
What are some other projects you're working on, or anticipate working on in the future?
Right now I am working with Murder Dog, Azzure Denim, Coors Beer, various radio stations, magazines, websites on promotions and setting up fashion shows and photo shoots in various states.
What part of operating Elegance Talent Group gives you the most enjoyment?
Working with so many people. Networking is one of my passions and I am a photographer also so this is a constant enjoyment for me. I love beautiful people and the not so beautiful people too lol.
Do you work a regular 9 to 5 job or is Elegance Talent Group your primary project?
Currently I am working as an International Broker for FedEx Trade Networks. Looking to retire this year with the Lords help.
What's your opinion of the industry regarding ethnic models today?
They do not respect the ethnic models and they do not respect a black owner. People think of me in most cases as a pimp. These models work hard to get into the spotlight and most jobs are not enough for me to receive commission so I assign jobs for free in most cases. You have to work extra hard to get into the larger marketing and advertising agencies.
If you could start this project all over again, from scratch, what would you do differently?
More research would have made things much smoother. There are a lot of pros and cons out here. Have changed the name to Elegance Talent Group much sooner to fight off stereotypes. Memphis sits badly in a lot of people minds so changing it would have been a smarter move. Had someone invest in me, it costs a lot to run a site and photography company, it can get into the thousands quickly.
What are the positive and negatives you've experienced when working with models?
Positive is working with every ethnic group out here. I have fun shooting models in various locations. Helping them build their careers is exciting and at the end of the day I feel wonderful helping someone achieve their goals. On the bad side where can I start NO SHOWS is one the biggest problems with so call models. I call them wanna be models low self esteem think they are better than everyone else. You can be a dime with the wrong attitude it will make you look like a 2-cent coin.
What does Elegance Talent Group offer it's visitors that they won't necessarily or can't find on similiar websites?
A free website for 5 years now, more jobs, more promotions, reasonable rates on photo shoots. Exposure across the world and we contact and talk to our models so we know who we are working with. We also offer NON-Exclusive contracts so models have the advantage to network with a real company with real goals.
What advice would you give to people looking into creating or starting a project similiar to Elegance Talent Group?
Study the market have plenty of money because it is going to cost you. Read plenty of books on marketing and grant writing it helps when you are writing business proposals and ALWAYS REMEMBER TRUST IS EARNED AND NOT GIVEN!
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