While Mireille Murad was studying psychology at Georgia Tech she had no idea that she would soon use that degree to launch a modeling agency. Mireille's French mother reluctantly started her in modeling at the age of 10. Mireille was signed with a top agency in high school, was given the opportunity to model in Milan, and dabbled with several agencies through her college years; but education always came first! Mireille's Lebanese father graduated from GA Tech and when Mireille was accepted at GA Tech she followed in his footsteps studying biology and pre-med. But fate had something else in store for Mireille. All her experience in modeling made Mireille somewhat of an expert in the field. Friends started asking her advice on how to get into the modeling business. That's when everything began to change direction - her artistic side was about to take the lead.
Mireille noticed that her advice about modeling was producing results. Friends told their friends and before Mireille knew it she was receiving a lot of requests from total strangers to coach them on how to become a model. The requests got to be so frequent that she decided to start charging a consultation fee as a way to weed out the serious inquiries. It wasn't long before she was established as an expert in the modeling profession. All this energy around modeling got focused when Mireille organized a charitable fund raising cultural awareness fashion show with Georgia Tech students. Mireille was determined to show the world that beauty and brains were not mutually exclusive. That original group of student models, known as the "GT Mod Squad", became the foundation upon which Mireille would soon launch her business.
It wasn't long after the GA Tech fashion show that Mireille began receiving calls from people who were looking for models. Mireille built a Rolodex of models, keeping track of those she had coached, and started making referrals. After graduation, Mireille worked for a designer as his executive director. Mireille applied her excellent organizational skills building a solid back office for her employer, but she grew restless. "I wanted to be the boss" she recalls of the day she resigned.
After a vacation to Europe with her family, Mireille returned to Atlanta with great inspiration launching Element Model Management. She would build an agency that provided models with the coaching she wanted as a young model. "Most agencies just expect a model to know what to do - they don't take the time to develop a model." But developing a model is a big investment so she can't take every model under her wing and coach them to success. They have to be committed to modeling as a career. "It doesn't happen overnight. Being a successful model requires a lot of discipline. They need to get their body in shape, learn how to pose, work the catwalk, dress like a model, and they need to build a balanced portfolio." Models must invest in photography to build a portfolio and comp card with 5 key shots: head shots, lifestyle, fashion, body shots, and dress. "That can cost quite a lot of money as well as time."
Success in the modeling agency business is being challenged by the Internet sites like Model Mayhem and One Model Place. "There are a lot of people who want to eliminate the agency from the equation. The clients who are investing in a serious project are more likely to call upon an agency because they want the assurance the models will show up and act professional." That's where Element Model Management shines. Mireille uses her psychology degree to screen out models who have issues ranging from immaturity to drug use. She asks the hard questions and spends time with her models to develop them before sending them out to a client. As an athlete (competitive swimmer), Mireille learned the importance of nutrition in body building and coaches her models on diet as well as exercise and mental toughness. "It can take two years to develop a model both physically and emotionally which is why Element Model Management asks a model to sign an exclusive agreement when we bring her into our developmental program."
Mireille constantly follows the fashion trends in New York and around the world. She applies her knowledge of fashion and trends to build an inventory of models who have the look that sells. Models must have certain physical characteristics to fit the clothes and styles coming from designers and they must have the look that has strong physical attraction qualities. Men usually are 6'0" to 6'3" tall with a 32 inch waist and a six pack abdomen. Women are usually 5'8" and taller with big eyes, full lips, and strong facial features. Mireille dreams of finding a "diamond in the rough" and polishing the diamond to create the next supermodel.
Add three inch heels to her six foot stature and Mireille will be looking most men straight in the eye when it comes to business. And don't mistake her charming smile for naivety, Mireille knows what she wants and drives a hard bargain to get what she wants. Element Model Management has been in business for just over one year and has booked a major client, Versace. It has been a tough economy but Element Model Management continues to grow as Mireille makes it a brand name in Atlanta. Look out Click and Elite, there is a new player on the scene!
Mireille feels that her roots in Georgia combined with a large multi-cultural family gives her the insight to understanding people, a key skill in business. Although she claims to "eat, breathe and sleep this business" she does find time to shop, eat out and hang out with her extended family not to mention working out in the gym and preparing to compete in a triathlon.
Learn more about Element Model Management on the web at www.elementmodelmgmt.com
Comments