Instead of starting off with my praise and thanks to the internet gods I want to speak of the “DOTS” that I have collected through the innumerable people I have become friends with because of the net. My wish is to connect the “DOTS” on some level!
Such is the case of Taylor Kelsaw whose “DOT” was connected to Jonzu Jones whose “DOT” was connected to me via Instagram. Taylor represents one of the most evolving and topical subjects/aspects of the fashion business… yes that’s the common thread for connecting the “DOTS” if you will. Taylor is the captain of Taylor Kelsaw Management which is the new improved and all-inclusive iteration of what was once just a modeling agency. He does not command a collection of interchangeable faces based on age or body type.
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Having been in the fashion business for decades and even having had the experience to sit at the boards and book models from the agent side and the client side, I am now able to see what was once a very cut and dry simple business has morphed into a more formal corporate organization that is not only about go-sees, rates and books, questionable photographers, designers and brands.
So, I decided that everyone should now read what it takes to be a model and what goes into being a modeling agent. While I’m not as generous in sentiment as Taylor about his take on social media nor his feelings about age but I find his generosity intriguing.
So, without further blather from me here he is offering us his insights on the 21st century version of what was once a model agency and of course about himself as well!
Jeffrey Felner: Can you tell us how you arrived at this stage in your professional career?
Taylor Kelsaw: One day, at 16 years old, I was cast in a television commercial in my hometown in the California Bay Area. As a kid actor, it was my dream come true and several commercials followed. Years, later I moved to Hollywood and pounded the pavements in search of castings and work and suddenly it stopped, and I got nothing hence the dream crumbled. I took what was supposedly a temporary job that fortuitously turned into another career. I found myself at Sony Studios, copywriting and prize producing for the Jeopardy! (the TV show). This new career brought me so much success that I ended up utilizing my new skillset on numerous shows. I left that behind me and became the VP of a product placement marketing company which led to a consultancy for NBC.
Ten years ago, we relocated to Michigan and I began to work in casting, lecturing and teaching acting. I noticed that some of my students were definitely model material so I began scouting them, submitted them to friends and agencies in NYC and LA and they got signed. I was soon told I should become a Mother Agency and it took off from there.
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JF: Let’s discuss social media where everyone who holds a camera of any kind is suddenly a photographer and anyone who has ever had a photo taken of them is now a model; what’s the downside and the upside if there are any of this new wave of wannabes vs the real deal?
TK: At first, social media impacted and interrupted the careers of the established models because it opened up the doors of opportunity to almost everyone. Jobs and pay rates changed, dropped or simply disappeared. The supermodel became the past, and the hottest "real" person became the model du jour. What precipitated this change was the first slow, then rapid replacement of the dramatic and comedic television fare to reality TV which included the fashion world. A Real Housewife of any major city could be seen wearing designer fashions and exclusives and this changed the direction and vision of what motivated the consumer. Wall Street took notice and so did the rest of the world. Instagram, Twitter and YouTube made the boy or girl next door a celebrity ala the Cameron Dallas' influencers; marketing, PR agencies, and advertisers ran with it. Has the success of these individuals dissipated because the real estate is over sold? I think so. The changes in platforms made it very easy for some who were already established and yet for those who waited, it didn't happen as quickly. The market is now packed with "would-be’s" and "wannabes." Everyone is a photographer, I photograph my models too, but I have also directed two television series, so I don't judge what others do because maybe they found their passion? The cell phone replaced the need for paid photo shoots with top photographers unless it was, in fact paid. This has also resulted in photographers being very picky about what, who and where they will shoot. Covid-19 has complicated and altered “life” as it once was. TikTok, Only Fans and an assortment of apps are becoming the new social pages of instant and established "celebrity” but it's not the huge bounce that Facebook and IG experienced when they first began. I look at our coming decades to be even more of the "new normal" of what will be determined to be the "real deal". After all, it's all about what the buyer wants, and it always has been. I say deliver it and deliver it first and best!
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JF: Do you feel that the model agency functionality of the past has morphed into a talent management agency for a good reason? Do you believe that the modeling end of the business is losing a chunk of business by being so ageist and with so many middle men involved?
TK: I think the "middle man" approach of agencies like mine is more important in this time of "Me Too". Too many models, actors and other talents have experienced the shady side of the industry. Mother Agencies fully vet the photographers, and adjunct agencies who might have come under fire for questionable behavior. Still, modeling agencies have always had a hand in the talent world, because models are sent in for commercials and they need to speak and act. This was a scary time 30 years ago, but today, it is part of the job description of being a model and it involves more training for them. Ageism is and will always be what it is because generations are impacted by new knowledge and it's the newest toy/cell phone/ Gameboy or whatever? The generation gap is not new, and it should be handled with the care that hasn't been popular because the average demographic of Social Media users is not the customer with the deep pockets to afford the fashion seen on the runways. That has changed due to instant popularity and influence. That said, we have models in their teens as well as in their 40s+, because it is how we set the example of what we know is the reality.
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JF: If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would they be and why?
TK: Great question, this one. I have thought about it, and my life has been fortunate because I have met a lot of people from Oprah to Nobel Prize winners. Today, I would like to enjoy the company of my hometown girl Kamala Harris, Anderson Cooper, Sidney Poitier, and Dr's Francis Arnold and Anthony Fauci…. All for the obvious reasons!
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JF: With all these societal movements of the moment, do you find yourself being influenced/pressured by diversity such as race, nationality and even size and what is your feeling about that?
TK: As a university student,
I was offered a firsthand education in the civil rights movement. I attended
San Francisco State, and UC Berkeley, we were living and breathing the movement
that still remains, but slowly it’s been pushed to the back burner because it
wasn’t a hot button topic again until now. I am one those who has seen the lack
of diversity and the abundance of it for those who live outside the United
States. I look at the word "race" as part of the systemic issue of
the problem on an international basis. Humans beings are all of the same race
but possess different heritages, characteristics and ancestry… the human race is the race I see. White privilege
has been given permission to reveal its ugly self by those in power who think
they can openly speak without the mask of being labeled offensive, bigoted or racist
without any repercussions. When this is acceptable as it seems to have become, life
takes a serious turn in how we view relationships. Race is not a word I use
because it immediately separates and divides us. We are of our own particular heritages,
and lineages, but only one race... the human race! We, are citizens of the
world who need to educate ourselves, our progeny and future generations about the
truths that have compelled this ignorance and permeate societal movements
throughout history from Genghis Khan to the KKK. In the fashion industry,
it is still a major problem and thank goodness for Naomi Campbell, Edward
Enninful and select others for speaking up about the inequality and unjust
hiring practices that still exist in the world of fashion. The lack of
diversity in promoting and exposing the many “faces” of fashion from the covers
of major magazines, and brand campaigns still remains. We can do better.
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