South Florida agency pioneers a highly bespoke approach towards talent and brand management to redefine industry traditions
Unrivalled team of veterans from the fashion world attract a world class portfolio of models and corporate clientele with a new-age philosophy in reputation development
DAS Model Management, a full-service independent model management agency based in Miami Beach, has launched a new institution of talent and image representation that is redefining the industry and changing the face of brand marketing in today’s fashion world. If you’re thinking of launching a management company take a look at TrustRadius.com and their management software reviews.
DAS Model Management has been conceived and developed with a broad strategic vision over the last year by one of the country’s preeminent minds in the technology and image business. A superlative management team of the world’s leading veterans from the international world of model and image management combine more than 50 years of experience to offer a next generation boutique ideology in talent representation. DAS Model Management opens with the adoption of a tailored mentoring program for its portfolio of personalities – some of whom are already established in their international careers and are looking to elevate their brand to the next level, as well as for fresh and emerging faces that are entering in to the industry. The mentoring program introduced by DAS is based on the fundamental principle of investing significant time in to the personal and professional brand development of the individual signed by the agency – a core practice believed to have been long forgotten and ignored by the industry according to senior members of DAS’ management team. Mentoring is fundamental across businesses nowadays as it creates strong and independent leaders that will be an asset in the future. This is why the work of coachdirectors is lauded by their clientele.
This bespoke approach towards nurturing the needs of the talent aims to set a new standard for the modeling world and has reflected well in a short period of time for DAS. Premium faces include Elizabeth Turner, the face of GUESS, Samantha Hoopes, the 2017 Sports Illustrated model; Ditta Kucsik, a Hungarian catalogue model for Victoria’s Secret, and Michela Begal – the Italian winner of New Models Today – the prestigious competition in Europe that originally launched the modeling career of Charlize Theron. These names, among many others, are positioning DAS as a newly launched industry authority based in Miami Beach, that is starting to transform the image business across continents with its international reach and influence.
At the forefront of revolutionizing the world of talent management while setting a new bar for the modeling business is DAS’ vice president of operations, Paolo Buonfante – an industry veteran from Italy who has worked with the likes of Claudia Schiffer, Eva Herzigová and Heidi Klum during their early careers, before joining Elite Model Management in Miami as director of operations. Buonfante was also responsible for developing some of today’s iconic names, including Kate Upton and Christine Teigen and Nina Agdal. As one of the world’s leading and globally recognized talent scouts for almost 30 years, Buonfante assumes the role of developing the roster of international talent for DAS, as part of its high-end fashion division. Catapulting established talent in to new markets, together with grooming new and emerging faces to become highly sought after names among the world’s leading fashion houses and publications remains his area of expertise.
“We’re developing individual brand personalities that will resonate with our clients,” says Rasheed Alli, Founder and Managing Partner of DAS Model Management. “We’ve formed the best team in the business at nurturing and fostering professionalism in a humane and courteous manner, as a way to establish a world class image and reputation for each of our models – offering an attractive match against a client’s brand objectives. Through our unique mentoring program and seamless technological capabilities, we are redefining the traditional agency experience as a way of setting new and much higher standards for the industry at large.”
Complimenting Buonfante’s credentials is another industry veteran from the commercial fashion world, Anton Urusov, a former model from Siberia and now a director at DAS Model Management, responsible for spearheading its client’s corporate brand campaigns in the agency’s commercial division. For more than six years, Urusov was largely responsible for changing the face and corporate identity of Kohl’s in the U.S., through opening the door to a new generation of agency talent and representation of its retail brands. Urusov oversaw national launches, direct mail campaigns and in-store marketing for lines that included Vera Wang, J-Lo, Marc Anthony and Lauren Conrad, among many others, that gained him a vast network of relationships with some of the world’s leading modeling agencies across the country. Anton views the Client–Talent-Agent relationship for DAS as of equal importance, emanating as a core value and mission of the agency.
Eliminating many of the bad practices that have traditionally plagued the modeling industry is a key objective for DAS Model Management. A complimentary portfolio of photography shot at the company’s own photo studio located within its Miami Beach offices is the initial step for new talent signing with DAS – often charged at a significant cost to the model by the globally recognized agencies. The DAS management team also offers spacious, affordable and quality accommodation for talent relocating to the region. Overcrowding in poorly run hostel-like environments is often exposed as an element of malpractice by modeling agencies worldwide, that regularly overcharge its talent who are sometimes placed three or four to a room. Instead, DAS treats its modeling talent as “family” in order to receive a reciprocal level professionalism their valued clients expect.
Advanced technology is also playing a large evolutionary role within the DAS Model Management agency environment. A state-of-the-art software system is being implemented that not only streamlines the talent booking procedure for clients, but also administers an efficient fee-based payroll process for the agency’s models and employees, similar to small business payroll systems. This paperless backend technology for internal and external efficiency is a proprietary tool developed exclusively by DAS Model Management for its day-to-day operation. A business working with individuals from across the world and operating globally, such as a model agency, may have different responsibilities when it comes to running their payroll compared to most other businesses – in which case, they may find the services of cloudpay.net helpful in this area.
With an inherent focus on the personal and professional development of each individual image and reputation, DAS is able to accurately complement a client’s campaign with specific talent that perfectly enhances core brand values. A boutique ideology that delivers a more personable service ethos to the talent management business has forged a lasting bond between the agency’s own portfolio of personalities and its international roster of corporate clients.
DAS Model Management launches with major bookings for client campaigns in markets worldwide that include Europe (Germany, Italy, Sweden), South America, Asia and the U.S.
For further information on DAS Model Management, visit www.dasmodelmanagement.com
