 my modeling career (the todd richardson experience part 2)
After my first modeling fiasco I didn't really give another thought to the profession for several years.
But by the year 2000 my life had taken several turns. I had gotten divorced from my wife, changed jobs a few times, and had become obsessed with the idea of being some sort of notorious guerilla artist. When I ran into Todd Richardson again that year I had just been fired from my job as a telemarketer at Tech Data, and was in desperate need of income.
Todd spotted me at the Globe Coffee Lounge in downtwon St. Pete and mentioned he had seen some of my art stunts in the newspapers. He was very friendly and outgoing as always and didn't seem the least bit concerned about his unfulfilled obligations from my last modeling work for him several years ago. It was so long ago and irrelevant now that I didn't bother to bring it up.
But then Todd actually proposed that I do some more modeling work for him. I would have laughed in his face, except for one important development since last I saw him. Todd had actually landed a gig as the fashion photographer for Dillard's (a national department store chain that spent a lot of money on print advertising). What was really surprising was that their studio was right here in St. Petersburg at the Dillard's store, not fifteen minutes from my apartment. It would be a sure thing this time, Todd said. He would take the shots for my comp card* at the Dillard's studio, and he would be able to get me a hundred bucks an hour guaranteed.
(A comp card is like a mini-portfolio, which agencies use to pick models for a photo shoot).
"I really feel like I owe you for what you did for me," Todd said. "What do you say?"
I had kind of a funny feeling that I was setting myself up to be fucked again. But then, he was a real fashion photographer now, not just a waiter taking snap-shots on the weekends. This might be just the kind of break I was looking for. Money, fame, success.
"Okay," I said.
I met Todd at the Dillard's studio a couple of weeks later. I went up through a private employee elevator at the store and then traversed these secret hallways until I found the Dillard's offices hidden deep within the bowels of the building.
Todd came out and greeted me enthusiastically and showed me around the place. Inside the studio there was this gorgeous female model under the floodlamps. I could get used to this atmoshphere, I thought.
But then Todd Richardson took on a kind of serious tone as he broke some news to me.
"Since I'm using the Dillard's studio to take photos for your comp card, my supervisor said your first photo shoot will have to be a freebie."
"A freebie?" I said.
"Yes, since you're basically using their time and resources to benefit you, this one will be a freebie. But after this, it will be a hundred bucks an hour, guaranteed."
This was already starting to give me a bad sense of deja vu. I mean, why the hell would a multi-million dollar corporation want to begrude a model a hundred bucks? But then I looked at that beautiful brunette under the flood lights and imagined myself surrounded by supermodels in some sort of glamorous Miami Beach paradise.
"Okay," I said. Then I went back to the dressing room to get ready for the photo shoot. Todd came in with a couple of outfits for me to model in. He looked at my chest with its 79 sporadic chest hairs.
"Here," he said, handing me a razor. "You'll have to shave your chest."
"Shave my chest?" I said.
"Yes, shave it nice and clean. Oh, and do you know how to do your own make-up?" he said.
"Make-up?" I said.
Anyway, the photo shoot didn't go so bad I guess, despite it being a freebie. One small problem was my inability to smile or stand in any kind of relaxed or natural way. But Todd didn't think it was that big of a deal. He said the "serious look" worked well for me.
A week or so later my picture appeared on the back of the St. Petersburg Times. It was a huge spread that took up the whole page. I looked kind of square and stiff, I thought. But it was still cool to see myself in the paper. I called Todd to see when I could do my next gig that wasn't a freebie. Todd said he had something real soon. In the meantime my photo was going to run in different markets all over the country.
"Wow," I said.
My next photo shoot was a week or so later.
"You're going to have to invest in your own make-up," Todd told me when I got to Dillard's. "All models all responsible for buying their own make-up and putting it on."
"I didn't realize," I said.
"Well, it's no big deal. We have a great make-up department downstairs with lots cosmotologists to show you what to get."
Todd took me down to the Dillard's make-up department to pick out some make up. There were some really cute looking make-up girls at the counter, but they were all really busy with other customers. This really old make-up lady came over to help me.
"I have to buy some make-up," I said feeling a little embarassed. "I'm a model."
"I really need him to be ready soon," Todd said to the old make-up lady. "Can you help him put on a nice foundation and everything. He's still new at this."
"Of course I can," the old make-up lady said smiling. "I'll pick out just the right color for you." The old make-up lady went and rummaged around under the counter for a few minutes and then came up with a few little boxes.
"Here you go. This will look absolutely fabulous on you." The old lady opened up the little compacts and dabbed and brushed powder around my face and eyes. It felt kind of ticklish and weird. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Dillard's shoppers looking at me.
"Now take a look in the mirror," the old make-up lady said. I looked in the mirror and saw that my skin looked kind of a pale green, like and avocado. "Doesn't that look great?" she said.
"I dunno. I guess so," I said. Todd came back over then to see if I was ready.
"How's he doing?" he said.
"I found him the perfect color," the old make-up lady said. Todd kind of squinted his eyes at me and looked at me from different angles.
"Are you sure that's his color?" he said.
"Yes, it's perfect," the old make-up lady said.
"Well, we can tweak it on the computer if we need to," Todd said. "We can't waste anymore time. We've got to shoot."
I started to follow Todd but the old make-up lady stopped me.
"That will be fifty-four dollars," she said, indicating the opened make-up boxes. I looked over at Todd.
"Models are responsible for their own make-up," he said.
I opened up my wallet and fished out what must have been my last sixty dollars to my name. It's in investment, I told myself.
Again, the shooting didn't go so bad. I tried to smile when Todd said smile, but it just didn't come out very natural. Before you know it the shoot was completed and Todd had to get ready for his next model. I didn't want to seem like I was obsessed or desperate for money, but I was.
"Um, do I get a paycheck today?" I said, trying not to sound too grasping or greedy.
"Oh, um, Dillard's cuts a check after 90 days," Todd said.
"Ninety days?" I said.
"Yes, in ninety days you'll get a check for one-hundred dollars. Well, actually, your agency takes ten percent, so it will be ninety dollars."
"Ninety days is a really long time," I said. "Is that as soon as I can get the money?"
"Well, if you're really hurting for the money Dillard's has this program where they'll cut you a check within the week, but its costs you another ten percent."
That didn't seem that fair, but I really needed some money right away. I had no gas in my car and I'd eaten my last Tostino's party pizza this morning.
"I'll take the 80 dollars this week," I said.
I did a little figuring as I walked out to my truck and left the Dillard's parking lot. I had to miss a day of painting with the Vitale Bros. to do the photo shoot, which would have made me about ninety dollars. With the added expense of the make-up, I was about $64 in the red after two photo shoots. But things would get rolling soon, I told myself. Once that comp card was finished I would get all sort of modeling gigs at $100 an hour, or $90, or whatever it was.
A couple days later my latest photo spread appeared in the St. Petersburg Times. I examined it to see how my investment in the make-up had worked for me. To my disappointment, I looked like I had sickly, green avacado colored skin.
I called Todd Richardson and asked him to look at my picture in the paper.
"I know, it looks awful," he said laughing. "I think that old lady was blind or something. But don't worry there'll be plenty of other photo shoots once you get that comp card made."
I asked Todd Richardson about the comp card, which was the key to getting me all of my modeling gigs.
"I'll need to do a photo shoot of you somewhere," he said. "Those photos in the studio really didn't cut it."
"Well, when can we do this other photo shoot?" I said, impatient to start making some real money as a male model.
"How about this Saturday?" Todd said.
"Okay," I said.
When Saturday rolled around I called Todd Richardson about my photo shoot for the comp card.
"Oh, its absolutely out of the question for today," Todd said. "I went to the Tina Turner concert last night and got totally trashed."
"I see," I said. We made three of four more appointments for this photo shoot so I could get pictures for my comp card, but Todd always canceled at the last minute.
Then one night a few weeks later I was home eating a Tostino's party pizza in my $350 dollar a month apartment in Gulfport. The phone rang and I picked it up. It was Todd Richardson.
"Mark, you need to get together $400 right away and go down to the St. Pete Beach Hilton."
"Why? What's going on?" I said.
"Fred VanDerblatt is staying there for the evening doing some photo shoots. He's just the man you need to take your comp card shots. He's absolutely the best."
"But I don't have four hundred dollars," I said.
"Borrow it if you have to. This guy will make you look great and you'll get all the good jobs."
I told Todd Richardson that I would see what I could do. But I knew I couldn't do anything. I hung up the phone and finished eating my Tostino's party pizza and cracked open a budweiser. Then I opened one of my kitchen cabinets and pulled down a little black bag from Dillard's. Inside the bag was my fifty-four dollars worth of avocado green make-up. I threw my green make-up in the trash and then had some more beers.
8:37:42 PM 
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