Sexual predators and frauds disguised as talent agents

Sometime in March or April 2010 one of my male talents (let’s call him Ken) who seldom go online asked me to check a certain girl on Facebook as he wanted to know what she looked like. I did. I told him the girl looked okay but that she didn’t seem like she’s the Maria Clara type, if you get my drift. The girl was a certain Ria Crystelle.

I learned later from Ken that a certain agent by the name of Vien (allegedly from Elite Modeling Agency) texted him offering an underwear modeling gig in Singapore which entailed a hefty talent fee. He also confessed that this Vien connected him to that girl Ria through texting.

I told Ken that, first, the Singapore gig could be a sham. It just sounded too good to be true. And we know that anything which sounds to good to be true is most likely not true. Besides, in my almost three years in the talent handling business I’ve never met nor heard any agent by the name of Vien. I asked my agent-friends and even they don’t know that Vien or Viel. And neither have I come across any Elite Modeling Agency (there is one, however, in the US & Canada - the Elite Model Management, not here). So I advised Ken to forget about it and to stop entertaining that Ria’s calls as it could just be the agent’s ploy to get him into bed and that he could end up being the victim of a sex scandal. He heeded my advice. Besides, that Ria started asking for load.

Then another male talent of mine, Zeth, confided to me that one time at Trinoma he was approached by a girl (who later turned out to be that Ria) and befriended him. Later, that Vien appeared and tried to convince him to be one of his talents. Zeth told him he already has a manager. After that encounter, that Ria kept on calling him. Ria, according to Zeth, sounded wild and that their conversations weren’t anything about modeling at all. Zeth and Ken compared notes and we all agreed that that Vien and that Ria were really in connivance and that they’re nothing but scammers who are out to victimize male models. Zeth confirmed to me that the Ria he met in Trinoma was the same Ria in Facebook. (Which means Ria is a genuine girl but that Vien sometimes pretends to be her; one thing is clear, that Ria is in cahoots with him).

Then much later I also learned that a third male talent of mine, Olan, likewise almost fell prey to that f____ing tandem’s ploy. Olan and a friend-model of his watched a show in the Philippine Fashion Week. That Vien approached his friend and got his number under the pretext that he had a project abroad. To make the long story short, the same modus operandi was employed, that Ria was introduced to his friend and became his textmate. Eventually that Vien, having gotten Olan’s number through that Ria, called him and offered to manage him. No dice, however, because all my models know how to say “may manager na po ako.”

In The Philippine Star’s June 17 issue I read about a “Man arrested for swindling, molesting 4 would-be models”. It’s that Vien, who it turned out was using several aliases among which were Ria Crystelline Lopez, Viel Santillan and Vien Perez. His real name is Kervin Asuncion Lao. Read the news item at http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=584980&publicationSubCategoryId=65

With due respect to the victims, I couldn’t understand how they could be convinced to shoulder the airfare for the supposed lingerie fashion show in Cebu. Having learned that one of the victims (let’s call him Jet) was in my FB contacts, I asked him. He said that two fellow models (who were also victimized) earlier told him that the project was legit and that sometimes there are indeed out-of-town projects wherein the talents have to shoulder their transportation and other expenses. I said “wrong!” Out-of-town projects’ producers should shoulder all expenses.

And how on earth, I asked Olan, were two of them persuaded to check in to a motel (with suspect Lao) where they were allegedly molested? Were the victims so desperate to be included in that fashion show that they had to give sexual favors to that unscrupulous agent which, in the first place, has the looks that you wouldn’t trust (in other words, sa itsura pa lang e hindi mo na pagkakatiwalaan)?
It is very clear that that Vien is not a talent agent. He’s nothing but a sexual predator, swindler and scammer who should go back to jail… and with that Ria.

This is one reason why models should have managers or at least handlers. Newcomers, especially, are prone to abuses since they are not yet knowledgeable of the ins and outs of the industry. They need someone to give them advice and to brief them of what to expect. But then again, models should also be careful in choosing agents because not all of them have their (the models’) best interests at heart. In fact, some agents are only out to take advantage of their models or merely make them milking cows without any regard to their models’ well-being.

On hindsight, I was right all this time. I remember when my talent Ken first told me about that Vien I asked him if he told that Vien that he already had a manager, my talent said yes, but that he (that Vien) still kept on texting him. I was pissed off so I asked for that Vien’s number from Ken. Sensing my confrontational mood Ken said “huwag na lang tito, baka hindi tayo bigyan ng projects”. To which I exclaimed “huwag kang maniwala sa p___ng i__ng yan dahil sigurado akong manloloko yan, at kung totoo man ang mga sinasabi niya, siya lang ba makakapagbigay ng projects?”

Ken thought I was just being unreasonably overprotective of him. Now he is super thankful that I prevented him from entertaining calls and texts from that Vien and that Ria.

Another lesson for male models: never give hints to gay agents (especially those who have many female models under them) that you have an insatiable appetite for girls, because it’s like an open invitation for such agents to bait you with their female models just to be able to get inside your pants, it’s like telling them “hey I will do anything if you could give me one of your girls.” And that’s exactly that deceitful Vien-Ria tandem’s modus operandi, apart from the swindling angle. I hate to say it, but you had it coming. Anyway, lessons learned.

My suggestion to the victims: make sure that Vien goes to jail again and make sure also that that Ria goes down with him. Seek the help of media or – overboard as it may sound at first – the Senate even. Who knows, this could even jump-start a full-scale investigation into the seamy side of the glamorous business that is modeling (remember the Jojo Veloso controversy which somehow changed people’s impression of and attitude towards talent agents?). For indeed there is a lot of dirty stuff going on inside, even in supposedly prestigious fashion events, involving supposedly famous and “respectable” personalities in the industry.

Perhaps it’s time I published that long overdue handbook for aspiring models and showbiz wannabes, if only to educate would-be models and in the process avoid – among other things – incidents like the above. Perhaps it’s also time that all talent agents be registered with a certain government department or agency where models and talents can check the legitimacy of talent agents.

In conclusion, who knows, something good may yet come out of this ugly episode which has only contributed to the oftentimes unpleasant image of talent agents.