TheModelChild.com (Nathan Yungerberg) has posted the top 20 finalists for the cover casting which was held the month of April. I am proud to say my daughter Amanda Rose is one of the finalists - very exciting! If there are any community members from TMC who are interested in voting - we would love any support! If you are interested in purchasing Nathan's new, great book about the modeling industry, you can purchase that as well on his site for $24.95. Thank you!

So in order to vote you have to pay $24.95??

Hmmmm.... I just went to his site and to join/get the book, you have to pay $24.95.

I guess the only people "voting" will be the people whose kids are in the contest.

When I joined a few months ago, it cost nothing to join. This was before the book was complete. I dont think that's fair to make people buy the book to have access to the website.

I agree.... and it doesn't make it a "true" vote.

If anyone is in touch with him (drcole22), you should tell him that he shouldn't be charging people to access or join his website. That's ridiculous and it makes him look VERY shady/scammy. I know that, just because of this, I would never use or recommend him for children's headshots.

Fair? Isn't this the same "honor" as those "who's who in american high school students" where you are honored to be named, and oh, if you want the book, it's $50? The honor goes to those demographics they think will buy the book.

Nathan is a GREAT Photographer(he did my dd's photos) but to make someone pay in order to gain access to his site is not fair in my opinion. If you are interested in the book you will buy it without being pressured to

quote:

Originally posted by CSilvera:
Fair? Isn't this the same "honor" as those "who's who in american high school students" where you are honored to be named, and oh, if you want the book, it's $50? The honor goes to those demographics they think will buy the book.

Yep!! My college did the same thing... I was on the alumni list and they kept sending me these things to update. Then, I get a call from some telemarketing place confirming all the info and then telling me it's "only" $49.95 to be in the book and get a complimentary copy of it. Give me a break! I didn't pay for it and told them to take me off the list.

As far as this "Model Child" thing... I wouldn't buy his book, I wouldn't join his site, and I certainly wouldn't use him as a photographer. What he's doing is very scammy and I don't like that at all. A person who will scam you in once will absolutely scam you twice.

Originally posted by CSilvera:
Fair? Isn't this the same "honor" as those "who's who in american high school students" where you are honored to be named, and oh, if you want the book, it's $50? The honor goes to those demographics they think will buy the book.

Just want to add:
Not that there's anything wrong with that (making a buck, that is)! But I hope the parents involved realize what they're spending their $ on.

I have to say, I have never paid for anything other than headshots and compcards for my kids.

I don't get why he's forcing people to buy the book if they want to join his site? That really doesn't sound right. I would have loved to see what his site has to offer and I may have even bought his book once it's completed/released, but I don't like the idea of being forced into it.

Oh well... Nathan, if you're reading this, please reconsider the way you're doing this.

Thanks.

I think you have made some good points about purchasing his book. Prior to the voting, it was an open site where you can join and be in the community of parents who are seeking advice and direction in the modeling industry - like myself who is just starting out with my daughter. The book was offered at a discounted price for existing members. Once the site posted the top 20, the existing members are able to vote for one week - those who are looking to join would now have to purchase the book in order to get a look at the top 20 and vote. I think it is a fair way to those who have made it since an open vote could really throw off the numbers. I see it as a way to protect the kids from being viewed by anyone and everyone. There are many contests out there that people send out e-mails to anyone to come vote for their child - even if they don't know them. The community is supported by parents who have an interest in their children succeeding in the modeling industy. Does this make sense to you? I will ask to see if it will return to an open community site once the voting is over. I have not heard any bad things about Nathan - only that he is honest and legit. He has done very good work for the modeling industry. When I posted, I certainly wasn't asking anyone to pay in order to get a vote! I was just being a proud mom!

It was brought to my attention today that there was a discussion taking place about me and my company. I must admit that I was deeply saddened and hurt by what I read here because I feel that I am being unfairly judged. I always promote free speech and encourage others to speak their minds so I am not trying to disregard your own personal opinions but I feel that I need to clarify a few things about myself and my company. I think it’s great that parents share valuable information on forums and make an effort to steer other parents away from unscrupulous individuals, but I am not one of those individuals. I do realize that everyone has an opinion and I truly respect that but maybe you should know more about me and my company before passing judgments.

The voting option is just one aspect of many things included in the community membership on my site. In reality I could have chosen the cover model myself but based on feedback from community members and discussions with colleagues in the industry I felt it would be an exciting, fun opportunity for parents to participate in if they chose to. There were also concerned parents who did not want their child’s photos being viewed by just anyone on the internet so we felt it would be a better option to keep it within the community. If parents don’t want to buy the book they don’t have to and it never had any bearing on their child’s chances to get into the top 20 nor will it affect their chances of winning.

From the beginning, The Model Child has been about options and choices for the community members. For six months anyone had the option to join for free and prior to the launch of the casting call we already had well over 1000 parents participating from all over the country. My marketing team and I decided that once the book became available for pre-purchase we were going to change the membership program. In an effort to promote book sales and create a closer knit community people now have the option to pre-order the book and then receive a community membership as well. You must understand that the community was built around the book not the other way around. I had always intended for the online community to be a companion to the book in an effort to continue providing other options of communication and current information.

In my opinion, parents who decide to join The Model Child are not simply going to pay $24.95 for only the privilege of voting for the cover model. Our demographic appears to be parents who purchase the book because they have a genuine desire to educate themselves and they also realize they will benefit from all that the community has to offer, including forums, much like this one, blogs, news and events. I don’t believe any of the parents in The Model Child community felt as if they were pressured or forced into buying the book. If you don’t want to buy the book that is fine and it’s your choice but many other parents do and are happy to receive the membership that comes along with it.

Who ever said that all online communities had to be free, even Backstage has certain options that require premium memberships and you must pay a fee to access that information. First and foremost I am running a business and while I enjoy sharing valuable information and helping parents find their way in the industry I have to keep my company in mind as well. I don’t see how legitimately selling a book filled with valuable information that offers a community membership as a bonus can be seen as a scam.


I think if you spoke to anyone who really knows me you would find out that I have always been an advocate for education in the industry and I have always operated with the utmost integrity and honesty. There are many times when I get up at 5am in the morning, just so I can personally respond to the many e-mails from community parents seeking advice. It’s not uncommon for me to spend hours on the phone with parents during my free time in the evenings to give them advice and direction. I have also helped place children with major agencies because before the casting began we offered a scouting page where parents could upload photos of their kids for free and it will be re-instated when the casting is over. If we find any children that have potential we attempt to place them with reputable agencies. I am assuming that all that my community offers is much more extensive than most free community memberships so if a parent chooses to pay $24.95 to buy a book to educate themselves about the industry and partake in the community I hardly consider that a scam.

It’s fine if you don’t want to support my company and it’s your decision if you don’t want your child to shoot with me if you really feel that strongly against what I am doing, but I resent being called a scammer. I know where I stand and I can sit here and recall the hundreds of models and parents I have assisted in so many ways over the past 20 years in the industry and at the end of the day that’s what it’s all about, helping people find their way.

Nathan Yungerberg

Hi Nathan,

I don't think I ever directly called you a scammer.... what I said was that charging $25 to buy the book/join the site seems scammy.

Why are the parents worried about people seeing the kids' pics if these kids are MODELS and will be in the book and in catalogues, on television, etc????

I think that if you want to promote your book, maybe a better idea would be to allow people to join the site for free but, after the registration process and before allowing them to access other parts of the site, make them go through an advertisement for your book --- it could be a quick video or a slide show or something like that.

Also, at this point, who do you think is going to be voting?? Probably the parents of the 20 or so kids who are up for the vote. Maybe their grandparents. I don't think anyone is going to pay $25 to cast a vote --- I know the $25 is for the book, but you get my point, I'm sure. So this is not a "true" or "open" vote... it's a "whoever can get the most people to pay $25 to get on the site wins" type of vote.

I had never even heard of your site before today. I wish I had because I would have definitely checked it out. Unfortunately, now, I'll never have the chance since I'm not going to pay $25 for it/the book.

I'm sure you're a great photographer. I'm sure you're on the up and up. I just want you to know my viewpoint and how it looks when you're basically forcing people into buying a book if they want to be a part of your site/online community.

Take care.

I hope everyone ignore's Diane's posts.
She is clearly a very angry woman at something or someone only she can know.
cali