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This rip off artist al silvera is the penultament scammer. He publishes MISLEADING advertising saying that models are wanted for urban/couture ads ages 13-35 and gives the impression that there is a job waiting for you. You are told in the ad that no experience is necessary! He mentions that "all ethnicities welcome" This is code for NO WHITE PEOPLE
I called and was told to come to a building at 5pm the next day with my husband and we both assumed this was with some sort of modeling agency as advertised. Sivera walked in and said he was the publisher of in gear magazine and that ...he just talked for an hour. There was no real interview here at all except him trying to sell you his pictures for $250 for 3 pictures. Of course you don't HAVE to buy them, but according to good old al, even a professional photographer could not do you justice. Glancing around the net I discovered that mr. silvera was a fashion photographer for 22 years and this in gear magazine is something he is creating.
The upshot is that this man's advertising is fraudulent. THERE ARE NO URBAN/COUTURE advertising campaigns looking to hire you. He deliberately misleads you into calling so he can do a bait and switch and spend the one hour he booked on the room you will sit in, talking about photos and the "look" you need to create. You scratch your head wondering where is the urban/couture advertising campaign he touted in the employment ad? This is a sneaky clever way to lasso an unwitting person out of their money.
On the in gear magazine "fashion girls" page there are only black girls and latino girls. He does not have even one white woman and this tells me he is a racist in addition to being a fraud.
I reported his ad to the NY Post and they pulled it when they discovered that it was a fraud and I intend to file a complaint with the commissioner of human rights for not having any white women on the fashion girls page.
Total scammer, bait and switch, and mediocre headshots. Big ripp off artist never followed up and heard a word again after getting my money..
My experience was a lil different. I am white. Granted i was the only white girl there all the others were black...well not everyone is selected after the head n body shots are taken. I was just asked to tip the makeup artist for that photo shoot. I didnt have to buy the slides if i didnt want to or wasnt slected. It was extra 10 bux to put the photos on cd tho...my first audition was for for a jean company...i was again the only white girl...i wasnt selected...i was selected to be a commerical/print model. I was suppose to meet my agent shortly after my first audition but i had to jobs and was going to school full time by then i sorta didnt have time to run somewhere n take time off work just to be shot down again. So i just never went to meet my agent. That was like 10 years ago tho.
I met Al Silvera and Greg, approximately a decade ago. They were alright guys. I was bent on getting some photos taken/Headshots/Editorials. I was given this song and dance about being included in an editorial in his magazine "IN GEAR". I got to working with him (I was a total amateur and had no experience whatsoever) He did come through with the photos. Nothing to write home about. Still something. I will say that he was professional in his composure and timeliness of getting the work done. He'd stayed in touch for a brief period, after. Kept me in the loop via email in regards to castings/audition leads, etc. Never found any work in that time. I never heard from Al again, about the editorial in his magazine. Memories.
He is a big con artist, totally agre with the above comment. Low class, unethical, fast talker. Just wanting peoples money and totally misleading .
He got me a few gigs. I'm Italian and I have to say there were only Hispanic and mostly black girls when I went but his pretegé at the time, Greg, spotted me in the street and was handing out flyers to Chics he thought would fit description. He asked what I was and when I said Italian, he said Al was looking for an Italian girl. Some think I'm PR though and I have an urban sort of look for my nationality. It doesn't mean they're racist. White is just not the look they're going for. It's not mademoiselle. He too asked if I wanted head/body shots and I told him yea o wanted him doing it. Even though it wasn't anything huge, he booked me for a Bollywood movie and on tapings of Life & Style. This was a decade ago though. It didn't hurt that his assistant was trying to get with me and I was nice to him.
It's true
I believe people should stop accusing other people of fraud and mind their own lives. Al silvera is a good and well respected man. He doesnt deserve that.
its not true, I have worked with Al Silvera and he got me places i needed to go for modeling shoots and other gigs..