The International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA) is a professional organization of modeling and talent training centers from around the world, who meet biannually for talent and modeling conventions in both
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
Founded in 1987, IMTA conventions are week-long displays of modeling, acting, singing and dancing competitions where unsigned talent and models compete in hopes of being discovered by one of the nearly four-hundred fashion and
talent agents, personal managers, casting directors, network representatives and music producers in attendance.
History
After its first meeting in New York City in the summer of 1987, IMTA’s early conventions found actor
Elijah Wood and model
Joel West. Since then, actors and actresses such as
Aaron Paul,
Katie Holmes
Kate Noelle Holmes (born December 18, 1978) is an American actress. She first achieved fame as Joey Potter on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003).
Holmes made her feature film debut in 1997 with a supporting role in Ang Lee ...
,
Ashton Kutcher,
Eva Longoria
Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón ( Longoria; March 15, 1975) is an American actress, producer, and director. After a number of guest roles on several television series, she was recognized for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS daytime ...
,
Jessica Biel
Jessica Claire Timberlake (née Biel ; born March 3, 1982) is an American actress and model. She has received various accolades, including a Young Artist Award, and nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
Biel be ...
,
Jeremy Sumpter
Jeremy Robert Myron Sumpter (born February 5, 1989) is an American actor. His prominent roles include the title role in the 2003 live action film ''Peter Pan'', Jacob in the 2014 disaster film '' Into the Storm'', and the recurring role of J. D. ...
,
Seann William Scott,
Brandon Routh,
Sofia Vassilieva,
Alyson Stoner,
Josh Duhamel, and
Ashley Greene
Ashley Michele Greene Khoury (born February 21, 1987) is an American actress. She is known for playing Alice Cullen in the film adaptations of Stephenie Meyer's ''Twilight'' novels.
Early life
Greene was born on February 21, 1987, in Jack ...
have competed and gotten their start at the week-long convention, as well as models
Jessica White and
Tyson Ballou
Tyson Brett Ballou (born November 14, 1976) is an American male model. He has appeared in numerous advertising campaigns and editorials for major fashion brands and publications.
Career
Born in Garland, Texas, Ballou began modeling at the age o ...
.
Conventions
Held in January and July in Los Angeles and New York City, respectively, IMTA conventions are week-long events where thousands of models and talent compete and attend different acting and modeling competitions, runway shows and seminars in front of entertainment industry insiders and agents. At the end of the week, contestants are called back by the agents and managers to discuss possible future representation.
Legitimacy
Questions have been raised regarding the legitimacy of IMTA and its conventions. A 2009 report on the program ''
Dateline NBC'' found that almost every person who applied to attend an IMTA convention was accepted, with prices for attendance as high as $9,000 per person. Representatives from
Elite Model Management and the
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
questioned these fees and other aspects of the IMTA process.
Modeling school's steep price
/ref>
See also
* List of modeling agencies
A modeling agency is a company that represents fashion models, to work for the fashion industry. These agencies earn their income via commission, usually from the deal they make with the model and or the head agency.
Modeling agencies
See also
* ...
References
{{reflist
*https://web.archive.org/web/20090307223914/http://www.beseeninhollywood.com/2009/01/international-modeling-and-talent-association-convention-2009-imta/
*http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100113/LIFE/1130324/-1/caucusright/Johnston-native-lands-Project-Runway-modeling-gig
External links
IMTAIMTA blog
Modeling agencies