Established in 1999, Hamburg’s Place Models is known for discovering the edgy, the sexy, and the otherworldly. Driven by their passion for the industry, business partners Yannis and Jan-Eric count recent Vogue Italia cover model Iris Stubegger and campaign king Will Hans amongst their finds.

Agency Name: Place Models
Year Opened: 1999
Website: www.placemodels.com

How did you get into the agency business/what is your background?
Magazines, magazines, magazines! I started to look at magazines very, very young – since I was 7 years old, so I developed an eye for photography, fashion, models. After a couple of years I started to style my sister and friends and take pictures of them. People told me I should become a photographer, which somehow happened.

One day I met Jan Eric, my business partner. He was modeling a bit at that time during his studies. We started to do test shoots for all the agencies together, having a lot of new ideas. I saw several interesting faces on the street, so I asked them if they wanted to be models and if I could take some pictures of them.

The first models we found we placed at the agency Modelwerk, where we were partners for a while, but it didn’t work out. We decided to start our own business. A lot of clients and agencies from other countries knew already that Jan Eric and I find good models as our first finds had really good exposure in the business, booking very soon magazines like Vogue and good campaigns. After a year we had our first Prada campaign.

Then things happened very fast but it’s a lot of work to reach a good level and keep it.

How has the business changed since you first started?

It’s not as easy for a model to have a long time career anymore. A lot of clients, even if they are happy with a model they already worked with, they demand every season new models, new faces…

Also, the rates are not what they used to be.

There are so many agencies now, so many models, so there will be always a good model to do the job, the models are not celebrities anymore… and we miss a lot of covers of magazines, a lot of campaigns. Over the last few years models have been replaced with movie stars and singers. For the male models the situation is even more difficult.

How many models do you represent?
Enough. I don’t count… it’s not difficult if the agency has a good level to become a huge company with an endless list of models, but Germany is a different market to other markets. We try to be very careful and keep the personal contact with the models we represent, we’ve never had the wish to become the agency with the most models.

What are the agency’s divisions?
Women, Men & New Faces

First model signed?
Don’t really remember!

Who are your top models?
Iris Strubegger and Will Hans, both are also very, very nice people.
Very good working ones are also Isabel Neumair, Antonia Trettel, Robin Linke, Leah Vukovics, Laurin Titze, Raoul Meier, Julian Schalk and Jonathan Leonardo.

Who are your ones to watch?
Oh, I hope everybody…
Well, for the moment: Teresa Dilger, Jana Wirth, Iréne Amuquandoh, Luca Aimee, Jan B., Konstantin Resch, Lasse B., Moritz Meyer.

What do you look for in a new prospect?
Personality!

What is your development process?
Test shoots, workshops, talking, talking… and, for sure, a trip to another market for 2 weeks, then you can almost see if somebody can do this job.

What sets you apart from other agencies?
We don’t do this job for money, the job is our life.

Describe the ideal Place model?
Easy going, down to earth, nice… Divas are not welcome!

What other agencies around the world have you formed close ties with?
This is changing from time to time, we work with most big agencies in the world.

What do you look for in bookers, agents, scouts, etc. before hiring them?
Easy going, down to earth, nice… Divas are not welcome!
[Place are currently looking for agents for their Women and Mens divisions - if you think you fit the criteria contact Yannis or Jan-Eric]

What are the most common ways of discovering a new face?
We find the new faces living our private life – on the street, shopping, in the metro, in the clubs.

Describe your local market – what kind of look works best and what kind of work is there to be had?
The market in Germany is not for Prada/Jil Sander/Dior looking models. We are a very commercial market, it’s all about smiling, healthy, fit looking models – not too edgy, not too young, not too skinny.
But Jan Eric and I love to find our edgy models and bring them to other, more editorial markets.