Hi, I am writing to let models, dancers, and actresses know about a Music video director that has done videos for Busta, Styles P ft Swizz Beatz, Capone and others. This Dir. has a reputation of doing “favors” for models by calling them in to do a video, but there will be no pay. I did one video for this director for a Busta Rhymes Video. The craigslist ad said it was paying but then when the Dir contacted me they then said sorry we don’t have the budget for it even though the ad says there will be compensation. I let that one slide because it was good exposure. This Director then contacted me to do two videos in one day and since I live a while from where the video was the Director said that they would give me $300.00 for the shoot. I agreed, I showed up to the shoot did what I was asked to do and acted professional. At the end of the shoot the Director gave me $100.00 in cash and said that they would give me the rest later and they promised they would have it for me. I got a text the next morning on Sun Feb,22 2009 at 10:18am saying verbatim “Hey would you happen to be free tomorrow? I can give you the $200.00 in ur hand. I got that DJ Webstar ft Divine from the dey and Jim Jones video tomorrow.” I replied to the dir text but received no answer.
I kept checking in asking when would I have the money, always being polite. The dir would either ignore my texts or tell me “you gotta wait like everyone else”. Another time I texted the Dir and asked when they could send the money and they said they were going out of town, I thought what they don’t have a post office where you are going? After many ignored or blown off texts I sent a few messages on my space and eventually got a reply. This dir said that I did not come prepared which is not true, and they said that every other girl that showed up came prepared, signed contracts, and got paid which is also not true. That day of the shoot when I spoke to the other models they said that it was their first video, and that they were not getting paid for it. This is what I replied to him the second time.

“Oh also i do not care about the other girls, what I am concerned about is My money that I worked for. You told me you were paying me $300.00 for the City Haze and Pop Dukes video. You gave me $100.00 the day of the shoot and you told me you would have the other $200.00 for me soon. In a text that you sent me on Feb 22 at 10:18am you wrote verbatim (word for word) “Hey would you happen to be free tomorrow? I can give you the $200 in ur hand. I got that dj webstar ft divine from the dey and jim jones video tomorrow.” I wrote you back asking about the times and where it would be and you never responded. I also do not know how it was possible for you to text me telling me you could give me the money in my hand if I came to the shoot but you could not mail it to me after I had sent you my address both through a text and msgs on myspace. I asked you nicely over the next few weeks about the money and most of the time you ignored me or said things like I don’t know when I will have it, or next month, or im going out of town. Are you telling me that there was no post office where you went that you could send my money to me? I am not a stupid girl (directors name), I am a model and dancer, but I am also a college graduate who’s a diplomat and my family is important. I know what I was told I was getting and I would never try to get money that does not belong to me I am not dirty like that. Even from the short time you worked with me you could tell that I am a respectful, polite, educated, professional female, and I do not appreciate being blown off, taken advantage of, and lied to. I am just trying to collect what is legally mine since we had both an oral agreement and you sent me those texts. Please be professional and honest and contact me any way you can so we can handle business like educated professional adults. “

I want to make sure that this Director pays me my money and if they do not I will tell their name to everyone so Models, dancers, and actresses do not deal with someone like this. I have never been rude to this person still to this day, and I have always been respectful and polite but that money is legally mine. Also I am receiving my BA degree in Political Science and I am a diplomat so I am not some random chick that is not educated (not saying that models, dancer, and actresses are not educated I am just speaking about myself).
J.G.