The truth - the whole truth - from inside Playboy.  Who does, who doesn't, and contacting those who count.  The People Who Decide.

 

It's a problem for aspiring models and a bigger problem for Playboy Enterprises: photographers who misrepresent themselves to models as "shooting for Playboy." Or a photographer, manager, or agent who claims to "have connections" that can get a girl in the magazine.
 
Here is the truth of the matter. As of this moment, August 2006, there are only eleven people in the world who can approach a model and truthfully say "I shoot models for Playboy."

Arny Freytag (LA) and Stephen Wayda (LA) are contract photographers who shoot every month and work exclusively for Playboy. George Georgiou (Chicago) is a full-time staff photographer for Playboy. The remaining seven photographers are regular contributors who shoot frequently, but not exclusively, for Playboy: Jarmo Pohjaniemi (Miami), David Rams (Atlanta), Ric Moore (Dallas), Mizuno (LA), Gen Nishino (NY), Byron Newman (London), Waldy Martens (Vancouver), and Paul Buceta (Toronto). Over time, this list can change, and models can call the Chicago office of Playboy to verify a photographer not on this list. But as of now, there are eleven.

 

And there are eight people who decide which models are chosen. Hugh Hefner still chooses each monthly Playmate for the magazine and remains the ultimate decision maker. In Chicago, director of photography Gary Cole, senior photo editor Kevin Kuster, managing photo editor Jim Larson, online photo editor Chad Doering , and Special Editions publisher Jeff Cohen are responsible for the images. In Los Angeles, west coast editor Marilyn Grabowski and senior editor Stephanie Morris decide.

There you have it. The source? Kevin Kuster. Over the past two weeks, I've spent several hours talking with Kevin, separating the truth from the mythology about how models get into Playboy. Bottom line: the above mentioned people are it. Playboy does not employ scouts, or agents, or recruiters. Others can submit, others can recommend, but these are the people that decide.

Inside Playboy

Playboy has several outlets where model's photos can appear and deciding who goes where is the initial task..

First, there is Playboy magazine. Here, a girl may appear as a Playmate of the Month or in an editorial specific feature, such as "College Girls" or "Housewives," where the model fits the criteria for that category.

Then there are the periodic Special Editions magazines that are published under broad categories: Lingerie, Vixens, Wet and Wild, etc. Twenty-five Special Editions appear each year.

Finally, there is the website, www.playboy.com. Here, all the models appear in editorial specific categories. One model is featured each week, and from these, a Cybergirl of the Month is chosen, and from these, a Cybergirl of the Year.

The process: once properly submitted photos have reached Chicago or LA, the first cut is to decide whether or not the girl has Playmate potential. If so, she is flown in for a test shoot. Roughly 50 to 75 such shoots are done each year. If she doesn't have the Playmate look, then they see if she fits one of the magazine's editorial categories for an upcoming shoot. If not, she is considered for the Special Editions or the playboy.com website. Jeff Cohen, the publisher of the Special Editions, selects the girls who appear in those magazines.

The Money

The payment for models varies with the venue. Rates start at industry standard levels but can rise quickly. Although rates can change, as of now, girls who appear in Playboy magazine features, such as the "Girls of the Big Ten" typically get $500 per day for an appearance, while the twelve girls chosen as Playmates each year get $25,000 and the Playmate of the Year takes home a tidy $100,000. Girls who appear in one of the Special Editions are also paid $500 per day and on the website, the Cybergirl of the Week receives $1000, Cybergirl of the Month $1,500, and Cybergirl of the Year $10,000.

Who Can Appear?

The key criteria for appearing in Playboy is that you must be at least eighteen and be willing to appear nude. Although many images in Playboy publications are partial, implied, or assumed nudity, every woman who applies must be willing to pose nude.

Compared to other magazines, Playboy's policies on appearing in competitor's publications are very liberal. Whether a girl has appeared in a mainstream men's magazine, such as the popular "laddy" magazines (e.g. Maxim, FHM, etc.) simply isn't an issue. And while Playboy would prefer that a girl's first nude appearance be with them, it isn't a requirement. However, although it is not disqualifying, it is a substantial negative to have appeared in one of the harder nude-only magazines, or on a hard-core website. There are exceptions, such as when Playboy did a feature on "Girls of the Internet," but it can be a negative.

Girls are not limited by a previous Playboy appearance. Any girl who appears in any Playboy venue remains eligible to become a Playmate. In fact, just by virtue of the exposure, one Playboy appearance gives a model a modest advantage toward another Playboy assignment.

Nor does Playboy demand exclusivity for girls after an appearance. Only Playmates have an exclusivity requirement: they cannot appear nude in any non-Playboy publication for one year after the Playboy appearance. All other girls are free to appear where they wish. Should they desire to appear in another Playboy publication, however, they would be wise to avoid those hard core venues.

Myth One: My Friend Has "Connections"

Perhaps the most persistent myth about Playboy is that models must have "connections" to get into the magazine. In truth, Playboy needs a lot of beautiful girls to apply. There may be only twelve Playmates per year, but between the other Playboy magazine features, the twenty-five Special Editions, and the insatiable Internet, Playboy is continually looking for models.

Still, the "connections" myth persists because, as Kevin Kuster puts it, "Many people want to attach themselves to Playboy. They want credit for getting a girl in Playboy. No one can do that."

"To show you the strength of this myth," Kuster says, "I was speaking at an event where I was clearly identified as a photo editor for Playboy. I spotted a beautiful girl in the audience and, later that day, I offered to fly her to Chicago for a test shoot. She turned me down, saying she knew someone who had a friend who had already promised to get her in Playboy. I couldn't believe it. I just walked away."

Myth two: My Photos Will Get You In Playboy.

As humbling as it may be to glamour photographers, they are not an important factor in Playboy submissions. Some photographers will claim "I shot so and so and she then appeared in Playboy" as if there were a connection between the two. "But there is not one photographer out there that has a style unique enough to get models consistently approved for Playboy" according to Kuster. "No one needs a stylized, amazing photographer to get you into the magazine. If you are a beautiful woman, snapshots will do the trick. Eight quick snapshots changed Jenny McCarthy's life."

In fact, submitting beautiful, carefully prepared photos is a waste of time. Playboy editors assume that such images have been cleaned-up, liquified, or otherwise enhanced. Playboy editors want to see the girl, not the wizardry of a photographer. So submissions to Playboy should always be recent, unretouched photos.

Anyone Can Submit

So you want to be in Playboy. Here's how to best present yourself. You can attend one of the monthly casting calls that Playboy conducts around the country.  Sadly, the big black Playboy bus roving about the country no longer exists. That was for a Playmate of the Millennium project and has since been retired.

But the most common route is to submit your information and photos yourself. Here's what you need to provide:

 

You can mail your submission to:
Playboy Enterprises
Photo Department
680 N. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60611

Mailed photos will not be returned and, though they become the property of Playboy, they will not be published and will eventually be destroyed.

So what should a model think if she submits and never hears from Playboy? Well, she should remember that Playboy deals with the most beautiful girls in the world. Distinctions between who is more attractive or who has the right "look" are very subjective. The Playboy editors have to make their choices and move on but even they would admit that many beautiful women, for one reason or another, never hear back from Playboy. There are no quotas, no hard criteria, that models must fit. It is all in the eye of the beholder.

 

 

 

 

 

REGGAETON POOL PARTY 
25 NOVIEMBRE DEL 2006
THE BEACH CLUB EN ISLA VERDE
DESDE LAS 9PM.

DAMAS GRATIS HASTA LAS 11 PM

 

ARTISTAS INVITADOS:
ALKAPON Y AVEN, YANURY CON SU NUEVA PRODUCCION "MUNDO REAL" DARWIN Y CIRILO Y "EL PESO COMPLETO" JOHN ERIC, ENTRE OTROS...

 

INFO: 787-447-9000

 

ESTARAN LAS CAMARA DE TOP RAP VIDEOS, HABRA CONCURSOS, FOTO STUDIO POR JD ART PHOTO PARA RETRATARTE CON TUS ARTISTAS SOLO O CON TU AMIGUITO O AMIGUITA, COMPETENCIA DE TRAJE DE BAÑO CON MAS DE $500 EN PREMIOS.

CONFERENCIA DE PRENSA 7:30PM. LANZAMIENTO DEL SELLO DISQUERO: "MUNDO RECORDS"

NO FALTES....LLEVA TO TU COMBO!

 

I'm a Photographer who has done mostly glamour photography and portraits. I want to expand and diversify my portfolio. I'm looking for attractive models, experienced and amatuer, who need photos for their own promotional purposes.

 

I will provide you with a CD of your photo session so you may use it for whatever purpose you desire. I require you to sign a standard model release so I can use your photos for my portfolio and possible advertising.

 

 

My goal is to take some great photos that we both can use. I can shoot on location (such as a local park, beach or some other scenic location) or possibly in a studio type setting.

 

I have no problem with you bringing someone with you for support or security comfort as long as they don't get in the way of the photo shoot. I'm serious about my photography. I'm not a fake or some weirdo.

 

I figure it's a fair trade. Your time as a model for some great photos. If your interested add me and send a small file photo(s) to jdartphoto@hotmail.com of yourself and we can talk further. Thanks! know.

You can see more of my work in: http://www.myspace.com/jdartphoto

Si necesitas un composite nosotros te lo preparamos.  Por solo un tiempo limitado....por $125 te hacemos las fotos para tu composite.  Se permiten 3 cambios de ropa y un traje de baño.  Luego de la sesión de fotos se te entregan todas las fotos en CD.  Escoges tus 4 fotos y te preparamos el composite y se te entregan 10 tarjetas composite.

 

Recuerda que un buen composite es como si fuera un resume.   Puede ser la diferencia en un casting inicial.

Vea ejemplos de nuestros trabajos aqui.

 

(Por cita previa solamente)