Jay York, Jason Earle and FTVModelling

This blog post is a response to a post made by Jay York of the Australian company FTVModelling about me and my company, after blocking my access to his Facebook. Only a coward would block someone from responding to baseless, accusatory and slanderous remarks!

Anyways..  Please read this completely, as it is important for you to understand how this company works and to warn your fellow photographer/model community what they are in for if they become involved with the Australian company known as FTVModelling (spelled with two lowercase L’s). There are also other links at the bottom of this post which will validate everything that I refer to in this blog post.

I was going to let this pass by unnoticed but I have learned that Jay York is now messaging my Facebook friends with information about me that is baseless and defamatory.  I really don’t care what Jay York says but I am not impressed that he is bothering my friends with this nonsense. However, I must stress that what Jay York and Jason Earle are doing is slander of the strongest kind. I do not know Jay york personally. Jay York is employed by FTVModelling, which is owned by Jason Earle.

So.. let me tell you of my experience with FTVModelling!

FTVModelling is a company that I discovered through my friend Harold Shore, since Harold was an “accredited” photographer with FTVModelling.  “Accredited” simply means you have recommended at least one model that they becamse interested in..

I contacted FTVModelling and began referring models to them after a short discussion with Jason Earle on what they were looking for, which as he told me was “lingerie and bikini models for catalog work in Australia.”  At that point he informed me that models would be required to do a webcam interview and some “training sessions” to gauge their suitability for the work in Australia, work which supposedly paid $5000 for two weeks, all expenses paid.  I have been given different numbers by models varying from $2000, $3000 and $5000. An impressive amount of money which seemed, for the models, too good to be true. Turns out it was just that; TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!

I began recommending models to FTVModelling and one of them even did her first interview with Jason Earle at my home, on my laptop, which went well. I informed every model whom I referred that I did not know this company and that they should let me know if they were asked to do anything they didn’t want to do or felt in any way that something was not right.  This is where the good in this situation ends.

Mistreatment of Models

A couple weeks later I learned from three of the models I referred, that Jason Earle was asking them to do nude webcam sessions, which was not what I was told would be the case. some of them (and I will not reveal who) did nude sessions under the guise of nude modeling jobs, and others did not.  I specifically asked, at the request of a fourth model, if any nudity would be required as she was interested in modeling for the company.  Jason Earle told me “no.”  That model was later asked by Jason Earle how far she would go. She said she would not go beyond implied nudity –  Jason Earle never contacted her again.  This leads me to believe he was only interested in getting women naked on webcam. Additionally, all ladies informed me that Jason Earle never showed live video on webcam, only a picture of what everyone assumed was him. No one is even certain if it was really his image or not. A fifth model told me that Jason Earle has asked her to “slip a nip” while she was doing a “webcam training session.”  She flatly refused and ended all dialog with Jason Earle.

International Model Status

Meanwhile, one of the models that I referred to FTVModelling gained “International Model” status with FTVModelling.  Not long after, the model stopped doing webcam sessions with FTVModelling because it seemed like it wasn’t going anywhere and because another model, brought to the company by Harold Shore, asked if the company was reputable, because she couldn’t get any references from the FTVModelling. There was no nude work being talked about and he produced no contracts for her for paid, nude modeling work.

Status Change From International Model to Porn Star

At this point, because the model no longer wished to participate in webcam training sessions, Jason Earle began a smear campaign against the model, making defamatory pages on his website insinuating that the model was a porn star and not an International Model. Jason Earle also threatened the model that he would send nude images of her to the models family, boyfriend, etc if she didn’t return the propertly of FTVModelling.  I helped this model out as much as I could by asking Jason Earle to either take my link off their website or remove the page that slandered the model and by helping her return any items that were bought for her to model in by FTVModelling (including the webcam they supplied for her), just so they would leave her alone.  Jason Earle then removed the slanderous page, leaving my link on their website.

Australian Opinion

Another photographer from Australia, who contacted me after learning of my affiliation with FTVModelling, advised that I should end all ties because FTVModelling has never to anyone’s knowledge provided paid work to any models in Australia and that we were being taken for a ride.

I immediately began informing everyone who I had discussed the FTVModelling opportunity with to stay clear of the company, that it was a bad deal!

Other Photographers’ Experiences

Recently, I saw Jay York slandering another photographer named Michael M. Perez on his Facebook page, was also making slanderous remarks about a model that Michael Perez was acquainted with.  It wasn’t long after that when I received an email from Mr. Perez stating what had happened and also informing me of a third photographer named Patrick Yuen, who had a run-in with FTVModelling. It was at this point that I saw there was a huge pattern of deception, beyond mistreating models. The slander and character assassination that this company is guilty of is far-reaching!  I have learned today that another photographer named Martine Sansoucy, once listed on FTVModelling’s website as an accredited photographer has also come out vocally in an email regarding FTVModelling (links at the bottom of this blog entry).

Unwitting Validation

Meanwhile, I had left the link to my site on the FTVModelling website, thinking that it wouldn’t hurt and that FTVModelling might remove it after realizing I was not referring models to them anymore. I recently got hammered pretty hard by our local photographer/model community who informed me that it was their opinion that leaving my link on the FTVModelling website, because of the quality of my photography work, lent a degree of credibility to FTVModelling.  I admit, I hadn’t thought of that and I appreciate the advice they gave me.

Breaking Off All Ties and FTVModelling’s Reaction

It was at this point that I ordered both Jay York and Jason Earle to remove the link to my website from FTVModelling’s website.  I had also replied to the email that Michael Perez sent me, filling in Mr. Perez on all that I knew about FTVModelling.  Michael filed a SCAM REPORT on FTVModelling to his blog, to which I replied, stating what I knew about the situation and how my models were being treated.  Jason Earle then saw the blog entry and my reply on Michael Perez’s website and started bad mouthing me, my wife, my company, and my professional reputation.

Like Mr. Perez and others, I too am now being slandered by this company. They are contacting my friends and sending them messages that assasinate my professional reputation and defamatory remarks against my reputation.

I have advised my friend Harold Shore to distance himself from FTVModelling.  Let’s see if Jay York and Jason Earle start a smeear campaign against Harold when he asks them to remove his link from their site.

Check My References

So, what I am simply asking everyone to do is, whether you believe me or not, ask me for references if you must. Talk to the people I have worked with, talk to the models I’ve shot, both for nude and non-nude work and ask them about my level of professionalism and respect, before you accept the opinion of FTVModelling, a  company that has ulterior motives for destroying my reputation.  Anyone and everyone that has worked with me can tell you of my extreme professionalism.  I never push a model to go beyond his or her limits and I have model releases for all images I have created and posted. I, am a professional first and foremost.

More Information

You can find more information about the FTVModelling scam on the sites below.

- Michael Perez Blog #1: http://jclvnetwork.com/?p=61
- Michael Perez Blog #2: http://jclvnetwork.com/?p=82
- Michael Perez Blog #3: http://www.michaelmperez.com/?p=1706
- Michael Perez Blog #4: http://www.michaelmperez.com/?p=1732
- Patrick Yuen’s FTVModelling SCAM entry: http://blog.patyuen.com/faq/modeling-photography-scams-database/ftvmodelling-is-a-webcam-interview-scam/

Thanks!

To my friends,  supporters,  associates,  fellow photographers and models: Thank-you for reading and please, pass this information along so that no one else is mistreated, slandered, character assassinated or otherwise defamed by the Australian company known as FTVModelling.

Best Regards,
Ray A. Akey
Luminescent Memories Photography