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| Valerie Rogerson |
The relationships with my models also became a key part of my business strategy. Because I knew my team very well—their likes and dislikes, their strengths, their weaknesses—I could use them for the fashions, types of show, and locations that suited them best. They’d be happy, I’d be happy the client would be happy, and so would the location owner.
So I made sure that my dancers and models did only the shows that they felt comfortable doing. For example, Penny was a dancer but I hired her as a model, and modeling was what she preferred. This got around, and also that I employed models that no other agency would touch. Like Linda Thulin, and a few older models: I gave them an opportunity.
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| Denise Peet, 1984 |
Other agencies, both for traditional models and for dancers, treated their women like a stable of horses, with a one size fits all approach. They didn’t care about them as people.
The big papers had the same kind of rigid approach to modeling. They ignored me for breaking their rules, for daring to have an exotic dancer working with traditional models. They didn’t see that some women had the talent to do both, and more. Modeling, dancing, and acting need similar talents.
The big papers had the same kind of rigid approach to modeling. They ignored me for breaking their rules, for daring to have an exotic dancer working with traditional models. They didn’t see that some women had the talent to do both, and more. Modeling, dancing, and acting all need similar talents.
A standard contract
I always used the same basic contract with my models. It specified they had to model for me for three years, but we would always negotiate he period. It wasn’t exclusive: if a woman wanted to model for other agencies or private people, she could do that. If a particular designer offered her work directly, that was OK. The first key condition was though, that if I needed her to model, she had to work for me. That was the first priority, to model for me. I ran a very tight ship and in the early years, it was either “my way or the highway.”With dancers, the deal was also 3 years, but they weren’t required to do fashion shows. The difference between model contracts and dancer contracts was that dancers never forced to model.
The second key condition was that I would act as agent for any other work, because freelance models usually got offered less money by clients when they worked directly or freelance. And because I wanted to make sure she got paid, I was very protective of my models. For this, I took 10% of the fee.
I also wanted to know their marital backgrounds or relationships. For women with live-in lovers I asked for a one-year contract, not 3 years, because I knew it was likely that they would leave sooner.
If models wanted to leave before the contract was up, the key was to be polite. If they were cordial and said it was because they had other interests, there was no problem and I let them go. I didn’t like confrontations, so when Jaye signed to renew the dancer contract but soon decided she wanted to leave, I let her go without asking compensation or suing.
Another woman who wanted to break contract was Denise. She had tried to convince me not to use dancers. She said that using so many dancers – she meant more than one dancer - was demeaning. She felt model shows became more like strip shows. Denise didn’t like working with dancers, and wasn’t comfortable talking with them. She never refused to do a show with them, but she talked to me about them privately. We got along fine and we had a private discussion. Eventually she said, “I just can’t do this.” She gave up trying to persuade me and decided to leave.
Denise went to another agency, but unfortunately, the agent became a drug addict. Valerie Rogerson (who was friendly with Denise), tried to persuade her to come back, but she would not.
Modeling isn’t making a living
All my models had other jobs. Modeling was just part-time. Anne Rae was an optician and training as an optometrist. Judy Senick was studying to be certified as a realtor, and Jaye East was doing sales. Even Leah could not make a living by modeling full time, and worked as a bartender in a nightclub.Linda was a hairstylist.
Models earned more than exotic dancers did, but they worked less often. For fashions shows, their pay depended on the budget. Each model earned between $75 and $150 an hour per show. This did not include the hour for rehearsals. The key to success was to avoid overcharging clients. For example, Bev Boys Sports was a regular client partly because for a show I charged her a reasonable fee. But also, my % of ticket sales boosted my income (although I never told my girls about that).No one could make a living as a dancer or model full time, excepting the “big name” models who could get work more often. An example was Carrie Fieldgate: her father Norm Fieldgate played football for the BC Lions. If a client knew that her father was Norm Fieldgate, they’d ask for her. From what I knew, it was just because it boosted the client’s ego (though Carrie was a very good model too).
My core model team at that time was always Helen Clark, Wanda Rey, Leah Sarrazin, Anne Rae, and one of the dancers, although I might use Linda Thulin if the venue and fashions suited her.
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Making money for fashion clients
I had joined the Western Canadian Fashion Designers Association in 1984, when Cheryl Dawson was president. The goal of the WCFDA was to be a networking organization for the entire fashion industry promote local designers, which they did in one big fashion show a year, a big event in a major hotel ballroom. Unfortunately, Cheryl left in 1987. From then on the organization basically went downhill . I quit too, because the new president, Mary Lou Gazeley, really didn’t like me. She was an older woman, a designer, and fashion editor of a local magazine. Once, she took me aside and said that using exotic dancers as models was “unprofessional.”The major ballroom show was usually produced by my former mentor Judy Larsen. Designers had to pay a significant fee just to participate. For these evening shows, Judy always picked models from my competitors, never from mine. I learned it was because I used exotic dancers. What irritated me the most was that they wouldn’t allow my dancers to show that they were good models. I believe that if you believe in somebody, give them a chance. It bothered me that none of my team was ever chosen, but I set up my own deals with designers, like a show for Lea Chu at the Georgian Court Hotel’s William Tell Restaurant.
Looking for niches quickly became one of my business strategies. I knew my models well and matched them with different kind of fashions, in different kinds of show. I would do impossible shows, any type of show or fashion. I suppose this grew from my outsider identity. I was careful and professional. My competitors did mostly restaurant and hotel shows, while I did shows anywhere. Another difference was that after shows, my competing agents would socialize. They would butter up clients hoping for a contract to promote their wear. I didn’t like it because, from experience, I knew clients would ask for discounts.
Working with hotels
With the contacts I made with hotels just after I finished at Blanche Macdonald, I developed agreements with a number of managers, and part of my success in 1984 was based on them. The agreement was usually to do two shows a year, one in spring, and one in fall.Several hotels had just opened in the mid 80’s, and the new owners wanted to promote them. Eleni Skalbania for example opened the Wedgewood Hotel at 845 Hornby: I was fortunate about the timing.
Using niche locations meant that I had to correctly analyze which models to use. I made sure they were right for the venue and the likely audience. This was based on giving hotels the kind of fashions their guests would want to see, and the style of show they wanted. When I did a show at the Bayshore, I always used traditional models like Valerie Rogerson and Judy Senick. I never put the punk rocker Linda Thulin in a fashion show at the Bayshore because of her appearance, because I knew the Bayshore would not appreciate a punk rocker model in their hotel. I put Linda in shows at the Granville Island Hotel, or nightclubs like Richard’s on Richards, because I knew Linda Thulin would be comfortable doing shows in those facilities, and nobody would judge her for looking the way she did.
Boris Chinkus was one of my earliest—and still most regular—clients. Promoting his company After Five fashions (still at Oakridge Centre) shows how I matched the fashions to the venue. I did two shows a year with him in the Garden Lounge at the Bayshore, always on a Friday at noon, to catch the regular clientele when they were more prone to buy—after a long week. Boris and I have known each other for 30 years, though these days I have to figure hard to come up with the kind of event Boris might want to sponsor.
Part of the reason I did so many shows at Bayshore, the Georgian Court, and the Wedgewood, was that I proved they would benefit as much as I would. Naturally, I also earned money there. They benefited because my shows drew many people to watch, and made their hotels more popular. I also had a good relationship with George Walker at the Granville Island hotel, who I met in 1984. At the time, he was general manager. He wanted to promote the Pelican Bay restaurant. His taste in outfits was, “the sexier the better” I signed him for 2 shows a year for 5 years, from 84-89, and an option for a 3rd if he wanted. We’d usually do them in spring and fall. George was a bit like Frank Rigney. He didn’t care what kind of fashions I showed, and liked to see girls in bikinis. We usually did shows at cocktail hour, from 4- 6 or 7- 9 on weekdays. George felt that it was too busy on weekends.
The Bayshore during the early 1980s was in my opinion was one of the best hotels in Vancouver, comparable to the Hotel Vancouver and the Hyatt Regency. It had luxurious facilities, the Garden Lounge, Trader Vic's Restaurant, and a ballroom that cost at least $4000 to rent back then. And by the way, none of my retailer clients could afford that. Jan Besseling was the manager and we got along very well.
The Garden Lounge at the Bayshore was what they call a lobby lounge restaurant where people would mingle, have lunch, and talk business. It would open about eleven in the morning and close later in the evening. Jan always insisted that we do shows only on a Friday afternoon, lunch hour or the cocktail hour, when I’d have a bigger audience. That suited me because we’d catch the regular clientele. By Friday, they were more relaxed, and they wanted to watch entertainment like a fashion show. Stores like Boris Chinkus’ After Five would be a good fit, and clients would be more prone to buy after a long week.
I would provide fashions that would be appropriate for the Bayshore. For example, Bev Boys was a good client who designed swimwear, but I would never feature her swimwear in the Garden Lounge of the Bayshore, only in a ballroom with a formal tone, where the models would be up on a ramp and not close to the audience. I would never have even my traditional models, like Denise Peet or Wanda Rey, walking around in sexy bikinis in the Garden Lounge of the Bayshore. And in the Bayshore, the audience would be older, so I would use older models. At the Bayshore, it was my job to bring in the fashions and their job to help promote the show. We would send a press release saying that I was doing a fashion show for a particular designer.
I usually charged my client a substantial fee. But when I did shows at the Wedgwood and Bayshore I always charged double the money. That would cover all my expenses which were often added after the contract. For example, if the show went over time then the rates went up. If I was going to do a show for Suzie’s Lingerie at the Wedgwood hotel, the show would be costly. Because I had a good relationship with the owner she wouldn’t charge for use of their facilities. But I charged more for hotel shows. That paid not only for the models but for my time and additional expenses that might be incurred should I have to pay the hotel extra money.
When I did shows at hotels like the Hyatt or the Vancouver Island, I always charged my client double compared to say shows at Richards. If I did show at Richard’s they wouldn’t charge me for use of the facilities but the hotels like the Bayshore the Granville island hotel did charge. So I had to charge the client double the normal fee, for these unforeseen expenses. For example, the Wedgwood might say you have to pay for a bedroom to use for changing, or for getting a dresser, or a microphone or a sound system. I didn’t always know this cost before I approached the client. The hotel often added the costs afterwards. And if the show went over the booked time, say 4.00-600pm, I might have to pay double. The Bayshore would give me a change room free, but only within a certain time. Beyond that they would charge me. In the early years I never had to do that.
One of my regrets is I never did a mall show. By then my reputation was known that I would use exotic dancers so that’s why the malls would not use me. They took the same attitude as the press did. At the time I wasn’t willing to compromise. I basically said to the Pacific Centre if you don’t want me to use dancers then we won’t work together. We all want to make money but I’m not the kind of person who is willing to compromise.
Models dancing
I had hired Penny in 1983 as a model, and she preferred modelling to stripping. . She appreciated the chance that I gave her to model - she was after all a beautiful woman. But she asked me to also find gigs [my word- what word did she use?] for her doing exotic dancing in bars. The first gig I found was at the Surrey Inn. She was a couple of years younger than I was, and dating all sorts of men. But until this year, she was the only one of my dancer-models for whom I found work stripping in bars.When I was hiring dancers as models, Penny introduced me to her friend Anne Gordon, also an exotic dancer who wanted to model, and in 1984 Anne set up an organisation called the Association of Exotic Dancers, to support rights for exotic dancers in bars. To promote this association, she arranged a fundraiser with the Lion’s Club in September 1984. It would be a dinner at the Kingsland Chinese restaurant, for men only, at $20 a ticket for an eight-course Chinese meal. Afterwards, six exotic dancers would entertain the men: Anne, Penny, and four others provided by Anne. Funds raised would go to Easter Seals and the Lion’s Club. I went along to support them because Anne and Penny were my models. There were tables of 10 and I joined Dennis Ververgaert, a former Vancouver Canuck hockey player, and Dick Irwin the car dealer, along with John Tete, co-owner of Richard’s on Richards. I had not met any of them before.
The deal was that the dancers would disrobe and then auction off parts of their costumes. The money would go to the charities. I could not believe how much money men were prepared to pay for the parts of the strippers’ costumes, for example a bra.
Now Anne and Penny both knew I was trying to set up a fashion show at Richard’s on Richards nightclub. They both knew that I had never seen them naked. They told me later that Penny said to Anne, “Why don’t we strip naked for Victor?”
So, knowing that John Tete was sitting right there, they decided to strip naked in front of our table. John was quite impressed with Anne. She looked like Suzanne Pleshette but with long hair. Afterwards, John Tait said to me, “Are these two of your models?” Naturally, he was impressed and he suggested that every time I do a fashion show, I should use an exotic dancer. So I said, “That’s my trademark anyway!”
Then Anne Gordon teased John by saying, “Why don’t we have a drink together?” She remained naked except for high heels (she was a shrewd businesswoman, and had been dancing since 1971). So that resulted in the first show at Richard's the following month, November 1984.In the week after the Lions Club fundraiser, Penny and Denise Peat joined me for a fashion show I did at the Wedgewood, and here’s an example how my relationship with each of my team was different. I was close to Penny, who would tell me her problems. But Denise, on the other hand, never discussed her private life, although we got along fine.
Penny was always the first to arrive at shows, and we were talking in change room. She said she wasn’t happy because her new husband was supposedly cheating. And she thanked me for not ogling her naked body at the Lion’s Club stag party. Joking, she added that she might give me a private show later, because we were staying overnight.
I was tempted to accept, but I said to Penny, “Why should I? You’re engaged to get married.” Then Denise entered the room and this intimate conversation stopped. We didn’t discuss it further.
Penny didn’t come to my room after the show, but even if she had, I would have said, “No you’re a married woman - you cannot do that.”
Maybe I could have arranged that show with John at Richard’s without Anne Gordon and Penny having to strip. But in one sense, I owe both of them for the contract that I had negotiated with John.
Around the same time, each of the dancers I had hired as models - Anne Gordon, Darla Fox, Candy Bee, and Janet Cervi - approached me one by one to ask if I would find them gigs as dancers, because they weren’t making enough money from modelling.
I wasn’t comfortable watching any of my dancer-models doing a strip. I saw Penny naked many times, and we were OK with that. I was closer to her than to my other dancers, so I was never comfortable seeing them strip – for example Janet Cervi. I had never seen Anne Gordon strip either. But I needed to know how much I should charge. The rates that bars paid for exotic dancers were common knowledge; beginners got $25, for example, and agents took 20%. My base rate was $30, but most agents let bars set the rates.
The manager of one particular bar fired the girls if they didn’t use dildos and other sex toys. My contract stipulated that if the girl was fired because she wouldn’t comply with the bar’s demands to do lewd acts, I would sue.
Being a different kind of agent, I wanted to get to know my people and respect them for who they were. But I realized that I should know their style before I could decide their rate and promote them.
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Business on Richards street
Jim Young was my guest again, along with Frank Rigney and Jane Mortifee, when I did my first nightclub show at Richard’s on Richards on November 26th, 1984. This was for designer Lea Chu’s Christmas line, sold by Antonio Boutique. I requested that the club give me a “T” ramp and sell tickets at the door, of which I took 10%. With Sheryl Dawson and Linda Cullen in the audience, Denise led the other models in a fast-paced, well-choreographed show with carefully selected music. It is still one of the best of my career.This show began my relationship with John at Richard’s on Richards. I did two shows a year there, from 1984 to 1989. John always wanted to see one of the strippers modelling. She didn’t have to be Anne Gordon but as long as I had one of my strippers on that show, he liked it.
At The Georgian Court Hotel, I had met Frank Rigney, a former Winnipeg Blue Bomber. He had just become a co-owner and wanted to promote the William Tell restaurant, the hotels’ main dining room. I had seen Frank play football as an offensive tackle for the Blue Bombers, and I invited him to see my show at the Plaza 500. Frank liked the show and we talked afterward. He suggested we sign a deal for me to do a series of fashion shows in the William Tell.
Frank also opened a bar in the hotel called Rigney's Bar. It was a lounge bar, open only from 4:00 - 12:00, and offered inexpensive dinners as an alternative to the William Tell, which was the most expensive restaurant in Vancouver. Frank wanted to promote the bar under his name, and I was pleased to do shows and have dancers in Rigney’s.
Frank was happy with any kind of show for casual wear, high fashion, or swimwear. He gave me carte blanche and Frank and I always had good relationship. I could just call and let him know about a new show I wanted to do there.
My first show at the William Tell was also Linda Thulin’s first show. Linda was conscious of her looks compared to other models. She was overweight and had purple hair, so to ease her in, I had her work with my most experienced models of the time – and we did this for later shows I put her in. Before the show, Valerie would calm her down, and Linda would come out 3rd - never first. She could follow the example of the ones who came out first and second. Then Valerie (or Leah if it was a nightclub show) would come out straight after her, and so Linda knew she had support. If Linda made a mistake in her moves, Valerie or Leah might even hold her hand, and walking together they’d improvise. Linda built her confidence that way.
When I returned to the Plaza 500 ballroom for another fine fashion show with the Leather Ranch and Reitman’s on September 17th, 1984, I met former BC Lion Jim Young, who was managing the Royal Towers Hotel. He called me later and asked me how much I would charge exotic dancers to perform in his bar. I told Jim he was my second favorite BC lion of all time. And I’d give him a discount. Our agreement was that I would be able to have exotic dancers perform in his bar. He was guest at some of my fashion shows, in particular the shows I did at Richards, and some at the Wedgewood. I always introduced him to the audience, and we had a good working relationship. He was also curious to spot the exotic dancers – most of the time it was either Candy or Penny.
One night at Richards I had Jim Young sitting at the same table with broadcaster Linda Cullen, and Cheryl Dawson, president of the WCFDA. I always introduced the celebrity guests by name, asking them to stand up in the spotlight. When Cheryl stood up, I would say, “Here is a woman I respect, a complete woman.”
Expanding my agency
Although I did around two shows a month in 1984, I realized that, to make a living, I could not rely exclusively on producing fashion shows. So I began thinking of the possibilities of my license. It allowed me to send models on assignments for photographers. So I figured why not take advantage of that.I produced 17 fashion shows in 1984, and at least 12 of them were very good. They featured models that suited the fashion and location, such as Judy Senick and Valerie Rogerson showing fashions for businesswomen at the Wedgewood Hotel, and Denise Peat and Linda Thulin showing fashions for the young trendy set at the Granville Island Hotel. Some shows that year were among the best of my career.
As the year drew to a close, I knew I had developed a reputation in the industry as being daring, and able to produce fashion shows no one else could. That was the year that really established my reputation, as the only agent in Vancouver that dared to combine models and exotic dancers. I just needed two stars that would get me into the top echelon both in fashion and promoting exotic dancers. I found them in Jaye East and an 18 year old named Leah Cybil Sarrazin.
