Avenue Productions- Are They a Real Agency?

Avenue Productions- Are They a Real Agency?

Elina Sol, a model that I work with regularly recently visited Avenue Productions for her children. Avenue Productions attempted to sign Elina to the agency. Avenue Productions made claims that they get all types of work for their models. Personally, I have known some 46 models that have visited Avenue Productions and each of them never received work. Instead, they were sold photography and comp card services. This is known as a photography mill. They claim that their photographer is good and the models can attain work because of these photos.

Many years ago, I brought three models to CED (Cunningham Escott & Dipene), a NY based commercial print agency. The agency is now called CESD (Cunningham Escott Slevin & Dougherty). This was in the 80s and I was not an accomplished photographer at that time. They did not try to sell the models on photography and comp card services. Instead, they took the comp cards that I did and stickered the comp cards with their comp cards.

Elina Sol is only one of 3 models that I currently work with in South Florida. Elina has been paid for a number of photographic art pieces. My works are hanging in the Smithsonian, 4 United States Presidential Libraries, and my work has been featured on NBC News, WXEL Public TV, cover of the Sun Sentinel, Miami Herald, Indian Life and Style Magazine in India, the United Kingdom, and United States, Chicago Tribune, Photographic Society of America Journal, Nashua Telegraph, Framingham News, Lowell Sun, NH Magazine, the Concord Monitor, The Broadcaster, The Rangefinder Magazine, Via Magazine, Boca Raton News, Our Town News, The Coral Springs Forum, Parklander Magazine cover, Afrocentric News, Wiscasset News in Maine, Southbay News in NY, and a variety of other magazines. These are not published articles, they are featured articles. In other words, articles featuring my photographic art works.

Avenue Productions was making claims that their photographer is better. Of course, the photographer would charge some $600. Every model I have sent agencies to have never paid a dime to any agency. I question whether Avenue Productions is a legitimate agency based on the above information. I have also approached Avenue in the past in hiring some of their models. They literally did not know how to respond to this. Since I also refer models to agencies that have work to give models, if Avenue Productions was real, I would be considered a source of quality models.

Avenue Productions does not have headsheets, or an agency book such as Ford, Elite, Zoli, Click, Next Models, etc. This blog will be auto feed to all of the offices through Marc Gagnon Inc. throughout the country including the offices: Marc Gagnon Inc. - NH, Marc Gagnon Inc. - MA, Marc Gagnon Inc. - NYC, Marc Gagnon Inc. - Chicago, Marc Gagnon Inc. - Atlanta, Marc Gagnon Inc. - Charleston, Marc Gagnon Inc. - San Francisco, and Marc Gagnon Inc. - Florida. Marc Gagnon Inc. simply markets the photographic artwork to the public and private collectors. Some of the artwork is marketed on merchandise.

Merchandise of Marc Gagnon Inc.
Documentary Website

Below is a sampling of merchandising of Marc Gagnon Inc., photo of Marc Gagnon and Bryant Gumbel, Dan Marino and former Governor Charlie Crist, the art piece The Colonial Woman, the art collage The Edgar Alan Poe collage, and Gagnon and Press Agent about to lift off in a private plane.

Our Town News Features the Work of Marc Gagnon

Our Town News Features the Work of Marc Gagnon

Marc Gagnon was featured in Our Town News located in Coral Springs regarding his art collages; specifically his American Revolution themes. Gagnon has done a number of photographic art collages depicting the lives of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Some of the people he has created art pieces of are some of the following: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Matthew Thornton, well known physician and signer from NH, and William Floyd. He plans on doing additional pieces on John Hancock, John Hart and many others. Currently Gagnon has some 218 pieces and is working on finishing a piece on WW IV. The article was published by Our Town News during the July 4th week. Gagnon plans on featuring Elina Sol on the cover in a upcoming edition. Elina Sol is one of Gagnon's few models he is currently working with. He finds the best that is out there and then works with the model on art pieces he is creating and helps to market the models to top agencies in the entertainment world.

The article is as follows:

Daniel Webster collage

Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests. Webster's increasingly nationalistic views, and
his effectiveness as a speaker, made him one of the most famous orators and influential Whig leaders of the Second Party System. He was one of the nation's most prominent conservatives, leading opposition to Democrat Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party. Daniel Webster is considered a local hero in New Hampshire. Mr. Webster lived in a couple of different neighborhoods one of which can still be viewed today at Stawberry Bank in Portsmouth, NH. It was said that Daniel Webster defended a man accused of murder in one of his original cases. He knew he was guilty. He was thankful that the man lost. He was a person who looked for the truth. Coincidentally, Marc Gagnon Inc.'s mailing address of its headquarters is located on Daniel Webster Highway in Nashua, NH.

What is hard to fathom that very few people in Florida have ever heard of Daniel Webster. It is a cultural difference from New England to Florida.

Perfect Game Sports Grill in Coral Springs, the worst place Ive seen

Perfect Game Sports Grill in Coral Springs, the worst place Ive seen

Posted 08:56 PM June 09, 2012

Tonight I accompanied friends to the Perfect Game Sports Grill in Coral Springs to watch the Heat game. Although the The game was great, the service is the worst I have ever seen. It took some 35 minutes before anyone came over to us. Some of my friends asked for mugs which we had to ask three times for. We were never served napkins.  My friend had to get off his chair and walk over to the bar to take a stack of bar napkins for the group. He actually took them himself. Additionally, the waitress, who was Vanessa, never brought utensils and they were asked for three times.

We totally recommend that no one goes there. I travel from Maine to Florida and it is basically the worst place for service I have ever experienced. In addition, the waitress did not care. The barmaid said she was sending over the manager and he never showed up. Obviously, he did not care.

The place is at 10365 Royal Palm Blvd, Coral Springs, Florida

Kayasi Consulting blog of Perfect Game Sports Grill

Jacques Wiesel on Social Media

SOCIAL MEDIA…A 21^ST CENTURY PANACEA?

Jacques Wiesel

                       

            Because of Facebook, Google, texting, MySpace and Twitter, faux-connections are replacing the “human” element in most personal relationships. Using the latest research, which includes but is not limited to the New York Times, AARP, Forbes.com, The Atlantic, TIME, as well as the Washington Post and The Week one learns that the staggering statistics reinforce the fact that “emotional loneliness” is more devastating to our youth than are the artificial benefits of socializing via the media.

            Using social media we can transform ourselves temporarily into the persons WE WOULD LIKE TO BE without fear of being recognized by all those so-called newly found friends, a word which has been completely distilled as well as abused by continued exposure. Hiding behind our persona we feel safe from unwanted criticism. I know people who count these “friends” as a measure of personal ego satisfaction; being a bit old-fashioned I am happy to count a dozen true friends, while relegating the hundreds of “others” to my files marked acquaintances, whether of a personal or business nature.

            My main concern is what this is doing to our children. Being “liked” by complete strangers is as useful to their inner self and personal growth as loading up their scooters or bicycles for a trip to the moon, i.e. totally delusional. According to a recent Good Housekeeping report (March) medical studies show that the more hours spent watching TV or on the computer the weaker their emotional bonds with their parents. Is it any wonder that a National Teachers Magazine had as its headline:

AMERICA’S DIRTY LITTLE SECRET:

WE DON’T REALLY LOVE OUR CHILDREN!

Need proof? Last year 3.3 million REPORTED cases of child abuse, adding up to

65 million survivors of C.A. who will eventually implode (via illness) or explode through violent acts against society. (Source: US Govt. Administration for Children)

            The WSJ reports that young teens will text messages back and forth 300 times per day and the American Journal of Epidemiology notes that most adolescents average 28 hours per week using computers and watching TV. A majority of teens and tweens (adolescents between 8-12) own tablets, laptops, iPods, and smart-phones and use them 24-7. When the Kaiser Family Foundation concluded its report it stated that the average American ages 8-18 spends 7 HOURS PER DAY watching a screen of sorts.

            Parents are replacing their love with electronic gadgets, mostly without supervising their content. I went to my grandchild Logan’s 11^th birthday party at the Laser Quest. I watched six year olds manning the “killing electronic guns” and rejoicing at their scores. There were 8 killing stations. At age seven I was running for my life with my brother and parents as the Nazis bombed Brussels, Belgium. What exactly are we teaching our children today?

            Headlines like “DEPRESSION IN TEENS OFTEN RETURNS”…“FACEBOOK:

Are Social Media Making us lonely?”…or ”Teach Your Teen to Say HELLO!” grace most major media outlets. When I first came to the United States in the middle of WW2 we “loved people and used things”. These days the opposite if true, i.e. “we love things and use people!”. The phrase “I love my toys, car, home, shoes, French fries, the Dolphins etc…has replaced the simple, truly emotional “I LOVE YOU!” which when said with proper eye contact becomes a bond of strength between the sender and the receiver, or parent and child. Parents need to replace screen-time with personal time, consistently. Love for things must be transferred back to love for people. I love my dozen or so friends, and I like the rest of the people I know.

            The word educare means to draw forth from within, not what we mistakenly call education, which shovels truckloads of useless data into minds eager to be led, not lectured to “because I said so!”. A family usually consists of 1-2 parents and a child/children. Interference between parent and child via electronics results in weak family ties, as well as future weak relationships they develop as teenagers and eventually as  adults. For the first time in US history divorces occurred more times than marriages.

But then “Que sais je?” …”what do I know?”

Jacques Wiesel and Marc Gagnon are Immortalized in Artwork

Jacques Wiesel and Marc Gagnon are Immortalized in Artwork

Published Author Jacques Wiesel and Acclaimed Photographic Artist Marc Gagnon recently met with published Artist Carol Morris in Lake Placid, Florida for a luncheon to discuss future goals and projects. Unknown to Jacques Wiesel and Marc Gagnon, Carol Morris, whose artwork of Jacques Wiesel is published on cover of his book “9 Knockdowns 5 Miracles,” had painted a portrait of Marc Gagnon and also a portrait of the both of them holding the photographic artwork which was published on the back cover of Jacques Wiesel’s book.

Below are the images of the paintings as well as the pictures from which Carol Morris was inspired to paint from.  Marc Gagnon has teamed up with Jacques Wiesel in promoting his story as a holocaust survivor. The story is one of hope no matter what adversities one may face. Jacques will be 80 in May.  Jacques was most recently on Jewish Television and is frequently published in the Happy Herald. Mr. Wiesel has recently written an article for The Loupe which is the publication for the Photographic Resource Center at Boston University which Gagnon is a member of.

Our Town News Features Holocaust Survivor Jacques Wiesel

Our Town News Features Holocaust Survivor Jacques Wiesel

Our Town News of Coral Springs, Festival Mall and Coconut Creek recently featured the collaboration of Jacques Wiesel and Marc Gagnon. Marc Gagnon was so impressed the life of Mr. Wiesel that he created a collage of his life. Jacques Wiesel is a holocaust survivor and escaped the occupation of Belgium by the Nazis. He dedicated his life to the advancement of humankind and began writing and speaking to inspire others. Especially in these very difficult times, Jacques has been a beacon of light for many. Our Town News, led by John Brody, featured Jacques Wiesel and Marc Gagnon in his magazine on January 12th, 2012. Gagnon's art collage of Mr. Wiesel's life was published on the back cover of the book 9 Knockdowns 5 Miracles, which is published by Xlibris Publishing House. The cover of the book is a painting done by Mr. Wiesel's first wife Carol Morris.