it's incredible how gullible wannabe models are, they all swear that they are going to be in Playboy, and if you challenge them on it they go mental.
here is an excellent article which lays out the realities of a girl getting shot for Playboy - there are a grand total of 11 photographers on this planet who actually shoot for Playboy, all the Special Editions, Playboy.com and the mothership - the magazine.
Who Really Shoots for 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."
The truth - the whole truth - from inside 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 eight 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. P
layboy does not employ scouts, or agents, or recruiters. Others can submit, others can recommend, but these are the people that decide.
Inside PlayboyPlayboy 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.
