<bt>From Fairfax to Asia, Spain, Puerto Rico, New York and Miami, Fairfax welcomes back Cristina DeHart. The successful model has traveled the international modeling circuit and has made a new home for herself in the Big Apple. With nearly 13 years of glamour, beauty, high fashion, exotic locations and experience, DeHart has started the Agency Forum in New York. She plans to bring her seminar to Mclean on July 26 at the Sheraton Premiere at Tysons Corner.
Daughter to Kenneth and Awilda DeHart, DeHart graduated from Fairfax High School in 1990 and received her bachelor's and master's degrees at Long Island University in New York in criminal justice. While attending Long Island University, she worked at the New York Attorney General’s office in the Consumer Frauds and Protection Unit. While spending the day in the city, she was spotted by a photographer. The random discovery marked the beginning of DeHart’s modeling career. By 1995, she was working as a full-time model and college student.
“Cristina’s been all over the world," said her mother Awilda DeHart. "Her contracts with top agencies took her to Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Spain, Paris and Puerto Rico. They loved her in Japan.” After traveling the international route, Cristina DeHart returned to New York where she continues to model professionally. Her clients include Modern Bride, Glamour, Calvin Klein, Burberry, Vera Wang, Bed Bath and Beyond, Nokia and Saks Fifth Avenue.
DEHART considers herself as one of the lucky ones to have received such a good experience as a model.
“Many girls that are interested in modeling are young and don’t know where to go," she said. "It’s dangerous for girls who don’t know what to do. They could run into serious money scams or into people with the wrong intentions.”
Many hopeful models face the risk of spending excessive amounts of money on model searches, portfolios, agents and photographers as well as placing trust in illegitimate agents and photographers. Their innocence and lack of experience leaves them vulnerable to scams.
It is this concern that inspired DeHart to start the Agency Forum.
DeHart said that the main purpose of the forum is “to educate aspiring models on how to pursue the legitimate avenues of a modeling profession.”
Pat Bowles, an image and modeling consultant and 13-year friend, started working with Cristina DeHart when Cristina was 17. Bowles commended her character.
“She is amazing," Bowles said. "She’s highly educated, as well as an honest person with much credibility. We still refer clients to each other. I wouldn't' send people up to her all the time if I didn't really trust her.
DeHart tries to offer a safe haven for young models by educating them. "A lot of routes cost these girls thousands of dollars and in the end, they leave empty-handed because they got scammed,” she said.
DeHart is well aware of the many risks aspiring models face. She urges them to be suspicious of any up-front fees and of schools which have referral relationships with specific modeling agencies that may be splitting their fees. DeHart stresses the importance of fully understanding a contract before signing it. If uncertain about the contract, one should request a copy, take it home, and thoroughly review it.
DeHart encourages models to research, noting that they should pursue legitimate agencies, build good portfolios, find legitimate photographers, work their local markets and gradually learn to pursue major markets.
“The seminar is a great opportunity for girls to understand how the modeling industry works," DeHart said. "The good thing about the agency is we're run by models who have experienced the whole process ourselves. We’ll tell the girls the good things about it as well as the bad. And even if the girls don’t like it, they at least have a chance to make an educated decision as to whether it’s something they want to dedicate a lot of time to.”
"I see her in the industry for many years," said Bowles. "She has a real heartfelt desire to lead people into the industry in an honest, smooth and professional manner. Parents don’t have to worry about her.”