Exploring Life & Business with Karen Sigal of Sigal Models & Talent

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Sigal

Hi Karen, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
1996 – Active Image Model & Talent Agency was formed by Karen Sigal & Kitty Arndt-
I met Kitty in the early ’90s as we were both freelance professional models booking local modeling jobs and fashion shows. We also taught modeling classes at a local modeling school. We decided to form a business partnership and that’s when we started Active Image Management, Ltd. We didn’t like how models were being taught about the business so we created our own modeling training curriculum from our years of working models and started to teach the local models and present them to the local clientele. This was an instant hit as many of the clients would fly models in from major markets which was very costly. After realizing clients could book local models who were professionally trained and ready to work, that instantly formed a great rapport and then started igniting our business model to great levels.Through years of hard work and dedication, Kitty decided to retire from the business and I took over the business myself and gradually introduced my family into the industry. All 3 children grew up learning more about different areas of the business and took on different roles over the years.
2008 – Monica started in modeling at a very young age doing local fashion shows, informal modeling and print work. Then in 2009 she lands a fit modeling job with Victoria’s Secret & LaSenza working with the technical design team providing valuable feedback on fit and performance of the garments. She delved further into other areas of the industry testing with several photographers to build her portfolio and gained more modeling opportunities in fashion print, commercial print, TV commercials, Bridal shows, hair shows to name a few. In 2011 she signed with a major modeling agency MSA Models and moved to NYC to pursue modeling in a major market. After fulfilling her desire to live and work in the top market in the world, she ventured back to Columbus to help manage the model development division with the family run agency, now called “Sigal Models & Talent.”
2011 – From Active Image to Sigal Models & Talent – Agency gets a “make-over” on a TV reality series called “Remodeled.” Super agent Paul Fisher comes to town, transforming this small town agency into an international Mother agency representing top models in NY, Milan, Paris & London, making the cover of Rolling Stone magazine!
2024 – Celebrating 28 years in the industry, now acclaimed worldwide model & talent agency, Sigal Models & Talent is now celebrating a major milestone in the modeling and entertainment business as a full service agency, located in the heart of Columbus Ohio. Karen & Monica Sigal, Mother & Daughter owned and operated agency, is one of the most respected agencies in the midwest, has been dubbed “The New York agency of the Midwest.”
This “Mother-Daughter duo” is determined to positively impact the fashion world using love and devotion as a means of bringing out the true beauty of their models. With 40+ years in the fashion and commercial industry, the matriarch Karen Sigal pours wisdom and fashion etiquette into her models and instills the importance of giving back to communities.
Karen & Monica believe in making positive “role” models who use notoriety as a means of helping the greater cause.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We’ve experienced struggles along the way during the 2008/2009 economic recession with how the industry was hit. Also during the COVID pandemic, we lost quite a bit of clients and momentum with our business, but we’re making headway with coming back and pivoting with how we run our business.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
What sets Karen & Monica apart is that they provide In-house modeling coaching services to their models that helps them to be better prepared for the industry, and for greater success rates. In 2020 Sigal Model Academy was formed. Owned and operated by Karen & Monica Sigal. The Sigal brand is well established in the Columbus market with a stellar reputation in the industry. After decades of experience running their modeling agency Sigal Models, they have now made it their mission to protect aspiring models from unrealistic expectations, bogus explanations, and scandalous exploitation. They will help you open the doors to an awesome future that may await you! Sigal has a proven blueprint for training models in an industry that is highly competitive and requires constant development and skills. They stand apart as leaders who present polished, poised and professional model candidates prepared for paid work opportunities in fashion and commercial fields.
Sigal Models offers career development, management and placement expertise including exclusive worldwide representation.Their models have been featured in major ad campaigns, billboards, catalogs, editorial, e-commerce, runway, fit, trade shows and TV commercial modeling.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Yes, we had to learn how to be more resilient like most businesses, to dig deeper for creative ways to pivot and survive during the pandemic. After consulting with our team of industry professionals, we learned how to work more efficiently, carefully review our expenses and cut costs where appropriate. By working more remotely and focus on other areas of the industry that could keep us maintaining and slowly coming back. We started to receive requests from new clients and the comeback of our loyal clientele. We realized there was a purpose to fulfill with our services as an Agency and as professional coaches & mentors in this ever changing industry. We’re excited for what the future holds.

Pricing:

• Pricing has to do with individual client requests.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sigalmodels.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sigalmodels
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SigalModels/

Image Credits
Karen & Monica’s photos, Monty Soungpradith photographer, Open Image Studio @openimagestudio