Who can make you rich and famous?

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Have you ever been wandering around the mall and have someone come up to you and offer you a job in the entertainment industry?

"Did you know that you would look great on camera?"

That is a common opening line. And when you answer, "Really?", they will whip out a business card and start talking about what a bright future lies ahead of you.

These dandy-looking, sweet-smelling strangers are just the people fame-seeking teenagers are hoping to bump into as they stroll from one mall to another.

These people, who call themselves talent scouts or artist managers, claim to have the key to the door of instant fame and fortune.

"This is basically a fun job. We go from mall to mall looking for teenagers with potential and ask them whether they want to model for us," said Wawan Suharto, director of Portrait Management, which currently handles 58 models-cum-TV presenters- cum-actors.

"It could be anyone. Sandy Syarief (a soap opera actor) was just on the crew helping me on an event in Palembang," he said.

Sandy was initially reluctant to get involved in acting, saying he had his heart set on being a racer. But in the end the offer was too good to pass on.

Wawan, who has been in the artist management business since 1996, said he could take a girl or a boy with potential and turn them into a model in one to three months.

"We usually prepare them to become models first, because that is the training ground for the entertainment industry," he said.

His company provides the training -- ranging from basic modeling and photo sessions to personal grooming -- for free.

Well, not completely free. It takes 25 percent of every modeling job its freelance clients get and 16 percent of every contract signed by its full-time models.

Fees for models and actors range from Rp 1 million per photo shoot to Rp 20 million for a soap opera season.

"It is a small amount considering what we invest in training them, creating their portfolios and finding them jobs," said Wawan.

The agency that Wawan runs is among most well known, along with Contoh Management. The latter has appeared in tabloid stories in relation to disputes with its clients over fees.

However, there are hundreds of smaller agencies in the business. If the top ones deal with the leading models and actors, these smaller ones help those people who want to be famous but don't have that elusive "potential".

"We specialize in managing supporting actors and actresses in soap operas and TV ads," said Dwianti Lia from the NewAge agency in Slipi, West Jakarta.

These smaller agencies simply require clients to provide a close-up photograph and an enrollment fee ranging from Rp 50,000 to Rp 200,000. The agencies also take a cut of their clients' salaries.

Both Wawan and Lia agree that all you really need to succeed in the talent management game are excellent networking skills and an eye for potential stars.

So, interested in the business of opening the door to instant fame and fortune?