Introducing: Model Wars

In the grit & glam 1980s, Paul Fisher started a New York City modeling agency, fueled by $1 million in rumored mob money, and warring with industry giants like Ford and Elite. What could go wrong?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I want to tell you about a podcast named model Wars.
I mean model as in fashion model, tall legs, big lips.
But in the nineteen eighties, it took more than that
to make it in the industry.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
It's a freaking war zone. These people are animals. There's
no integrity, there's no loyalty.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
That's all gone, and so models needed an agent to
help them fight their way to the top.

Speaker 4 (00:28):
Till this day. Honestly, if I see a measuring tape,
I freak out. The model agent who fought the hardest.
His name was Paul Fisher.

Speaker 5 (00:36):
Everyone kissing them praying.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
I want that Paul was an agent powered by questionable money.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
There was a rumor that his family was mob.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Connected, and Paul soon found himself fighting for his life.

Speaker 5 (00:52):
I got off the phone. I pissed my pants. I
knew it. He was coming after me.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
This is the real story behind the modeling industry.

Speaker 5 (01:00):
Buck buck buck n deals.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Let's get models in, let's get them out.

Speaker 4 (01:07):
It's about drugs.

Speaker 5 (01:09):
And he wakes up with blow all over his freaking
nose and he says, hey, listen, I want you to
go to New York City and open up a modeling agency.

Speaker 4 (01:17):
It's about cash.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
Guys just carry me six thousand bucks.

Speaker 5 (01:21):
Say Monday morning, you come in and work for me.

Speaker 4 (01:23):
It's about sex.

Speaker 6 (01:25):
I saw all these creepy guys there and I turned
around and I said, I'm not here to your friends.

Speaker 4 (01:31):
And it's about violence.

Speaker 5 (01:34):
I've seen his boys hurt people badly, badly, badly, put
him in the hospital. That's part of it.

Speaker 4 (01:45):
I'm Vanessa Breegory Artists.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
Listen to Model Wars starting September tenth on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.