The Right Words
My best buddy always seems to have the perfect thing to say, or wear, at the best times. Maria Bertrand… model, actress and writer. From our “Red Tire” photo shoot with Makeup and Hair Styling by Natalie Lyle.
$75 For You, Millions For Me, But We Appreciate You!
‘We pay $75 per day for you to work in our booth at the Olympia.’ ‘We pay $20 per photograph that we use and we give you photo credit.’ ‘We don’t pay for articles but you will get a lot of exposure.’
How many of you have heard things like this from supplement companies and others? Now let me give you a real life example about how much money these companies are making when they tell you about their woeful budgets and hardship tales about paying you…
“During the period from October 2008 through October 2013, the conspirators collected at least $400,000,000 in revenue…”
“Transferred over $230,000,000… proceeds from USP Labs business account at Chase to the USP Charles Schwab accounts”
“… transferred over $154,000,000 to at least 21 other financial accounts maintained at Charles Schwab, Chase Bank, TD Ameritrade Bank, TD Bank, and Bank of America”
These are quotes directly from a Federal criminal indictment filed on November 4th against USP Labs and S.K. Labs and their principals. You saw their products at the shows and in all of the magazines like “Jack3d”and “OxyElite Pro”. The charges involve fake ingredients, frauds, deceptions etc. Importantly however, the indictment does give you an idea about how much money is involved with supplement companies and such.
Now I will say that there are good companies out there. Their products are good, real and they treat people well. But they are seemingly few and far between.
So remember that when you are standing mostly naked in a booth at the Olympia, feet hurting in those high heels that the money you should be making you have given to the owner of the company to go have dinner each night at some high end restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip.
Or when you spend thousands and thousands of dollars on your photo equipment, you are paying the interest on your credit cards so the money you should have been paid is being transferred, when the company owner drives over in his Mercedes SLS Coupe, to the bank to transfer a few million dollars to his other accounts.
The full indictment can be found here at United States of America v. USP Labs et al.
Writer!
Talking about Maria Bertrand yesterday. Long list of modeling credits including the top fashion magazines and fashion houses around the world, and acting in movies opposite the most well known stars, and top name brand television commercials; now add writer for West Hollywood Magazine! Chronicling “nightlife, dining, shopping, art, design, celebrity” Maria makes the magazine all that more classy! And more classy in front of my cameras is obvious like here from an excursion with me to Venice Beach. Click on the photograph to see it bigger and better full screen on my Website! 
I Am Mom Approved!
An email I received from Maria Yvonne Bertrand… “Ian L. Sitren, look at what is framed and hung in the hallway at my mums house. A really awesome photographer took the picture.”
I am Mom Approved! Too Fun! After all that Maria Bertrand has done her Mom picked my photo! How cool is that.
And what has Maria done… been a model for Guess, Versace, Gianfranco Ferre, Le Vie en Rose, Dynamite, La Perla, Armani, Coke, Le Grenier and walked runway for wedding dresses, lingerie, jeans, high fashion, gowns and much more. She has done tons of catalogs, sports catalogs, and hair shows.
She has worked in Milan, Paris, London, Athens, Montreal, Toronto, Capetownand many places in between. Her magazine appearances and covers include Vogue, W, Chatelaine, Elle, Sante, Living Fit, Femme D’aujour’hui and more around the world.
How about commercials… Audi, Miller, Bud Light, Baskin Robbins, Molson Dry, Coppertone, Pela Windows, Comcast, Oceans, Michelob Ultra, Club Med.
Not done yet, Maria has been in eleven movies with the biggest stars you know and some cult favorites. Ands then numerous television shows.
So I am really good with her Mom liking my photograph of Maria enough to have it framed and hanging at home. Makes me smile!
You can click on this photo to see the actual photograph itself on my website.
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