Wings Model Management is a real Cincinnati business, open since 1998, with an A+ rating from the BBB and no BBB complaints or reviews on file. Its reviews elsewhere are split: 3.7 from 19 reviews on Birdeye's location page, 4.5 from 11 on Yahoo Local, 3.86 from 14 on EZlocal. It publishes no prices, it describes itself as a management company rather than an agency, and a 2013 copy of its contract asks for a 20 percent fee, two years of exclusivity and automatic renewal.
If you or your child were invited in after sending photos through its Get Scouted form, or were offered a contract, a workshop or a convention trip, here is what the public record shows, what that contract said, what Ohio law gives you, and the questions to ask before you sign or pay anything.
| Where | 214 East Eighth Street, 3rd floor, Cincinnati, Ohio (older listings show 906 Main Street and 602 Main Street) |
| Since | 1998, per its website and the BBB; owner and president Jake Lang, who also runs a photography studio |
| What it calls itself | "a Cincinnati Model and Talent Management Company"; boards for women, men, youth and families; actors, singers and dancers too |
| Published prices | None on any page of its site, including workshops and conventions |
| BBB | A+, not accredited, file opened 1998, 0 complaints, 0 reviews |
| Ohio license | Ohio has no state license for talent or modeling agencies, so there is nothing to look up |
| Lawsuits or state actions | We found no reported lawsuits or Ohio Attorney General actions |
Is Wings Model Management legit?
It is a legitimate, long-running company, not a fly-by-night operation. Twenty-eight years in the same city, a clean BBB file and a booking-software vendor that announced Wings as a client in 2019 all point the same way. Its site also says something most schools do not: "We do not encourage false hopes." The Get Scouted form asks for two snapshots and says plainly that "photos do not have to be professionally done", which is how a real management company should start.
Legit and right for you are different questions, though. Wings is a manager, not a licensed booking agency, it sells workshops and convention trips alongside representation, and its owner is also a photographer. None of that is unusual in mid-size markets like Cincinnati. All of it means you should know exactly what you are paying for, and to whom, before money changes hands.
Wings Model Management reviews by site
The reviews are polarized rather than bad. Positive reviewers credit Jake Lang's work ethic, local commercials and being placed with Los Angeles agencies after expos and workshops. Negative reviewers describe pressure to buy photos or trips, rudeness after they declined an offer, and silence after paying.
| Site | Rating | What stands out |
|---|---|---|
| BBB | A+, 0 reviews | No complaints in the file |
| Birdeye | 3.7 from 19 (location) | Unclaimed profile; its 1,776-review headline pools other sources. Excerpts run from "flies agents in from LA" to "Don't believe his lies" |
| Yahoo Local | 4.5 from 11 | Nine 5-star, two 1-star; a 2024 1-star describes emails and voicemails after turning down "his offers" |
| EZlocal | 3.86 from 14 | Older Insider Pages reviews, including a 2013 claim of $400 for photos and a staff member reviewing the company |
Yelp, Judy's Book, Yellow Pages and Indeed blocked our reads, so we do not quote ratings or dollar figures from them. One more trap: a politically active man also named Jake Lang fills a lot of search results. He has nothing to do with this company, so make sure any story you read is about the Cincinnati photographer.
What Wings Model Management costs
Wings does not publish a single price. Its homepage asks you to "discuss details about a package" directly, and its events pages promote acting workshops with visiting coaches and trips with "a select group of our most promising talent" to the AMTC and MB Expo conventions in Miami, Orlando, Dallas and Los Angeles. Conventions are paid events for the people who attend, and travel is on top.
The only figures on the record come from reviewers, and they are claims, not prices: an anonymous 2013 review on Insider Pages says photos cost "400 bucks". A 2015 reviewer on the same page called the headshots and workshops "extremely fair priced". Ask for every cost in writing, as a total, before you agree to anything. The FTC's line on this is short: "Never pay an agency up front. Any agency asking you for money to represent you is a scam." Its guidance also says real agencies will not make using their own photographer a condition of getting work. Workshops and convention trips are not representation fees, but they are where most families' money goes, so treat them the same way. Our post on whether IMTA is legit shows what a convention package can add up to.
What the Wings contract says
A two-page Wings contract from 2013 is posted publicly on a personal blog. It may not be the version you are handed today, but it shows the shape of the deal, and every line is worth checking against yours.
| Clause | What it said | What to ask now |
|---|---|---|
| Role | "personal manager", "not acting as a booking or employment agency", "may, but is not required to find me work" | Who actually books the jobs, and which agencies |
| Fee | A flat 20 percent of bookings introduced through Wings, plus a service charge from clients | Is 20 percent taken on top of an agency's commission |
| Exclusivity | Sole agent within 300 miles of the office | Can you still take direct bookings in that radius |
| Term | Two years, renewing a year at a time unless you give written notice 30 days before the end | Put the notice date in your calendar the day you sign |
| Money | Wings may collect payments, endorse your checks and deduct "commission, fees and costs" | Ask for a statement with every payment |
A 20 percent management fee is common in the industry, but managers usually work alongside a licensed agency that takes its own cut, and 300 miles around Cincinnati covers Columbus, Indianapolis, Louisville and Lexington. Most of these terms are negotiable before you sign, and a negotiation coach can help you script the ask for a shorter term, a smaller radius or no automatic renewal. If Wings will not move, you have learned something useful.
Ohio law and your right to cancel
Ohio has no state license for talent or modeling agencies, so unlike Florida or California there is no license to look up and no state bond. What Ohio does have is the Home Solicitation Sales Act. If you sign or agree to buy somewhere other than the seller's place of business, such as a hotel ballroom, a mall casting call or a convention, Ohio Revised Code 1345.22 gives you until midnight of the third business day to cancel, and 1345.23 says the contract must tell you so and the refund is due within ten business days. A contract you sign at the Wings office after you made first contact is probably outside that rule, so read it before you sign rather than counting on a cooling-off period.
Complaints go to the Ohio Attorney General at filecomplaint.ohioattorneygeneral.gov or 800-282-0515. In 2012 the office warned that some "casting calls" turn into "a high pressured sales pitch for classes, test shoots, or travel packages", and that "these packages can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars".
Questions to ask before you pay Wings
- What is the total I will pay this year, in writing, for photos, workshops, comp cards and any convention trip?
- Are any of those required to be represented, or are they optional?
- Which agencies do you place models with, and which of my bookings would go through you?
- Is the 20 percent fee on top of the agency's commission?
- What is the term, the exclusivity radius, and the exact date I must give notice to end it?
- Can I keep booking direct work myself, and does that work pay you a fee?
If the answers are clear and in writing, you can make a real decision. If the pitch moves faster than the paperwork, slow it down.
Wings Model Management or a direct profile
A management company makes sense if you want someone to develop you and open doors to national agencies, and you are comfortable paying for training and travel along the way. A lot of paid work in the Cincinnati area never needs that: catalog days for regional retailers, e-commerce for local brands, fit sessions, lifestyle shoots for hospitals and banks. Those clients book adults directly, a week or two out, and they want to see your digitals, city, rate and availability.
| Wings Model Management | MaxGirls profile | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A management company that develops talent and places with agencies | A reviewed directory brands search and email from |
| Cost | Not published; reviewers mention photos, workshops and trips | $19 a month, cancel any month |
| Cut of your bookings | 20 percent in the 2013 contract | None |
| Commitment | Two years, auto-renewing, 300-mile exclusivity in 2013 | None |
| Who it suits | Kids, actors and models aiming at national agencies | Adults who want commercial, catalog, fit and lifestyle work booked direct |
You can do both, as long as the contract allows it. If you are an adult who wants direct work while you decide, start with model digitals you can shoot at home, then see how freelance modeling works without a manager. If you are still weighing agencies, our guide to legit modeling agencies for beginners sorts agencies, managers and schools, and the NV Models review covers the other Cincinnati company that comes up in the same searches. The two are separate businesses with different owners.
Where this applies on MaxGirls
Your day-rate range, your categories, your city and your availability sit on your own profile, visible to a brand before they contact you, and MaxGirls takes no share of anything you book.