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Monday, January 03, 2022
What It's Like to Be a Talent Agent for Models With Disabilities
www.businessinsider.com: The idea for a specialist talent agency came to me and my then-friend, now-sister-in-law Zoe while we were walking on the beach one afternoon in Eastern England.
It was 2017 and I was on maternity leave from my job as a social worker. During our walk, the conversation turned to the performing-arts classes Zoe led for children with disabilities.
Given the high population of disabled people in the world, the lack of disability representation in media and advertising is a reflection of a market that does not value the needs, wants, or even business of a huge minority. Zebedee recognized this immense shortcoming, and stepped up to help fix this issue. Zebedee is a unique organization in that instead of materializing to fill a demand, they created a market. Before reading this article, I had no clue that Ellie Goldstien was a client of Zebedee. This article really emphasizes that Zebedee built themselves from the ground up, single handedly creating demand for disabled representation in advertising. Additionally, Zebedee has created a community. They offer classes to build experience and confidence in models, and serve as a support system for their talent. As an agency that honors both the humanity of their talent and the necessity of representation, Zebedee has made a huge impact.
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