The move revisited and other discoveries...
The move itself was rather comical. Because we were strained for time, and because we had no boxes to put everything in, we'd packed everything into huge, black, plastic garbage bags. Because we were pressed for time, which meant we didn't have time to reserve a Ryder/U-HAUL truck, we moved everything using limousines. So, if you will, imagine one December evening, a fleet of black limousines pulling up to a small building on a side street of New York City, and one white Jewish kid, an Asian kid, and a black girl carrying huge black plastic garbage bags filled with who-knows-what into a basement door (the apartment is a basement apartment), you get the picture.
Half of my entire apartment was filled with these bags, and we were off. We'd spent the majority of Christmas 2001 unpacking and sorting through the massive amount of crap. Getting rid of anything irrelevant, and then separating Shareef Jenkins' personal belongings from core essentials for the business we would need. It was during this process we would discover that Shareef Jenkins' only legitimate job was at a Gap store and also at eModels.com. In retrospect, Jeremy Tick told me something about having met Shareef Jenkins through an NYU fashion show or that he had met Shareef Jenkins when he'd scouted someone he knew, but I am venturing a guess that eModels.com is probably where the two met, as I became aware later on that Jeremy Tick was "employed" there as well.
Irregardless, other things we found included disciplinary letters from when Shareef Jenkins worked at the Gap, along with his defense statement, and a strong indication that Shareef Jenkins was using the model agency as a front to satisfy his libido and his desire to be plugged into the nightlife. Once we were done with the sorting, I packaged all of Shareef Jenkins' belongings and put them into storage, informing Shareef that his belongings could be picked up there...I'm not certain he ever did, as I'd kept on receiving bills from the storage company -- I'd stopped paying for the storage after the first two months. I'm horrified by the thought that when they did go into the space to auction the items off, they'd found and assumed that all of the gay photography and paraphernalia were actually my belongings...just a funny sidebar in the whole scheme of things...
We also took this opportunity to look at all of the models on the board to see what we would need to do, and at this juncture, I put my faith in Jeremy Tick to wean out models we would not represent. In the whole, I do believe he did a fair job given the state of the board at the time, and at this point, we'd pared down the 30+ models down to about 10-15. I'd updated the FUEL models web site accordingly, using a slow, grainy scanner to scan all of the images in (I believe the machine was a Brother MFC 3100C -- it was the same fax/printer/scanner I'd bought several months before for the agency). This process took well into the New Year to complete.
During this time, we'd also managed to pull out some important contact information for the industry, and we'd begun scanning and manually inputting these into Outlook contacts. It was a painfully slow, tedious work. We did take a break to go to Mac Premo's apartment for the New Year's Eve celebration, which was a very low-key, relaxed NYE -- the streets were quieter than I'd ever seen -- given its proximity in time to the events of 911, a lot of people opted to stay low-key. Whatever the case, 2002, here we come...!
Labels: FUEL Model Management, FUEL new york
The "discovery" and the move
In other words, we realized then that the money from Shawna McBean's campaign wasn't used for rent or other necessary expenses, and the most likely scenario is that Shareef used the money to pay for cocaine. We knew all along he had a bit of a cocaine problem (Jeremy Tick later mentioned that Shareef had tried to push cocaine onto Jeremy Tick's little brother, Gabriel). We explain the situation to the landlord and manage to appease the landlord, but this is where I made another mistake out of generosity. As part of the agreement, FUEL had to vacate the premises immediately. Which meant that Jeremy Tick would no longer have a place to stay in the city. Another big mistake I'd made was allowing this idiot into my own apartment. BIG mistake.
Given the circumstance, I'd also agreed to let the belongings of FUEL into my apartment as well. In this move process, I brought back a decent amount of belongings into my apartment first so that I could also begin vacating some space within the apartment to allow for the extra luggage that was to arrive soon after. In this process, despite my specific instruction on several occasions to bring my TV/VCR back as well, Jeremy Tick manages to leave it behind. It is the only thing he leaves behind. Were it an innocent mistake, and were he to have taken responsibility and initiative in order to correct the issue, it would have been fine. Yet, I actually had to tell him to try to get the TV/VCR back several times. He never recovered the TV/VCR. I might as well as begin the counter now: material loss solely because of his neglect or actions so far = $350
After we move all of the things into my apartment and we settle a bit, we have a discussion to see what to do with FUEL itself. Jeremy Tick assures me on several occasions that we would be making well into six-figures by the end of the year. Because of this conviction on his end, we agree to move forward with the agency, and I agree to let him and the agency remain in my apartment, because he was confident we would be out of the apartment within a matter of a few months. I also arrange a meeting with Steve Kleiner, my financial advisor, at UBS to begin planning for tax shelters for the income we would be generating. We meet several times, and each time, Jeremy Tick assures both myself and Steve that "we will make easily into six-figures." "At least."
[Lesson number one: never believe what you hear, especially with someone whom you suspect has ulterior motives.]Labels: FUEL Model Management, Shareef Jenkins
911 and generosity over-extended
I suspect that 911 had an effect on me more so than I realized then. There was a keen desire to be generous especially around that time, throughout the city. It was right around this time I'd met Shareef Jenkins, the original founder of FUEL Model Management. He'd originally approached me about taking me on as a model, but I was more interested in helping him build the company, since that was where my professional experience lay in. It was around this time that I met John Antaramian and Michele Alfonso, two good souls.
Which was why, aside the work I'd begun to put into the company, I'd bought the agency a printer/fax/scanner on the company's behalf and even brought in my old TV/VCR to the office/live space as a gesture of generosity. I'd helped them design logos, the web site, and even went as far as delivering packages myself. One of the many things I regret is getting the agency involved in the lives of Kylee & Mike, with whom I was friends with for a little over two years at that point.
For whatever shady reasons, FUEL no longer could stay in its original office at 119 West 23rd Street. They were desperately seeking another space, and I happened to know that Kylee & Mike were looking for sublettors for their apartment on 8th Street in the East Village, because they had just moved into a new building. I connected Shareef to Kylee and they agreed to let Shareef move into their space.
Fast forward to December. By this time, Jeremy Tick had joined the team -- I believe he came down to NY around Thanksgiving that year. Shawna McBean, who had just gotten a Courvoisier campaign, had suggested we take the agency cut from her check, despite the fact the agency didn't book the job for her, so that that money would help in setting up the agency. One December morning, I touched base with the people at the office/apartment, and Shareef had apparently disappeared after having gone off to run some errands. I show up at the office, and at this point, it is 6PM. Shareef had been missing for the entire day. We'd attempted to call Shareef, but the cell phone was going to voice mail.
At about 8PM, we receive a call from Shareef's friend in Philadelphia, informing us Shareef was there with him and that he didn't want to talk to anyone. We scramble to figure out what is going on -- we manage to find out recent bank activities and discover that Shareef had spent the $7,000 or so of the Courvoisier check in its entirety within a matter of a week. Not good.
I then receive a frenetic call from Kylee. Apparently, rent hadn't been paid since October, and the landlord was threatening to sue Kylee & Mike.
Labels: 911, FUEL Model Management, Shareef Jenkins
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