Top ageny Storm SouthAfrica closed!
June 13th, 2006
A brutal international cat fight has crushed one of South Africa’s top model agencies, leaving scores of models unpaid and its director “heartbroken”.
The spat between Storm UK and Storm SA ended this week with a “divorce settlement” and the liquidation of the Cape Town-based modelling company. Storm SA had represented up to 600 models, photographers and performers around the country, including Christina Storm and Miss South Africa runner-up Tammy-Anne Fortuin.
Now the driving force behind Storm SA, former managing director Michelle Mackintosh, has packed away her stilettos and plans to raise her three children at the family’s home in Hout Bay.
“My wife cries every night. She really tried her damnedest. She’s got nothing,” said Archar Head, Mackintosh’s husband and the former head of a division at Storm SA.
“Some models are owed money. I will hopefully pay them off over the next season,” said Head, who claims to have lost over R1-million in commissions himself.
Storm UK applied to have Storm SA liquidated in the Cape High Court in February, following a damning forensic investigation.
The report, by the KPMG Forensic Unit, alleged, among other things, that Storm SA owed R7-million to the taxman and had failed to produce financial statements for years.
3 Comments Add your own
1. Courtney | June 21st, 2006 at 4:18 pm
Seems the only person paid was Michelle as SARS, Storm UK and the models (incl me) are all out of pocket. Has anyone been able to contact Michelle (number always unanswered). Would be interested to hear other stories and to see if combined lawsuit could remedy the situation.
2. Booker | July 5th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
Michelle and Archar now have a new agency called Alfa and are living the high life as per usual so no need to feel sorry for them.
The scary thing is that after they stole all that money, models and clients are stills prepared to support them. They give the industry a bad name. Look out for an article in the August Marie Claire about Storm. If you are looking for Michelle is suggest that you contact Archar and Alfa.
3. looser | June 15th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
I gave them a secound chance but they fucked me again. i walked away feel like such a looser its not amusing. I now have seen the errors of my ways and will not walk across the road to urinate on them if they were on fire. the sad thing is they were given a second chance and screwd that up as well, i once again have lost a lot of money.
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