Hannelore Knuts to launch the Image Management

The Image Management is a New York based digital agency that platforms fashion, music and art talent against the wider framework of a technologically driven media culture. Whether models, musicians, designers or fine artists, The Image Management diversifies the market potential of its roster by creating unique content around each personality and then cross-marketing both the talent and their projects to The Image's client base of fashion advertisers and sponsors.

Founded by Hannelore Knuts, the iconic Belgian model, in partnership with the co-founder of models.com, Wayne Sterling, The Image Management offers a new paradigm for presenting emerging creative forces to a media world hungry for innovation and digital relevancy. The Image will be structured to exist as a part of a node of global companies, with a "sister"- alliance with the Antwerp talent management and PR company, Playout, headed up by Filip Van Moerkercke. By cross-platforming their respective roster of talent into management opportunities across the globe, the network of independent companies aim to maximize markets using the efficiency of digital platforms for maximum exposure.

As the first such alliance (with future connections being planned for London and Tokyo) Playout folds beautifully into aims of The Image with the shared interest in working with creatives while keeping a hand in PR/Communications and Event planning. Having just successfully collaborated with its first client, Belgian powerhouse, Base Design in producing a performance sequence for the company's 20th anniversary celebration at The Museum Of Modern Art, The Image looks forward to taking its innovative ideas behind talent management into the wide-open spaces of post-digital culture.

Hannelore Knuts Personal Statement

"I have a strong belief that a model could be more than a pretty face and with the right support and creative team, that we could flourish as well as any other talent within the context of popular and artistic culture. As a model I saw my career as a business that needed a business plan, a conversation I could have with many people around me but not always with my model agents.

With The Image I aim to create an agency that works as a team with their talent to push each other to new boundaries and beyond. Beyond being limited to the simplest law of economics: supply and demand. The Image intends to think of management in a creative way. Because of my experience I believe that I can offer that dialogue. The talent that we will represent has already an identity that is as important as the look that goes with it.

Our focus is always the long-term career, managed by a holistic team and ultimately to create a constant wave of demand through content and digital presence. In Belgium I have besides my model agent, also a manager (Playout) who takes care of everything else but fashion. Together we sit and think about projects I can do or are offered to me. I realized that this could be a new way of approaching a fashion talent's career as more and more advertising clients want more than just pretty faces. They want a personality. A person who stand for something creative or personal and bring their own audience to the product. That is the ultimate aim of The Image, in building a global cross-network of collaborations and alliance, to passionately present this talent with a new kind of relevancy."

Wayne Sterling Personal Statement

Co-founding Models.com in 2000 allowed me to literally watch a whole new way of thinking and processing fashion, in the digital mode, to develop. Back then I sensed that fashion would work perfectly in the digital space, because it is so instant and restless and trend-driven. Today I think we live in a world where fashion has become so mass-exposed, it is now a form of entertainment, just like the music or Hollywood industry, much more than the fashion industry fully acknowledges. As such I would refine my mission statement around The Image to the simplest aphorism. 'Talent IS content'. We intend to treat it as such.

Filip Van Moerkercke Personal Statement (Playout)

"Since 2005 we enjoyed working for a fine selection of leading bands and brands. From the beginning we've been including a full PR service for both our bands as our own event & communication clients. We are very excited about this strategic partnership with The Image that allows both companies to benefit from each other's network & experience as well as representing clients and talents in the US and Europe.

This new collaboration heralds a new approach for Playout as well. On the management side we will offer music PR to bands outside our management roaster. Our management experience will be used to manage creative talents such as designers, actors and others as well. On the brand side, Playout will become a full service PR & content agency for a fine selection of brands.

Being strong believers of long-term strategy and development we will carefully analyze talents and future clients in order to make sure our overall PR and communication service will make a difference for them."