Scouting for Girls: Fashion’s Darkest Secret: In conversation with the team behind the docuseries

Join WFTV for an insider's look into Sky’s Scouting for Girls: Fashion’s Darkest Secret, the three-part documentary series that reveals how a group of men behind the world’s most successful modelling agencies were involved in a darker side of fashion.

The series exposes how modelling agents like John Casablancas, Jean Luc-Brunel, Claude Haddad and Gerald Marie (who contest the allegations) created a culture that enabled many of them to indulge in a spectrum of abusive behaviours, ranging from grooming and coercion to the rape of models as young as 15.

It’s the story of a generation of forgotten women who were promised stardom and glamour but instead found themselves used, abused and, in some cases, trafficked between networks of powerful men. Building on an ongoing investigation by journalist Lucy Osborne and The Guardian, the series delivers the fashion industry its own #MeToo reckoning, revealing how one of the world’s most glamorous industries facilitated and validated endemic sexual abuse, and follows the survivors as they come together to take action against those responsible.

Hosted by Zing Tsjeng, we’ll be joined by Journalist and Senior Producer Lucy Osborne, Series Director Clare Richards and Contributors Jill Dodd, Carré Otis and Marianne Shine. The panel will discuss their roles in this remarkable docuseries and we’ll hear about their journey from idea and commission to production.

To receive a screener, WFTV members must have registered before 5pm on Thursday 26 May.  

Trigger warning: This event will contain references to and discussion of sexual abuse and rape.

Event Schedule:

17:55: Please join the webinar waiting room  

18:00: Panel discussion with team behind docuseries   

18:45: Attendee Q&A opens  

19:00: Finish

Lucy Osborne, Senior Producer

Lucy is an award-winning investigative journalist and producer who has been investigating abuse in the modelling industry for four years. She began researching this subject after producing documentaries for BBC Panorama on the sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump, when she discovered some of their alleged victims had been models. Since then, she has published a series of investigations for the Guardian exposing sexual misconduct in the industry, connected to the world's leading modelling agencies and some of the most powerful men in the world. Her articles also told the stories of 16 women with allegations against French modelling boss, Gerald Marie. The Sky series, Scouting for Girls, is based on this ongoing investigation for the Guardian. Lucy began working as a newspaper reporter in 2010 and has written for the Daily Mail, the Sunday Times, the Independent and others and produced films for the BBC, Channel Four, Discovery, and Vice, on topics including Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew and people-smuggling through Africa. Her most recent Guardian investigation revealed multiple sexual misconduct allegations against British actor and director, Noel Clarke, which sent shockwaves through the TV and film industry. She is considered an expert in her field.

Clare Richards, Series Director 

Clare is an award-winning producer and director best known for What's The Matter With Tony Slattery? which the Guardian called 'a moving study of drink, depression and abuse... this respectful and sensitive look at the comedian’s life and struggles with addiction is a beacon of the genre.” It was chosen by the BFI as one of the best programmes of 2020 and was shortlisted for a Grierson award. Her debut film Disabled And Looking For Love won the Grierson Best Newcomer Award and her films have been consistently shortlisted for all the major awards from BAFTA to Royal Television Society and Broadcast Digital Awards. Clare has more than 10 years’ experience making films that deal with subject matter that is often sensitive, multi-layered and extraordinary.  Her projects include filming with a woman who was attacked with acid on the streets of London; capturing the state prosecution in Bosnia as they uncovered a mass grave; filming with a young Muslim girl looking for a life partner arranged by her mum, and with a woman as she reports her experience of domestic violence to the police.

Carré Otis

Carré Otis is one of the most recognisable faces in the modelling industry. She is also an author, a wellness consultant and coach, and an activist.

After being discovered in San Francisco at the age of 16, Carré began what would become an illustrious modelling career. While working for Elite Model Management in Paris, she appeared on the cover of French Elle (April, 1986). Over the next several years, she appeared on a variety of covers in the American and foreign editions of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Allure, Mirabella, and Marie Claire. She appeared in ad campaigns for a variety of brands including Guess (1998) and Calvin Klein (1991). She also appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition (2000). Carré was featured in many fashion runway shows including Max Mara, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Ermanno Scervino, Todd Oldham, and Donna Karan.

In Carré’s memoir, Beauty Disrupted, she documents the struggles that led to her spiritual practice. One of these struggles involved the trauma resulting from a sexual assault at age 17 by her then agent, Gerald Marie, who was and still is a prominent figure in the industry. Her decision to name Marie was a courageous choice, particularly given that her memoir was published long before the revolutionary #metoo movement. On September 21, 2020, Carré was one of four women to formally accuse Gerald Marie of sexual assault. This resulted in an official investigation. In August of 2021, Carré filed a civil suit against Gerald Marie and others under The Childs Victim Act in New York.

Carré is on the board of Model Alliance a non-profit organisation working to establish fair labour standards for models. She is also the U.S. Ambassador for Knock Out Abuse, an organisation that works to support survivors of domestic violence.

Carré is also co-founder of Bare Mama Project, an online resource for Moms who are looking to cultivate mindfulness, sustainable self-care practices, and support for reducing unhealthy behaviours.

As a writer, Carré has contributed to Huffington Post, Mind Body Green, Elephant Journal, Patheos, The Conversation, and Vogue Australia. In December of 2013, she gave her TEDx Talk, addressing several key themes of her activism.

Jill Dodd

Jill Dodd is a writer, fashion designer and artist from Los Angeles. She modelled internationally for a decade appearing in Paris Vogue, Glamour, Bazaar, Mademoiselle, and Cosmopolitan. Jill graduated with honours from FIDM in LA and went on to launch and design for several companies, most notably ROXY. She is a member of The Model Alliance, a human rights organisation focused on protecting young models and holding fashion industry sexual predators accountable. As an artist, Jill paints, makes ceramics, and remodels houses. She lives in Northern California with her husband and three children.

Marianne Shine

Marianne Shine is a registered drama therapist, teaching artist, and actor. In the 1980’s she was a New York model with Legends and Mannequin and in Paris with Prestige and Karins. Upon her return, she worked at Chiat Day advertising and at Ogilvy&Mather as a copywriter. She moved to California where she raised three sons and continued copywriting. Gradually she got back into modelling and enjoys acting on stage and film. She is currently represented by Stars the Agency, San Francisco. After working on both sides of the camera, Marianne looked for ways to be more effective. She went back to school and received her master’s degree in counselling psychology, drama therapy from CIIS and became a certified EMDR and Hakomi therapist. In her private practice, Shine Through Therapy, she uses these creative tools along with talk therapy to help clients heal and transform past traumas and work through life transitions. She holds a certificate in Shakespeare from A.C.T. and directs men in therapeutic theatre at San Quentin Prison through Marin Shakespeare Company’s social justice programme. Once a year, she takes groups of women abroad as an Ambassador for Adventure Women Travel. Marianne continues to perform on Bay Area stages, compete on The Moth and develop one-woman shows at StageWerx.

How will the online event work?

This event will be live streamed via Zoom.us. Viewing details will be sent via your confirmation.

Attending participants will not be visible to others and will be muted throughout the session. After the talk, there will be an opportunity for audience members to ask their questions to the panel by using the Q&A feature.

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