Gunita Stobe and Mark Luburic have channeled decades of industry experience into India’s leading talent agency –  first as models and now as directors of Anima Creative Management. Based in Mumbai, they represent models, photographers, stylists, hair and makeup artists for the fashion, film and advertising industries.

The Beginning > Mark: I grew up in Brisbane, Australia, as your typical lad, playing football, hanging out with the fellas and going to the gym. At age 18, I was playing semi-professional football in Brisbane and working with my dad as a plasterer on construction sites. By age 22, I came to the realisation that football was not going to offer me a proper career and that the construction industry didn’t give me any satisfaction. On the suggestion of friends, I considered approaching modelling agencies to see where that would take me. Modelling was also not an easy career path, and it took me many years to find the right markets for me. It seemed like everyone wanted to try modelling; the competition was huge and the opportunity to be a full time model was challenging to say the least so it was mixed with part-time bartending and waitering gigs. 

Above: images | Mark in his modelling days

Looking back, it’s funny that my mum always supported my choices, whether they be football or modelling, whereas my father never quite understood what I was doing. He thought that my career as a model was a hobby, and was waiting for the day I would return to get a ‘real job’.  Little did he realize – nor did I at that stage – that over the course of my 10 year modelling career, I was learning the ins and outs through on-the-job experience about how the industry worked and how markets differed from each other. London was significantly different from Germany, and also from Paris to Milan, the type of models that work, the way a model is managed and the way a job is quoted; it ended up being a great school in model management.

Above: images | Gunita for Cosmo magazine photographed by Francois Matthys, On shoot in Australia

Gunita: I grew up in Riga in Latvia where a career in the modelling industry wasn’t planned at all. In my teenage years I pursued professional volleyball and played for Latvia’s junior national team and that was all what I wanted to do. Professional sports teaches you to be a team player, discipline, how to be on time – which are amazing qualities to have in general but even more so for our field of work now. When I realized that professional sports wasn’t going to be my path in life I started to think about what I could do until I found what I was truly interested in.

Some friends recommended modelling since I was tall and skinny and these were basic parameters needed for this industry. I went to Paris and everything got rolling from there. After the first few successful shoots and shows in different countries across Europe, I got serious about the job. I loved meeting new people, getting to know new cultures and travelling the world which not many jobs offer being young and fresh out of school. So I worked as a model for over 15 years across the globe in America, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and my last stop was India. 

Above: image | Mark and Gunita in Maxim magazine photographed by Tarun Vishwa

The move to India > Mark: After around two years of suitcase living, and travelling to different parts of the world with my girlfriend (now wife and business partner, Gunita), we decided to try India for modelling. I’m not sure what we were expecting: I guess more of an adventure holiday with the occasional fashion shoot to pay our way. To our surprise, there was a huge vibrant market, and we were only two of about 10 – 15 foreign models in the whole country at that time so the demand was huge and the jobs plentiful. India ended up being my main market; the Indian rupee was much stronger back then when converted to western currency. It was a great time to be here. 

After spending a few seasons as models, we realized there was a huge gap in the market for an agency of international standards especially in the development of new faces. There simply wasn’t anyone scouting who knew how to develop young models – everyone seemed to want the finished article here.

Above: images | L to R: models Ara, Ilana, Monica, Natasha, Rasika and Galaxia 

‘Go groom yourself and come back when you’re ready’ is the average mentality amongst many agencies here, and they’re typically looking for the classic Bollywood/commercial look, which we knew wasn’t going to cut the mustard abroad. – Mark

Gunita: When we started Anima Creatives about eight years ago, we were interested in sharing our experience by contributing to talent management in the local fashion industry. It felt natural and easy at the beginning as an idea but it turned out to be a challenge we were not prepared for at all. Many local industry people weren’t ready to accept us as foreigners running our own business in India. The fact that we were models that had all of a sudden become directors was not well received either. Many clients who we knew from our modelling days turned their backs on us at industry events and socially, which was quite a shock.

Being outsiders and coming into a very competitive field unsettled some people. We also represent international photographers and hair/makeup artists so this in some quarters made us enemy number one. Even though we manage our talents in the most ethical way, and never approach a client who has already confirmed their teams, there was a lot of insecurity at that time, with the market in its infancy with regards to foreign talent coming into India. – Mark

Above: images | Pooja Mor on the cover of Numero Magazine China April 2016, Urvashi Umrao on shoot in Milan photographed by Simone Cossettini

Turning points > Mark: The difficulty in the early years was finding a scouting system that worked. Since all our experience was from the international market, we naturally started with importing foreign models through our partner agencies. After some time, we figured that no one in the industry knew us for ‘Indian faces’ so we started scouting through our international partners for girls with Indian backgrounds. It was a resounding success as they fit both categories of ‘international’ and ‘Indian’. The rollover effect was fantastic because it helped us receive local submissions and get closer to what we yearned for which was homegrown talent.

Our goal from the beginning was to redefine what beautiful is to the Indian industry, but here too, most of the submissions we received were not what we were looking for. We find beauty in different skin tones and bone structures, even in domineering facial traits whether that means a strong jawline, nose, or ears. Something which is outstanding but in an interesting way which complements the face. The best finds are those girls who do not even know they are beautiful … always a Cinderella story. – Mark

I think some turning points were when some of those same people who were discouraging emailed years after we started with a very nice change of attitude. I guess after initial insecurities, you build trust and integrity with the industry in general. Another great turning point was being able to break into the Bollywood segment with our Hair Stylist, Gabriel Georgiou. It was an experiment to bring a hair specialist into the country because the film industry was super tight and had been operating like a big family for the longest time. He is now the most requested artist in the country and we can’t get a free day for him – such is the magnitude of his success. 

Above: image | Hairstylist Gabriel Georgiou working on actress Deepika Padukone

On the modelling front, without a doubt Pooja Mor’s launch at the Louis Vuitton show was mammoth. It has really put Indian models on the international fashion map, and you will see a lot more opportunities opening up for models from here because of her. – Mark

Gunita: In our field of work, while managing a talent we need a lot of information about the shoot in order to quote rates accordingly. In the early years of our company we faced lots of difficulties while dealing with the clients about such aspects. Most of them did not want to give us details citing us as difficult to work with. Some clients actually told us to, “go back to your own country and ask these questions there. We don’t work like that here.” We lost quite a few clients like this but we kept going this way to protect our model’s rights. Being a model myself for so many years I was very aware of what is important to know about every assignment. 

The first triumph came when we started to receive shoot details in emails while inquiring about model availabilities and when we started to get call sheets from production houses mentioning all details without asking for them. The next triumph was when we started to represent Indian models. Almost all the Indian models we represented became top Indian models and most of them have gone international as well. 

Above: images | Natasha Ramachandran for Teen Vogue, Urvashi Umrao on shoot in Milan photographed by Simone Cossettini

People > Mark: My wife and business partner, Gunita, is an incredible businesswoman; strong, determined but retains her integrity at all times. I admire integrity, and respect whoever can show that and take responsibility for their actions and find fair solutions to problems.

Gunita: Anyone who does not give up when difficulties present themselves. The journey of any venture has positive and negative moments and I could not imagine running this venture solo in a foreign country. Mark and I balance each other out in so many ways which helps us to drive our vision further. Aside from that, our boutique talent management team at the office is super important, without whom we would not be able to move forward in the way we have envisioned. 

Emerging trends and talent > Mark: With emerging markets like India and China, designers and luxury brands see that room for growth is in these markets. It makes perfect sense to have the region represented in its marketing strategy. That said, talent and personality are the most important factors. Many models are pretty but simply have no story to tell when they are in front of the camera. The ones with deep eyes and natural movement manage to convey a feeling or emotion which carries through the image.

Above: images | Pooja Mor for Stella McCartney S/S 2016, Monica Tomas for Tome F/W 2016, Natasha Ramachandran for Emiliodela Morena S/S 2015

Being Indian is always an interesting place to start, because there are simply too few homegrown Indian girls out in the top markets. I know of seven of which five are from us and hopefully this will change in the near future. – Mark

Indian models, in general, are a lot more conservative. It takes some time before they are comfortable in front of the camera and let their body language speak for itself. Also, with the cultural traditions of the country, they are not as comfortable when it comes to wearing certain clothes or being shot in a more sensual way, which I think comes from family ties and societal influences. 

Gunita: Since the success of Pooja Mor at an international level last year we are getting more and more interest from abroad for Indian faces. We currently have five Indian girls – Pooja Mor, Rasika Navare, Monica Tomas, Natasha Ramachandran and Urvashi Umroa – placed abroad between New York, Paris, Milan and London. Also more international brands are entering the Indian market and are on the lookout for Indian faces to cover that gap in their ad campaigns.

Above: image | Rasika Navare in a Smashbox beauty campaign

Compared to earlier years, requests for darker skinned models abroad has increased in advertising and other commercial work. However on the international catwalks, many top brands still use only approximately 10 models of colour out of 90 or 100 booked for the shows – so there’s a huge gap there. At the same time in India it’s the same scenario with foreign models. For fashion weeks and individual shows, designers and choreographers will book 90% Indian models and only 10% or fewer foreign models for their shows. 

We can’t criticize international fashion capitals entirely on their acceptance of models of colour without asking ourselves the same questions. – Gunita

This applies also to the Indian advertising industry (specifically beauty related brands) who to this day prefer fair skin models compared to dark. The international beauty brands like Maybelline, Smashbox, Sephora, L’Oreal NY and L’Oreal Paris actually support our dusky models and have repeatedly booked them for campaigns way more than any Indian beauty brand ever has. It is such a sad scenario to witness. 

Above: image | Pooja Mor in the Tory Burch S/S 2016 campaign

The ideal scenario would be when clients book an Indian face because they feel the model’s features, profile and specific talent fits the job required and not only to be inclusive towards diversity. – Gunita

The value of experience > Mark: Going to New York, or Milan or any major fashion capital can be a daunting experience. Most girls are sold the dream, but when they land at a casting with 600 other girls, each more beautiful than the next, they usually don’t have the stamina to ride out the constant rejections and endless castings. I’ve been through it all. The reality is that most models that go abroad don’t make a penny in their first few trips. We make sure our girls understand that it takes time to build a career and a lot of investment from all parties involved.

The hardest part of being a model is not working everyday (if only!) but the long waits between jobs when you’re starting out. These days are the hardest so being able to stay in a mentally strong space and concentrating only on the things that are in your control (i.e. attitude, professionalism, shape, fitness, beauty regime) is most important, and anything outside of that is out of anyone’s control. This I would say is the biggest lesson I could give to any aspiring model.

Gunita: Being in this industry for over 23 years now has accounted for enormous knowledge which helps us to develop new faces and be on their side during their modelling careers. We know how they feel and what they are going through since we have been there ourselves, and it helps prepare them for what to expect.

Above: image | Pooja Mor on the cover of Vogue Italia, photographed by Peter Lindbergh

Biggest success story > Mark: Pooja Mor. Humble, hard working, takes the flaky side of the industry lightly and doesn’t get caught up in it all. Simply a beautiful person, and goes about her business extremely professionally.

I strongly believe that everyone has their path in life and what one should accomplish one will. Success on this level won’t be for everyone. Our aim as an agency is to bring out the most potential in each model, whatever level they may reach. – Mark