- May 8, 2024
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Vicki Foley Talent and Models hires local Ormond Beach actors like dentist, Warren Hersch.
Warren Hersch can still remember the envious feeling he had while watching “Three’s Company.”
“Seeing John Ritter being goofy and having fun, I was like ‘I want to do that’” Hersch said. “I never lost interest in acting.”
The Ormond Beach resident and Port Orange dentist made his interest a reality and has made many appearances including a husband on a Brighthouse commercial, an FBI agent in the movie “Confessions of Thug” and as a host for a medical talk show called “Medical Matters Hotline.”
“It has been a wonderful experience,” Hersch said. “It’s great to be able to do something different and branch out. It’s great being a dentist and having a life with various facets.”
Hersch is one of the many local residents that are represented by Vicki Foley Talent and Models. The agency, located off North Nova Road, was started in 1990 by Ormond Beach resident and former model Vicki Foley.
“I’ve been in the business for 30 years,” Foley said. “And I found I had a knack for booking talent. It’s definitely a business. A lot of people think that if their kid is cute they should be in front of the camera, but it takes more than that.”
Foley said she emphasizes training for all of her models.
“I tell them to sit in on casting directors’ workshops,” Foley said. “There are a few good acting schools in Orlando. And I tell them to join Children’s Musical Theatre to get some experience on stage.”
Though the agency works with local models, its clients are very well known. The agency works with Disney, Universal, Legoland, big hotels and casting directors. Central Florida might not be Hollywood or New York City, but Foley said the tourism industry here offers a lot of work for local actors.
“There’s a lot of work here,” Foley said. “But if I find someone who I think really has a shot at making it big then I will send them to a bigger market."
Foley, who also worked for Hawaiian Tropic, said she used to have hundreds of models but is trying to scale down.
“We have all different ethnicities we try to represent,” Foley said. “I like to have six to eight in each category. They have to have a certain look and be okay in front of the camera.”
Foley herself has experience in the spotlight. She started modeling when she was 18, doing runway shows for large department stores in Ormond Beach. She eventually made it big and got to travel around the world.
“People think this is a glamorous life,” Foley said. “It can be very stressful. It’s not a nine to five job, but it’s still a way people pay their bills.”
