By: Amanda Reseburg

As a modeling industry veteran, model scout Lisa Phillips has not always been surrounded by a supportive community. The modeling industry has a history of abuse, exploitation, and challenging situations that can lead anyone down a path of post-traumatic stress and mental health concerns. 

After shooting with photographers and television commercials with some of fashion’s and entertainment’s biggest names for nearly two decades, Phillips is now turning her attention to circling the wagons and creating a community that supports those in the industry. Through a new podcast launching in August of 2024 called “From Now On,” which dives deep into surviving the darker side of the entertainment world, Phillips is well on her way to changing the industry for the better.

“The industry needs to be more sheltered,” she shares. “I want to be a part of making the entertainment industry safer for everyone.” 

A Run-in with Evil

When disgraced financier and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell were finally caught, many women were dragged into the harsh glare of an often unforgiving media. Through trials, documentary appearances, and news coverage, the young women who were victimized by Epstein and Maxwell showed grace under pressure — but many also walked away harboring trauma and turned toward the community’s help to find their way through the fray. Without each other to lean on, the blowback from the Epstein exposure could have been far more damaging.

Phillips knows how those young women feel because she is still working through her feelings after her own run-in with Epstein. As a young model in the early 2000s, Phillips was bright-eyed but admittedly naive as she ventured across the United States and Europe to begin her career. 

It was during a photoshoot in St. Thomas that Phillips first heard of Jeffrey Epstein and his private island, Little St. James. Upon her friend’s urging, they made a visit. “I was young, inexperienced, and wanted to have fun, like many young models,” Phillips explains. 

When Phillips arrived on the island, she was prompted to give Epstein a massage which evolved into her being sexually abused. “I was one of many that were abused on the island,” says Phillips. Some reports have identified up to 80 or more survivors of Epstein’s abuse. 

It took Phillips many years to feel comfortable coming forward with her story, but she was eventually able to find strength in her own voice and in the community of other Epstein victims who rallied around one another. After participating in the 2020 documentary “Surviving Jeffrey Epstein,” Phillips began to brainstorm ways she could take her own traumatic experience and help others.

A Kinder Entertainment Industry

Phillips made a nearly seamless move from model to scout to bring more humanity and personality back into the modeling industry. “Modeling is a very tough business, but it also can be incredibly rewarding,” says Phillips. 

Through her scouting and advocacy work, Phillips wanted to make those rewards more accessible to a greater variety of people. “Today’s models have to be more than just a pretty face. It’s about personality and personal branding,” she explains. 

Phillips believes today’s models are creating their own reality, leveraging personal branding approaches and what sets them apart from the competition to get signed and book jobs. “Today’s models are changing the standard,” she shares. “As a scout, I want to know about their passions and what makes them happy. That’s what is important in today’s industry.” 

The models Phillips has scouted have found international success in magazines and advertising campaigns. By guiding them through the process and helping them highlight their individuality, Phillips is helping models build their self-confidence in an industry that can still be rough and tumble at times. For more info on getting started and building their own brand, aspiring models can look into her comprehensive course called #GetSigned Model Mastery. 

Moving Forward 

Phillips credits the power of community with helping her move forward from a history of abuse, allowing her to embrace the industry that she still loves after all these years. “I just didn’t confront the abuse part of it until I started meeting other survivors and then realizing that the stories that I had were very similar to theirs,” she told USA Today.

Phillips hopes to offer this sense of community and shared experiences through her soon-to-be-released podcast, which will be available on Spotify this coming August. Through the sharing of stories and advocacy, she hopes to help people navigate the often rocky road to recovery and empowerment after abuse. 

“We must prioritize raising awareness on these issues,” Phillips says. “It’s crucial for everyone to understand the risks within the entertainment industry, stay informed, and learn how to prevent abuse from happening.”

Phillips often refers to her place in the modeling industry as a full-circle moment. She has moved from being a girl who once told famed agent Eileen Ford that she was going to be the “best modeling scout in the industry” to an advocate, coach, and experienced scout, helping the next generation of models find success in an industry she is helping transform.

Published By: Aize Perez