Burk Named President of Modeling Agency Elite L.A.

As the new president of Elite Los Angeles, DeEdyre Burks thinks the modeling agency that discovered stars like Cameron Diaz and Demi Moore is due for a facelift.

Driven by increased competition and changing client demands, Burks wants to shed the firm's monolithic reputation by providing models at more affordable prices and perhaps starting a theatrical division to help those who want to move into acting.

Burks hopes those changes will create a more boutique-like image for the L.A. division of worldwide modeling powerhouse Elite Model Management/John Casablancas.

"Elite is a huge name," she says. "People are intimidated by us... We have to go after clients, not just sit and wait for them as we did when there were only three agencies in town."

Elite Los Angeles currently represents about 300 models, with seven agents handling the print, commercial, runway and new-faces divisions. The agency books print work for major fashion magazines like Vogue and Mademoiselle as well as catalog and commercial jobs for ad agencies and department stores like Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's.

These days it's facing more competition from hot local agencies like Dragon Talent and aggressive L.A. affiliates of established agencies like Ford and Wilhelmina.

By expanding the range of fees, Burks wants to make her agency more accessible to customers without compromising the quality of talent offered. "We're not going to shock customers with enormous rates. We want them to be able to get a girl, a good girl, for as low as $1,600 a day," she said.

The Beverly Hills office of Elite Los Angeles also is getting a makeover. Burks says the renovation will give the offices "a clean minimalist look, very edgy."

The former coffee-house owner joined the company in 1986 as a bookkeeper, working her way up to her most recent position of vice president of operations.