Earnest Williams learned the fashion industry from the ground up and from every side of the business, studying business management and apparel production at FIT; working on the design side with Modules neckwear and designer Gino Ferrigno; as a client, casting models for fashion shows he produced for designer Sabato Russo; and as a scout identifying top U.S. talent for Guns, a leading agency in Japan.

So when Brigitte Nunez, (now Next Brazil), opened up Mode Models in New York ten years ago, it was to Earnest Williams she turned to head up her new men's board. According to Williams: "I wasn't sure about it, but she was a good friend so I told her I'd try. And then when the first two models I brought her were Antonio Sabato, Jr. and Austin Peck (now on Days of our Lives) we both knew it was going to work. I spent the next year working with her to build a really good roster. It was exciting and we had a lot of fun, and then I went on to open Hunt Model Management on my own. We put together a great board. Even competitors gave Hunt a kind of grudging admiration."

After Hunt, Williams went to DNA Models as Head of their Men's Board, a position he held for two years prior to joining T Management for a brief and unrewarding stint as Co-Director of the men's division last year. He opened up his own men's agency — Earnest Management — at the beginning of this year. Already signed to his roster are David and Joel Fumero, Jorge Valdes, Karim, and Shaun Garrett among others.

Earnest, it's great to see you again. Congratulations on opening your own agency, and thanks for taking the time to fill us in. How many people do you have signed to Earnest Management so far?

It's my pleasure! We have twenty-one sensational guys.

How many did you bring with you from T Management?

A little more than a dozen. Some really great guys, and really all of the key billers that made money for T's Men's Division. These are the boys that brought their earnings up when I went to T, that got the commercial bookings — Jorge Valdez, Joel and David Fumero, Karim, all the guys with high rates. These are the guys that gave their men's division a volume in numbers and prestige, and they pretty much all came with me when I started this agency.

What's the number of men you want on your board ideally?

Forty-five men. I want to have a tight ship because this is a management agency and I really want to be able to focus on building careers.