We sat down with Emily Lyons, President of FEMME FATALE Staffing Agency, the Premier Promo model, gogo dancing, event staffing agencies in Canada this week to give you a peek inside the person that started it all.
How did you get started in the Industry?
– I got started working as a promotional model 10 years ago. I was young at the time and absolutely loved it!
Do you remember your first nightclub gig?
– My personal first nightclub gig was at RockWood. Femme Fatale’s first nightclub gig was at Cheval in 2009, and then the next night at Mink Nightclub. All three of those clubs are long gone.
At which point did you realize you wanted to go out on your own and create your own agency?
– I was reading a book called “Career Renegade – How To Make A Great Living Doing What You Love” and at the time I absolutely loved promotional work, my first thought was to start my own company. I talked to a few people in the industry and they all told me it was too competitive of a market to go after, but I am very hard headed and went for it anyways.
I see your girls all over Southern Ontario doing Promo modelling and Paid To Party gigs and even Gogo Dancing. On any given weekend, how many girls do you have out there in the club scene in Ontario?
– It all depends on the weekend and what is going on but usually 100+. At Muzik Nightclub we have 30-50 ladies working every Saturday alone. Then we also have ladies working across Canada as well as a few clubs in NYC and occasionally San Francisco.
What separates your company from your competitors? Why do clubs keep you on their speed dial when they can probably get girls to come make their venue look good for less?
– You get what you pay for. Staffing is not an easy job and can be a huge head ache. Our clients want to spend a little more to ensure they have a fabulous, stress free event. Additionally our models are trained in sales and promotions and pay for themselves and then some.
We’ve been in business now for seven years and a lot of our clients have been with us for that entire time. Some of them I met when I was working the promotions myself, so there are relationships there. But more so we can provide a lot of services that other agencies can’t. Our award winning roster is over 2000 models and talent and we have a large social media following of over 100K that we use to promote our clients events.
You’ve won several Awards over the years, many Toronto Nightclub Awards even for your work in Nightlife. While Im sure its an important part of your company, you are also very busy with corporate events throughout the week and on weekends as well. Your team must be very busy every day. What does a typical day for you consist of?
– Well I’m usually at the office every day. We have our full time employees (all females) that manage the majority of the bookings, I assist where necessary. We’ve always got music playing, my little yorkies running around and a lot of laughs. We all love what we do and I think it shows. I’m usually popping out a lot through out the day for meetings and to fuel up on more chocolate.
The people working closest with you Im sure are some of the best at what they do. Who are they and where did you find them?
– Well in terms of office employees my most senior ones are Kirsten Visima, Leah Pfeiffer and Pilar Cruz. Kirsten and Leah are Account Managers and Pilar is my Executive Assistant. Kirsten has been with me since I started Femme Fatale, she actually worked one of the first events I mentioned that took place at Mink! She manages a wide variety of different clients who absolutely love her. She also over sees a lot of our hiring and scouting.
Leah has been with me for two years and will most likely be a lifer! She has such positive energy and is always laughing. She also works as an onsite manager for some events, sources costumes and pretty much anything else we need. She is great for getting back to clients or talent at any time of the day or night.
Pilar makes my life easier. She is great for knowing what I’m going to say before I say it!
There have been several spinoff companies you’ve launched within the past few years. One of which is the dating service. How does that work, what gave you the idea to do it and how is it going for you?
– Lyons Elite is a luxury match making agency. With Femme Fatale we were really fortunate to gain a lot of recognition for scouting the perfect combination of beauty and brains. As a result I was constantly being approached to set people up, from there it was just a natural progression into match making. It took off very quickly, faster than we had anticipated. We have clients as far as Barcelona and Australia! We are actually currently hiring two full time matchmakers if you know anyone…
We utilize similar methods that we use for Femme Fatale to scout our clients their perfect match. We have a very high success rate and I personally find it to be extremely rewarding. The feeling when you help two people find love is something amazing.
When you’re not busy going to a meeting or checking up on an event, what do you like to do to wind down and relax with the little spare time you have?
– I like to take my yorkies to the dog park, visit family and relax. Watch movies, catch up on Game Of Thrones, and plan my next ventures!
Who has been the most influential person in your life professionally? Why did they leave such a mark on you and what did you take most from them?
– Steve Jobs was the most influential person for me professionally. The emphasis he put on the fact that we are all going to die so we may as well go for it is something that is always in my mind, it effects that majority of my choices.
Do you have any new ideas you have coming to reality soon?
– Indeed I do! You will just have to wait and see!
If people want to book your models for any events or corporate function they have, who do they contact?
– For more information they can check us out at www.femmefatalemedia.com or call us directly at (647) 955-9733. Keep up with our latest events on instagram at @femme_fatale_media
Thanks for your time Emily, we look forward to seeing you and your team brighten up an event in Ontario soon!
