Modeling convention puts local faces on L.A. radar.

• Position: ENTERTAINMENT

Byline: Richard Duckett

An invitation from IMTA is something not to pass up.

For example, Katie Holmes, Brookes Burns and Ashton Kutcher all once received IMTA invitations - when hardly any one else knew them. They accepted.

Who knows what the future holds for Calli McLaughlin, 5, and sister Molli McLaughlin 7, both of Rutland, or Jada Lopez, 10, of Lawrence, or Trevor Ruggles, 40, of Auburn.

The four were part of a contingent of 20 students at the La Femmina Modeling Training Center/Karon Shea Model Management in Worcester who went to the International Modeling and Talent Association convention in Los Angeles in January, after being selected by IMTA scouts who had held auditions at the school. The invitation to attend IMTA was contingent on them taking intense modeling and acting training for three months at the school.

In Los Angeles, the 20 took part in competitions with 1,000 other hopefuls in an array of modeling and acting categories, and were watched by 400 talent managers and agents from all over the world. These mangers and agents, in turn, had the opportunity to contact contestants they might be interested in representing, signing and managing. While they were in L.A. there was also an earthquake, Karon Shea, the modeling school's owner, recalled - 5.5 on the Richter scale.

Molli and Calli caused quite a few shock waves themselves, getting the most callbacks of the 20 contestants from La Femmina/Karon Shea - 27 and 20 respectively.

Ruggles got quite a few too, including from an agency in France. Jada also attracted a lot of interest, particularly from Los Angeles agencies.

Would she move to Los Angeles?

"Definitely. Tomorrow if I have to," said her mother, Keyshla Penalo. "She's very mature, very talented," she said of her daughter, who received honorable mention in "Sitcom," "TV Beauty" and "TV Real People" categories.

"It was amazing. It was so much fun," said Jada.

Would she go to L.A. to live? "We'll wait and see. We're very excited," she said.

Altogether, the students from La Femmina/Karon Shea had 112 callbacks at the convention, said Mark W. Steina, who oversees the IMTA training at the school.

IMTA, which is based in Arizona, was founded 22 years ago by Helen Rogers. Steina said Rogers had been sending her students all over the world for auditions and meetings. She concluded it would be easier to have fashion agents, talent agents, casting directors and so on all together in one spot - at least for a week. Actually two...