[clarification needed] Founded in 1967 by Wilhelmina Cooper,[1] it provides representation and management to models, entertainers, artists, musicians, and athletes.
In 2009, the company became the first and only publicly traded modeling and talent agency after its acquisition by New Century Equity Holdings Corp.[2] Wilhelmina International Inc. was founded in 1967 by Dutch-American model Wilhelmina Cooper and husband Victor Bruce Cooper, as well as minority partners Bill Weinberg and Fran Rothchild.
[3] After Wilhelmina Cooper died in 1980 at age 40, the agency was transferred to her business partners,[3] and was then bought in 1989 for around 4 million dollars by Horst-Dieter Esch, a German businessman with interests in the construction industry.
[11] As of 2010, Wilhelmina represents and manages 2,100[5] models, celebrities, artists, athletes and content creators worldwide, including Nicki Minaj, Niall Horan, Normani, Iggy Azalea, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Machine Gun Kelly, 5 Seconds of Summer, Alexandra Waterbury, James B. Whiteside, Nadia Ferreira, Leona Lewis, Shawn Mendes, Dustin Lance Black, Francisco Lachowski, Barbie Ferreira, Robyn Lawley, Sora Choi, Aija Bārzdiņa, Rola Ghorab, Anne de Paula, Billie Eilish, and others.
[5] On April 15, 2020, Wilhelmina received $2 million in federally backed small business loans from Amegy Bank as part of the Paycheck Protection Program.