Who founded IDT Models and what was Paolo Zampolli's role in its creation?

1. The basic claim: Zampolli founded ID Models in New York

Multiple entries state directly that Paolo Zampolli founded ID Models (variously called ID Models, ID Model Management, or ID Model Management company) in New York in the mid- to late-1990s: the Wikipedia excerpt notes “In the mid-1990s, Zampolli founded ID Model Management in New York City” ^[1]; the Observer profile calls him “the founder of ID Models” ^[2]; and background summaries such as Infogalactic/Wiki-like entries repeat that he founded the agency in the late 1990s ^{[4] [5]}. Zampolli’s own online biography likewise describes ID Models and his early web ventures as part of his founding activity ^[3].

2. What role did Zampolli play in the agency’s creation and early operation?

The sources portray Zampolli not only as founder but as the active operator and public face of the firm. Profiles describe him starting the agency in Union Square/SoHo New York, signing and representing high-end models, and using early web platforms (idmodels.com, modelslife.com) to market and book talent—claims found on his own bio and in later retellings ^{[3] [4]}. Reporting also ties his agency directly to Model-to-Real-Estate crossovers he later executed—using models in Manhattan property sales—a business practice that relied on ID Models’ roster ^{[1] [6]}.

3. What evidence do the sources offer for “firsts” or technical innovations?

Zampolli’s own blog/bio asserts that his ventures made “ID Models the first models agency on the Internet,” citing idmodels.com and related dot‑com ventures ^[3]. Independent entries in the provided set (Infogalactic/Wikiwand/Observer) repeat that he was an early adopter of web technology for booking and marketing models ^{[4] [5] [2]}. These sources are consistent with each other but are not accompanied here by contemporaneous Internet-archive captures, trade filings, or industry corroboration in the supplied set—so the “first on the Internet” framing is an asserted claim amplified across profiles rather than a legal or third-party industry certification shown in current reporting ^{[3] [4]}.

4. How do journalists and profiles frame Zampolli’s public persona around the agency?

Several articles frame Zampolli as a social figure and gatekeeper to a certain Manhattan scene: the Observer calls him a “boldface” Page Six name and highlights nightlife and social prominence alongside his role as ID Models’ founder ^[2]. Washingtonian and Observer features likewise emphasize his celebrity connections, real-estate ventures, and the agency’s role as a springboard for his later activity—painting him as an entrepreneurial networker who used the modeling business as a platform for broader deals ^{[7] [6]}.

5. Disagreements, limits, and gaps in the available record

While the supplied sources consistently attribute the founding of ID Models to Zampolli, the dataset lacks direct primary-source corporate filings, contemporaneous trade press from the agency’s launch, or third-party audit of the “first online agency” claim; those documents are not found in current reporting provided here (available sources do not mention contemporaneous corporate filings or industry confirmations) ^{[3] [4]}. Some items—like Infogalactic and Wikiwand—are derivative encyclopedic entries that echo the same claims rather than adding new primary evidence ^{[4] [5]}.

6. Broader context and competing perspectives

Profiles tie Zampolli’s agency work to later roles: partnerships with the Trump Organization, real-estate projects that used models from ID Models, and diplomatic appointments—threads that show how his ID Models founding is presented as formative to a multi‑sector career ^{[1] [8] [6]}. Skeptical readers should note that coverage often mixes social‑scene color with business claims; the sources sometimes emphasize glamour over documentary proof for corporate-first assertions ^{[2] [3]}.

Conclusion: In the materials you provided, Paolo Zampolli is consistently credited as the founder and operator of ID Models in New York in the 1990s and is described as having been instrumental in its early online positioning and use of model talent in related ventures; however, the supplied record contains repeated journalistic and self-authored claims rather than primary corporate filings or independent trade-verification of every specific “first” attributed to the agency ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}.