There can't be many 24 year-olds who can claim to be a partner in a model agency. Of those, even fewer probably spend their time scouting for things as diverse as divers, dwarfs and vampires. And yet for Katie Luk, it's all part of a job that's a whole lot more than simply searching for the next Zoolander.
'For things like scuba diving models, we'd be looking for great body and great looks,' says the young entrepreneur. 'We were scouting for an MTV show that wanted a Chinese girl diver. I was calling around scuba diving schools asking for hot divers, basically. Luckily for me, people want to be famous.'
Of course, things aren't always so simple for Luk, who founded id Republic four months ago with three partners. Luk is now one of the remaining two, which gives some indication of the rigours of the modelling world.
'A while back there was a request for people who could pass for celebrities. You know, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson look-alikes, that sort of thing.'
Now, imagine being told not only that you look like Michael Jackson, but that someone would like you to be him, too. There can't be too many people in the world who would take such an invitation kindly.
'Well, exactly. Where do you begin? You're not going to find Michael Jackson in Hong Kong. But I did find a Britney Spears.'