Models often feel like the holy grail of their efforts is getting\u00a0an agency. Not true! It\u2019s when you have an agency that the going\u00a0gets tough. They will have you do all the things necessary to\u00a0prepare you for the market, and then send you out to compete.
\nActually getting jobs is up to you. Here\u2019s some of what you can\u00a0expect:<\/p>\n
Location<\/strong> Development<\/strong> The<\/em> Process<\/em><\/span> Commercial Agencies<\/strong> Self Marketing<\/strong> Other Agencies<\/strong> Other Pursuits<\/strong> How to Lose Representation and Jobs<\/strong> Professional Lifespan<\/strong> Commercial Print Models Other Kinds of Models<\/strong> Models often feel like the holy grail of their efforts is getting\u00a0an agency. Not true! It\u2019s when you have an agency that the going\u00a0gets tough. They will have you do all the things necessary to\u00a0prepare you for the market, and then send you out to compete. Actually getting jobs is up to you. Here\u2019s some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":13894,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2166],"tags":[2315,2321,2320,2319,2323,2318,2224,2324,2322,2317,2316],"class_list":["post-13893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guide","tag-actually-getting-jobs-is-up-to-you","tag-casting-calls","tag-commercial-clients","tag-depending-on-the-agency","tag-editorial-fashion","tag-fashion-editorials","tag-location","tag-luxury","tag-stylish","tag-the-life-cycle-of-an-editorial-fashion-model-career","tag-you-got-an-agency-now-what"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13893"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13908,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13893\/revisions\/13908"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nYou will probably have to go to where they are. At the beginning\u00a0you may need to be there only for a few weeks for development,\u00a0but ultimately you will have to move to where they are before you\u00a0get very much work. They may also send you to other markets\u00a0(such as Milan or Paris) to accelerate your development. They\u00a0may or may not offer to advance the costs of your moves \u2013 be\u00a0sure to ask.<\/p>\n
\nFashion Agencies<\/strong>
\nThe Life Cycle of an Editorial Fashion Model Career\u00a0Fashion clients respond to two primary cues in selecting models:
\n(a) youth, freshness, newness, and (b) experience and market\u00a0acceptance, as demonstrated by a model\u2019s appearance in fashion\u00a0editorials and other high-end fashion advertising campaigns.
\nThese two cues are somewhat contradictory, but never mind that:\u00a0it\u2019s fashion.\u00a0When \u201cfreshness\u201d dominates the mind of the client, a model may\u00a0be picked for a job right off Polaroids shot that very day by her\u00a0agency. But more commonly fashion clients \u201cfollow the herd\u201d. If\u00a0they see a portfolio full of tear sheets they draw two conclusions:\u00a0she is a good, reliable model that can get the job done, and others\u00a0have liked her look well enough to select her. Clients like to see\u00a0their judgment validated by others. If a model has enough\u00a0appearances she transitions to a \u201cknown face\u201d or, better, a \u201cknown\u00a0name\u201d whose image is of special value.\u00a0The rates for fashion models (for \u201ccampaigns\u201d, but not for\u00a0editorials or most \u201ccommercial fashion\u201d) depend on her market\u00a0acceptance. More editorials equals not only a higher chance of\u00a0being selected, but of being paid more when selected. Rates are\u00a0set on an individual basis after the \u201cnew faces\u201d period is over.\u00a0At the beginning of her career a fashion model spends her time\u00a0building market acceptance. She does low-paying editorials for\u00a0months, perhaps for years, until she becomes \u201cknown\u201d. Then one\u00a0day a client calls up and instead of saying, \u201cSend me some\u00a0fashion models for a go-see,\u201d they say \u201cI want Mabel for this\u00a0job\u201d. She has begun to arrive, and the investment in her career up\u00a0to that point may now reward her with big pay days.\u00a0But no matter how long she models, she will continue to do those\u00a0low-paying editorials to keep her face in the public (and clients\u2019)\u00a0eye. When the world forgets about you there is always another\u00a0fresher face on her way up to take your place.<\/p>\n
\nUnless you come to the agency as an experienced model with\u00a0a lot of professional work behind you, a fashion agency will\u00a0almost certainly ask you to get new pictures. They may also\u00a0suggest a new hair color or cut, wardrobe that you need, or\u00a0exercise and diet to slim and tone your body, and will have you\u00a0visit a manicurist. They might even send you to another country\u00a0for experience and to build your book. The agency may send you\u00a0on \u201crounds\u201d so clients can get to know you. Depending on the\u00a0agency, the \u201cdevelopment\u201d process can take a small number of\u00a0weeks to several months. Models should assume that during this\u00a0period they will make little if any money and they may have\u00a0substantial expenses. If a model gets a positive response from\u00a0clients on go-sees, books some editorials or good commercial\u00a0jobs, she may be at the beginning of a long career.<\/p>\n
\nFor this purpose \u201ccommercial fashion\u201d and \u201ccommercial print\u201d\u00a0models are somewhat similar.\u00a0Life Cycle of a Commercial Model\u2019s Career\u00a0For commercial models pay doesn\u2019t depend on experience or\u00a0\u201cmarket acceptance\u201d, but simply whatever the budget is for that\u00a0job. (That is not true for \u201cskilled\u201d jobs like fit modeling, where\u00a0experienced models can get higher rates.) From the moment you\u00a0become \u201cfully qualified\u201d (right after you print your first comp\u00a0card) until the end of your career, you compete on a more-or-lesseven footing with your peers. Commercial models do not become\u00a0household names; there is no value associated with the perceived\u00a0\u201cendorsement\u201d by an unknown model. You remain someone\u00a0playing a generic role, and new models can enter at any stage of\u00a0their lives.\u00a0Certainly it is true that a better portfolio and a composite card full\u00a0of excellent commercial tears make you more likely to get the job,\u00a0but the effect is nowhere near as powerful as it is in the fashion\u00a0world.
\nThe Process<\/strong>
\nIf a model comes to a commercial agency with well done\u00a0commercial pictures and a composite card, the agency may decide\u00a0to use what he already has, or simply get a new card printed with\u00a0the agency\u2019s format and logo. That is particularly true for\u00a0agencies that have non-exclusive contracts with their models.\u00a0The agency may decide to have the model modify his appearance\u00a0(new haircut, gain or lose weight, tone his body) and get new\u00a0pictures before deciding to place him on the market. This is a\u00a0relatively quick process, and normally can be completed in a\u00a0small number of weeks.\u00a0Once the new card (and portfolio, if the agency requires one) is\u00a0ready, the model will be sent on go-sees. But this is a distinctly\u00a0different process than for fashion models. Rather than being sent\u00a0around to \u201ccommercial clients\u201d for a response, models are just\u00a0sent out when a client has a specific job that they may be right for.\u00a0An editorial fashion model may have a very close relationship\u00a0with her agency, and visit them daily or weekly. A commercial\u00a0model may make no more than a few trips to the agency over a\u00a0career spanning several years. The agency is likely to be\u00a0consulted only when a new card is needed, or changes in\u00a0appearance are contemplated.<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s the job of the agency to market you, but you shouldn\u2019t\u00a0just leave it to them. You should network with photographers,\u00a0clients, casting directors, makeup artists and stylists whenever the\u00a0opportunity arises. At clubs, parties, trade shows and on\u00a0modeling jobs, you need to take any opportunity presented to\u00a0increase your circle of contacts.<\/p>\n
\nIf you have a non-exclusive contract you should pursue\u00a0representation from other agencies. No agency gets every\u00a0modeling job, and the more eyes you have looking out for you the\u00a0better. It is possible to overdo this; agencies can lose interest in\u00a0you if you are almost always unavailable to them because other\u00a0agencies have called you first. You need to find a balance of the\u00a0right kind and number of agencies, and the right number usually\u00a0isn\u2019t \u201cone\u201d.\u00a0Sometimes a model may find that they can be exclusive for\u00a0\u201cfashion\u201d with one agency and work with \u201ccommercial\u201d with\u00a0another. It\u2019s a very useful income supplement. Even models on\u00a0an exclusive modeling contract may find that their agency allows\u00a0them to pursue non-modeling work like TV commercials through\u00a0other agencies. You should consider being listed with talent\u00a0agencies.<\/p>\n
\nThe old joke is, \u201cOh, you\u2019re a model? Which restaurant?\u201d\u00a0If you are an editorial fashion model you may not have time\u00a0for another job, but most models find that they need to have some\u00a0source of income just to keep afloat. Waiter, bartender, real estate\u00a0agent, personal trainer, dog walker and similar jobs let a model\u00a0put food on the table until their modeling career gets established.\u00a0For many commercial print models, modeling is the other thing\u00a0they do while they live otherwise normal lives.<\/p>\n
\nHere’s a list of things models have actually done (some of them\u00a0quite often). These things can keep you from working if you\u00a0have an agency, or can cause you to lose representation:
\n1. Accept a booking from two different agencies at the same\u00a0time, betting that one of them will be cancelled. Or accept a\u00a0booking and then back out when something better comes\u00a0along. If you aren\u2019t in Intensive Care, you do the jobs you\u00a0booked.
\n2. File an unemployment claim listing your agency as your last\u00a0employer. That raises his unemployment compensation\u00a0rates he pays on his employees, and really lowers his mood.
\n3. Be late. For anything.
\n4. Have your own comp card printed after the agency accepts\u00a0you, without letting them see the pictures first. Use pictures\u00a0VERY different from what the agency wants.
\n5. Make harassing, embarrassing or obnoxious posts on\u00a0Internet forums. It\u2019s not true that \u201cit\u2019s just the Internet.\u201d The\u00a0Internet is simply one more part of the real world, and\u00a0people in that world pay attention to it.
\n6. Go to a casting from one agency and sign in for another\u00a0agency. Sometimes they don\u2019t find out. Sometimes they do.\u00a0You really don\u2019t want to be you when they do.
\n7. Share a casting an agency gave you with other models \u2013\u00a0including models from your agency. There may be a\u00a0specific reason why your agency gives it to you and not\u00a0someone else, and sharing it can cause embarrassment for\u00a0everyone concerned.
\n8. Give a casting one agency gave you to another agency. If\u00a0that is discovered, you are certain to be dropped.
\n9. Take your boyfriend, family or neighbor with you to the\u00a0agency or a job. Have him hang out in the agency whenever
\nyou come to see them.
\n10. Don\u2019t show up. For anything, but especially a job.
\n11. Make a significant change to your look and not tell the\u00a0agency.
\n12. Treat modeling as a form of entertainment. It\u2019s not. It\u2019s a\u00a0job.
\n13. Be unpleasant to a client. If it has to be done, it\u2019s the\u00a0agency\u2019s job, not yours.
\n14. Tell your agency you are available for a job when you\u00a0aren\u2019t. That makes the agent look bad to the casting\u00a0director, and may cause the agency to lose clients.
\n15. Tell the makeup artist or hair stylist how they should work\u00a0on you; or after they are done, go into the bathroom and \u201cfix\u00a0it\u201d to the way you want it. Nobody cares how you want it.
\n16. Act like the director on a shoot. Your job is to do as you\u00a0are told. Unless asked, do not offer your opinions or give\u00a0direction to anyone else.
\nGetting the Most From Your Agency
\n<\/strong>All too many models treat the agency simply as a source of\u00a0casting calls, and passively wait to be told where to go to apply\u00a0for jobs. That is only a part of what you got the agency for. A\u00a0good agency provides a wide range of services, and the more you\u00a0use them, the more value you get. That\u2019s what you are paying all\u00a0that commission money for!\u00a0Things you should do from time to time with your agent:
\n1. Discuss grooming and styling options. Is your hair,\u00a0makeup and wardrobe appropriate for your \u201ctype\u201d? Do you need\u00a0to be more stylish? Less? Buy a set of scrubs and a stethoscope?\u00a0Get glasses even if you don\u2019t need them? Your agent will help\u00a0with those kinds of decisions.
\n2. Review the way you present yourself. Do you need to\u00a0appear to be a different type entirely? Gain weight? Lose\u00a0weight? If the bookings aren\u2019t coming, what can you do about\u00a0your approach and self-presentation to improve them?
\n3. A model\u2019s book and card should always be evolving, both\u00a0because the model\u2019s looks change, or as better pictures become\u00a0available. Can the agent suggest a photographer who might do a\u00a0free test?
\n4. You have pictures. Which should go into your book and\u00a0card? Models often make awful choices. Agents should make the\u00a0choices for you.
\n5. Get help with the process and business aspects of the\u00a0profession. Ask how the agency\u2019s policies work.\u00a0There is more than one reason to do all that. The obvious\u00a0benefit is to get the advice and support you are asking for. But\u00a0there is a subsidiary benefit as well. Agents have a limited\u00a0amount they can hold in their attention at one time. If they have\u00a0more than a few models (and almost all agents do) they will tend\u00a0to remember some more than others. When calls come in, the\u00a0model who is uppermost in their mind will be considered first.\u00a0You want to be uppermost in their mind, in a good way. Asking\u00a0for advice, without being a pest, is a way to have a positive\u00a0experience with your agent.\u00a0That\u2019s not the only way to be kept in mind, though. Little\u00a0things can be done to help. Some models send their agents\u00a0postcards with their pictures on them at monthly intervals. I\u2019ve\u00a0never found that very effective, but it\u2019s better than doing nothing.\u00a0Others bring in little gifts when they come to the office: a cup of\u00a0coffee for the agent, a little box of cookies. Not enough that it\u2019s a\u00a0bribe, but a thoughtful token that will leave a positive impression.<\/p>\n
\nFashion Models<\/strong>
\nThe average career span for an editorial fashion model after\u00a0being signed by a New York agency is six weeks. A considerable\u00a0majority of the models put into the \u201cNew Faces\u201d or \u201cTest\u201d board\u00a0will get their portfolios started, make some rounds and find that\u00a0there isn\u2019t much positive response from clients. So they go\u00a0home. Those that \u201cclick\u201d may work for several years, up until\u00a0their mid twenties or even later if they are very successful. But at\u00a0some point they have to transition into other kinds of modeling:\u00a0commercial fashion, commercial print or lifestyle work. Editorial\u00a0fashion is about youth and freshness.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Commercial models may have to reinvent themselves several\u00a0times in the course of their careers, from \u201cschoolgirl\u201d to \u201cglamour\u00a0girl\u201d to \u201cyoung mom\u201d to \u201cbusiness woman\u201d to \u201cgrandmother\u201d.\u00a0But it is something they can do, and many models stay with a\u00a0commercial agency for decades. They are less likely to burn out\u00a0in a hurry since getting started and remaining in commercial print\u00a0is much less demanding than editorial fashion. While a model is\u00a0supporting herself as a bartender she can wait a year or two for\u00a0her modeling career to really catch on. Fashion models don\u2019t\u00a0have that luxury.<\/p>\n
\nThe age for glamour models is roughly 18-25, although some\u00a0particularly young-looking women can stretch that several\u00a0additional years. Promotional models can start as early as 18,\u00a0although mid-twenties seems preferred, and may be able to work\u00a0into their 40s or later. Artists\u2019 and specialty models often can\u00a0work into their 30s and 40s. Fitness models tend to be from 18 to\u00a025 or so, sometimes into their 30s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"