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Modeling Agency
A modeling agency is a company that represent fashion
models, to work for the fashion industry. These agencies
earn their income via commission, usually from the deal
they made with the model!
The top agencies work with big-budget advertising
agencies and fashion designers. They invest money into
developing their talent so they can increase their
status within the industry. These top agencies will help
train models, get test shoots, layout portfolios, and
put together comp cards (composition photo cards) and
other printed materials models need.
They find work by presenting their models to designers,
photographers and ad agencies, booking the jobs, billing
for the jobs, and eventually paying the models for their
time. By handling the details, an agency allows a model
to focus on modelling and not on the business end.
Because modeling is a very competitive, fast moving
business that extends beyond the traditional 9 to 5, an
agency generally conducts business 'round the clock' to
handle emergencies, such as cancellations or rush jobs.
Most agencies have a service or an operator to direct
emergency contact after hours.
Industry information
Booking agents
Modeling agencies use booking departments to keep
track of who uses models. The agency has a phone that is
manned and an office that a client can visit. These
agents also send out reminders for fresh comp cards.
They advertise, do lunches, do cold calls and turn over
stones to find available modeling gigs
Contractual agreements
Most agencies sign their top talent to exclusive
contracts in each market, which vary in length based on
the model's industry status and experience. However,
because a good agency finds their models work and
negotiates top price for their talent, they earn a
management commission (between 10% to 20%) from the
model of every job they book on a model's behalf. In
addition an agency usually bills a client an additional
20% service charge for booking the model, so a typical
agency will make between 10-40% on each booking of which
no more than 20% comes out of the model's pocket. This
varies outside the US due to each country's law and
taxes. Other contracts offered by modeling agencies are
the mother agency contract and a non-exclusive contract.
A mother agency tries to sign you with larger agencies,
while non-exclusive agencies allow you to sign with
other agencies (usually outside a certain city radius).
Contracts typically last from a year to three years.
Mandatory Height Requirements
High fashion modeling agencies contract with a
diverse group of models, however nearly without
exception (unless a model is young enough to still be
growing), agencies stipulate women must be taller than
5'9", and men must be taller than 5'11 or 6' and at or
below 6'3" as well as be at a weight that's
proportionate with their height.
Auditions and open calls
Modeling agencies will require new faces on a
regular basis. The number of models in an agency depends
on the demand brought in by its agents and changes
throughout the year. To this end, modeling agencies
advertise in local phone directories in order to remain
visible.
Each new model-screening process is different from one
agency to the next:
A dry call is where models mail unsolicited comp cards
to an agency. While this may work with smaller agencies,
larger agencies are constantly being inundated with
these cards and frequently discard unsolicited comp
cards.
Another option is the walk-in, where a model calls for
an appointment at an agency and receives and interview
on that particular date and time. The model then has an
opportunity to quickly review with the agent past
experience and show his or her portfolio.
The most popular process is the open call, where an
agency will advertise that on a certain day, they will
allow anyone to show up for an interview. Depending on
the popularity of the agency within the industry and the
advertising done by its agents, anywhere from several
dozen to hundreds of candidates could attend an open
call. It is not uncommon to have a line extending for
several city blocks.
Fashion shows and fashion weeks
Agents and talent managers work together to prepare
and develop models. One of the most important assignment
for models is to work or attend fashion shows or fashion
weeks.
A fashion show is a runway event put on by a fashion
designer(s) to showcase their upcoming line of clothing.
Each show requires anywhere between 15 to 60 models,
depending on the size of the collection and the
importance of the designer(s). Fashion models walk the
runway (or catwalk) dressed in the clothing created by
the designer(s). Participation in these events is
essential for any model.
A fashion week is a series of shows by different fashion
designers. Each show books their own talent, though many
models are able to land jobs with multiple designers.
This is a model's chance to really get noticed, which
can lead to big contracts and very lucrative jobs. Each
fashion week consists of two events; one for spring
collections and one for fall collections.
The fashion weeks in major fashion capitals such as New
York, Paris, and Milan can have over 100 designers
showcasing their work. These weeks are also sponsored by
big names, such as Mercedes Benz or Olympus.
Fashion campaigns
Models vie for the prestigious fashion campaigns,
where they get to model for a particular designer. One
of the most sought-after campaign is the fragrance
campaign, where a model can earn a substantial amount of
money. Some of the most competitive fragrance campaign
include Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Valentino,
and Gucci.
Scams
Because of the necessity for an agency in a
constantly changing industry, where old agencies close
or merge and new ones pop up in their place, scam
artists have many opportunities to prey on new,
unsuspecting models. A legitimate modeling agency should
have knowledge of the market place and honestly evaluate
models for their market. It will have contacts with
photographers, graphic designers, and printers to
prepare a model's marketing materials.
In the United States, the Better Business Bureau
registers complaints against agencies that conduct
dishonest business practices and scams.
Scam artists and untrustworthy agencies generally demand
long-term contracts up front and use high-pressure
tactics to con models into committing to high-commission
percentages or signing over unnecessary rights.
An example of a modeling scam is when an agency claims
to have work but really what they are doing is trying to
sell photoshoots and modeling courses to aspiring
models. A legitimate agency should only make profit off
agency commissions.
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