Infant/Child Modeling - Questions
resaray@netcom.ca@netcom.ca
I am seeking advice on the modeling industry - in particular - with regards to young
children. Our daughter has been seen by a few agents, and they are interested in her.
I am curious to know what we should/shouldn't be paying for, doing, etc....
please respond via email.
kinds regards,
Shelley,
mummy to Emily Anne
TKellarB
Following are some tips I sent to an inquiry regarding children's modeling
in New Orleans. I hope this provides you with some direction.
:::Thank you so much for your email. I haven't had the opportunity to
work with any children's agencies in New Orleans, so I cannot make a
personal recommendation. I can however, provide you with names and
telephone numbers of agencies in that area (from the International
Directory of Model & Talent Agencies - any good agency will be listed in
this directory).
A couple of tips:
For a child of that age, DO NOT have professional pictures made,
exclusively for modeling (and do not let an agency tell you that you MUST
have them). This is a waste of your money. Children at this age grow and
change so quickly. What you need is a few good, clear snapshots taken
from your 35mm. camera that show the child as they would normally look.
When taking your grand-daughter's pictures, DON'T do anything like put
cutsie bows her hair or put her in a frilly dress. DO let her play
naturally with her favorite toy and get her natural expression and
laughter to come out. This is what you need to show in your pictures -
this is what casting directors want to see. Once you have a couple of
good shots (headshot and full body shots) you can order inexpensive 8x10
headsheet with her name, a blank space for her height and weight (so you
can fill it in as she grows), her hair color, eye color, etc. You will
then send these out to local shops, newspapers, and photo studios that may
use children.
The second piece of advice I can provide is to not work with ANY agency
that requests money in advance for anything. Again, for a child of that
age, any sort of "schooling" or training isn't necessary. You shouldn't
pay for any type of marketing fee, signing fee, etc.
The only fee you pay is the 10-20% of gross monies your child is entitled
to after a job is completed. For instance, in our market if your
grand-daughter did an ad and made $150 for 3 hours of work (this is the
gross amount), your agent receives up to $30 (20%) for that job, your
grand-daughter would receive $120 for her work. The agency isn't
responsible for taking income tax on that money - it is your
responsibility to file that with the IRS at the end of the year.
You will have to pay for your marketing materials (i.e., the 8x10 cards I
mentioned earlier), but that is all until your grand-daughter is about 6
years old. Then you will need to invest in professional pictures from
local area talent photographers.
I recommend two terrific books, "Kids On Camera" by Eva Stancil and
"Wilhelmina's World of Child Modeling" by Natasha Esch. Each of these
books can give a parent (or grand-parent) direction on how to handle a
child's modeling career, what to look for in an agency, and how to avoid
common mistakes.
If you cannot find these two books in your local bookstore, please call me
and I'll order them for you.
If you would like to talk to me in person, I would be happy to assist you.
My telephone number is (770) 432-2115 in Atlanta.
Best wishes,
Teresa Kellar Brown,
Agency Director (and mother of 1)
Madison Agency - Atlanta:::
William Kirk Clendinning
res...@netcom.ca@netcom.ca wrote:
: I am seeking advice on the modeling industry - in particular - with regards to young
: please respond via email.
: kinds regards,
--
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