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Getting into the business

So now that you are convinced that you’ve got the looks, and know what kind of modelling you want to do – how do you get in?

Below is list of the most common ways of how people get into modelling – all of which involve both luck and effort to some degree.

Contacting an agency – this is by far the most common and easiest way to get started. First, check if there are any agencies close to where you live, or whether you’d need to deal with agency somewhere else, like London. Your choice might also be influenced by whether you’d like to work for a large or small agency.

The advantage of large agency is that it will have lots of resources to support you – if you are a potential star, they will make every effort to help you succeed. The disadvantage is that until you’ve hit it big-time, you are still just a small fish in a large pond. It might be hard to get noticed, with thousands of other hopefuls going for the same limited opportunities.

A smaller agency could offer more personal service – but the quality of it will vary between the agencies. It’s basically all about how well connected they are – if they can bring in clients or not. Also, when considering smaller agencies, be careful of scams conducted by people setting up “modelling agencies” which will do nothing for you, except take your money!

Starting with a large agency is a safer bet. With a smaller one, you probably should have someone’s recommendation or references first. Also, with smaller agency, you probably need to do some more work upfront to get your pictures, comp card and portfolio sorted out (more on this below). On the other hand, with the smaller agencies you might develop non-exclusive contracts, meaning that you could register with many of them at the same time – this increases your chances of getting paid work. This is useful when you free-lance or do modelling only part-time.

Do some research and make a list of agencies you’d be interested in. Consider as many agencies as possible, as this will increase your chances significantly. One agency might be looking for someone just like you, or it could have been looking for you yesterday but not today. Another one just next door might be looking exactly for you – it all depends what their clients require. It’s a numbers game.

The next step should be calling the agency – make sure you are in a good mood (smile when you are on the phone, it makes you sound more cheerful), and ask whether you’d need an appointment, or if you should just drop by. It’s possible they would just ask you to send the photos by mail / e-mail (read in the photos section below to see what to send). But even if you just have to send the photos, the main goal is still to get to meet someone face to face!

When you meet with them face to face, be cheerful, polite and professional. Looking good is only part of the equation – the other part is convincing them that you also have the right personality and attitude. You need to have your answers ready to some of the standard questions (why do you want to be a model? why do you think you have what it takes to succeed as a model?). The last part of this article will highlight the traits you need to demonstrate – answering along the lines of “I want to be a model because I am pretty and modelling will provide a lot of money and I can’t really think of another career option for me” is definitely a no-no!

Having friends who already model or who are photographers. This is also a common way of getting into the business (or if you already are in the business, getting the assignments). Photographers are always looking for new faces, and hanging around with this crowd will probably lead to you being asked to pose for a few photos now and then. At the very least you should get some nice pictures out of it, or if you are lucky, it could lead to a paid job or even several!

Even with this approach you might still join an agency in the end. The other option is to keep modelling on a free-lance basis. In this case, it’s very important to build a network of contacts – both through meeting people and by networking through internet (i.e. by having your own web site, posting your pictures on modelling sites and having a presence on myspace, facebook, etc).

The problem with this approach is, that you actually need to know someone in the business to start with! But with some networking this will not be impossible – you can either try to make friends with people who are in those professions already, or you can start by asking your current friends whether they know someone who could help.

Getting discovered by a model scout is also a way of getting into the business. The main advantage is that they want you – which will make your life quite a bit easier. The main disadvantage is that it takes quite a bit of luck to catch the eye of the right person, and you might actually be “discovered” by someone you really should not talk to.

If someone approaches you and presents himself or herself as a talent scout, do a background check before taking things further. In the best case, you might get confirmation that the person is legitimately connected to a reputable model agency. In the second best case you might find some information about the person and the agency he or she his connected to – without any negative information about those people. But if you don’t find out anything about the person and/or the agency, or you only find negative comments on the internet – this is a warning-sign to perhaps avoid dealing with them!

Is there anything you can do to increase the chances of getting discovered? Being a lot in public places like a shopping mall, etc. could help – but probably the time would be better sent by going to an agency directly or working on your networks instead.

In any case - whichever approach you choose, the key is still exposure, exposure, exposure! Both before getting the right connections, and afterwards as well. Make your pictures easily available to potential clients, agents and photographers. Do networking. Make sure your portfolio and previous work gets known and mentioned. Post your information on wannabestar.co.uk – show off your face, get into the top lists on main page, etc.

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