By Michele Smith
Facebook – MicheleSmithMarketing
Models and supermodels tend to transition into the area of acting. What it is it like working behind the scenes with a producer? You are without a doubt looking at long hours (maybe even longer than runway shows), but this is another arena where the behind-the-scenes is not so glamourous. The truth of the matter is that even your modeling booking agent is quite different then working with someone in the film industry. How does one get an agent exactly?
When you are a professional model you certainly have a head up ahead of the game because you already have all of your professional headshots. Phew. Now that step one is done, what is next you may ask? A talent agent or booking agent is simply a person who gets jobs for their client. Talent agents typically specialize or focus on certain industries. The largest agencies in the playing field to date are CAA and UTA. CAA represents Drew Barrymore, Nicholas Cage and Sandra Bullock to name a few. UTA represents Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie and Edward Norton; among many others,
At the end of the day though, you need to do a little homework on your own. It’s simple. If you have a computer you can “Google” most of this. Please keep in mind to select someone from a reputable agency, but at the same time do your homework. Take a look at who the agent has represented, what feature films/commercials they have been featured in and do a LinkedIn background check. This process is simple and quiet behind the scenes.
Another key point is to contact multiple agencies and focus on New York, as well as California – point being is that these are the major markets for contracts of this type. If you sign up for multiple contracts, please be sure that your agents contact one another – this is huge. You also may want to seek legal counsel when working with multiple agencies. The key here is to retain a manager who has the background and not sign an exclusive contract that is over 2 plus years. Also, keep in mind that most agency fees do not exceed 10%. When you send in your resume, professional headshots and any other bio information, they will call if interested. If the answer is a “no” keep in mind no means no.
There are multiple scams out there, so please take care. If you sign with a reputable agency please keep good care, but in other words you should be fine. Reputable agencies are highly selective. Also, reputable agencies do not require you to use a certain photographer or anyone else for that matter. Last but not least, legitimate agents make commission off of the WORK they find for you. There are many pitfalls to avoid, but in the simplest of truths do your own homework, trust your judgment and go from there.
