For my freelance models out there, finding well-paying and legit gigs can be difficult. Unfortunately, for models looking for work on places like Craigslist and even modeling sites such as Model Mayhem, there are many people who create posts requesting models to do jobs that aren't...well...modeling.
I hate seeing such posts because it is obvious that they only want someone with a pretty face to do grunt work that, many times, doesn't even pay. They claim you'll get great exposure, meet tons of people and--for the ones that are paying--earn great money. For the gigs that pay, the rates can be very nice, especially if you need quick cash, but read these postings carefully.
Aspiring and especially inexperienced models should make their choices wisely. If you're looking to get into promotional and tradeshow modeling, that's fine but be sure to choose posts that pay a high rate or high flat rate, are legit and actually involve the duties that qualify for this category of modeling.
The types of duties that should be avoided because they aren't technically "modeling" include:
- Passing out fliers.
- Standing on a random corner, handing out samples and pamphlets by yourself.
What you do want to look for are promotional modeling and tradeshow gigs that involve you working at an actual company's booth, interacting with the public, working at an actual tradeshow or public event, taking photos with the public, representing a specific brand and handing out those samples and working with other models. A popular form of promotional modeling involves acting as brand ambassadors.
These types of models get booked for special events, promotional campaigns and other happenings as needed by the company or casting agency (a casting agency is different from a modeling agency). These types of models represent everything from the latest alcoholic beverages (you have to be 21+ for these jobs ) to cigarettes and other types of products that need to be introduced to the public. Brand ambassador models often get booked for many gigs that are often on the weekends and at night. This is an excellent way to make a side income while getting exposure and networking with the public.
Never settle for anything less than what I mentioned above, unless you're just looking for a fast way to make money, which is fine. But when it comes to somebody who needs to hire one person to hand out fliers and do other meaningless tasks outside of the actual event, that does not mean you are modeling and it doesn't really increase your odds of getting "discovered."
These people know that the public will pay more attention to an attractive face instead of some goofy guy, which is why they post in the model casting forums and website in order to seek out girls and guys who believe that working for them will give them some experience. But that couldn't be further from the truth.
Modeling is a lot of things...what it is not is passing out papers to random strangers for hours on end.
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