Answering a Reader Question #336

Anonymous Wrote:

Hi thanks for all the wonderful advice! My question is, is it a good idea to sign with a small agency in a big market like L.A.? Will this lead to bigger opportunities and bigger agencies? Or is it a dead end? Will the get me good gigs? If you've already written an article about this could direct me there? :) Thanks!

Hi there, Anonymous! You're quite welcome! I do have posts related to this topic but figured it would be more useful if I just answer you directly (it also reminds me that I want to do a "refresher" posts of sorts related to this subject, so thank you for reminding me, lol).

Any agency large or small in a big market like Los Angeles is a good bet. Many people discount boutique agencies but in reality, they have just as much pull/influence as the bigger competition. The only difference is they're more selective and limit the number of models they represent. This makes for a more intimate/one-on-one working relationship. When I was with Ford, I was lost in the sea of all the people they represented--they sometimes had to jog their memories to remember who I was. I'm now with a boutique agency and it is SO refreshing! The communication is better, they're more receptive to my feedback and questions about the direction of my career and are able to send me to castings that I have a good chance of getting (as opposed to previous experiences where the agency simply sent me on a huge cattle call with a ton of other models).

Getting signed to a boutique agency is great, in my opinion, because they pay a lot more attention to you, keep you updated about stuff and have the same great, well known and high paying clients. So either way you go, it's a good situation to be in. Plus, you can always make the decision to move up to bigger agencies later on down the line if you feel you've outgrown your boutique agency.

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