Answering a Reader Question #80

Lizz Wrote:

after reading your blog i felt a little more at-ease with the discesion ive made to put my foot in the modeling/acting business. i am currently,14,still a freshman. but its my ultimate goal to somehow get involved in this business. ive only modeled for a hair show, so i have absolutley no experience, but im fairly photogenic, do you have ANY advice at all, for me? it would be greatly appreciated. Signed, lizz

Hey, Lizz! The good news is that you're still very young and have plenty of time to get your foot in the door. Even though you've only done one hair show that counts as experience so you technically don't have "any" experience...you have "some" experience, which may not seem like a big deal but it goes to show that you have actually participated in modeling in some shape or form, which is always a plus.

My best piece of advice for you is to first research the requirements in order to find out which type of modeling you actually qualify for. If you are between 5'5" - 5'7" then you can do commercial/print modeling. If you are 5'8" or taller, then go for fashion/runway/editorial modeling. However, you also mentioned acting. In this case you will want to look into talent agencies and not modeling agencies. Talent agents have people that do both acting and modeling. Having this kind of agent will allow you to be submitted for both types of work. It is not necessary to have one agency for each type. One talent agent will take charge of finding you work in both fields and you'll only have to deal with one contract, which is very convenient. For acting, however, you will want to receive training. Participate in drama classes, theater and sign up for acting classes--these all count as experience and training that will make you more marketable to a talent agency. Unlike modeling, which can be easily taught to inexperienced models, talent agencies want their new actors to have some form of training or experience. Even if you haven't done any acting before, don't let this stop you from submitting to a talent agency. If you get signed for modeling, tell your agent that you are interested in acting as well and see what feedback or instructions they have to offer so that they can begin sending you to auditions for acting gigs.

If you need assistance finding legitimate and reputable agencies in your area, drop me an email (daniadenise@gmail.com) and I'll be more than happy to help you out. Good luck!

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