Modeling & Acting 101 - A Model/Actor's Diary

As we all know, repeat business is good business. Once you've impressed a client the first time around, it makes their decision a lot easier as to who they'll want to consider for other projects down the line.  Not only does this mean money in your pocket but a surefire way to establish a solid reputation as a model everyone should work with.  Below are some easy tips to wow clients every time and keep your name in their mouths (in a good way) long after you've clocked out. TIP #1: BE ON TIME!      "Early is on time, on time is late and late, you're fired." I have lived by this motto my entire career and it has never failed me. In fact, it isn't unusual for me to be at a gig before the client. To be praised for something that should be common practice says a lot about how other models conduct themselves. Arriving 10-15 minutes early affords you the opportunity to prepare mentally for the work ahead. Who wants to get to a gig late, stressed out and feeling ...

In the FIRST INSTALLMENT of this mini blog series, I talked about modeling portfolios. The SECOND INSTALLMENT  covered comp/zed cards. For this third entry, let's tackle the subject of modeling vouchers. To catch you newbies up on what modeling vouchers are, check out this blog post I wrote about them: M ODELING VOUCHERS . The use of modeling vouchers to receive payment from clients is pretty exclusive to agencies, meaning 99.9% of the time you, as a model, will encounter or deal with these types of vouchers is if you're signed to an agency. KEEP IT OR TOSS IT: IT DEPENDS I know...that's not definitive answer but hear me out. Models signed to an agency that still uses vouchers will likely keep using vouchers. The decision to discontinue their use is entirely up to the agent so if you've been using modeling vouchers and haven't been told otherwise, then these will keep being part of your life in relation to your modeling career. Freelance models don'...

In the first entry of this mini blog post, "Modeling in 2020 Pt. I: What to Keep & What to Leave Behind" , I talked about modeling portfolios. In this second installment, let's talk about modeling comp/zed cards. For a crash course on what this tool is, check out the blog post I wrote on the topic: Comp/Zed Cards WHAT IS A COMP/ZED CARD? Think of this as a model's business card but larger and with more information on it. Agencies use them to conveniently promote their models to current and potential clients. Freelance models also use it as a networking tool. Because it has photos, contact info and the model's statistics (height, weight, clothing sizes, etc.), it quickly tells the person looking at it what they need to know. KEEP IT OR TOSS IT: KEEP IT! When it comes to modeling agencies, the use of comp/zed cards is still a common occurrence, especially in larger markets and at agencies specializing in fashion, runway and editorial work. New mod...

When it comes to business, the devil is in the details. This especially applies when it comes to communication. While text and DMs are a popular way to reach out and network, email continues to be a widely and heavily used method. Regardless of your age and whether you have modeling experience or not, it is critical to pay attention to how you're presenting yourself when it comes to email correspondence. The cool thing about technology is that it's always changing and adding features that allow people to personalize and customize the websites, platforms and devices they use frequently. Email signatures have always been around but these days, there are more ways than ever to make your signature stand out. Plan on pursuing the modeling industry? Then that means you'll need to start tailoring yourself to be a professional on all fronts. If that means creating a new email account that's just for agency submissions, communicating with photographers, submitting to...

The modeling world has become notorious for thriving despite all the changes going on as the years go by. In the past, modeling agencies were a type of secret society that not just anybody could penetrate, let alone try to locate. Then came the Internet and along with it total access via websites from the very agencies model hopefuls had been searching for--equipped with submission information and open call guidelines that opened up the modeling industry to the masses...or at least those gutsy enough to send in their snapshots or walk through the agency's doors. Now we're in the social media era where the modeling industry has once again needed to update their way of doing business. While being scouted on IG is all the rage, this latest version of the modeling beast can actually end up confusing newbies even more when it comes to figuring out where to begin and what to do/not do. So what does it mean to be a model in the age of IG? MORE VISIBILITY It is still impo...

Now that I've got your attention, lol, I wanted to let you know of an opportunity that hopefully will be of interest to those of you on the shorter side who happen to live in California. Chances are you already know this news if you follow me on social media but for those of you that don't or who only check out my blog for modeling related purposes, I'm pleased to announce that I am the new State Director for the first ever Miss California Petite Pageant! So if you've ever thought about doing pageants, have done them in the past, always thought you were "too old" or were looking to try something new and see what it's all about, I strongly encourage you to apply because as State Director, I run the show (and you'd be in good hands)! Essentially, it is my own pageant that I will be producing and putting together so contestants would be interacting with me directly throughout the whole process. To avoid writing a long blog post and getting lost in...

Okay, if you know anything about me, you know that I'm professional to a fault. What I love about having my blog, mentoring, coaching and consulting is that it gives me the chance to educate the next wave of models on how to practice the good habits (not develop bad ones) and understand the importance that their polished and professional approach will be to the success of their modeling goals. Technology has taken over our lives and social media, love it or hate it, is a part of our daily routine. This includes doing business. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to network and do business using today's innovations. Just because social media is everywhere and just because it's easy doesn't mean you can be lazy or rely too heavily on it. Failing to exercise proper communication methods, not caring about excessive typos and treating potential clients or professional contacts as some random person in your social media world is a quick way to derail any app...

I had originally put the title of this blog post as, "Branding & Modeling Pt VI: Common Sense + Tips" but decided to change the second half to "Dos & Don'ts" simply because I felt it would be easier to organize the tips I want to share and make it easier for my readers to reference...so here we go! This is the last entry in this latest mini blog post series related to the concept of "Branding" when it comes to the modeling industry. Chances are I'll continue to do new posts in the future related to the subject but hopefully this collection has helped some of you get a better understanding of why Branding continues to be so important, even for models. If you've read the previous 5 posts, the dos and don'ts listed below will make much more sense to you so I encourage that you go back and read those in order first before diving right into this post if you haven't done so already. ***FYI: I'll be adding updated Dos ...

Notice the title of this latest post in the mini blog series is "Quality & Content Creation"? That's because even though it's important to post often and keep creating content, it's also vital to think about what you're posting and what you're trying to communicate to followers. Because this mini blog post series is focused on branding and modeling, it only makes sense that I’ll be talking about creating quality content related to…yep, you guessed it: modeling! But what does that mean? PROFESSIONAL IMAGES Photo of one of the magazines I had an editorial feature in. Digital tearsheet of one of the romance novel covers I've been on. What better way to promote your brand as a model than by sharing the fruit of your labors? Posting images from your latest shoots, tearsheets of published work and other pictures related to your career are the best way to show people, including potential clients, what you’ve done and what you can do. ...

People are always in search of the next new thing. Updated content and info is what many online users crave. The fact that smartphones have grown to become as attached to us as a body part makes it that much more crucial to stay on top of your efforts to enforce your brand. The best way to go about this? By posting and posting often. But remember, there’s also quality of the content you’re putting out into the universe. Let’s tackle the “posting and posting often” part first. This is one area where people who are really serious and dedicated to realizing their goals for modeling separate them from the people who want the results but aren’t willing to put forth the work it takes to get there. Unless you’ve got money at your disposal to hire a social media manager and PR team or have a modeling agency getting you castings and bookings fairly often, chances are you’re going to be solely responsible for whatever end results get generated. And you’re going to have to hustle consta...

I know the phrase, “Sell Yourself,” sounds suspect but when I was 15-years-old, this is what I was taught when I first got into the industry as a model/actor. Over the years, I’ve come to know how important this concept is and have made it a point to implement it when I mentor, coach and consult models. The idea of “selling yourself” is quite simple: in order to convince agencies, clients, casting directors, etc. to work with you is to know how to pitch yourself to them. Essentially, learning how to talk about yourself in a confident and conversational way is one of the greatest secrets to booking gigs and building/maintaining a solid networking environment. Aside from the many castings I’ve been to over the years, I’ve also had the opportunity to be a part of the casting process and experience things from the other side. It never ceases to amaze me how many models have a hard time talking about themselves. If you’re new and/or inexperienced, that’s one thing but I’ve seen mode...

I'm sure you can't believe it but this is the last post in this mini-blog series! Haven't read the other six before this one? Well, lucky for you, they're listed below with links you can click on to go directly to the post you want to read: "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt I: Welcome Page" "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt II: Photo Gallery" “The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt III: About Me” "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt IV: Resume Page" "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt V: Services Page" "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt VI: Contact Page" This last post is going to focus on social media. Sure, we all know what it is and use it frequently--in fact, social media is now a regular part of our daily lives, regardless of your background and lifestyle. But when it comes to using this feature on your official modeling website, there are a few rules of thumb you'll want to take ...

We're almost there, folks! This mini-blog post series is almost at its end. I've got five blog posts so far and there's two more to go, including this one. To recap the posts already in this series for those that haven't had a chance to check them out yet, they are listed below: "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt I: Welcome Page" "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt II: Photo Gallery" “The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt III: About Me” "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt IV: Resume Page" "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt V: Services Page" This blog post is much more straightforward and to the point compared to the other topics I've covered but nonetheless, the Contact Page is yet another crucial component of any model's official website. THE CONTACT PAGE IS EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE The goal for the contact page is to encourage those visiting your modeling website to s...

After a long break from actively blogging, it's a new year and I've recharged my batteries and am ready to pick up where I've left off in this mini-series of blog posts. As I'm sure you already know, I've written four posts in this series so far: "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt I: Welcome Page" "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt II: Photo Gallery" “The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt III: About Me” "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt IV: Resume Page" If you haven't had a chance to check them out yet, those links will take you right to it and get you up to speed. All right, let's get to the fifth installment in this series: The Services Page! WHAT IS THE SERVICES PAGE? Simply put, the Services page of a modeling website states what type of modeling is being offered. Like the other pages of a website, Services should be clear and to the point. No need for long, rambling paragraphs or unnecessary inf...