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

(This post will be mainly beneficial to male and female freelance models. This post is in regards to castings for modeling jobs, not open calls for modeling agencies). I'm a pretty easy going person but nothing grinds my gears (Family Guy reference for those of you who didn't know) more than people who don't follow directions. This is especially true for castings where models are submitting themselves for jobs. Long-time readers likely already know I'm a HUGE stickler for professionalism, including following instructions. What do I always say: a good model follows directions! This goes for applying to modeling jobs, not just agencies. When submitting directly, you as the model are representing yourself to the client. If you've ever been on the receiving end of a casting call, you already know how hectic it can be. Even the smallest, low budget project could easily get as many as 25-50 or more replies from models hoping to get hired. Going through all those ...

This is probably the first year in Modeling 101 - A Model's Diary's history that I haven't contributed as many blog posts as I normally do. On the one hand, that's a good thing--after all, what kind of a model would I be if the majority of my time was spent blogging? LOL. On the other hand, my absence for too long does make me feel like I'm neglecting my readers and fans of the information I know they oftentimes rely on to help with the choices they make for their own modeling careers. Rest assured, this blog will continue to provide you all with the ins and outs of the industry. I have a running list of topics I constantly add to anytime a subject related to modeling pops into my head that I feel my readers would enjoy reading about (the list is currently at 72 topics and counting!). Just wanted to do a post to let you all know what I've been up to and why my time hasn't always been my own lately: Castings, Shoots and Shows I'm far from r...

Male models are known for being gorgeous, hunky and rugged, with their "come hither" bedroom eyes and sly smile, any woman (and guys, too!) could easily fall for them. But when it comes to modeling, the fellas aren't always required to smile slyly or not at all. In fact, male models who aren't afraid to show off a megawatt smile could actually be doing a lot for their own careers. All too often male models think that being serious and sexy is the way to go. And in a sense, they are right. This is especially true for those in high fashion, editorial and runway work. However, these aren't the only categories of modeling for men to get into. In the world of commercial/print, there are both female and male models who stay actively in demand and appear in all types of publications (i.e. billboards, magazine advertisements, catalogs, product packaging, fliers, etc., etc.). Many fashion height male models transition over into print work from time to time and thos...

In case you haven't noticed yet, I've created a "Labels" section on my blog, which is a nifty feature that allows me to put my posts into special categories according to topic. It's located on the right-hand side of this blog. Simply scroll down past the Popular Post section, About Me section and the Blog Archive section and you'll see it right there: "Labels." I don't know how many of you guys have been using it to locate posts on different subjects but I figured to help encourage more people to do so, I've included a list of the labels and a brief description of what blog posts you'll find under each category: Addressing a Reader Comment Sometimes people post their thoughts and opinions in the comments section of my blog posts, not just questions. This category contains my responses to those posts. Answering a Reader Question #1-362 Anyone familiar with Modeling 101 already knows about my "Answering a Reade...

(Thanks to Christie T. for sharing this link and wanting to ensure I pass it on to all my readers...Christie, you rock!) Modeling scams have been around as long as the industry itself--and it won't go away anytime soon. I've said a lot of the same things on this blog over and over and over about things like knowing what red flags to be on the lookout for, that new models don't need professional photos or a portfolio to get an agent, that you should never pay upfront fees, etc, etc. Because it never hurts to reinforce the information I've been providing to readers for years, below is a link to the ModelingScams.Org website. The specific link will take you to the part of the site that talks about Modeling Photography Scams, which are the biggest ripoff that continues to go strong to this day. You'll see many direct quotes from reputable people within the industry, including established models (Cindy Crawford has a quote on one of the other pages on the site...

I'm a huge believer of calling things like they are so I can't help but be super aggravated at how carelessly people toss the word "supermodel" around these days. It's like a model gets discovered, appears in a few campaigns and runways and suddenly she's dubbed a "supermodel." Pfffft. Not even close! The fashion and modeling world has a rich history behind it and only those who have studied it--or are somewhat familiar with it--will likely agree with my POV on this subject or at least understand where I'm coming from on this subject. It's not about "hating" on certain models, it's simply about setting the record straight and if there's anything we should strive for within the modeling industry, is accuracy of some kind, lol. In a 2007 magazine interview, Claudia Schiffer was quoted as saying, "The supermodel is dead." And you know what? I believe her. But I'm not saying that to be dramatic. It...

I could've sworn I've done a post about modeling agency interviews but I searched and searched throughout my blog and couldn't find it so I figured why not cover all my bases and do one just in case? You can never have too much info about modeling agencies, right? :-) If you read my post, "The Difference Between Casting Calls & Agency Interviews," then you already know what makes the interview a whole 'nother ballgame. Interviews are more important than casting calls because this is a special one-on-one between a model and the agency that is arranged by appointment. Before I go into further detail, it is important to point out that any questions about what to wear and bring should be directed to whoever contacted you from the agency to set up the interview. Sometimes models will receive an email with basic instructions on how to prepare and what to expect, while others may simply state the day, time and address of the interview in the email. If ...