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

An article from the site Entrepreneur.com defines the word " Branding " as follows: The marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other products. It goes on further to break down this concept: Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from that of your competitors. Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be. I agree 100% with the statement/definition above. Of course we normally think of branding when it comes to actual companies and products but you may be surprised to know that this concept also applies to modeling. How so? The definition of branding doesn't apply literally in all aspects when it comes to modeling. For example, you don't have to create a logo for yourself as a model. You can and it'd probably be pretty...

  If you haven't already, I would recommend reading my blog post about Commercial/Print modeling   (Understanding Commercial/Print Modeling)   in order to better understand/apply the info in the following post. Commercial/print is a category all its own--and with good reason. Often misunderstood, this type of modeling is one of the most popular and in demand because it targets the largest demographic out there: the every day consumer. Those interested in getting into this category of modeling may have some new territory to conquer since commercial/print isn't like fashion and runway. Because print models are not representing a designer's collection (like fashion/runway/editorial) that means they're not going to be wearing some else's clothes to showcase. Print models are all about representing the average consumer and that means dressing casually or for a certain occasion. There are wardrobe stylists that may be onset with supplemental wardrobe and...

If you haven't already, I would recommend reading my blog post about Commercial/Print modeling (Understanding Commercial/Print Modeling) in order to better understand/apply the info in the following post. Commercial/print is a category all its own--and with good reason. Often misunderstood, this type of modeling is one of the most popular and in demand because it targets the largest demographic out there: the every day consumer. Those interested in getting into this category of modeling may have some new territory to conquer since commercial/print isn't like fashion and runway. Because print models are not representing a designer's collection (like fashion/runway/editorial) that means they're not going to be wearing some else's clothes to showcase. Print models are all about representing the average consumer and that means dressing casually or for a certain occasion. There are wardrobe stylists that may be onset with supplemental wardrobe and in thos...

'Tis the Season, folks! I'm sure you're all busy juggling shopping, work, cramming for finals (for you students out there), planning holiday travel and the list goes on. As you could probably tell--for my loyal readers out there--2016 was my slowest year ever in terms of posting new content here on Modeling 101. I hope I haven't let you down too terribly or given you the impression that I've retired or no longer do anything with this blog but if you have been keeping up with things, you already know that my lack of posting new stuff wasn't on purpose or to torture you. I'm the type of person who doesn't like to do anything halfheartedly. That includes emailing, blogging, even visiting with friends/family. If I don't have the appropriate amount of time to be focused on the task at hand, I would rather put it off until I have ample time to be at my best and give my full attention. I hate skimming through emails and rushing my responses and ...

It goes without saying that arriving on time to castings is one of the biggest ways to make a good first impression when it comes to establishing a good reputation in the modeling world. Those new to modeling--especially you freelance models out there--have a lot of new territory to encounter and I hope this post gives you less to stress about. When you're not stressed, you're able to focus more on performing well during the casting and hopefully setting yourself up to get hired for that modeling job! Some of these tips are common sense but like I always say, "Common sense just isn't common enough." Believe me, if I didn't feel these things needed to be mentioned, I wouldn't even bother but if I can help even one person have an "AHA!" moment in realizing mistakes they may have made in the past (and can now correct moving forward), then I will have considered this post a success. Lets get to it! TIP #1: DESIGNATE A CONTACT PERSON Soo...

There is a lot to be said for how one measures "success" or defines "professional" when it comes to an industry like modeling. Most people automatically think about money. Of course it makes sense that a professional model is one who gets paid for his/her services. Supermodels make tons of money so it's easy to see why the every day person would consider the almighty dollar as a major factor. However, while earning income for modeling is a big perk, it isn't the only form of compensation female and male models receive for their efforts. Sometimes models have to determine whether a gig is worth taking or not based on the form of compensation. Project type, budget, client and job duties all factor into what type of compensation will be provided to a model and as with much in the industry, the details almost always vary from project to project. Below are a few of the most common forms of modeling compensation aside from money that models will want to ...

I'm often a broken record. I repeat a lot of the same things over and over and over. That's usually because I find that it drills important info into people's heads and helps them remember things more easily. Referring to modeling agency websites is one of the most common things I repeat constantly and with good reason--many questions and concerns can be answered by visiting an agency's website. Period. These days agencies take great time and care to post content on their websites to help models with everything from how to submit themselves for representation, reference photos for snapshots and--in recent years--vital information about warnings and scams to be on the lookout for. Modeling recruitment scams are prominent and with technology making it easier for people to stay anonymous and/or pretend to be someone they're not, agencies are very aware that there are individuals posing as model scouts and preying on unsuspecting newbies. Because a lot of pe...