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

I know that tax season for the year already passed but I felt it was still okay to post about the topic of taxes and modeling since I figure it's never too early to get info that could help people out when it comes time to file next year (and maybe even give you a jump start on organizing your receipts and other paperwork). I've written a few articles on the subject (if you use the search tool on my blog and type in "taxes," the posts will come up--make sure you select the "Amodelsdiary.blogspot.com" option and not "Web") but this particular post is a bit more specific. I want to talk about write offs, also referred to as "deductions." You may or may not have heard this term before but it is a popular one--namely, with business owners, entrepreneurs and independent contractors. So what exactly is a write off as it relates to doing taxes? According to the site TurboTax: "Well, a write-off is any legitimate expense that can ...

It's rare that I meet aspiring models who don't have goals of being in a fashion show and doing their thing on the runway. I can't say I blame them--there's something about being in the spotlight with all eyes on you as you strut down the catwalk. It's a pure adrenaline rush. I've written numerous topics about the runway walk on this blog but wanted to add this post to break down some of the important dos and don'ts that female and male models can learn from, especially if you're just getting into the industry. Remember: you don't have to be in Fashion Week to use these tips to your advantage. Whether you're doing a huge show or have the chance to model in a student fashion show or other type of event, the work atmosphere tends to be pretty similar so going in armed with the info below will help position you to be the type of model that clients will want to work with again and again. DO: ARRIVE EARLY My motto is, "Early is on tim...

I used to jokingly say, "Common sense is a superpower." Truth be told, I don't really joke about it anymore because it's true. On almost every shoot I've been on this year I've heard at least one "WTH" type of story about a model. I believe in signs so the fact that I keep hearing about all these ridiculous happenings that really shouldn't even be an issue is what motivated me to write this post. If you've been guilty of this, I'm hoping that you learn why the matters touched on in this post are not okay to make a part of your career, not to mention your reputation. Newbies and those just getting into modeling will be much better off reading this post sooner than later to avoid the following pitfalls and ensure that clients won't end up telling someone like me how they couldn't believe so-and-so did this or so-and-so did that. To be honest, I wish I didn't have to list the following common sense tips for female an...

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...

The wonderful thing about our technology driven world is it has completely changed the face of the modeling industry. From modeling agencies to how clients find new faces, the industry has learned to grow and adapt to the times. This includes magazines. Getting published in a magazine as a model is one of the most coveted goals, as it should be. In the past it was much more challenging to figure out how to get into a magazine, especially for female and male models not represented by an agency and/or didn't meet the physical requirements (aka "the height factor") to be considered for modeling jobs in the fashion category. But that has now all changed thanks to technology and the Internet. There are more magazines out there than you can shake a stick at and that means even more opportunities to get published, both in hard copy and digitally. That being said, where do you begin your journey towards appearing in a magazine? START SEARCHING Facebook - If you do a s...

I believe in not beating around the bush and while you could consider me Paula Abdul on American Idol when it comes to giving reality checks with a smile, the fact of the matter is that the modeling industry as a whole can be harsh. Of course, you probably already knew that but it is important to really understand that getting into modeling eventually puts you in the belly of the beast. And it doesn't matter if you're young or old. In the case of child models and their parents, grasping the reality of the competitive nature that comes with this territory is essential to building the thick skin needed to get through and keep your eyes on the prize. So I wanted to do this post to address the parents of child models--namely, newbies. I have to do these reality checks from time to time as a form of tough love. Oftentimes, it isn't just models who have stars in their eyes. Parents want their kids to succeed in life, and if modeling is one of those goals, what I'm goi...

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 ...