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

I've talked about the concept of "booking out" before when it comes to working with a modeling agency but because this is such an important part of keeping on your agent's good side, I felt it was worth following up with a post to help navigate how to do this action properly. To refresh your memory: "booking out" simply means letting your agent know when there are days you are not available for either castings or gigs. Nothing is worse than having an agent submit a model, only to find out after the fact that the model wasn't even available to attend the casting or gig in the first place. This is why booking out plays a vital part in communicating with your agent. While no two agencies operate exactly the same, there are a few common ways to handle booking out. Usually, models newly signed are given this information as part of their "Welcome Packet." When in doubt, ask your agent what their preference is.  EMAIL At the bare ...

Category: Etiquette For: Male & Female Models (Freelance & Agency Repped) Being told by an agency that they'll contact you in a few days is great but plan for the possibility that they might not get back to you when they said they would. "A few days" is very broad and could mean 1-2 days or it could be a week. Of course it isn't easy being the person waiting for the response. Before you hit the panic button and blow up their phone or email inbox, take a moment to observe standard business etiquette for when to follow up. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to this but I recommend giving an agency between 2-3 "business days" BEFORE reaching out to follow up. A "business day" is defined as being between Monday - Friday...not weekends. That means if you received an email on a Friday with the promise of reaching back out in a few days, you should reach out for a follow up as early as Tuesday, NOT Monday. Agencies operate s...

Open calls are often the direct path towards speeding up a model's search for agency representation. However, as with many things in life, they aren't perfect and there are pros and cons to attending one of these events. Let's dive right in and see exactly what open calls are all about and whether it would be in your best interest to add one (or a few!) to your calendar. WHAT IS AN OPEN CALL? I did a post about this quite some time ago explaining all the details about an agency open call  (click here to check it out) but in a nutshell, an "open call" is specific to modeling and talent agencies. It is a designated day and time frame where anyone is allowed to come into the agency's office to be evaluated. Open calls are free of charge and no appointment is required. PRO Open calls get you in front of an agency in-person. Nothing is worse than submitting an online application or email with your photos and stats to agencies and waiting weeks to hear...

Hello, my beloved blog readers. I know I typically do this kind of an update post around the end of the year to catch you up on what I've been doing, as well as preview what's on my plate for the upcoming year. As you already know, I've been posting very inconsistently for some time now and while I was hoping to do at least one post a month at a minimum, I haven't kept to that promise. I truly appreciate those of you who haven't abandoned Modeling 101 - A Model's Diary and continue to subscribe and read/re-read past posts while waiting for new content. I'm doing this particular post because I feel I owe it to you...not because I feel obligated but because I genuinely love my blog and I love my readers and you deserve the best because that's what you've always given to me. 2019 has been a rocky one for me personally and it started around the month of March when I last posted. I'm sharing this side of myself because I feel it is import...

Makeup is an art and as a model you want to put your best face forward when it comes to shoots for your portfolio, fashion shows and booked assignments. If you've never worked with a professional makeup artist before or if you have but are still learning the ropes of the industry in general, it doesn't hurt to know some helpful tips to keep every makeup artist you work with happy and showcase you as the professional you are. BOOKED GIGS When you've been hired for a job, either through your agent or on your own via freelance modeling, and there is a makeup artist onset, it is a dream come true. That means less work on your end but there are still important things to keep in mind to ensure each experience with a makeup artist is a positive one. Arrive With a Freshly Cleaned & Moisturized Face--That Means No Makeup! I know this sounds like common sense but you'd be surprised by the stories I've heard from makeup artists who have worked with models that ...

Just when you thought you had agencies figured out, right? :-) I've often received emails from confused models freshly signed to an agency, with questions as to why they are being sent to auditions for commercials and other acting projects. Models are just supposed to model, right? Well, not really. At least, not these days. There are a LOT of models out there. Actors for sure, too, but when it comes to modeling in particular, it goes without saying that there are way more female and male models than there are gigs. This creates an imbalance and for agencies to maximize their ability to make money and give their talent a fighting chance, that means requiring some cross over action. In the industry today, it is now standard for talent agencies to send models on their roster to auditions for acting jobs. If you have an interest in acting and have expressed that to your agent, then this won't be a surprise but there are many instances where a model who just wants to mode...

(This post will be especially beneficial for freelance models.) Models wouldn't get very far without professional photographers. Regardless of what kind of modeling you're into, both female and male models alike greatly benefit not just from the images from the shoot but the networking that takes place as a result. Oftentimes, models are able to develop a list of go-to-photographers they regularly work with. Those types of business relationships are golden in the industry because everyone involved benefits. Of course, first thing's first: you have to know how to work with photographers and be the type of model they would drop everything to shoot with in a heartbeat. Below are some helpful tips that can be applied to most situations when it comes to working with photographers: COMMUNICATE LIKE A PROFESSIONAL When contacting photographers, don't talk to them like they're your bestie. That means messaging/emailing them using complete sentences with good g...