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

First thing's first: let's be realistic here. It is totally possible to age gracefully and my focus with this article is about how to maintain the best looking YOU at whatever age you are. This post is not about how to turn back the clock and try to pursue anti-aging miracle solutions. The most confident models are the ones that embrace their age and understand the steps necessary to keep themselves in the best possible physical condition when it comes to skin care. This goes for both female and male models. I'll do my best to keep this post from being too lengthy but want to target general age groups, as well as share basic tips for tackling Father Time as it relates to your money maker. TEENS TO YOUNG ADULTS Don't take your youthful complexions for granted, young models! While we all wish for the days when our faces were completely free of wrinkles and fine lines, don't think that just because you're young, that leaves you off the hook with skin care...

(This post will be especially beneficial to female and male freelance models.) Although it isn't uncommon for models and photographers to meet up and shoot on the fly, if you're a bit more of a control freak (like myself!) and prefer to have some kind of game plan to follow, then mood boards are going to be one of your favorite tools to utilize in the course of your modeling career. I  LOVE  putting together mood boards. It helps me visualize what I want and keeps everyone on the same page. I can't stress enough how beneficial it is to learn how to throw one of these together. WHAT IS A MOOD BOARD? A mood board is essentially a collection of reference/inspo images that models and photographers can use for inspiration and serve as a loose guideline of what types of photos they want to capture. Think of it as an illustrative blueprint. You know that little thing called Pinterest? Well, that's basically today's version of a mood board so if you're famil...

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...

Category: Photoshoots For: Male & Female Models (Freelance & Agency Repped) The great thing about magazine publications becoming digital is that it opens the doors to models of all types, shapes and sizes to be eligible for submitting their images for consideration. However, it can be tricky to figure out how to determine which publications you'll want to submit to and what to send. Already have images from a shoot you've done that you feel belong in a magazine? While the hard part has been taken care of (getting the photos), it can be challenging to then match up what magazines you'll want to send your submission to. To make the process a bit easier to navigate, think in terms of theme. Do the images you have follow a specific theme or concept (i.e. glamour, summer fun, fantasy, winter, extreme beauty looks)? If so, narrow down your search by looking for publications that would match your theme. Many magazines (both print and digital) specialize in cert...

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...