Answering a Reader Question #750

Anonymous Wrote:

 Hi Dania! I just recently signed with a really good plus size modeling agency. I'm not sure what happens next. I'm 19 years old and I'm a student. Because it's a pretty well-known agency, does this mean my career will be taking off soon? I'm trying to decide whether to stay enrolled in school or not.

Hi, Anonymous!

Congrats on signing with the plus size modeling agency...exciting! :-)

First off, stay in school, lol. Getting signed to an agency is big but isn't a guarantee that you'll suddenly start booking gigs left and right. There is a bit of a process of getting a new model onto the roster so don't expect things to start happening overnight.

While not all agencies operate the same way, in most cases the next step for you will be to set up the first test shoot, which will generate the photos needed to create your headshot, comp card and produce several photos that can be put into your portfolio. These are all materials that must be in place first in order for your agent to begin sending your images out to clients in the hopes of getting you castings and hired for gigs.

It is your agent who should guide you through this process. I don't know how recently you've signed the contract to make things official but someone at the agency should be contacting you fairly soon (I'd say within a week or so) in order to talk about the next steps.

So at this point don't worry, they're not going to leave you in the dark to figure this all out on your own. Btw: it is perfectly acceptable to contact the agency to ask what to expect next. They are there to help you and guide your career so don't hesitate to reach out to them if you have questions or concerns.

If they said they'll contact you soon, then let them do that. However, if you've signed the contract and didn't get any further word or instruction, then you can follow up with an email or phone call if you haven't heard from them...I'd say give it a week. Agencies are busy, after all.

Stay put with school until you've been with the agency for a few months to get a sense of how much work you could be getting. I always advise not dropping school for modeling unless you're so in demand that you'd be able to model full-time, which is extremely difficult to accomplish.

Remember, booking consistent modeling work on a regular basis is super challenging and every model's career hits dry spells where you won't book anything for weeks or even months. So keep that in mind and for now take things day by day but focus on those studies! ;-)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Answering a Reader Question #1,037

Image
Charlie Wrote: I just had a conversation with my mother that modelling pays really well. And she straight up went like "it's a dirty business , you don't know what works models have to do to get on the top " . It was my way to tell her that I want to pursue modelling but before I could even tell that to her directly , I lost all my gathered up courage and I can see all my dreams dying right infront of my eyes. Hey, Charlie! I'm sending you the BIGGEST virtual hug right now...you are not the only one who has had the wind taken right out of their sails by a parent who simply doesn't want to risk their child being disappointed, possibly taken advantage of, or wind up as an example of why people shouldn't get into modeling. I don't know your age or what the situation is but if you are under 18, it's gonna be a bit of an uphill battle to try and convince your mom since it sounds like she's already made it clear how she feels. However, that doesn'
Read more

Answering a Reader Question #1,036

Image
Anonymous Wrote: Hi Dania, so kind of you to do this and support us young in the biz. I did a print spot for a well known company as a NU model last Oct. for $2500 1 year buyout. They are considering renewing for 2nd year $2500 and 3rd year $3750. I’m unrepresented atm. I am union now. I’m on hold for my first scene in a feature and I just worked a Chanel commercial (featured BG, let’s not roll out the red carpet here). But, one: I think, even with the strike, I’m moving on up, and two: isn’t 2nd year buyout rates supposed to be more? Could you help me on what an appropriate response would be or a fair counter-offer would be? Again, you rock. Thanks for helping the wide-eyed! Hey, Anonymous! You're SO welcome, thank you for being a reader and reaching out...congrats on the recent bookings you've gotten so far, that's awesome...and yeah, you are definitely moving on up. :-) As far as the buyout rate for the print job, I've been in the same scenario where the renewal rate
Read more

Answering a Reader Question #1,035

Image
Anonymous Wrote: I had a model agent say " but you are not the right type for us at this moment ". What does that really mean. Hi, Anonymous! Typically, that phrase is "agency speak" for politely saying you aren't what they're looking for. If you don't meet the physical requirements stated -- for example, if it was a fashion agency you were talking to and you weren't within their stated height or size range, that would be a common response. Or it could mean that your look isn't one that they feel is currently in demand at the moment and they don't want to take the chance of signing you, only to have you sitting on roster the entire time without any traction.  While it's not a great response to receive, it is their polite way of saying no, thank you. Now that you have a definite answer from that particular agent, you can move on to submitting to others and hopefully find the one that you are the right type for. Best of luck to you!
Read more