I have been thinking about submitting photos of our baby to a modeling/talent agency, but have no clue where to even start. Has anyone done this and could give me some advice?
Thanks, Lisa
Dear Lisa,
Try Act One or Helen Wells.
Act One will accept any good photos.
Do NOT deal with any "agency" which asks you for money up front or requires expensive photos.
Have fun with it.
Those places that contact you to do modeling are really just a go between for you and the agent.
Contact the REAL local agencies in Chicago...Ford, etc. All you need to do is send them some 5x7s of your child. If they like what they see, they'll call you.
When my son was tiny, we seriously considered this, too. Everywhere we took him people stopped us to comment that he was the most beautiful baby they had ever seen.
We had gotten a letter in the mail from a modelling agency, so we did a lot of searching around to find out if they were reputable or not. Basically what I found was that they did do actual modelling, but they didn't market your child unless you do their picture packages (I think I read they cost between $300-500), and you have to have their photos updated like every 3-6 months. Also, you have to be able to drop everything to get your child to the shoot, wherever it is with (I think) 24 hours' notice. Because we were living in Kenosha, WI, and the agency was in Chicago, we decided it wouldn't be worth the time, effort or cost. We were pretty suspicious of the company anyway since we got the letter unsolicited, and found out they mail them to every new baby born within like an hour or two of their agency.
What it boiled down to with that agency was that it was possible to get your kids into ads, but the likelyhood of making any money on it was slim to none in the midwest, and it probably would cost you quite a bit of money.
My suggestion is to search the internet for kids' modelling agencies in your area and see if there are any. Then, continue searching for comments from users of that agency. Also, check the BBB website to see if they have any comments. I think I just read that the company we looked at is now out of business, so the process may be different with different companies. I saw an article about it, and it referenced the BBB (Better Business Bureau).
If you end up making contact with an agency, ask them questions like expenses, what is expected of you, what the time committments are, etc.
I guess it boils down to the fact that you need to be careful and get as much information as possible. If a company thinks your child will succeed, it is in their best interest to keep the child in their agency because they make their money when the child is hired. For that reason, it shouldn't be cost-prohibitive for you. If it is, consider another agency.
You may also want to check specific web sites for kids' stores (like Gap, The Children's Place, etc.) to see what they say about finding child models. That would give you a good idea what direction to go to find the right agency. If all the kids' stores only use one agency, that's the one you'll want your child using! :)
Good luck!
My son won a cutest baby contest when he was like 2 months old! LOL They offered him free portraits and an opportunity to model, but my husband said no ( I was still in school at the time). He is still the cutest kid on earth at 2, but I don't think he would cooperate at this age. I don't see a problem as long as your kid is interested. Don't make them do it if they don't wanna.
You should send his/her pictures to an agent. If they want to represent you they will send you the info. We did this with our daughter and it's a lot of running around, usually for nothing. We gave it up because I didn't have the patience to drag her to "auditions." It's more about personality than looks anyway.
