So You Want to Become a Model? (PLEASE READ POST #1 BEFORE POSTING)

[Fontenrose]

"A Model Life" ABC documentary showing three prospective models with their mother agent (also Karlie Kloss's mother agent) but only one is ready to go to NY fashion week. One segment warns of promoters, who get paid to round up models (even underage) to get free dinners and drinks in nightclubs. Another segment warns about a famous photographer and his requests for sexual favours. Other interesting points: agencies charge models for lots of things, and the model is left owing them money and getting only $120 per week advance, the model is put on a skin prescription (sounds like accutane from the side effects), and of course the body measurements issue.

Part one: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/vid...vere-pressures-teens-women-nightline-14524006

Part two: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/vid...women-fashion-ehren-dorsey-nightline-14524031

Part three: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/vid...ey-girls-rich-male-clients-nightline-14524065

Part four: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/vid...behavior-teens-young-women-nightline-14524141

Part five: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/vid...s-life-rejection-emotional-nightline-14524193

Also, the mother agency "Mother Model Management" was horrified by how the show just portrayed the dark side of the industry, so they had a rebuttal on their web site:
http://www.mothermodelmanagement.co...ed-they-want-their-model-news-story-back.html

 

[bothsidesnow]

^ What really upsets me is that the happy smiley "caring" Mary and Geoff Clark will take 10% of the gross earnings from every job these girls get - model expenses won't matter to them. (in fact you could argue that the higher they are the better it is for them as it forces the girls to work more to pay off their debt).

Indebted servitude are 2 words that every model (in particular high fashion model) entering New York really needs to understand.

Thank you Fontenrose for those links.

 

[wednesdays child]

^ What really upsets me is that the happy smiley "caring" Mary and Geoff Clark will take 10% of the gross earnings from every job these girls get - model expenses won't matter to them. (in fact you could argue that the higher they are the better it is for them as it forces the girls to work more to pay off their debt).

Indebted servitude are 2 words that every model (in particular high fashion model) entering New York really needs to understand.

Thank you Fontenrose for those links.

A bit of a double standard.. You expect model agents to work for free? .. Now that would be indentued servitude..

 

[bothsidesnow]

A bit of a double standard.. You expect model agents to work for free? .. Now that would be indentued servitude..

^ No, I didn't say that, but regarding scouts... Call me an idealist but I think a system where they receive a percentage of her net income (after all her expenses have been taken) would be more appropriate. This way the scout benefits only when the model does, and this would force the scout to be very selective as to which agency they send their girl to - hopefully not one that makes money out of inflating her expenses...

What do you think?

 

[fritmayo]

^ No, I didn't say that, but regarding scouts... Call me an idealist but I think a system where they receive a percentage of her net income (after all her expenses have been taken) would be more appropriate.

well...it is easy, if scout ou mother comission would be paid on net money earned by model...there would just be NO scout and No mother agent, as it just could not be viable.

everyone know that in modeling the percentage of model actualy earning anything is very very small, so let's say a mother agent has 20 girls workings, maybe 4 earns something net, you really think the 4 would be enough to make live a scout or a mother agency structur?

 

[cologne_rocks]

^I completely agree.

 

[bothsidesnow]

^^ do you think there aren't agencies in NYC that run-up their models' expenses, overcharge them for basic things like accommodation, and generate a substantial additional income out of it?

If mother agents / scouts only received a percentage of a model's net income, of course there would be some structural changes! There'd be fewer scouts, fewer agents, fewer models for a start - everybody would be more selective - is that necessarily a bad thing??

everyone know that in modeling the percentage of model actualy earning anything is very very small, so let's say a mother agent has 20 girls workings, maybe 4 earns something net, you really think the 4 would be enough to make live a scout or a mother agency structur?

there lies the crux of the problem - everyone's worried about their cut, no-one really gives a sh!t about the models! (just as long as they appear to be making money to the fans and everyone else)

 

[fritmayo]

If mother agents / scouts only received a percentage of a model's net income, of course there would be some structural changes! There'd be fewer scouts, fewer agents, fewer models for a start - everybody would be more selective - is that necessarily a bad thing??



there lies the crux of the problem - everyone's worried about their cut, no-one really gives a sh!t about the models! (just as long as they appear to be making money to the fans and everyone else)

I think you have a deep missunderstading of how things works.
A LOT of girls who dont earn anything are just...happy like that. Happy to be abroad, to travel, to have the parties...

for the ones who are not happy, well, they can just quit modeling, and some do, no big deal, really.

 

[MyFavorite]

^Exactly!As the Mother Model Management said: "THE 1990'S CALLED & THEY WANT THEIR MODEL NEWS STORY BACK"

 

[Fontenrose]

everyone know that in modeling the percentage of model actualy earning anything is very very small, so let's say a mother agent has 20 girls workings, maybe 4 earns something net, you really think the 4 would be enough to make live a scout or a mother agency structur?

I somehow doubt the young girls realize, as apparently 'everyone' does, that there is not much money in modeling (at least for them).

So, girls, unless your family is rich or famous (rich and famous is best), and you can regard modeling as a high-status pretend job, forget it.

 

[model_mom]

but... if that mother agent has an Aston Kutcher or Karlie Kloss under their belt that's a lot of bread and butter.

 

[fritmayo]

but... if that mother agent has an Aston Kutcher or Karlie Kloss under their belt that's a lot of bread and butter.

well,yes, mother agent, scout....only really earns with the good working girls.
and it is actualy possible to earn very good money with obly one girl if that girl reach let's let's say the Top 50 best money maker.

the funny thing is the last posts is that people seems to think that a girl making no money is actualy making serious money for her agency or her mother agent, it is of course not the case, at every level of it; this business makes only money with the good working girls, and in reality, even the top agencies are not really big money maker compare to many other business.

 

[TommyGirl]

"A Model Life" ABC documentary showing three prospective models with their mother agent (also Karlie Kloss's mother agent) but only one is ready to go to NY fashion week. One segment warns of promoters, who get paid to round up models (even underage) to get free dinners and drinks in nightclubs. Another segment warns about a famous photographer and his requests for sexual favours. Other interesting points: agencies charge models for lots of things, and the model is left owing them money and getting only $120 per week advance, the model is put on a skin prescription (sounds like accutane from the side effects), and of course the body measurements issue.

Part one: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/vid...vere-pressures-teens-women-nightline-14524006

Part two: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/vid...women-fashion-ehren-dorsey-nightline-14524031

Part three: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/vid...ey-girls-rich-male-clients-nightline-14524065

Part four: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/vid...behavior-teens-young-women-nightline-14524141

Part five: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/vid...s-life-rejection-emotional-nightline-14524193

Also, the mother agency "Mother Model Management" was horrified by how the show just portrayed the dark side of the industry, so they had a rebuttal on their web site:
http://www.mothermodelmanagement.co...ed-they-want-their-model-news-story-back.html

Thank you for this, there is actually nothing new for me, but always interesting to see "behind the scenes" and "behind the glamour" programs.

And I highly recommend anyone who`s willing to be a model to watch this. Magazines, fashion shows and all the fuzz in here TFS, for instance, gives enough opposite examples of modeling world, so good to see some rough stuff once in a a while

 

[cologne_rocks]

I think 10% provision is quite a fair deal for the models given that there are motheragents who charge up to 25%. Plus, the two agents of Mother do always travel with the girls, so they have relatively high expenditures.

 

[TommyGirl]

^ yeah, 10 % doesn`t sound so bad and these scouts in those videos actually were "real deal", so I didn`t mean to sound like they were some kind of devils If you even referred to my post or those videos Documentary was just being realistic, not like some ANTM or crazy worshipping fans her on tfs innocent, and that`s what I meant.

 

[bothsidesnow]

I think 10% provision is quite a fair deal for the models given that there are motheragents who charge up to 25%. Plus, the two agents of Mother do always travel with the girls, so they have relatively high expenditures.

but there were no agents with Ehren or Hailey in the documentary

and 25% (of gross) motheragency commission sounds ludicrous (unless you mean 25% of the commission that the placement agency takes - that would be around 10% of gross)! If it was 25% of gross the motheragency would find it impossible to place any of their girls in NY.

 

[fritmayo]

and 25% (of gross) motheragency commission sounds ludicrous (unless you mean 25% of the commission that the placement agency takes - that would be around 10% of gross)! If it was 25% of gross the motheragency would find it impossible to place any of their girls in NY.

I dont think nowadays 25% is still possible, a model would just not stay with the agent.
But...i can tell you that at the end of 80'S begining of 90's, when eastern countries just started to send girls abroad, it was quiet usual for mother agenct to take ALL the earning, as the girls was just happy to be abroad and to live with just pocket money
Good old time...for some agents

 

[TommyGirl]

but there were no agents with Ehren or Hailey in the documentary

and 25% (of gross) motheragency commission sounds ludicrous (unless you mean 25% of the commission that the placement agency takes - that would be around 10% of gross)! If it was 25% of gross the motheragency would find it impossible to place any of their girls in NY.

Excuse my ignorance, but yeah, I just realized they were scouts not agents, or is it actually the same in this situation?? So if these ppl take 10 %, and the placement agencies take god knows how much, depending on the city, and all the additional fees, what the model gets is next to nothing. Or do they include other fees (metro tickets, apartment..) in their provision? Geez

 

[model_mom]

I sent a really nice comment to MotherModel Management about how they mangage their models...but also let them know that for the majority of the agencies...the Nightline documentary was very true to life. It was deleted. I assume this was because they don't want to scare away any new clients. If they spend any time at all looking at what goes on around them they must know the modeling industry's not the bed of roses MMM portrays it to be.

If you are making money for the agency ....your welfare is of major concern to them. They recieve 20% of your gross profit and bill the client another 20....I assume the 'mother' agency gets 10% out of the agencies profit.

If you are in debt to the agency as the majority are then any money you make goes to pay on your bill.....

 

[bothsidesnow]

model_mom is correct.
Jeff and Mary from MotherManagement, St Louis are the scouts - they receive 10% of gross from any job these girls do
NEXT are the placement agency - generally the commission is 33.3% (when you include agency fee) so, they receive 23.3% Jeff&Mary get 10% (or maybe a little less when you do the maths). The model pays 100% of all her expenses including accommodation, transport... and everything else (the list is long)