The Model Agency Mega Thread (January 2004 - March 2010)

[kelsea]

thank you so much!!
uhh...now i have just a couple more...

1. i have talked to a few other models who got started with their career literally as soon as they got signed, like within a few weeks they were off doing jobs or traveling. is this because the model had the look in demand right then? or could it have been just that agency's way of doing things?

2. is there an average age that a model really gets started? i've heard that younger than 15 is rare to be already working...

3. did all the famous or just very successful models all have that same jumpstart? or did some that you know of wait and wait and wait?

4. i never really learned the correct "model to agency etiquette," if there is such a thing haha, but is it ok to call, stop in, or send emails and pictures regularly?

5. i am not saying this has happened to me, but let's say someone signed with an agency in another city, like chicago or new york, and they live in florida. they are younger than me, like 14, and wait and wait for a whole YEAR or so and the agency doesn't even contact them!! should they be the ones contacting the agency, or is it the agency's job to get them started even though they live far away??

 

[kelsea]

and one more...
i would just like to know if click in new york is a good agency! thanks!

 

[Mewsette]

1. I think its a mixture of both really. But good agencies main priorities is to get there models work, so I think they'll try and get a girl out and working as soon as she's ready.

2. I've found most models don't get a lot of work until their eighteenish, apart from people like Karlie Kloss and Tanya D... Though a lot start at around 16.

3. Agyness Deyn didn't get famous till she was over twenty, quite a few of the really successful ones are about 19/20.

4. I wouldn't keep on sending photos and calling the same agency frequently, if it doesn't seem like it's going to work, just move on to another agency.

5. 14 is a young age to start, so they might be waiting till she is older so that she can travel and get work in other places. The agency should contact her, really.

Now I have a question Does anyone know of good agencies that take on girls of about size 10/12 ish (american sizes)? Preferably not plus-size only agencies, though I don't know if there are any good agencies which take on different sizes?

 

[sleb]

2 kelsea:
I believe all the questions listed should be addressed to your mother agent. It's too much for a teenage girl to work out how to make pressure on the agencies and how to get promoted. Anyway, you should know that with the right management it's possible to start earning money and building some book even at your age, but you will definitely need a mother agency for that.
Considering the questions you ask, your mother agent if any does a pretty poor job IMHO.
Good luck

 

[cologne_rocks]

I've a very important questions. Coudl sb. explain me the difference of Joy Stars and Joy Model Management? Is Joy Stars some kind of subsidiary? Thank you very much in advance

 

[fritmayo]

I've a very important questions. Coudl sb. explain me the difference of Joy Stars and Joy Model Management? Is Joy Stars some kind of subsidiary? Thank you very much in advance

interesting

Joy is let's say a real model agency, and is in Milan rather good nowadays.

Joy stars is well....hmmm mmm, not exactly clear to me, and so far i must say very limit spam. It is supposed to be a scouting agency, with John casablancas behind it, and with some connection with Joy Milan.

i ve recently met somebody from Joystar who was coming in the baltics to find partnership, and i ve not been very impressed by the professionalism of the project to say the least...

 

[fritmayo]

i obviously wanted to say "limit sCam"

 

[kelsea]

I have a few more that I would like to ask, just to hear everyone's opinions and to get a general idea:

1. What are the pros and cons of big agencies (ex. Next, IMG, Ford, etc.) vs. smaller ones (ex. New York Model Management, Fusion, Mega, etc.)?

2. Is the development of a young model usually done close to home? How many tests and professional mag tears are usually needed before a girl dives into the big jobs/cities?

 

[foreverandnone]

I've been a model in the industry for a few months now so far and this is what I know of:

1. Being with a big agency first of all is kind of like working for a certain designer.
IMG, Next, and Ford (although..they aren't all that great anymore) would be like walking for Prada and being signed to a boutique agency would be like walking for Marc Jacobs. Both really good, but one gives you a boost on the competition. Know what I mean? IMG is a wide known, popular agency with connections all over the industry...

Cons for IMG and the others would be getting lost in a sea of new faces. Just think, they have how many bookers and how many models? How much time can they honestly devote to each new girl? It seems to me this happens a lot at IMG. The girls stay forever on the development board. Also, there is always the overshadowing of the big stars like Kate Moss, Sasha Pivovarova, Gemma Ward, etc.
Pros for boutique sized agencies is most definitely the fact they get to devote more time to each model, which can make a big impact on the career cause a lot of the time, modeling is about strategy in certain ways.

Agencies like Fusion, are more of a male model agency that decided to take on girls and aren't really A list agencies for female HF models.

I mean, it has a lot to do with who the bookers are and how they work with the models. One pro can easily turn into a con for an agency or vice versa in no time at all.

2. I guess development is different for a lot of girls. Some of them sky rocket to fame (sasha p, gemma ward, kate moss) and others take a LONG time (egle). Most of the girls working today have worked in their home countries for a while before ever walking the runways in NY, Paris, London or Milan.
Depends a lot on the look of the girl, the demand for that look in the industry and how she works and what/who she works for.
There are no set rules really, but all I know is NY is really not the place where most models have mother agencies...they are usually working outside of the city, or country before being placed with them.

I have a friend who worked in London for a few months then moved to NY and ended up booking Vogue, ID, etc even with only smaller jobs under her belt. Like I said, depends on A LOT.

I hoped I helped atleast a little bit. Maybe someone else can correct me or add to this who is actually a booker or scout, etc.

 

[fritmayo]

I have a few more that I would like to ask, just to hear everyone's opinions and to get a general idea:

1. What are the pros and cons of big agencies (ex. Next, IMG, Ford, etc.) vs. smaller ones (ex. New York Model Management, Fusion, Mega, etc.)?

The big network has a huge power to push new faces, they have very close relationship with the biggest client, (some would say also deeper pockets to thanks the casting directors... )and some big clients can book a new faces from them just on trust between client and agency, so for some girls, really big result can be really fast, when it works well, it is great.

Problem, it of course dont always work for every girl, and when begining is under expectations, to be in big agency can be a problem.
First, if girl dont start well if the city they use to develop, the other offices will very often dont give chance to the girl, so the girl is stuck with a contract in 4 cities, but because she started badly in one city, she has no chance to try in another city, this can be really big problem, and in this case, to be in different agency in every city gives really more chances to progress.

The second problem, is a one that everybody notice easily, they have lot of girls, and lot of new faces. I strongly disagree that with such number they can not care about every girl arriving , they really do. All new faces they select have he same chance, and are pushed at begining in the same way. But because there are so many girls arriving, for sure, like i said, if one dont work well,after some time the attention will be put on the next one, and the first one will be stuck with a contract at doing nothing.

The smaller agencies have not the same power, and it is harder to have a really fast start in smaller agency. But they usualy can achieve very good result too, just in another way, in taking more time, and in developing more step by step, than what the biggest can do.
But the main adventadge to be oiut of network, is really about the freedom of representation between cities. even of course some agencies have links together, there is never real obligation for the model or the mother agent to follow, so it gives really more freedom, wich can be important to have when things dont start that well.

 

[kelsea]

thank you so much! it's great to hear from both a model and an agent

 

[cologne_rocks]

Could somebody tell my something about wilhelmina models? I've never heard of this agency until this Keke girl has shown up this season. Do they belong to the well working club? TIA

 

[fritmayo]

Could somebody tell my something about wilhelmina models? I've never heard of this agency until this Keke girl has shown up this season. Do they belong to the well working club? TIA

many years ago, they were on top in NY,really in the very best there.
They missed the turn of the supermodels era, and from that moment turned more into commercial modeling, and had some up and down yyears adter years.
as far as i know, in commercial jobs it is fw years they ve been quiet good, but were not much into high fashion anymore. i think it was pure business choice, as about money, it is more realistic to have a profitable agency in making commercial than HF.

It seems that more recently, they tried to get back into fashion, recruited few good bookers, and it seems that it worked at least for Keke, i think the coming months should show what can be their true level, i personnaly think it is an agency who might have some other good surprises coming.

 

[penny609]

It seems that more recently, they tried to get back into fashion, recruited few good bookers, and it seems that it worked at least for Keke, i think the coming months should show what can be their true level, i personnaly think it is an agency who might have some other good surprises coming.

Totally agree. And they didn't only do well for Keke but also for Marike Le Roux. I think some more good surprises could be expected as well!

 

[Miss-V]

in your own opinion, whats better then, a boutique or big agency?

 

[kelsea]

in your own opinion, whats better then, a boutique or big agency?

scroll up to the first post on this page for a great answer!

 

[cologne_rocks]

Thank you fritmayo for you detailed answer.


I've two further questions:

1. Another agency i'm not so sure about is Major Model Management, not that they're bad and i don't want to sound harsh, but it seems they're are sorts of middle class neighbourhood in NYC and just getting those girls that didn't get contracts with larger agencies. I've no idea, am i right with my proposition?

2. What about One Management? Are they on the same level like Women or IMG in NYC?

 

[penny609]

1. Another agency i'm not so sure about is Major Model Management, not that they're bad and i don't want to sound harsh, but it seems they're are sorts of middle class neighbourhood in NYC and just getting those girls that didn't get contracts with larger agencies. I've no idea, am i right with my proposition?

Major mainly works well on the commercial side of the business and they do it extremely well it seems. They are not as fashion or image-focused as many others but they can really push some of their girls like they did for Kristy Kaurova (also thanks to Major Paris) and Egle Tvirbutaite back to the days she started with them.

2. What about One Management? Are they on the same level like Women or IMG in NYC?

One will remain one of my favorite boutique agencies in NY no matter what some people might say. I wouldn't place them at the same level as IMG for example, especially as they don't work the same way and don't have the same amount of models (obviously). But they keep the good job they have always done for their girls, on image first and then they perfectly launched a girl like Debora Muller this season, they managed perfectly Janete Friedrich (not easy, from Rad Hourani to Vogue Italia) and before they did amazingly well for Olga Sherer (it's true that Paris' weight in her career did a lot for her but her Marc Jacobs appearance was a true boost).

 

[sleb]

Major NY is an average commercial agency, nothing great, I believe your idea of them is pretty much correct, cologne_rocks...
One is a poor agency and they will remail poor, dependless of what people say, penny609. They have got a weak management which really doesn't depend on what somebody might think or say. They have never been at the level of IMG/Women as long as they haven't raised their own tops as far as I remember. And I don't believe they could, having in mind their bad financial situation and the fact, that to raise a top an agency needs to have an agent capable of doing it. I won't even comment on your passage re Olga as it's all wrong - I see that you're not too familiar with her career, sorry.
One has got a new owner now, but as I understand the team is pretty much the same... So let the God help those who sign with them.

 

[penny609]

One is a poor agency and they will remail poor, dependless of what people say, penny609. They have got a weak management which really doesn't depend on what somebody might think or say. They have never been at the level of IMG/Women as long as they haven't raised their own tops as far as I remember. And I don't believe they could, having in mind their bad financial situation and the fact, that to raise a top an agency needs to have an agent capable of doing it.

I never tried to compare them to IMG or Women and even highlighted the fact it actually could be a total nonsense to do so provided they don't work on the same level, size etc.
But I keep believing they're not as bad as you say. If they are, who after Next, Women and IMG isn't ? That might be the question.

I won't even comment on your passage re Olga as it's all wrong - I see that you're not too familiar with her career, sorry.
One has got a new owner now, but as I understand the team is pretty much the same... So let the God help those who sign with them.

As for Olga, I might miss some reasons behind her success but FW 07 was the real kick in her career, including her opening Marc Jacobs. Then I didn't say One "made" Olga Sherer and if they took part of her career and they certainly didn't do it alone.