What can very quickly put you on agency and casting director 'don't call' lists?
Three of the fastest ways to end up on agency and casting director don't call lists are not returning phone calls promptly, being a "no show” for castings and/or bookings and not having up to date / professional looking modeling portfolio photos and comp cards.
So what’s the big deal about not having professional looking / up to date modeling portfolio photos and comp cards?
There was a request casting in Miami Beach, Florida recently where the client looked at the comp cards of over 100 different kids submitted by several different agencies then asked to see 20 of those kids in person - but when the kids got there it turned out that very few of them had up to date photos and cards, so the client called all of the agencies back and was literally screaming.
Why so upset? The client spent over $4,000 to do the casting - $1500 to rent a studio for the day and another $1000 or so to staff the casting plus over $1500 in hotel and travel expenses - and was fully expecting to see a small group of kids that would probably be right for the job, but instead every kid that walked in appeared to be a year or two older and/or very different looking than how they appeared on their card - and very different than what the client was looking for.
So the casting turned out to be a complete waste of time and money, the client had to spend another $4,000 to do a second casting a couple days later, and all of the parents that went to the first casting ended up wasting their time and money as well. This happens again and again in Florida, New York, Los Angeles etc. and hundreds of thousands of dollars are lost by clients, agencies and parents this way every year.
What makes more sense to you, making it easy for top kids agencies to book your kids or making it difficult for them?
Typical agency requirement: “Modeling portfolio photographs and comp card photographs are good for anywhere from six to nine months. After a few months you may think your kid’s appearance hasn’t changed much, but to everyone else their appearance has changed so you need up to update their modeling portfolio photos and comp cards on a regular basis.”
One top Florida agency has the following clause in their model/talent contract: “Your photos and comp cards must look professional and must be up to date or WE WILL NOT SEND YOU OUT.”
Another top Florida agency states at the very top of the first page of their model/talent guidelines: "Only send up to date high quality photos, nothing grainy or amateur - with at least five different poses/expressions. The more photos we have, the more we can submit you."
Another states: "Make sure your pictures actually look like you and make sure they are recent."
And another states: "It is your responsibility to keep the agency stocked with up to date photos, comp cards, headshots, etc. If the agency runs out of of stock you will not be submitted for jobs."
An email message that another top Florida agency regularly sends out to parents: "Don't forget to update your pictures as often as possible as without new photos getting work will be very difficult."
And top New York agency advises: "Many of the kids we have on file have old photos and it is important to make sure we have photos that actually look like your child. Many clients direct book off of photos (no casting or in-person interview required) so your comp card and portfolio photos must look like what your child looks NOW. If you don't have these please let us know so we can remove you from our system."
When business is booming some agencies might send you out with outdated or amateur looking modeling portfolio photos and comp cards but when business is slow - guess who will very seldom (if ever) get request castings, guess who will very seldom (if ever) get direct bookings, guess who will be the last to be sent out on regular castings and guess who will be the first to get dropped from the agency altogether.
That's right, if you don't have professional looking and up to date modeling portfolio photographs and comp cards, it will be YOU.
So never forget: The time and money that is lost when your kids go on castings with amateur looking and/or outdated photos and comp cards is not just the client’s time and money and your agency's time and money - it is also your own and you will likely spend more money on gasoline to go on castings with every month - not to mention parking, tolls, wear and tear on your car, etc. - than one good photo shoot would have cost.
Please note, however, fake agencies and so-called managers will often ask you for money for photo shoots, comp cards, modeling portfolio photography, etc. Click HERE to see the Florida State Law that makes it illegal for Florida model/talent agencies and managers to charge registration fees, split fees with photographers and/or require you to buy photo shoots, comp cards, modeling portfolios, workshops, classes, training, etc. through the agency or manager. (New York and California have very similar laws.)
Want proof positive that having 'Photos by Moda Kids Photography' on your kid's comp cards can make a huge difference in the quantity and quality of their bookings? Talk to a parent of one of the dozens of top child models we have discovered and launched. (Complete documentation and phone numbers available upon request.)
Click HERE to request more info, dates and times
Three of the fastest ways to end up on agency and casting director don't call lists are not returning phone calls promptly, being a "no show” for castings and/or bookings and not having up to date / professional looking modeling portfolio photos and comp cards.
So what’s the big deal about not having professional looking / up to date modeling portfolio photos and comp cards?
There was a request casting in Miami Beach, Florida recently where the client looked at the comp cards of over 100 different kids submitted by several different agencies then asked to see 20 of those kids in person - but when the kids got there it turned out that very few of them had up to date photos and cards, so the client called all of the agencies back and was literally screaming.
Why so upset? The client spent over $4,000 to do the casting - $1500 to rent a studio for the day and another $1000 or so to staff the casting plus over $1500 in hotel and travel expenses - and was fully expecting to see a small group of kids that would probably be right for the job, but instead every kid that walked in appeared to be a year or two older and/or very different looking than how they appeared on their card - and very different than what the client was looking for.
So the casting turned out to be a complete waste of time and money, the client had to spend another $4,000 to do a second casting a couple days later, and all of the parents that went to the first casting ended up wasting their time and money as well. This happens again and again in Florida, New York, Los Angeles etc. and hundreds of thousands of dollars are lost by clients, agencies and parents this way every year.
What makes more sense to you, making it easy for top kids agencies to book your kids or making it difficult for them?
Typical agency requirement: “Modeling portfolio photographs and comp card photographs are good for anywhere from six to nine months. After a few months you may think your kid’s appearance hasn’t changed much, but to everyone else their appearance has changed so you need up to update their modeling portfolio photos and comp cards on a regular basis.”
One top Florida agency has the following clause in their model/talent contract: “Your photos and comp cards must look professional and must be up to date or WE WILL NOT SEND YOU OUT.”
Another top Florida agency states at the very top of the first page of their model/talent guidelines: "Only send up to date high quality photos, nothing grainy or amateur - with at least five different poses/expressions. The more photos we have, the more we can submit you."
Another states: "Make sure your pictures actually look like you and make sure they are recent."
And another states: "It is your responsibility to keep the agency stocked with up to date photos, comp cards, headshots, etc. If the agency runs out of of stock you will not be submitted for jobs."
An email message that another top Florida agency regularly sends out to parents: "Don't forget to update your pictures as often as possible as without new photos getting work will be very difficult."
And top New York agency advises: "Many of the kids we have on file have old photos and it is important to make sure we have photos that actually look like your child. Many clients direct book off of photos (no casting or in-person interview required) so your comp card and portfolio photos must look like what your child looks NOW. If you don't have these please let us know so we can remove you from our system."
When business is booming some agencies might send you out with outdated or amateur looking modeling portfolio photos and comp cards but when business is slow - guess who will very seldom (if ever) get request castings, guess who will very seldom (if ever) get direct bookings, guess who will be the last to be sent out on regular castings and guess who will be the first to get dropped from the agency altogether.
That's right, if you don't have professional looking and up to date modeling portfolio photographs and comp cards, it will be YOU.
So never forget: The time and money that is lost when your kids go on castings with amateur looking and/or outdated photos and comp cards is not just the client’s time and money and your agency's time and money - it is also your own and you will likely spend more money on gasoline to go on castings with every month - not to mention parking, tolls, wear and tear on your car, etc. - than one good photo shoot would have cost.
Please note, however, fake agencies and so-called managers will often ask you for money for photo shoots, comp cards, modeling portfolio photography, etc. Click HERE to see the Florida State Law that makes it illegal for Florida model/talent agencies and managers to charge registration fees, split fees with photographers and/or require you to buy photo shoots, comp cards, modeling portfolios, workshops, classes, training, etc. through the agency or manager. (New York and California have very similar laws.)
Want proof positive that having 'Photos by Moda Kids Photography' on your kid's comp cards can make a huge difference in the quantity and quality of their bookings? Talk to a parent of one of the dozens of top child models we have discovered and launched. (Complete documentation and phone numbers available upon request.)
Click HERE to request more info, dates and times