Model Advice Vol 1 Issue 1: Child Modeling

Within the past 2 weeks I have gotten questions from friends I know and online friends about how to get their babies/kids started with modeling/acting. Being that I don’t have experience with child modeling I decided to do a little research online and offer my advice here.


DISCLAIMER: This is only for children who are just starting out. Children who have been booking work, will have a portfolio developed and have an agent to consult with. My 2 cents is for those who do not.

Don’t invest large sums of money in photo-shoots for children under the age of 10. Between the ages of infancy and 10, your child grows so quickly that to keep updating a portfolio as they age would be highly expensive because their look is ever-changing. Instead, take a few simple pictures of your child with your digital camera and make sure they are child centered and show off your child’s personality. For those parents who insist on getting professional pictures done of their child, I recommend The Picture People because they will do a mini shoot and you can choose what pictures of your child you want to keep and pay for those pictures and not spend hundreds of dollars.(While you’re at it take this time to get a family picture done while you’re there)

If/Once you have pictures, start contacting child agencies. Be sure that you fully research all agencies with the business licensing bureau in your state to make sure they are a legitimate agency. Do a thorough search of child talent and modeling agencies in your area and begin contacting them. Give them a call and ask about if and when they have open call days. If they ask you to email them a few pictures, send no more than 4 pictures for them to review.

Once you find an agent/agency who is willing to work with you, be sure to be prepared to attend all gigs, castings/auditions with your child. This could mean taking off work early, not going to work at all, or if your child becomes very successful, leaving your job completely.

Are you a child modeling/talent agent or a former child model/actor? Share some of your insight with readers on how you got started. We’d love to read your story! Leave your comment below 🙂


Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.