So, You Want To Be A Model

By Nadiyah Kaur

You’ve caught the eye of a talent scout, telling you “you’ve got just the right look for us”, and before you know it, they’re jotting down your number, and a few days later you get a call saying you’ve got an interview!! Suddenly you’re blinded by flashing lights all around you, and thoughts of glamour and fame fill your mind.

Before you know it, you’re sitting in a fancy interview, hearing compliment after compliment. They’re telling you how beautiful you are, and promising you stars out of the night sky itself.

All your dreams have come true…. or have they?

“I was approached outside my university by a so-called talent scout,” says Jasmine Mistry, a student in London. “I was invited in for an interview, just off Great Portland Street (in Central London), to which I was required to bring a few changes of clothes. During the course of the interview, I was told I should make a port-folio. They could take my photographs right then and there!”

“I had my hair and makeup done by professional stylists, and what seemed like a professional studio photo-shoot. After it was all done, I had a viewing of my photographs, and then came the price list. Just over £1,000 to get the copyrights of my pictures; they assured me that this was the best option, and with their help, I’d make my money back in no time. Before I even had time to think it over, I was convinced, begging my mother to hand over her credit card. That was the last I’d heard from them.”

Mistry never received any news from them after that day. No jobs were ever sent out, or received and no income made. After days of not hearing back, she tried to get a hold of the agency again to find out why she hadn’t heard anything in days; she failed. It was only after extensive research, that she found out she’d been scammed out of £1,000, she’d never see again.

“I felt sick to my stomach when I finally realised I’d been scammed. I felt stupid, and naive, and most of all, I was dreading telling my parents who paid for that photo-shoot, despite being reluctant in the first place.”

Mistry isn’t the only one to have fallen for such a scam. There are many men and women who so easily fall into these traps set out by unscrupulous ‘agents’.  They tell you what you want to hear until without thinking, you’re handing over your hard earned money with no hope of ever seeing it again.

Being conned can have a real blow on one’s self esteem. “I felt terribly naive and stupid when it had all settled in my mind. I didn’t want to believe that I had been stupid enough to fall for such a con,” says Mistry.  “I am still interested in modelling, but my confidence has been knocked down. I have been reluctant to apply to any more agencies because I’m afraid they too will be a con.”

“I’ve recently started applying for modelling jobs again, but all the while I’m so doubtful. I got a few calls back for interviews, and immediately I began questioning why I of all people had gotten an interview. That if they were calling ME, of all people, then it has to be a scam. I am doing all the research I can on agencies that have contacted me recently, but honestly, the more research I do, the more confused I feel.”

Such an experience can leave people feeling vulnerable. One might find themselves posing questions such as “why did this happen to me?” or, like Mistry, questioning why you have gotten an interview in future, potential jobs.  There seems to be a fine line between scepticism and a simple loss of faith, either in oneself or the opportunities passed one’s way.  Being conned in 2009 seems to have pushed Mistry over that line.

“I question everything now. Problem is, the more I question the more questions bounce off the answer to the last. It’s all beginning to feel like a vicious cycle.”

Actor Clive Hurst is an active campaigner against scam agencies, after his daughter was involved in a modelling scam in 1992. His website Up-Front Campaign has been the first port of call to many aspiring models or actors, who have been scammed, including myself.

Look Out!

A common practise for scam artists/ rogue agencies is to tell you they want you to create a port-folio and supply you with a studio that can take your photos, at a fee. The agency and the photographic studio they are sending you to, are probably working together, and splitting the fees earned from you. Ask them to suggest a few other photographic studios and perhaps suggest a few of your own. Always do your research before you walk into an interview, and even after you’ve been interviewed. There’s no harm in being sceptical, that will just ensure your research is all the more thorough.

When a legitimate, reputable agency signs you, they do not ask you for any upfront fees. In fact, as of 1^st October 2010, it is illegal for an agency interested in signing you, to charge you any fees either posed as a joining fee or to pay for your own test shots or publication fees. An agency will consider you an investment, and pay the necessary fees for you, and earn their money back via commission when you start working.

“A real modelling agency will not ask you to pay for anything –becoming a model does not cost you anything,” says Rachel McArthur, a freelance model. “If you are asked for even a penny, just get up and leave.”

An agency may however pay the necessary fees to get you started up and have a clause in your contract stating that you pay them back the full amount once you have started earning. This is perfectly viable and not uncommon.

Legitimate agencies will ask you to sign a contract. Some rogue agencies may ask you to sign a contract too. Be sure to take the contract home, and read it thoroughly. Make sure you have a clear understanding of everything in the contract!

Beware of agencies who will give you a time frame in which to decide. They might tell you things such as “we have a job for you, but you have to sign now”.

A legitimate agency will allow you to take the contract home, and make an informed decision, in your own time; whereas a rogue agency may make you feel pressured into signing the contract then and there, not allowing you to take the contract home and read it carefully. Never sign anything without reading it! It wouldn’t hurt to get a second opinion either.

Ask the agency questions about their previous work. Who have they worked with? Have they done any work you would have seen? Ask to see their books (this is a book of all the models they represent). Look around their offices, and notice if there is any work on the walls; ask them about it –who was the photographer? What is the model’s name? Legitimate agencies will often have pictures of work they have done in the past, and clients they represent.

Be cautious when applying to adverts saying “no experience needed”. While all models do start out inexperienced, most agencies will not advertise for inexperienced models. Remember, there is a world of experienced models out there, so keep the question in mind, “if so many experienced models are finding it difficult to get work, what makes me so special?”

It is not uncommon for scam agencies to “borrow” the name of reputable agencies, changing the name or the spelling ever so slightly. Pay attention to the smallest details –it’s those that can get you caught. This is done to give starry-eyed talent a false sense of security when seeing a familiar name. Often, one won’t even realise the slight difference in names, unless you’re looking for it. Always check!

Be suspicious. Question everything you are told. Be aware.