Getting the Most Modeling Work You Can Without an Agency

So you want to be a model? You know you have the look. You know you have the charm and you take a helluva good picture. How exactly do you go about getting yourself out there to get modeling assignments and get "discovered"? Well, here is how you don't do it... You do not just sit around the mall or Starbucks waiting for fame to fall into your lap because any minute now a casting director will come through, see you and say... "come with me, I will make you a star". Now, someone may come along and say that, but they sure won't be a REAL casting director. That kind of stuff rarely happens and maybe once every decade some lucky girl wins that lottery by being in the right place at the right time.You should not put all your faith and money into unknown modeling agencies, especially those that make promises of stardom, millions in earnings, tons of jobs in exotic countries which you can only obtain AFTER you pay them thousands to create that perfect portfolio. When it comes to modeling agencies, unless they are very well known and reputable, you must be very careful.

Many of them work by promising stardom to everyone and telling them how gorgeous they are (what the girls want to hear). They tell you there are 100's of jobs you are perfect for. After you pay them for photos, shoots, prints, makeup, hair, this that and the other, they tell you they will call you. Wait... where are these 100's of jobs? Again... they will call you when they book you.

I have heard dozens of stories like that and most end up getting one job after months that paid 100 bucks for the 3k they spent on pictures for the agency.

When it comes to agencies just keep in mind that if they believe they can book you everywhere and make millions... then why do they need money from you? Reputable agencies make a fee from what the client pays the model. The client pays the agency, not the model.

Also, always be very aware of your market, this is where those scam agencies hook the model by telling them what they want to hear, not what they are right for. If you are 5'3? and an agency tells you they will get you runway work in Paris, run out of the office. As a model, you must know your target market and not be swayed by smooth sales talk. There is no such animal as a 5 foot tall Fashion Runway model, no matter how gorgeous she is. Kate Moss is an exception and she is still fairly tall at 5' 7".

Make sure that the modeling you would like to do fits you physically.

Now, if you are 5' 3" it does not mean you can't model, you just can't model on a Paris Runway, but that is just a drop in the bucket of all modeling work. There are commercial catalog models, hair models, parts models, trade show and promo models, makeup models, hair model, fit models, fitness models, shoe models, hand models, eye models and any other body part you can think of. There is also a good amount of work in TV and movies as extras. Those jobs are readily available and filed daily in every city in the US large and small. There are many local fashion shows that book models and many events and exhibits that do as well.

"Wow, that's a lot of work, but how do I find it?" you may ask. There are a few ways. You can find work on your own in papers, job boards, client websites, etc. It may be a large task to do daily as there are 100's of websites you would need to check on a daily basis to find the modeling jobs you may want. The other option is a model casting service. A model casting service is a company that specializes in finding casting calls, auditions and requests, matches them to a client (a model) and sends the information to the model so they can apply. A model gives the service her information, her portfolio, and her job specifications as to what she wants to do. Then daily, the service looks for work for her and notifies her the minute someone requests booking for her "look".

A casting service is a mix between an agency and a do-it-yourself job search. Auditions.com is an example of a site that is strictly a casting service. There are many others and all offer different levels of service and features. Some act as modeling communities with a focus on networking while others are more of a job board without any extra bells and whistles.

The advantage to using such a service is the time savings. Many busy models may not have the time to check the hundreds of places that offer modeling jobs daily, trying to stay on top of every opportunity may take many hours and you would have to search through countless of castings you have no interest in just to find the few you do.

A casting service does all the leg work for you. Their network and employees spend all day calling photographers, casting directors, etc. to find work for their members and then they email the members and tell them about the jobs. Casting directors also go directly to their site that lists all members and uses the online portfolios to cast their projects.

A casting service is a great option for models who either do not have an agency or do not want to sit around waiting for the agency to find a job for them. The casting service sends the model a list of jobs she requested and then the model submits her portfolio to the jobs she selects. It's a good way for the model to get her self out there and get all the work she can. The casting service does not take any fee from any jobs the model books.

The way the casting service is paid is with an annual fee for service that is very reasonable. Many models wonder why there is a fee. Well, it is a business that has 100's of employees making calls to casting agents trying to find work for its members. Those people need to be paid and since they do not act like an agency in taking money from a booking, they charge a small service fee, typically less than $1 per day.

Most casting services offer various levels of service and free trials. A model can use the free trial to see if the service offers anything they like as well as get a chance to put up a portfolio, explore the job boards and interact with others before making a decision on whether the service is a good fit for her or not.