Modeling 101: How an Agency Works
If you want to become a model—any kind of model—it’s important to know how an agency works so you get the most out of the agency’s personnel in terms of managing your career. Modeling agencies have their own hierarchy, and staff members tend to be very protective of their duties and titles. You need to know the chain of command and follow it, or you can cause problems.
The Booker: A Model’s Best Friend
The model managers (also called agents or bookers) are the people at an agency who manage every aspect of your career in the short and long term. When you’re just starting out, model managers direct you to the testing photographers you should work with, decide what photos you should be taking, and determine what aspects of yourself you should be focusing on to sell.
When you’re ready to start working, the agent decides what clients you should work for. She sends you out to see a variety of clients and then interprets their reactions to you and directs you from there. The agent will soon realize that maybe you don’t appeal to fashion designers booking their runway shows, but that your look is attractive to magazine editors and catalogs. An agent will quickly realize your strengths and where you are in your career, and build on that.
Your booker also handles the day-to-day details of your life. She schedules all your go and sees and jobs. Clients call the booker directly, and she lets them know when you’re available to work. Unless you tell her specifically that you’re not available (say you need to go home and see your family, go to the doctor, or go on vacation), she will book jobs for you every day. Try to give your booker as much advance notice as possible when you need days off.
The booker also lets you know when and where a job will be, how long it will last, who the client is, how much you will be paid, and what’s expected of you. For example, if it’s a lingerie shoot, she’ll let you know that you need to shave and get a pedicure beforehand.
Bookers often handle some personal things as well. They can put you in touch with doctors, therapists, nutritionists, or personal trainers. They can help you find housing. They can also refer you to lawyers and accountants and any other professionals you might need.
The Major Booking Departments
In a small agency, the various types of models are not divided up; one set of bookers works for everyone. In large agencies, however, the agents/bookers work in several different divisions, each specializing in a different type of model.
The New Faces Department
This department is in charge of developing new recruits into full-fledged models and booking all their jobs in the first couple years of their careers. The agents/bookers in the new faces department meet with the girls who come to the agency’s open calls. They help choose the models the agency will represent. They help develop a brand-new model so she has a marketable look, giving her advice on bringing out her best qualities. They also help new models set up test shoots with the best photographers and put together their portfolios.
They also introduce the model to the fashion industry and send her on her first go and sees to magazine editors, photographers, and advertisers. They are responsible for helping a girl make living arrangements if she’s had to relocate, familiarize herself with the city, learn about public transportation and how to get around, and set up a bank account.
The Model Management Department
After a model leaves the new faces department, she progresses to the model management department. The bookers/agents in the model management department expand on that foundation to see what type of clients are interested in her and decide how she should focus her career and what she should do next.
Overall, model management’s responsibility is to help the model build a well-balanced career, with a range of editorial, fashion show, and ad clients in a variety of markets. They are responsible for figuring out what clients you should be working with and creating opportunities for you to meet those clients. If you haven’t done any ads, for example, they may send you to see an ad agency to get feedback on what they think of you.
The Supermodel/Celebrity Model Department
As you can probably guess, the supermodel/celebrity model department handles models who are of supermodel or celebrity status—people who are household names, have multimillion-dollar incomes, and are involved in projects outside modeling, such as producing their own calendars, books, TV shows, exercise videos, and other merchandise.
The Catalog and Advertising Department
This department specializes in booking models for catalog (as well as for websites) and advertising jobs. Models who are nearing the end of their careers tend to do a lot of this type of work because this is where they make the big bucks. The main difference between the catalog and advertising department and model management is that your career will be handled in a different way: to be sure you make as much money as possible, that you work as often as possible, and that you work for the best clients—in other words, to help you get the most out of the years you put in. The focus isn’t so much on getting a variety of work or building clientele.
The Runway Department
The runway department, as the name suggests, handles the scheduling and booking of models for runway and related work, including fittings, trunk shows, and boutique showings. This department handles runway bookings for all the models in the agency, as well as the careers of models who specialize in runway work.
The Television Commercial Department
Most modeling agencies partner with an outside agency that specializes in booking talent on TV commercials to handle all its models’ television bookings. Usually one booker serves as the liaison between the outside agency and the modeling agency. This person coordinates the bookings for all the models in the agency who are hired to do television commercials. He also handles related work, such as guest appearances on TV shows or even movie appearances.
Specialty Departments
Many large agencies have departments that handle specialty models. These might include but are not limited to the following:
- Plus-size models—Plus-size models are larger than regular models, but they’re healthy, tall (at least 5′8″ or 5′10″), and toned. They may be large-boned, with broad shoulders, full hips, and full breasts, and maybe a bit of a tummy. They wear a woman’s size 12 to 18. Plus-size models usually have beautiful, classic facial features and exude warmth and appeal.
- Elegant models—Elegant models are usually older models; the minimum age to enter this department is about 35. Elegant models used to work only part-time, but now some model full-time. They have a range of clients, including runway, advertising, and editorial. Most of their work, however, is modeling for catalogs.
- Parts models—Many large agencies have parts departments that represent models who specialize in leg, hand, and foot modeling. These women probably would not be regular model material—maybe they’re not tall enough—but they have at least one standout “part,” such as beautiful hands, gorgeous legs, or perfect size 6 feet.
- Male models—Some small agencies handle men exclusively, while some larger agencies have a separate men’s department. In either case, a men’s agency or department specifically focuses on the development and marketing of male models, from beginners to established models.
Other Agency Departments
The accounting department deals with all money, both incoming (from clients) and outgoing (to you, among others). When you work a job, you need to have the client sign a special voucher acknowledging that you did indeed work. (Every model is issued her own voucher book with the agency logo on it.) Then you turn that voucher in to the accounting department, and it bills the client for the work you did. The bill includes the model’s fee, the agent’s fee, and any other negotiated fees.
Promotions and publicity is in charge of promoting the agency’s name and image in the advertising and business community. It ties the agency’s name in with charity events by providing models for the event for the sake of name exposure. This department also handles press inquiries about the agency and, often, individual models.
The administration includes the presidents, vice presidents, and department directors of the agency. They run the agency, hire and fire bookers and other personnel, and rent and remodel the agency’s office. They plan for the agency’s future and troubleshoot any internal or external problems.
One of the key people in the agency, and someone you’ll have a lot of contact with, is the receptionist. She greets all visitors and routes callers to the correct department. She answers general questions about the agency and deals with all the messengers who are constantly dropping off and delivering packages.
Knowing who’s who is not only good when you’re with an agency, it also helps you when you go to open calls and other meetings when you’re in the process of finding an agent. Good luck!
From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Being a Model, Second Edition, by Roshumba Williams with Anne Marie O’Connor
