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The ability to be able to tell a genuine agency from a fraudulent one is a must-have for every model who does not want to be scammed. Models are talking about this, and agencies are warning their models to beware of
such scams, but how many people can actually tell or smell a scam before they fall prey to it? Very few. So how then can a model sense whether she is just about to be scammed, or signed by a genuine agency?
“Just as Rome was not built in a day, so
a model’s book cannot be built in one“
Firstly, there’s no guarantee in the modelling industry and no agency has the power to guarantee you a job because they do not create or give the jobs. They put you out there for the designers, producers, companies, etc to select who they want – it’s not the agencies that decide. In fact, they hardly have any say over who is chosen. So how can an agency guarantee a model a job? This is the first sign that you are about to be scammed.
Also, these agencies always accompany their guarantee with an ‘if’. They guarantee you a job if‘ you pay, buy, or give, etc. and so many models fall prey when they hear these guarantees, but the truth is that any contract you sign always has ‘the no guarantee‘ clause.
Another common one is a registration fee. Boy, these agencies should be ashamed to ask for registration fees, and it’s pathetic that models actually fall for this when there are modeling manuals everywhere telling models never to pay an agency upfront. Why can’t these models just listen? I mean, how else can we stress this? No genuine agency asks for any payment what-so-ever upfront. Now it doesn’t matter how big they, or the contacts they have, seem to be, paying any agency upfront is a no-no! For acting agencies, there are a few exceptions; even then, you have a choice to ask that the fee be removed from your first job. However, in modeling there is no such thing as registration fees.
Thirdly, and most tempting, is the portfolio offer. Boy, I can imagine being a model without a portfolio; you walk into an agency and they show you some captivating photos – which their photographers did not even snap – and offer you the same for £400. It sounds like heaven on earth, especially when you kind of know that getting a portfolio costs thousands of pounds and takes ages. Here comes this offer, probably with words guaranteeing you jobs at the same time. Then you think, why not? Honey, just as Rome was not built in a day, so a model’s book cannot be built in one. Professional models have their books built over years of jobs and test shootings. Yet there is still room for improvement, talk less of a book shot one day in a studio. If a photo studio is offering you this, no problem because all they are after is business and they are not modeling agencies. They tell you what they have to offer and you agree to go for it- no hidden catch, and after that you are not expecting anything from them other than your portfolio, plus the experience is worth it and you could have a couple of photos for your book, and keep the rest in your album. So this is a consensual agreement between two understanding parties. But for an agency to ask you to go shoot your portfolio in a day just shows that the agency is an amateur and a fraud. In addition, a genuine agency will normally not charge you for a portfolio. They help you build your book over time through test shoots and jobs done. After all, they will, or shall I say intend to, make money off you.
What am I saying here? It’s simple: don’t be fooled by empty guarantees; do not ever pay a modeling agency upfront for anything, whether it is for a headshot, registration fee, or portfolio. No genuine agency will ask for this, or promise to sign you on only if you do your photo shoot with them. Rather, genuine agencies usually base their decision to, or not to, sign-on a model on as little as a non professional Polaroid photo of the model. Through this, the agency knows how the model photographs, and if the model is what they are looking for or not. And your portfolio, should they sign you on, becomes an ongoing process that may or may not require you to spend money. So the next time you come across an agency offering you any of the above for a ridiculous fee, hang up or head towards the nearest exit.
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