Have you ever thought about getting your child into modeling? With London Fashion Week just wrapping up and the catwalk season upon us, we caught up with local mum and Director of International Scouting at Premier Model Management Emma Mackie about what to do if your child is scouted or if they are interested in approaching an agency.
Prior to working at Premier Emma was the head of new faces for 15 years at Marilyn’s in Paris. Marilyn’s roster included models such as Kate Moss, Carla Bruni, Helena Christianson, Stella Tennant and more. As the new faces director Emma was in charge of scouring new talent as well as acting as the liaison between the client and model.
Premier has worked with and launched the careers of Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer and Christy Turlington – and yes, they are the agency that also had that reality show…
What is changing in the modeling world?
At last, the industry is much more racially diverse. For example, when I first started back in the early 90’s it was rare to find an Asian model represented by a major agency, now different ethnic groups are more fairly represented — not only in advertising but also on the runway.
What does a scout look for in a model?
A scout looks for something you can’t describe in words or put your finger on. It’s the rare exception to all the rules. It’s not the girl or boy that everyone would stereotypically find ‘pretty’. It’s generally the ‘awkward’ one – who was too tall at aged 13. However one thing is needed – height — girls should be a minimum of 5”9 and boys 6”.
What should you do if your child is scouted?
The first thing you should do is check that the agency that scout is affiliated with is AMA (Association of Model Agencies) and registered. The second thing you should do is NEVER get conned into paying large sums of money for a ‘book’. In general, the agency try their hardest to get test shots done for free, however at times a model will have to pay. The test with an agency recommended photographer is approximately £100 – which is a recoupable expense once the model starts earning.
If your child is scouted, what’s next?
Just because a person is scouted doesn’t mean that they will be taken on by the agency. The first order of business is coming into the agency to meet the bookers. If the bookers like what they see, they will organize a test photoshoot. If they like the results of the photos, then you stand a good chance to get signed. Not everyone scouted becomes a model. It really depends on how photogenic a person is.
What should you do if your child hasn’t been scouted but wants to model? Can you just book an appointment with the agency?
Yes, absolutely! You don’t need a portfolio to approach an agency. All you should have is a natural photo of their face and a full length photo of their body. Simply email it to the agency along with stats (ie. height and age) and if we like what we see we’ll be contact.
Also, people do just pop into our offices – so this is another option and if we like what we see in person, we will then set up a test photoshoot. Premier has open call times on Monday to Friday between 10-12pm, so if you’d prefer you can just come down for a chat.
Is it possible to model and still attend school?
Models have to be a minimum age of 16 to work, but we often scout kids starting at 13 who are then are kept in the ‘waiting room’ – which is our internal pipeline for models once they become of age. Agencies understand that school comes first and therefore we work around school holidays. However, there is always the exception where a 16/17 year old is in such demand that they might consider homeschooling or delaying their exams. Luckily, today there are multiple options for distance education unlike before.
Is there a chaperon available?
Ideally, parents should chaperon their children when they are starting out aged 16/17. Sometimes though that doesn’t always work due to their own work schedules in which case agency does have chaperons available.
If you’d like to talk to Emma about your child’s prospects she can be contacted at: emma@premiermodelmanagement.com
Premier Model Management
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Photo courtesy of: Premier Model Management
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