Talent Agency Question

My dgt is a talented 13 yr old- and was requested for modeling when she was younger- but my advice...wait until you see what works for your child. Make sure she is comfortable around EVERYONE and all the time. You will be asked to go to auditions at the drop of a dime and have to wait for hours- As long as you, your baby and your schedule works well with all that- you are good to go. The only problem is... you may enjoy it and your baby doesnt and then you are locked into a contract. I would wait= see if its something the baby is comfortable with before you lock into any contract. My problem was - we lived in NJ and getting to NY at the drop of a dime when I had another child wouldnt work for me. They only want you and the baby at auditions- no other siblings grand parents etc- just a heads up. Hint- if its a Papers commercial audition- the baby goes in Pampers to the audition.lol- If you havent already done so...take your little love bucket to a photo shoot- you'll get priceless photos and you can see how she deals with the lights- people time etc.
Two photog I would recommend:Shooting Star-Cindi- ###-###-#### www.shootingstarphotos.com
Premiere Photo Kelley/Julie ###-###-#### www.premierephotographystudio.com

Tell them D. from Party Angels sent you- they do unbelievable work/very unique-you can see online.
www.partyangelsus.com
If you want those talent agency listings, I can send them to you.
If you are intereseted- I have the name of quite a few reputable places in Dallas.
D. S

Well, since both of my children were involved in the industry for 3 years, I feel like I need to share my experience.

First, there are only two agencies in town I would even consider...Kim Dawson and Campbell.

We started in Atlanta. Go to the agencies websites and see what their protocol is for representation. With us, we had to submit two photos and basic sizing and personality information. They called us in for an interview and we were offered representation. I did have to pay for headshots and model cards... for my kids it was about $300 each. All agencies are different. Both of my children did extensive work -- Cartoon Cartoon Fridays, Comcast commercial, lots of print work for Macy's, Goody's, etc. It was well worth my investment.

Be very careful -- when we submitted photos to Paige Parkes, they offered the same deal. But, we had to sign to go to Houston for headshots -- it was going to be $1,500 each. I didn't want to do that and asked to review their contract. Well, I had my attorney look at it and found that even if we did that, we weren't going to get representation -- just really good headshots. And, that it was a modeling camp. So be careful.

And, let me emphasize, this is NOT for everyone. There's a lot of last minute auditions and go-sees. And, a lot of waiting around on others. Plus, if your child isn't selected, you can't take it personally and there's a lot of rejection. Like I said, my kids did a lot of work, but there was a lot of rejection along the way.

I would stay away from Barbizon as well. I know a previous post said to try them, but I know someone who had a horrible experience with them.

If you would like to talk with me, I'd love to help you out. Email me privately...
M.

This is a good question. My sisteris trying to do the same for my son (though I have my reservations) but there are several open casting calls in the DFW area, but I do not know how to connect either.

there are 2 agencies in town, google modeling agencies and crawford and one other come up. they are both reputable as I understand it. You will need to get a portfolio put together and call them for the requirements. You can also enter your child in the photo contests going on to help build the portfolio. It doesnt cost anything and gets you free pictures and prizes as well as notice on web and magazine sites. \
Everything Babyfest is featuring a cover shoot for Modern Babies and Children magazine hosted by Metroplex Babies. there are other prizes as well for the winner. This is a basic entry point but worth considering.

The top in Dallas are Kim Dawson, Campbell Agency, Core, and Clutz. But if you want print, 6-9 months size works alot for JCPenny in Dallas, then 3T. But if you speciafically want talent then alot of the ones in Dallas don't really want you until they are reading. Good luck! L.

My girls(8 1/2 and 5) just got signed on with Barbizon modeling in Dallas. go to www.barbizonmodeling.com to contact them. They just started a 12 week course and so far they love it. I think it depends on the child and what the agency is looking for too on when to start them out.

Hope this helps

C.