Some people know that we went to Florida during December to attend a special event for a selected group of young people who competed in acting, music, and dance. Oldest Son had auditioned in Fargo with 550 other families and was invited because he could sing, a talent he never did use down there. A couple of other contestants from New Jersey told us that 1400 families competed there, and they only chose 20 kids, so the competition to attend was fierce.
The excitement to go was intense all of December. I finally had a conversation with him to explain that winning this event was probably unlikely, and that we needed to judge success by whether or not he got a callback. I think the boy had visions of suddenly getting picked up by some talent agent, working in Hollywood the next week, and I knew that was pretty much a dream. But getting a callback meant you had been noticed, and not everyone gets a callback there.
Sure enough, he got one, and what for? Modeling. This from the boy who had snorted when I asked him to consider whether he wanted to get work doing that. When he found out people weren't standing in line to lure him to the bright lights of a Hollywood backlot, that millions weren't going to come his way overnight, modeling sounded better than pushing a lawn mower.
On a lark, we sent in his headshot and resume to a modeling agent in Minneapolis. The resume never even opened up; she called him just because he looked good on the picture. Four hundred people responded to her ad, but she only chose fourteen to call back. Meeting with her, and from the question and answer session we had in Florida is giving me quite an education in a field I know absolutely nothing about!
First, for every five girls featured in the modeling agency's book, there is only one boy. Adolescent boys who go into modeling aren't exactly rare, but the competition has definitely thinned out. We were fortunate to know that Oldest's cousin had made money for a while in modeling as well, until his attitude about the work changed and he was dropped. It was a great lesson on professionalism for our boys, who still would rather pose for photos than push around a lawn mower on a hot day.
Another thing is that regional modeling agents barely make it on commission. There are upfront costs that models absolutely must absorb, whereas bigger agencies out east upfront the money to models. Researching it online leaves you with conflicting information, so it's important for anyone interested in the profession should know this.
Finally, commissions for agents are now at 20%. Again, that is different from what you might read on the internet. The fact is, even big agencies take that, as we found out in the Q & A session in Florida. This is a big difference from acting agents which only command 15%.
The modeling company is just getting into animals, so we ended up signing on with our cat and dog, which is much nicer than working with people. First, animals don't have to tryout; and the payment is sometimes in the thousands. I suddenly have a new job: taking animals on a three hour drive if they are needed for a photoshoot. I never in my wildest dreams thought that would happen. When I tell other people about it, they suddenly start telling me about their animals and how cute they are. It's an interesting way to get your pets to fund their own vet bills!
This new adventure is just one I would like to share with other people, which is why I'm writing about it here. It's quite fascinating to look into a world which is often closed to other people, a learning experience for all of us.
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