|
Soon after I started modeling, I was invited to attend a model/talent open call with my agent, both to meet some of the other agents and bookers in the industry as well as to help look for new faces. I had previously shown an aptitude for identifying new talent, and had referred several women to my agency who were eventually offered contracts. The open call was a very interesting experience for me. It had been organized by ModelQuest, one of several companies that tour the United States in search of young hopefuls. These companies sign people up to attend conventions that are held somewhere in that particular region once per year. They then fly in agents from the top agencies in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Miami, as well as the top regional agencies and even a few international agencies, mostly Canada and Japan.
The agents love it because they get a free weekend holiday of sorts (although not necessarily in the most exotic or metropolitan of places), free catered meals, and the chance to hand select talent from all over the United States that would otherwise go undiscovered. And they get to do this with almost no effort on their part.
In a lot of ways, I think that talent search companies are a valuable service to the modeling and acting industries, both from the perspective of the agent as well as the participant. For many people, these are the only avenues available to them to get their faces, pictures, and resumes in front of agents who are looking for the next "new look."
Now, this is not to say that I think that anyone with a casual interest in modeling or acting should shell out the money to attend one of these events. But think about it for a second. Let's say you want to become a model or an actor. You just wake up one morning and decide, "This is what I am going to do with my life." Great. All you need now is your Big Break. So you get on the phone and call up Steven Spielberg or Ralph Lauren and let them know that you are ready and available to work, right?
If only it were that easy.
|
