The November Modeling 101 Workshop with photographer/scout Debra Somerville was a smash hit with the CT and NY teens in attendance.

Jill, Michel Ann, Sam Mae, Debra, Lina, Shannon

Watching Sam Mae Work It—Posing 101

Agent Panel Discussion

Guest Models & Guest Agents

I loved interviewing the awesome guest models, Sam Mae and Michel Ann, and guest agents, Dana from New York Models and Dawn from the Johnston Agency. Debra’s new discovery Lina, newly signed with Click, joined in and shared the excitement of her launch into the NY modeling scene. She is already landing bookings for Delia’s and has been on Nordstrom and Teen Vogue castings!

Lina from CT just signed with Click in NYC

One attendee, Mackenzie, impressed a guest agent with her enthusiasm and big personality (not to mention her beauty) and got signed by the Johnston Agency. By the way, personality came up as a key part of a model’s potential for success. You can’t be shy, overly-sensitive, modest, or lazy. You have to ooze confidence, have a tough skin, and be a go-getter!

Mackenzie, shot by Debra Somerville

Stay tuned for some online workshop videos.

Remember to subscribe to my free Modeling Newsletter!

If you are an aspiring model who lives in close proximity to New York, you can go in person to some modeling agencies. ”Open calls” take place at a set time each week, and during a 1 or 2 hour window, you can show up and wait your turn for a quick (usually) perusal of your photos. Some agencies have age and height limitations—you may have to be under 21 and over 5’8″ or 5’9″ (for women; men have  more flexibility in age range and generally should be over 5’11″ and under 6’3″).

Model Cara Delevingne’s striking features can turn heads in a top market like NY

Tips for Model Submissions and Agency Open-Calls

If you don’t live in the New York area, it’s wise to submit photos via e-mail first and see if you get a response. Showing up in person may slightly increase your odds of being signed, but the odds of getting representation in New York are always tiny. It’s a highly competitive market. Don’t drop $1,000 on a trip to New York unless you are eager to see the Empire State Building anyway and don’t have expectations of becoming a supermodel within the month!

If you do attend open calls, apply minimal makeup (but enough to downplay flaws and play up your best features), wear form-fitting clothing but be tasteful, show a sense of style and your unique personality! Girls, if you are under 5’10″, wear heels. You will live in them if you are lucky enough to be sent out on go-sees.

Open-Call Times (double-check on the agencies’ websites for changes/updates):

New York Model Management – Women on Thursdays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at 596 Broadway, 7th floor   Tel. (212) 539-1700

Men, submit online (women can as well): Newyorkmodels.com

New York Model Management

Next – Wednesdays from 10:30 to 11 (women only) at 15 Watts St., 6th floor   Tel. (212) 925-5100

Submit online

Red – Men only on Wednesdays from 3 to 5 p.m. at 302 West 37th St, 3rd floor   Tel. (212) 785-1999

Submit online

Request Model Management – Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to noon at 156 Fifth Avenue, suite 1134   Tel. (212) 529-4130

Submit online

Wilhelmina – Click link for open call calendar.  300 Park Ave. South, 2nd floor  Tel. (212) 473-0700

Submit online

Wilhelmina Curve Division

Enter the Modeling Mentor Model Search—a great way to be seen by the top agents who receive my monthly Modeling Newsletter showcasing the finalists!

I get many requests for info about commercial modeling. Aspiring models who don’t hit the 5’9″ fashion modeling standard often figure they’ll go the commercial route. “Commercial” does not mean just doing TV commercials, though that is part of it. “Commercial” is a term used to describe a more girl-next-door (guy-next-door), real person look, versus a more extreme editorial look.

Commercial Modeling and Acting Prep

Those same aspiring commercial models who write to me sometimes think this whole commercial modeling thing is a snap. Actually, you need to hone your craft more in this field than you do with straight-forward posing and catwalking. Take some acting classes! Take acting classes before you even think about approaching agents. If you are near New York City, you can attend workshops with actual casting directors, like Jen Rudin. My son participated in her Mock Audition Boot Camp this weekend and got valuable feedback from someone who casts kids for a living. You will NOT get feedback from actual castings or auditions; casting directors are too busy to hand out personal critiques. It can get frustrating wondering what you are doing wrong when you don’t book jobs (half the time you probably just aren’t the right look for the part, but you won’t be privy to that self-confidence saving nugget of truth).

Jen Rudin’s Mock Audition Boot Camp

Stay tuned for a review of Jen Rudin’s book, Confessions of a Casting Director, hitting stores on December 31!

Audition Attitude

I can’t say it any better than Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston:

See a listing of the top New York Commercial Agents

Don’t forget to enter the Modeling Mentor Model Search. Top agents like Elite, New York Model Management, Click, and Page Parkes have contacted me about the finalists. This is your chance to get discovered!

Sign up for my free monthly Modeling Newsletter and be the first to see the finalists!