HOW TO MAKE YOUR CHILD A MODEL IN NEW YORK.

So, you want your child to become a model.

Where do you start? Who can help? How much do you have to pay?

We've been through all these questions ourselves when Galina decided to make our 2 year daughter, - Kate, a model. This article will share our experience and outline all the issues that you have to watch for during this interesting journey into the world of children modeling.

There are many ways to start. Searching Google for something like "children modeling" will give you thousands of companies that presumably want your child. Sounds good, doesn't it?! The market must be hot and your kid is almost a model,- all it takes is to call and make an appointment!

These companies will love you and your kid. Most of them would schedule an appointment within a very short time frame. You'll be treated very nice upon the arrival, - lots of compliments, smiles, etc.

They will show you many pictures of kids allegedly made models by them. Very interesting earning numbers will be casually mentioned. Pictures of kids that make these moneys will be shown. You might quickly realize that kid looks much more prettier, hence your chances are pretty high, right? They might give you a story how wonderful the life of a child model is, how nicely vendors treat their kids and that you'll have private "go sees" without having to wait in lines. This makes us laugh and we'll explain why later on. Keep reading.

We are not saying they are lying to you all the way. May be not. Kids do work as models and earn good money. It is not the point. The point is very simple. The business model of these agencies is very clever. Before your child starts making money though them, if ever, you will be charged initially and the fee will not be small. This way, even if your child never gets a job they still would make very good money off you and people like you.

You'll probably pay them around $400-$600+ for a photo shoot session with your kid and a book of pictures for you to take to the castings a.k.a. "go sees". They may charge additional fee for posting your child's picture on their website. You'll most likely will be offered to sign a contract on the spot. Be very careful with those contracts and never sign anything without having your lawyer review it first. Read it yourself as well as lawyers make mistakes and it is your child's career that may get screwed up.

At the end, you'll need to invest from $400 to $1000 to "make" you child a model with these agencies. Unfortunately, the money spent don't guarantee anything at all. The reason is simple. These companies make enough money on people like you to worry about actually doing any promotion of your child. You do have a chance to end up with a portfolio of beautiful pictures made by them. It is something but is this really your objective?

Is there any other way? Certainly. A very easy one, actually.

Facts that everyone needs to know about modeling agencies in New York.

1. Real agencies in NYC don't charge a single $ for the opportunity to submit your child's snapshot.

2. Please note - we are saying - a snapshot, not a modeling picture with a make-up, not a pretty picture taken in a studio either but a very plain snapshot of your kid. That's all it takes as modeling agencies don't like studio pictures to be submitted. All you need to send is a snapshot unless they specifically ask otherwise.

3. Usually real Modeling Agency will not make an appointment with you without seeing a snapshot of your child first.

4. If they call you for an appointment you will not be charged or offered any portfolio deals by the real agency. At least not until your child gets a few jobs done and they may see a benefit of making a portfolio for him or her. Some agencies might pay for it, some will ask you to pay but your child would be a working model by then. Nothing wrong in taking some of the earning and investing them into the further career advancement.

5. Real modeling agencies don't work with brokers mentioned above. All the stories your hear about such relationships are pure lies.

6. Top modeling agencies need new kids but they don't charge you for doing business with them. They charge clients that hire their models and then take a percentage from that amount before paying you for the work done.

7. Last, but not the least, real modeling agencies will not guarantee work for your child, promise any special treatments when it comes to "go sees" or jobs. Unless it is a requested "go see" specifically set up for your child, you will be standing in line with everyone else.

You know what a modeling agency is but how do you get to it?

1. Search the web for Ford Modeling, Wilhelmina, Product, GenerationMM - top NYC modeling agencies and find out their submission requirements. Most of them will require just a few snapshots of your child, preferably standing, dressed, with full body visible, stamped envelope with agency's address, a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want a rejection reply in writing and your pictures back. Don't forget to write on the back of each photo child's name, height, weight, date of birth and your contact information.

2. Take a few snapshots of your kid or let us do it for free. Read on as to why we are willing to take free snapshots of your kid at no charge.

3. Send the snapshots to each agency as per requirements listed on their sites. Don't hesitate to call them if you can't find these requirements. They will tell you their preferred way of submitting pictures to them. An email might be an option.

5. Wait for their feedback. You will either receive your pictures back or if they like your child - they will call you for an appointment.

That's all there is to it. An investment of less than $20 on postage and prints, very little time spent and no involvement with questionable brokers. Great savings of your hard earned money and time.

What to do in case of rejection by children modeling agencies.

1. Don't get frustrated. You must not. It is a process, that's all. The letter you received probably suggested to try again later. They actually mean it. Kids grow and change a lot within months and agencies always look for new faces.

2. Take new snapshots with another haircut may be or a different angle or choice of clothes (make it plain though) and try sending these letters again in a month or so. Keep trying, you never know. We know parents who's persistency paid off. Our daughter was rejected by all the agencies but one. That's all it takes to get in the business!

Always remember. If your goal is to make your child a model never give up and keep trying as the industry needs different looks and there are opportunities for everyone.

The Success. How to deal with it and what to expect.

1. If your child is accepted by a modeling agency, how fast things will become busy depends on luck and your willingness to attend lots of "go sees".

2. If your child is accepted by several agencies and you have hard time to decide which one to choose, - we can suggest based on our experience with them. However, the decision is totally yours. Make sure that you don't work with several of modeling agencies at the same time. There is very little benefit in it and consequences can be very bad for you.

3. Be prepared to get very short notice calls from the agency about next day jobs or "go sees". Sometimes they can call at 5PM or even later in the day but normally there is enough time to re-schedule your plans.

4. In the beginning of your child's career, you may go for a lot of "go sees" and they would not seem to work out. It is very important not to get discouraged and skip on the "go sees" because most companies keep the snapshots "on file" for a long time and you may get called for work later on.

5. You will need to learn to drive through Manhattan's "jungles" and get used to paying $25+/hr for parking fees. Pretty soon you'll know all the best parking spaces in downtown and midtown areas.

6. If you get vacations days at work, you'll probably be taking them for going to work with your child.

Children Modeling. Is it worth the effort?.

Is it worth it? It depends on your objective. We've seen parents who do nothing but this work with their kids. Most children love doing modeling as this is fun for them. At the same time it is also very hard work believe it or not. As a result, children learn how to be responsible, work in a team environment and control their emotions.

Of course there is a monetary factor present as well. Most of the parents we know never tell their children that they are earning anything. The rationale is not to hide the earnings from them but to concentrate on the fun and creative aspects of this work.

One boy's father once told us that even kids grand-mother and uncle don't know that his 6 year old son works in modeling for 4 years. We find it to be a bit of a stretch but everyone is different.

It is up to you how you want to handle this issue with your children. We are just commenting on what we see around us.

The pay for children modeling ranges from $50 to $150-250 an hour. You may also get paid by day, which is usually starts from $500-$600. Everyone is different, don't quote these numbers, please. You may be paid much higher or lower rates depending on specifics of the job. The agency takes 20%. The longer your child is doing it the more s/he becomes known and eventually rates will go higher, "go sees" will get more and more targeted to your child's profile and you'll be called a lot more often just to come to work without any "go sees".

Sometimes you'll get very nice jobs in terms of both money and general interest. You can get on a paid cruise or ski resort with your child for a few days of shooting and get paid $600-$1000+ per day. There are TV commercials that pay a lot better than fashion modeling and other very sweet offers that can come your way. But mostly it would be a routine $100-$150/hr work unless your child will become a super model who works on very highly paid contracts all the time.

Free snapshots by D&G Photostudio . Why are we doing it and what's the "catch".

So now that you know the deal, you may ask what's there in it for us to tell you all the "trade" secrets of children modeling business. The answer is rather simple. We have placed about dozen kids into modeling through the top modeling agencies in New York. Some children have quit because their parents can't handle the load, some still do it and quite successfully. Both of our children work on a regular basis which keeps grandma extremely happy and busy.

We also hate the industry of lies and deceits that has grown so big charging hopeful parents crazy amounts of money by selling fake promises that there seem to be no way to stop it. This is our attempt to shed some light on this industry and making you aware of it. It is your choice to use it or not.

Finally, we enjoy the process. We love to see our kids on cover pages, on the web, on huge posters of Macy's and other big name stores. It makes us feel good and allows us to establish solid relationship with our local community as well as an opportunity to meet new people, learn of what they do and show them what we can do. Networking is very important in our business and we are glad to expand our reach into various directions.

We also know how to take those snapshots in a way that modeling agencies like. We have personal relationships with some of the modeling agencies but it doesn't guarantee anything except that we'll get a response much faster and you'll save a few dollars on postage and prints because we email our submissions to them directly. There is no way we can influence their decisions.

Again, a snapshot for modeling agency with us will not cost you anything. Not a single dollar unless you want these pictures for yourself. In that case you can buy them at our low prices. Otherwise, you don't have to pay a penny. Please note that we only do this with kids that, in our opinion, have modeling potential but even if we say no, don't get discouraged, you can always try yourself, we just showed you how.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article on children modeling and learned some useful information.

Call us to schedule your free appointment for your free child modeling snapshot at 1.845.725.7865 or just email us for more information info@dgphotostudio.com

Please read about modeling scams from below online resources prior to making any commitments:

Learn about modeling scams from ModelingAdvice.com

Very thorough resource on modeling scams by ModelingScams.org

An extensive article with real life examples by the Crimes of Persuasion

A useful guide to modeling by InstantCast.

Avoid Modeling Scams by Valencia Higuera