Baby/child modelling

[roomster]

Hi

I have applied with a few agencies for my boys aged 9 months and 3. So far Bizzykidz and Models Direct want them to join (I AM NOW AWARE OF THE LATTER BEING A SCAM SO WILL DEFO NOT USE THEM.

Also Rascals want us to meet them for an assessment. It has only been a few days so im hoping if any others near London want to meet i can do same day.

Anyone had any experience with these?

Unfortunatly it appears that with very reputable agencies you have to live within 1 hour of London, we are around 2 : (

Many thanks

[VHG]

Be carful of anyone who wants you to pay money up front.

Many of these companies take money up front to find you work and you never hear from them again.

A search on "BizzyKidz" finds quite a few people who say they paid money to them (over £100) and never heard anything and they never got any work.

If you pay money up front you are likely to never see it again, or to get any work.

[k8bailey]

be v. careful. Models Direct take everyone on ( I found this out the hard way) they want money up front....definite no-no. Anyone reputable won't want money from you or expensive portfolio shots.

[ummmm]

Why? Why would you put your children through that?

[roomster]

Ummm why answer a question with a question?!

Thanks for other answers, as i said will defo avoid Models direct. Anyone worked with any other agencies?

[k8bailey]

Sorry I can't help with a list of reputable agencies - when my 3 yr old was about one, we kept being told by friends, family and total strangers that she was really stand out gorgeous and as she had confidence, we decided that maybe she could do some modelling - didn't do my research v.well and joined Models Direct (managed to cancel and get my money back luckily!)

After this experience, I contacted some of the more reputable places, but i forget who now - two of them wanted her to 'audition'. After doing a bit more research we decided not to bother because:
-there would be lots of travel involved, if you're not in London.
-you may not get much notice....difficult if you work.
-the pay is not that good anyway, so the amount it would have cost us in travel, we may aswell have just put that into her bank account!

also, it is now my opinion that children this age should be busy having fun, not working....although oviously someone has to do it!

I'm sorry If I sound like the voice of doom and gloom, and I'm certainly not trying to tell you how to raise your kids, it's just that I found out some of this the hard way! :(

[leatrix]

Urban Angels are a good company to go with, they are quite tough with applicants but are a know good company, although i think the London branch is probably better than the newer Northern one. Also try Bruce & Brown, which is extremely highly thought of too.

The *best* agent i ever used was Stagecoach, i don't know if your little ones attend a stagecoach theatre school, but if they do i'd almost certainly sign up for their agency. The best thing about them is they don't solely rely on looks alone; if you think your boys are little thesps, they allow them to grow and take LAMDA certificates throughout their time with SC.

The downside is, it is expensive taking them there, but it could be arguing that child modelling costs a lot too (you'll truly struggle to get an agent who doesn't charge, whatever the rights and wrongs are). The upside is, my son whose now 15, has a raft of LAMDA qualifications he can put towards his CV and also has been lucky enough to work on several occasions for the Beeb and loads of clothes companies too.

Good Luck and remember at the end of the day, just because your with an agency it doesn't guarantee work, mostly if you go for a casting and your child doesn't get the job, it just means they didn't entirely fit the casting directors brief.

Its good fun and whatever any says, if the kids enjoy themselves, they do get a small savings fund for when they're older and it does encourage them to be outgoing too.

:)

[boxtops]

Roomster, your children are too little to be able to say whether they actually WANT to do this. I'm not entirely anti, but kids should be playing and messing about. I take leatrix' point about LAMDA, but would the boy have wanted to go on the stage if he hadn't been steered down this pathway?

Some of the youngsters I have known who have modelled have become obsessed with their appearances and weight, in order to fit what the agencies want - for that reason, I don't think that this is a good idea.

[leatrix]

@boxtops - good point, but just to let you know, my son, now 15 years old, still enjoys doing his LAMDA's and doing theatre at school, but that hasn't mean't he's going onto become a thespian. Also he's never been involved in drugs or unhealthy weight issues either. In fact quite the opposite, he went from a quiet shy child, and blossomed into a teenager, who is now studying for a career in medicine.

I think the trick is in knowing your child. Some children may feel they've been forced them into sports they didn't want to do? Others may thoroughly enjoy the whole experience. But until they're given an opportunity to try it out, they'll never know. It's all about moderation. If my son, at the tender age of 6 had said 'Mum i don't want to do this' or even if he didn't fancy going for a couple of weeks, i would have taken this as a sign he didn't want to do it and leave it be. You're not signing your children up to years of slave labour afterall.