Acting representation, either by a manager or talent agency, is usually always for children age five and over.

You can absolutely send pictures into agencies for consideration that are not professional, but you will have an edge if you send in an 8X10 headshot.  THESE DO NOT HAVE TO BE PROFESSIONAL!!!

You can take the picture on your own, and as long as it’s close-up, in focus and shows personality along with what the child looks like, you can make an 8X10 on your own with an inexpensive company like this one:

ADVANCED PHOTO LAB

I used them myself – the results are at the top of this post!!  That’s my daughter, who just got representation.

They are quick, inexpensive and the paper is good quality.

A lot of the questions I receive are very much like this one – where do you begin?

Well, it depends on a variety of things: your child’s age, where you live, etc. but the best place to start is your local area – besides TheCuteKid website, of course!

To procure agency/manager representation, you really have to live in the area (or about an hour away) in which you would be going on appointments with your child, or be willing to move immediately to where you send their pictures.

The talent agencies normally do not represent children under the age of 4 – there is no getting around that, it is a standard industry rule. I had to wait like everyone else – don’t you think I was DYING to get my twins representation before the age of 4 for acting? Absolutely! But I to had to wait, even though I live in the NYC area and have a ton of resources because of the location.

So if your child is younger than 4, you should focus on the modeling end of things for now - and whatever open calls you see from TheCuteKid website. Google “model agency your town” and start researching! Call the agencies you find, and ask questions – is there a fee to join, do they have a children’s division, where can you send your pictures?

The modeling and acting industries are hard WORK – and once you get representation, it’s even more work going on all of the auditions, callbacks and the preparation it takes. The “overnight success” phrase is a myth, spun by the media to make celebrities seem all that more intriguing.

If your child is older than 4 and you want to get them into acting, then you should start having them participate in school plays, acting camp, workshops for kids and that type of thing. Acting takes more of an investment at first than modeling does – you can get away with sending in casual snapshots to a modeling agency (even after joining the agency you can use use non-professional pictures depending on their age), but after a child is past a certain age for acting you will be looking into getting a profesesional head shot, resume, etc.

I hope this helps, the fact that you are reading this shows that you are moving in the right direction! Learn, learn, learn – knowledge is power in this industry to avoid falling into the hands of the wrong people.

Do your research!!

Find out if your state requires modeling agencies to have a license, and if they do, ask to see it.

Also, go on the Better Business Bureau website to see if there are any complaints, as well as the Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Finally, if they are trying to charge you an upfront fee, that should be the biggest warning sign.

Has anyone ever had a bad experience with a company? Or a question about a company that claims to be legitimate, but something just doesn’t seem right?

Age 4 is generaly the age to start looking for representation in acting, but do realize that some “talent” agencies have a print modeling division to!  Which means that they may take children under 4 in that agency for modeling.  It’s best to check-out their website or call the receptionist for a complete list of divisions before you start sending in your pictures.

Gilla Roos is a reputable model and talent agency in New York City where you can submit pictures through their website (but just make sure you live close enough to the city to go on appointments!): www.gillaroos.com

And LA Models is a great one in California: www.lamodels.com – but you have to send in your pictures by postal mail.

Good luck!  Would love to hear some success stories along the way!!!

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to my blog!!

The purpose of this blog is to connect people on this site to each other and myself!

There is SO much to learn about the modeling industry, and hopefully I can help you.  Please post questions for me, or comment on other people’s posts — it doesn’t matter.  What does matter is that we all stay connected and try to learn as much as possible from each other!!

So, who wants to start?  Does anyone have a question about anything related to modeling?  ASK AWAY!!!!