Child Modeling

[gconleight]

Does anyone have any knowledge of and experience with the child modelling agency BizzyKidz? My LO has been accepted on to their books and they want to meet him in person at their HQ. They do charge a one off admin fee of £190 to keep him on their books until he is 16 (or leaves). I have done some research and from what I have seen there are mixed reviews i.e some children have had lots of jobs and others not so much) but they do seem to be a legitimate agency and not a scam one. If you have experience do you think it is worth it?

It’s legitimate but a large agency so lots of internal competition for casting/jobs.

@Rainbowturkey thanks for this. Does this come from experience with your children at this agency? Its really hard to decide what to do as I have been told not to pay any agency but I know some of them do charge and others charge for this that and the other further down the line. I haven't exactly got a money tree either lol.

I was really excited when my DD and 2 nieces were accepted by BizzyKidz, a couple of years ago. Me & my sister decided not to go ahead with it after reading threads about never paying any money upfront. Although, BizzyKidz says it’s a one-off, it covers them to 16 etc. Why should you need to pay anything at all before the child has had their first job. It seems like they’re happy enough to take parents money and if the child isn’t successful(which is likely), they’re £190 up (consultation prize... your child remains on their books until 16, maybe never getting a job) if they are successful even better. If your child was scouted by a top modelling agency, they wouldn’t be asking you for a fee upfront.

I paid a small fee, £10 maybe, to few current jobs (once DD was accepted) and it was really specific requests such as ‘white girl, age 9-11, between 4’10-5’2, auburn hair, freckles preferred, bilingual - English must be first language’ and so on. Obviously not all adds would be this specific but a lot were like this.

They let you use your own photos but then you’re up against people you’ve used their services, to get a professional portfolio so you feel compelled to also. Even if your child is picked to audition so there’s no guarantee your child will get the job.

I suppose it depends on whether £190 means much to you -If you DC is confident with other adults and likes have pictures taken then you’ve got nothing lose.

Apologies for spelling/grammar on my phone. *consolation

They accept everyone wise up.

I dont have experience of Bizzykidz however child modelling is not at all like adult modelling. You don't have to be beautiful in fact often the quirky looking children get more work.

As such they do pretty much accept anyone. You need to be willing to take them out of school at very short notice and travel around a lot. Auditions and castings tend to be mainly in Manchester or London. It is not even vaguely compatible with a two working parent family. It doesn't typically pay that well eg being an extra on a tv show you could often be looking at around £40 a day (less agent's commission). However if your child ended up with a main role in a big tv commercial you could of course earn very well out of it.

Brief will be something like
"boy 8-9 shoulder length brown hair brown eyes under 4'2", freckles slim build." So fairly specific. Those are actually the better ones to bother with since there is likely to be a smaller group of children at the casting. The ones where it says "boys and girls 8-12" will be packed full of all sorts.

A question for those who have joined BizzyKidz. Did your child get any castings/jobs having only paid the £190? Did you pay for the optional extras to enhance their profile? And if you did then did you see a significant difference in the number of castings?

gconleight the agent will push forward the children most likely to get the work (so they can get their commission) so an enhanced profile etc shouldn’t make any difference.

In my experience a small number of children get the majority of the jobs.

www.juniormagazine.co.uk/child-modelling/10-of-the-best-child-model-agencies/1645.html A list of some good agencies which are selective in the children they take.

My DS does child modelling and has been for a while. He's with Urban Angels...work is few and far between to be honest.

Hello Everyone,
I have tried to create a new thread because this one was created through years ago but for some reason it does not allow me too.

I just wanted to ask has anyone got any recommendations on top agencies for kids that are good to join please? Without heavy payments up front and with less children on the books with more of a chance of selection?

Babymodels UK are a scam, they sent several emails enticing me to join and when I did join they suggested that I do a portfolio so that my daughter be part of the A-list group of babies. The portfolio was extremely expensive, the website 'member area' was never updated with jobs the staff over the phone appeared to be clueless and I was never called or messaged about any castings let a lone landing a job. A complete waste of time and money. Parents stay away from this agency!