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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

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Original poster

Modelling contract for 16 yr old - any experiences?

18 replies

Lauren850 · 02/09/2019 21:21

Dd got scouted at Reading and has been offered a contract today - exciting for her but i am nervous. On the one hand maybe nothing will happen and she'll be terribly disappointed, on the other she could get completely caught up in a world that stops her focusing on A levels! Although they said they would respect the school wk. Any experiences? Also what to look out for in the contract (not yet signed)?

OP posts:

danceswithdeath · 02/09/2019 21:27

My son is a model, but he is 7.

Please don't pay a penny if they ask on signing up. May I ask what the agency are called?

SE13Mummy · 02/09/2019 21:28

That sounds exciting! The most important thing at this stage will be to check that the agency is reputable - there are lots of Facebook groups that list reputable agencies so you might want to join one of those or maybe name the agency here and hope someone can confirm.

danceswithdeath · 02/09/2019 21:33

No agency who are reputable will ask for a fee to join. Nor will they want professional photos of your child. They make their money by taking a percentage from what the child earns.

My son is with Grace and Galor.

Bruce and Brown and Kids London are two other reputable agencies.

Original poster

Lauren850 · 02/09/2019 21:53

Thanks that's helpful! They're quite big i think, have googled and they have major clients like asos, zara, river island etc . No fee, though they mentioned getting her book done once the contract is signed - some of the photographers they use charge say £150 but some are free...sounded like i could say no to paying or choose to?. They charge 22% of her earnings- is that normal? And suggested she could thousands for a single job! I really dont want to be a gullible fool!

OP posts:

danceswithdeath · 02/09/2019 21:56

Have they any social media accounts?

My sons agency take 25%.

He earns a day rate of around £750.

danceswithdeath · 02/09/2019 21:57

My sons agency say they don't need professional photos done, they took photos from me from my iPhone!

Then obviously the jobs he then got, the photos from that went on his card.

KatyMac · 02/09/2019 22:00

Do be careful - DD was 'scouted' on an almost weekly

Lots involved a 'make-over' a Photoshop then a hardsell for the photos - we only fell for it once

Any money upfront and walk away very very fast there are agencies and there are portals who take a fee put them online and that is it

DD now models and has an agency but it's very risky

Original poster

Lauren850 · 02/09/2019 22:09

Thanks Katy this is exactly the kind of thing I'm worried about. Did they ask for money before giving you a contract? We've been given a 20 page doc which I'm trying to understand! There's nothing in there about any payment to get started though loads about how payments work if ahe gets jobs.

OP posts:

MyDcAreMarvel · 02/09/2019 22:11

No agency who are reputable will ask for a fee to join
That’s no true some top sole child agencies. charge.

MyDcAreMarvel · 02/09/2019 22:11

Op my dd is a model, what agency is it?

Pinkyyy · 02/09/2019 22:12

The fact that they've even mentioned you paying for photos is a huge red flag. Sounds like a scam sadly, very common.

Original poster

Lauren850 · 02/09/2019 22:35

Yeah I wondered about that. They did say it was up to us though so i'll stick to saying i can't afford to pay for pics and see what happens. So in an ideal situation the book is completely funded by the agency?
They did seem genuinely excited about signing her and we saw other girls being sent away.

OP posts:

Praminthehall · 02/09/2019 22:36

My daughter signed to a well known agency at 17 and so I had to sign the contract. It was really long and a bit hair raising - I showed it to a lawyer who said it was generally par for the course. No money involved however there were quite a lot of shoots ‘to get images for her book’ and unpaid editorial stuff in the early stages, to generate pictures and exposure. It definitely felt a bit exploitative at times (as in: it was more for the benefit of the photographer / project rather than her). She didn’t have any dodgy experiences fortunately but these are rife and I would accompany your daughter to shoots if I were you ...

Praminthehall · 02/09/2019 22:38

Sorry I forgot - she did have to pay for some high quality digital images. This was kosher and while I don’t love the agency (neither does she) this was not a rip off.

Original poster

Lauren850 · 02/09/2019 22:51

That's really helpful Pram, I've just done a but of googling that says similar - also explained the choice we were told about of free pics (from new photographers looking to build up their portfolio) and experienced people who charge.

OP posts:

KatyMac · 02/09/2019 23:00

One of them yes - but it was more of a portal type thing

Equity have said that if she signed a contract that was unequal and we ever challeneged it then in genral law the courts would side on the 'under-dogs' side or what was 'normal for the industry' which gave us some confidence

But it's scary, not knowing who to trust

We found a mentor at a photgraphc studio who helped us in the end

Sagradafamiliar · 02/09/2019 23:03

You haven't named the agency.

danceswithdeath · 02/09/2019 23:39

I would suggest that if this is something your daughter would like to do, then to contact some agencies that you know are 100% reputable.

All I had to do was send in a head shot and a full body shot of my son, along with measurements!

His contract wasn't long either and quite straight forward.

Also re paying; I am only going from what the three top child agencies have told me. And that is never to pay for photos! If they want you, and they think you'll make them money, that's all it is!

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