[mehndi mama]

Does anyone here know of any kids who have gone through their training program for preteens?

Amber (10yo) and I went to an information seminar and interview today, and we find out if she's been accepted into the program tomorrow. Trouble is, in order for her to be considered "agency ready" (i.e. knowlegable enough to be hired for jobs), she needs training. That's the only part that costs us money outright (aside from any travelling we may have to do), but it's pricey - around $2000.

This is something Amber REALLY wants to do.....but I'm just wondering how many of their students actually get placed in jobs after completing training. I'll be calling the agency tomorrow to ask for stats, but I figured I'd ask around, too.

 

[Roar]

This might help: http://www.modelingscams.org/modelingschools.html

If you put Barbizon modeling scam into Google you'll get lots more.

 

[Smalls181]

My cousin actually went through them. You can google search her name, Lauren Storm. She is doing pretty good for herself these days.

 

[darsmama]

I knew a beautiful, talented girl who was told that if she could lose 20 pounds she might be able to get more jobs.

She was 120 pounds and 5'9.

Her parents pulled her out of the school after that.

 

[CrunchyGranolaMom]

Please, please, please save your money. Barbizon (and any other modeling school, for that matter) is a complete waste of money. I worked for over a decade as a professional model, and, believe me, I know what I am talking about.

There is NEVER a reason to shell out $2000 for classes. Almost all modeling training happens "on the job".

You might want to join the free forums at www.models.com and ask there about legit agencies in your area.

How tall is your daughter? (also, how tall are you and her dad? b/c if she's not going to be 5'9" or more, it's unlikely that fashion work will ever come her way). She's young, so she could audition for teen ads and commercials, but only if you find a legit agency.

Please put your $2k into her college fund!

 

[mehndi mama]

She's likely to be tall, but probably not 5'9". What she REALLY wants to do is ad modelling and TV acting.

We will definitely be saving our money, and I'll work at finding a reputable agency. She's such a cute kid, with her red curly hair and bouncy attitude....she's likely to find something!

 

[MillingNome]

If she really wants to do it, I would recommend using money for head shots and comp cards. Send them out our local modeling agencies. If they like the looks of the headshot or comp, they'll call her in for an interview. If that goes well and they think she is marketable (their word, not mine), they will list her. If she gets any jobs through them, they will take a percent of her pay. It should cost nothing except the cost of the pics and if you choose a weblisting. Also, if she wants to do some acting, check out some of the local theaters in your area, if there are any. One of the tricky things about modeling and acting is to get the first gig. To get the first gig, most places want you to have experience. Speaking from experience, it can be fun but it has to be the right kind of kid. Dd really wanted to do it too. She was in a short film (christian based), a funny skit for Wazoo (public tv access) and in a couple plays. Your newspaper might have listing for auditions too. Per

Every once in awhile we'll get a call about an audition. Life is too busy right now to go all over the place for deadend go-sees and there are alot of them. Something else they don't tell- lots of driving, waiting and then they look at the kid for a minute only to not get called back. But if it's audition she wants to try for and there is time, I'll drive her. The other thing to know about is how often your kid, however cute and talented, is going to be told they are not what they are looking for. I personally couldn't take that kind of rejection over and over. Dd has thicker skin and good understanding of how that industry works. Still, there is some sting. Make sure your dd is prepared for that.

I am a little thankful dd doesn't want to do it as much anymore, to be truthful. I have mixed feeling about advertising. That said, I think stage acting is great for the mind and body. And there is good that can come from film/shows that tell stories to feed the imagination

 

[babycatcher01]

I know about this all to well. I went through John Casablancas, kinda like Barbizon. I was 14 and 5'10 and well they were all more the happy to have me(and my parents money). It was a good to learn how to take care of myself , learn to put makeup on the right way and dress to my figure(back then

) I had a few jobs living in Detroit, mainly for Pennys, Sears, stuff like that. But as I got to be 16 around 1999 there was alot of pressure to start to be "thin" and I caved, got kinda ugly. I was glad for the confidence it taught me, walking tall and being personable, but there is a time that comes when you have to make up your mind if that is life you want to lead and the work gets harder and so do the critics. I took what I wanted from them and left the bad behind.

An over all good time but I wouldnt put my daughter through it, I would send money on a horse or music, something that will always make her feel good.

 

[CrunchyGranolaMom]

You got some very good advice from "thesmilingone"

, but I would just like to disagree with spending $ now on pro photos. A good agency will direct you to a list of good photogs (bad agencies will tell you they only use one [the one who gives them a kick-back....but I digress!]).

Anyway, agencies, esp. ones that deal with kids, are totally able to tell if your child has potential just from seeing snap shots that you have taken. You will need to shell out some money, but not $2k and not anything before your daughter is accepted by an agency.

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[ThreeBeans]

If you have to pay money to an agency, it's a scam. THEY pay YOU.

 

[Ruthe]

I actually worked as a receptionist at a Barbizon school. Everyone gets accepted. We sent out mass mailings telling girls they had been referred to us (I think we got the mailing list from publishers of tean magazines like Young Miss.) You don't get much for your money, in my opinion, but a highly motivated go-getter could use it as a very first baby step into modeling. I went through the program at 16, and the only jobs I remember getting were jobs I found for myself. I only knew how to look for them because I had gotten some tips from the instructors about that, but that was mostly from side conversations, not the actual program. But heck, I made pretty good money there when I became the receptionist.

 

[mehndi mama]

I'm pretty confident in my photographic ability - I take my kids' portraits every year, rather than paying for school photos and the like. I figure, if people ask me where I had my kids' pictures done, they must be pretty OK

Here's Amber

 

[BelovedK]

She's beautiful

 

[ShabbyChic]

My son models. Never at anytime should you pay ANYONE in the modeling industry. A reputable agency will sign her if they deem appropriate and also pay for professional photographs. We have only ever made money, never paid money. PM me if you would like.

 

[MillingNome]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mehndi mama I'm pretty confident in my photographic ability - I take my kids' portraits every year, rather than paying for school photos and the like. I figure, if people ask me where I had my kids' pictures done, they must be pretty OK Here's Amber

She is adorable! And I love all that red hair. If you do plan on taking her pics, try looking at what passes for headshots and comp card pics. The pic of her would probably work out on a comp and maybe with a tighter crop around her face, it could also work as a headshot. Just do a google for examples.

 

[Individuation]

Mehndimama, I used to work as a model at your daughter's age--although I ended up WAY too short for grown-up modeling. I was also an actress for a few years and did theater and independent film here and in LA. I occasionally work as a monologue/audition coach nowadays. If you want, PM me and I'd be happy to give you all the tips I know--my father was an actor (fairly well-known in his time) and I know a great deal about the business. I'm glad you're so supportive of her desire to do this.

 

[mehndi mama]

Thank you all so much for the wealth of information! I'm sure I'll have questions along the way, so it's nice to have a potential network of helpful people in-the-know

First question: Is there a National or Regional listing of actual licensed agents? I'm having a hard time finding who I need to contact! It's difficult to know who is legit, and who is running internet photo-listing scams without looking them all up, checking them all out, calling the ones you can't find online....

 

[hanno]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mehndi mama I'm pretty confident in my photographic ability - I take my kids' portraits every year, rather than paying for school photos and the like. I figure, if people ask me where I had my kids' pictures done, they must be pretty OK Here's Amber

You can see in her eyes that she would be WONDERFUL in theater!