Questions to Ask Modeling Agencies

The questions

Open any question to see why it works.

1. 1

   Which markets do you place people in, and which one do you see me working in?

   Agencies specialise by market and by category, whether that is commercial, editorial, fitness, parts or catalogue. An agency that names your category and the cities it books in is describing a plan. One that says you could do anything has not thought about where the money would come from.

2. 2

   Are you a mother agency, a booking agency, or a management company?

   A mother agency develops you and places you with agencies in other cities, taking a cut of what those agencies pay. A booking agency finds you work directly. Management companies often sit outside talent agency licensing rules entirely. The label changes the whole contract you are about to be offered.

3. 3

   Are you licensed where you operate, and can I see it?

   Many places license talent agencies and cap fees. An agency that produces the license instantly has answered a background question about how carefully it runs. One that explains why licensing does not apply to it has told you which rules it is standing outside.

4. 4

   Is this exclusive, and exclusive where?

   Exclusivity can be citywide, countrywide, worldwide, or limited to one category of work. Worldwide exclusivity with one small agency is the single most common way new models spend two years unable to accept work from anyone else.

5. 5

   What is your commission from me, and what do you charge the client on top?

   Both numbers exist. Agencies typically take a percentage from the model and add a service fee for the client, and only the first affects what lands in your account. Ask whether commission is taken from the gross booking or after usage fees and expenses come out.

6. 6

   Do I owe you anything before I have earned anything?

   The most useful sentence in the meeting. Agencies on commission earn when you do. Charges for classes, screen tests, registration or a portfolio package earn whether you ever work or not, and this holds regardless of how the charge is described.

7. 7

   Who pays for test shoots, and who owns the images afterwards?

   Test shoots are often billed to the model or deducted from future earnings, and the images may belong to the photographer or the agency. Ask whether you can use them if you leave, since a book you cannot take with you means starting again from nothing.

8. 8

   How long is the term, and does it renew automatically?

   Automatic renewal with a narrow cancellation window is the clause that quietly extends a two-year contract into six. Find the exact notice period, in writing, and note it in a calendar the day you sign anything.

9. 9

   How do I leave, and what happens to my images and my clients if I do?

   Ask about the exit before you are inside it. Look for whether the agency continues to take commission on clients you met through them after you leave, and for how long, since that clause can follow you into your next agency.

10. 10

    Who would be my booker, and how many people do they look after?

    You are hired by the agency and worked by one person. A booker carrying a hundred people cannot advocate for you. Ask to meet them rather than the person who scouted you, since those are usually different jobs with different incentives.

11. 11

    How many people do you currently represent in my category?

    Too few and they have no relationships with the clients who book that category. Too many and you are competing with the board for the same castings. Ask how many of that group worked in the last three months, which is the number that matters.

12. 12

    Which of your models are working right now, and where can I see the work?

    Named people and current campaigns can be checked in an afternoon. An agency leaning on one booking from several years ago, or describing clients only by category, is showing you the ceiling rather than the floor.

13. 13

    If you place me abroad, who takes commission and what is the total once everyone has taken a cut?

    Mother agency plus local agency can stack to a much larger share than either quotes on its own. Ask for the combined figure on a hypothetical booking, and ask who advances the airfare and visa costs and how they are recovered.

14. 14

    How does model housing work, what does it cost, and is it optional?

    Agency apartments are often charged at a rate well above market and deducted from earnings before you see them. Ask for the weekly figure, how many people share a room, and whether you may live elsewhere without affecting how you are booked.

15. 15

    How long after a job do I get paid, and who chases the client?

    Payment terms in this industry commonly run months rather than weeks. Ask what happens when a client pays late or not at all, whether the agency pays you regardless, and whether they charge a fee to advance your own money to you.

16. 16

    What gets deducted before I see anything, and can I see a sample statement?

    A blank or sample statement shows you the real shape of the deal: commission, tests, courier costs, portfolio prints, housing, travel. Agencies that will not show you one are hiding the length of the list rather than the size of any single item.

17. 17

    Realistically, how many days of work does someone at my level book in a first year here?

    You want a range and the reasoning behind it. An agency that gives you a sober number is worth more than one that gives you a story. Ask what the median looks like rather than the best case, because the best case is a person, not a plan.

18. 18

    Is there anything about my appearance you would want changed, and would it be a condition?

    Requests about hair, weight or teeth do get made. Asking whether it is a condition rather than a suggestion forces clarity, and the answer belongs in the conversation before signing rather than three months in. Anything about weight deserves a great deal of thought and outside advice.

19. 19

    What is your policy on nudity, lingerie and content I can refuse?

    Ask how refusals are recorded, whether they are on file with the agency, and what happens if a client asks on the day for something not agreed in advance. An agency that treats the answer as routine has handled it before. One that treats it as an obstacle has told you how it will handle you.

20. 20

    Can I speak to two models you represent now, and one who has left?

    The last part is the request that separates agencies. Current models will be selected for you, and a former model will tell you how the exit went, whether the final payments arrived, and what the contract felt like from the inside.