So a few weeks ago, we met with Shawna, the owner and lead agent at the CleKidz Model & Talent Group, to talk contracts, expectations, etc. After reviewing everything and asking a few questions, we took a day or two to really think about it because it really does involve commitment. Sometimes you only get 24-hours notice that your kids have been booked, and you can always turn down a job, but you turn down too many and then they don't bother to consider you at all. We basically decided that if it was within driving distance, it would be a reasonable request. Three major toy companies have offices within 30-45 minutes of us, and Zulily would be a quick day trip to Columbus if we're asked to do a shoot for them. So why not? So we signed the contracts and my kids officially became "models" with an agent. Scary stuff.
Next step was head shots. Shawna does photography as well, so she graciously offered to do head shots for free. So we met up with her a few days later to take pictures, and let me tell you ... THAT was an adventure and if it's any indication of what's to come, this should get interesting.
We decided to meet at a park so we could use the natural lighting, which means lots of distractions, both good and bad. In a stale studio setting, I'm not sure we would have had much cooperation since this is something that is pretty new to them. But on the other hand, being outside and getting them to focus is quite a challenge. B tried his darnedest to NOT smile. He'd be on the verge of breaking out into a huge grin but would just clench his cheeks as hard as he possibly could to avoid it at all costs. We finally resorted to pulling out Mickey Mouse and having him "tickle attack" Mommy, which made him pretty much lose it in hysterical laughing. Shawna managed to capture pretty much every one of B's moods, from being stubborn, to thinking everyone around him is completely crazy, to his sweet little nature, to laughing so hard I thought he was going to fall off the picnic table.
P on the other hand was even more of an adventure. That kid will NOT sit still for more than about 6 seconds before he's off and running. Pictures sitting on the picnic table turned into pictures she had to take while chasing him around the park. We haven't seen his shots yet, other than a few she showed me on the camera before we left the park, but she seemed to be pretty pleased with what she got and thinks that the toy companies will really be interested.
So we're off and running. B's photos are now up on the agency's web site, soon to be followed by P's. Now we sit back and wait. I don't know what to expect, and I'm going to try my hardest to not be disappointed if nothing comes out of this. Personally, I think I will deem this successful if we even only get one shoot out of all of this. And we haven't invested any money (no legit agency is going to ask you to pay them fees upfront - they should only get paid when YOU get paid), so we've got nothing to lose. So we'll chalk it up to an adventure and see what happens. Who knows - maybe you'll see my kid in an upcoming baby Gap and or maybe not.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Sunday, May 15, 2016
We're starting a new adventure!
We've always thought our kids were cute. Heck, what normal parent doesn't think their kids are the most adorable on the planet? But that doesn't necessarily mean that everyone else on the planet thinks your kids are as cute as you think they are. But there's something to think about when random strangers come up to you in the middle of the mall, or at Target, or at the zoo, or in a restaurant, to tell you how cute your kids are and ask if they are twins (we get that ALL. THE. TIME.). Our pediatrician, who for all intents and purposes is definitely not the warm and fuzzy kind, has actually commented about our "good looking boys" and said they should be Gerber kids. Okay, whatever ....
But then something happens that makes you think. Back in October, we had new family photos taken. We used the same photographer that we used the year before because we like her, she's reasonably priced, and she's really trying to get her feet into the photography business. We like her. She takes great photos of our kids, which is hard to do with toddlers who have the attention span and patience of a goldfish.
A few months later, I get a Facebook friend request from a young lady that I do not know. As usual, I take a look at her profile and our mutual friends, the only one of which is our family photographer. I message her to check her out and she says she doesn't know much about her but she follows her on Instagram. Seems harmless so I go ahead and accept her friend request and move on.
I soon discover that she runs a kids modeling agency here locally. Hmmm ... interesting. She runs a modeling agency and our only mutual friend is our family photographer, who conveniently had posted photos of my children on her Facebook page a few months prior. Wheels start spinning .... then she starts posting about needing more kids between the ages of 0-3 years to add to her roster .... wheels spin some more. After the second posting, we take it as a hint and decide to submit their photos through her website and see what happens.
Last week we attended an open house at her agency - not exactly what I expected but probably a good indication of the industry. It was two hours long. I was thinking that we would be there for the full time, some presentations about the agency and the industry, getting a chance to talk to her, take a few photos, etc. Nope - we were there for MAYBE 15 minutes. Entered the lobby, filled out paperwork, attached their photos to the forms, went upstairs, walked up to a table in the hall where they were sitting, had about 3 minutes where she asked how long we had been interested in modelling, handed us a brochure and out the door we went. How did the boys do? B hid behind his dad's leg and refused to look at them, and P refused to let go of his basketball. Not high hopes.
The following night, we got our first Chuck E. Cheese experience at a birthday party for one of B's preschool classmates, and when we got home, I posted some videos. The following morning, the young lady from the agency "liked" one of them and commented about how much she loved those two little boys. I thanked her and told her it was nice meeting her on Saturday and she responded that she would certainly be in touch towards the end of the week.
Today we met with her to go over the actual contract, the agency, and basically how things work. There were 10 other kids in the room with us - out of two hours of who knows how many kids stepping in front of that table, we were in the 12 that ultimately got picked, bringing her agency roster to 60 kids. I have to admit I'm a bit freaked out. We really have no idea what we're getting ourselves into. Most of her work is local, but she does book things throughout the Midwest - Detroit, Chicago, Minnesota, Wisconsin - which I'm guessing are probably more acting gigs and not something like $125/hour photo shoots. And in some cases, we may only get 24 hours notice. But we'll see how it goes. It may end up being that someone only wants our kid(s) every other month and we never venture out of Northeast Ohio. Or it may be that we're having to turn things down because we get two days notice that they want us in Minneapolis, and that's just not feasible for us on a normal day. We'll jump in, get our feet wet, and maybe sometime over the next few months, you'll see my boys in the next ad for baby Gap :-).
But then something happens that makes you think. Back in October, we had new family photos taken. We used the same photographer that we used the year before because we like her, she's reasonably priced, and she's really trying to get her feet into the photography business. We like her. She takes great photos of our kids, which is hard to do with toddlers who have the attention span and patience of a goldfish.
A few months later, I get a Facebook friend request from a young lady that I do not know. As usual, I take a look at her profile and our mutual friends, the only one of which is our family photographer. I message her to check her out and she says she doesn't know much about her but she follows her on Instagram. Seems harmless so I go ahead and accept her friend request and move on.
I soon discover that she runs a kids modeling agency here locally. Hmmm ... interesting. She runs a modeling agency and our only mutual friend is our family photographer, who conveniently had posted photos of my children on her Facebook page a few months prior. Wheels start spinning .... then she starts posting about needing more kids between the ages of 0-3 years to add to her roster .... wheels spin some more. After the second posting, we take it as a hint and decide to submit their photos through her website and see what happens.
Last week we attended an open house at her agency - not exactly what I expected but probably a good indication of the industry. It was two hours long. I was thinking that we would be there for the full time, some presentations about the agency and the industry, getting a chance to talk to her, take a few photos, etc. Nope - we were there for MAYBE 15 minutes. Entered the lobby, filled out paperwork, attached their photos to the forms, went upstairs, walked up to a table in the hall where they were sitting, had about 3 minutes where she asked how long we had been interested in modelling, handed us a brochure and out the door we went. How did the boys do? B hid behind his dad's leg and refused to look at them, and P refused to let go of his basketball. Not high hopes.
The following night, we got our first Chuck E. Cheese experience at a birthday party for one of B's preschool classmates, and when we got home, I posted some videos. The following morning, the young lady from the agency "liked" one of them and commented about how much she loved those two little boys. I thanked her and told her it was nice meeting her on Saturday and she responded that she would certainly be in touch towards the end of the week.
Today we met with her to go over the actual contract, the agency, and basically how things work. There were 10 other kids in the room with us - out of two hours of who knows how many kids stepping in front of that table, we were in the 12 that ultimately got picked, bringing her agency roster to 60 kids. I have to admit I'm a bit freaked out. We really have no idea what we're getting ourselves into. Most of her work is local, but she does book things throughout the Midwest - Detroit, Chicago, Minnesota, Wisconsin - which I'm guessing are probably more acting gigs and not something like $125/hour photo shoots. And in some cases, we may only get 24 hours notice. But we'll see how it goes. It may end up being that someone only wants our kid(s) every other month and we never venture out of Northeast Ohio. Or it may be that we're having to turn things down because we get two days notice that they want us in Minneapolis, and that's just not feasible for us on a normal day. We'll jump in, get our feet wet, and maybe sometime over the next few months, you'll see my boys in the next ad for baby Gap :-).
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