Agencies are passports to regular, scheduled work. They hook you up with professionals that know both how to market your talent as well as how to secure gigs in the modeling and acting world. When you’re ready to be picked up by one, here’s what to expect.

Interest and Signing

Agencies don’t have time to lead you on. If they’re interested, they’ll let you know either in person or via email or phone. Once this happens, they’ll immediately want to schedule a contract signing with you as soon as is convenient. This meeting is typically informal, so dressy casual is the way to clothe yourself. You’ll next go over how your job will work and how they plan on using your talent.

Once completed, you’ll receive the contract and any related documents. You will not be asked to sign immediately, so feel free to take the documents home to read over before signing. Just be sure to give the talent agency a timeframe of when you’ll have the contract back to them. Before handing it in, be sure to make copies to keep for your own reference.

Starting the Work

Now that the contract is complete and returned to the agency, you will work closely with the staff as they set up test shoots. This is when they’ll put together a small portfolio for you that they then use to get companies interested in your talent. This process can take 1-2 weeks but can be shorter for those that already have the desired materials.

Once this is all done, your booker will begin reaching out to clients with your packet and lining up gigs for you to audition for. From here on out, you’ll be contacted by your booker each time something comes up. After this, it’s all up to you to land the job.