Modeling Tips Compcards - the issue with who pays

A girl recently asked me:
I have a question there are so many agencies that always want you but you have to pay for your pics and comp cards, is that all crap? Because an agency is suppose to pay for your stuff?

Answer:
It sounds like you are meeting with the wrong agencies. No you should not pay an agency for cards and you should not HAVE to.

An agency is NOT suppose to pay for your stuff though, first, you have the wrong mentality, that is not realistic.

The MODEL does pay for her modeling compcards, but it is best when through herself, not through the agency. You do not want to be limited, especially as a new model, and the top commercial print modeling agencies do understand this.
You are a new model, you are learning, and an agent that is legit will not give you a force to pay for compcards through them. You can and should make your own.

For example, recently my agency said to me, "love the new card, send me 10 of them." The rest I mail to other agencies work with, and I use them for my castings.
At castings you drop off your compcard, leave it with the casting director.

I am making new compcards now, at compcard.com and a model needs to take the action and get her own cards, mail them out and promote them to commercial print modeling agencies. The MODEL is actually expected to give the agency some cards, and an agency that says, YOU MUST make a card with our name on it, it nuts! Not in the commercial print modeling world.

In the fashion world, where things are more exclusive models DO have the cards with their only one agency name on it, but as a commercial print model I freelance with MANY agencies.

I currently work with 4 agencies in NYC. They do not all call at once usually. Usually I get different castings from each, and usually it isnt every single day or hour that I hear from them all, which is why I model needs more than one agencies, SHOULD NOT be exclusive, and should be her best agent, and freelance with many and have her own cards. Be in control of YOU!

Get it? Read the articles here from my other blog: petitemodelingtips.blogspot.com
for more insight on why.

http://petitemodelingtips. blogspot. com/2008/10/comp-cards-should-you-make-your-own. html

What should be on your compcard:
http://petitemodelingtips. blogspot. com/2008/10/creating-your-modeling-comp-cards. html

Finding a place to make compcards:
http://petitemodelingtips.blogspot.com/2008/10/50-modeling-compcards-in-nyc-tips. html

Hope it helps!

Since this is a popular and confusing subject, most likely I will be making my next radio topic on Model Talk about this, stay tuned.

-Isobella