When the agency goes out of business: Money

I always wanted to work with Gilla Roos, I had heard of them from a photographer during a shoot about 5 years ago. I had submitted to them many times over the years with new compcards, and tearsheets, but nothing.

However they recently went out of business.

Today while on another casting, a model mentioned to me how Gilla Roos is gone.

I went home and Googled and found out she was right.

http://backstage.blogs.com/blogstage/2009/02/gilla-roos-agency-broke-sag-tells-actors-to-flee.html

http://backstage.blogs.com/blogstage/2009/02/gilla-roos-to-talent-to-get-paid-keep-giving-us-money-1.html

Agencies just like any other business struggle at times dealing with debt and credit, paying models, and gettng paid themselves, it can put a model and agent in a tense spot.

Usually it takes between 30-90 days to get paid from a modeling job. With acting roles it tends to be quicker. Many freelancers, models, actors are used to this lifestyle but for girls who want to get into the modeling business is it is best to know ahead of time the modeling business is not a stable one to rely on.

Waiting to get paid can be a real wait.

Models should be aware of the payment process and keeping track of their owed payments and understand the business of modeling as well.

When an advertiser or production company hires a model or actor they send a check to the talent or modeling agency, the agency then takes a commision or percent of the check and then the agency send the rest to the model or actor that was hired for the job.

It is a three person process.

The advertiser, production company..also known as the client.
The modeling agency...who supplies the models and gets the check first.
The model...who gets paid last.

I always love it when my agents say after a modeling job "I want to get paid soon so send me your voucher asap." It means I will be paid soon as well.