Dear Fairy Model Mother: My Booker Got the Boot?!

From the Pirelli Calendar 2014

Boy, oh boy. The past few months have been a doozy. Makeups to breakups. Here's the rundown... I got word that a booker from one of my agencies was calling it quits. Of course I was disappointed because this was a person I'd come to know and trust over the years. Some weeks later quite unexpectedly, I got an email from another agent stating "Today will be my last day at..." Whoa! I was already dealing with separation anxiety from the previous and now this. As if things couldn't get any worse, another agent bites the dust. My commercial booker at the agency threw in the towel. And this was someone who was actually get me and so many other girls solid work. What the ?! I felt like I'd just broken up with my boyfriend three times over. My fellow models and I were all freaking out. Why did this happen? Who's going to represent us? Are we getting the boot next?

If you're not understanding why losing your booker is such a travesty, let me break it down to you. Your booker is by far your best friend at the agency. He or she is the one you should really suck up to. Why? They get you work! They are the ones who pimp you out and blow you up so clients will work with you. Bookers are the ones who will negotiate on your behalf and get you a higher rate for a job. They are also the ones who will blacklist you if you act the fool on a job or misrepresent the agency. When a booker leaves an agency, there's a big shake up in the company. Models start to leave. Girls get dropped. It's just like any corporate job when there's new management. Your position is at risk.

What can you do in this situation? Reach out to the necessary parties immediately. Email the head of your agency for a meeting so you can figure out your future there. Call your now-former booker to chat and get some insider info. Where is he or she going now? Can they take you along? Or can they put in a good word for you somewhere else? Before you make any moves, don't forget to check your contract if you have one. Whatever you do, don't burn any bridges. You want to maintain a good relationship with everyone involved. You never know when you'll need their help in the future. But in the end, this is a business and you want to continue working with whomever is going to get you work. But don't ever think that just because you agent is calling it quits that you should too. If this is what you love to do and you're good at it, keep going. Don't let a change of guard slow you down.

As always, if you have any questions about modeling, the hotline is open. Keep believing in yourselves, lovelies!

Dear Fairy Model Mother: What's up With All the Agent Fees?

GQ India March 2013

Hello lovelies! It's your guardian angel here for your monthly dose of advice. I really appreciate all of your emails and I'm doing my best to get around to them. This question comes from a working model who's been thinking about switching representation. She met with an agency I'm familiar with who's interested in signing the beauty. The main booker gave her a contract to consider and upon further examination she said:

"I was reading over it and started thinking, they have alot of financial obligations...like $300 a year for a modeling website, 100 zed cards (which I'm not sure who even uses those anymore), new headshots from test photographers for $250-450! Almost seems kinda scamy...am I crazy??"

You guys already know I hate dealing with contracts. It seems like they are only designed to benefit one party and not the other, but it's a necessary working agreement. In order to get to the bottom of this, I pulled out every modeling contract I have. From my experience, somewhere in every agreement there exists a clause about expenses. One contract of mine states "Model understands that Agency will deduct 20% commissions as well as any expenses and/or reimbursements to the Agency." Another goes into further detail and lays out the deductions including comp card printing, courier charges, website fees, attorney fees, etc.

You would think that all these expenses would be included in the agent's commission for the jobs you book, but it's not. Your reps will argue that in order to properly market you, they need all of this stuff. This may be true. Maintaining your online portfolio and promotional materials takes money. The agency will front these expenses for you knowing they'll get it back somehow. Keep in mind you should never be charged up front for comp cards, test shoots, and the like. These get billed to you later or deducted from your checks. When you receive payment, the accounting department should itemize all of your expenses. And guess what? When you're doing your taxes later, you can write these expenses off.

Is this practice shady? Not really. Wouldn't you rather know exactly what you're paying for instead of getting a surprise later. But if you're feeling like it's risky business, you've got options. You can amend the contract and state that certain expenses must go through your approval beforehand or that you'd rather pay for them yourself. For example: I opted out of getting a portfolio printed and instead I have my book on my iPad, saving probably $200. What you have to remember is that you have control over this situation because in the end it's your money and your career on the line. Best of luck!

As always, if you've got any questions or you need a bit of advice, the Fairy Model Mother hotline is always open.

"Shake It Like a Polaroid Picture"

Just updated these for Rocket Garage Amsterdam.

It's so necessary so that agents and clients know what you really look like at any given time. The thing is, I don't think I've really changed that much.

Thanks Christian Shorter for taking these. You rock.

Keep it simple. Keep it minimal.