South Florida Babies

baby modeling - WWYD?

Everyone keeps telling us we should put Elise in some kind of baby modeling for shoots/ads.  But, I'm really not into that.  I just brush it off by telling people I don't want to be a "Toddlers and Tiaras" mom, lol.  Now, DH is really starting to bug me about this, especially, after he took her 6 month pics.  He wants me to look into it during the summer (since I have sooooo much time in the summer, lol). I'd really rather spend my summer having fun with her and teaching her new things, like swimming, taking her to Gymboree more often, etc. I wouldn't mind if something just came up, like a friend wanting to use her pic to advertise their own baby products.  But, I wouldn't want to pursue auditions, agents, etc, and exposing her like that.  I always figured that when she starts expressing an interest in something, whether it's dance, art, a sport, etc., then I'd put her in classes to develop those talents.  But, it would always be for FUN.  I would never want to put any kind of pressure or make it competetive in any way. 

WWYD?  Does anyone have any experience with this?  What would you tell your DH? 

Re: baby modeling - WWYD?

  • I think lots of parents hear things like that. I also think every parent thinks their kid is cute enough to be in ads or on TV. A friend of mine has all three of her kids in modeling and her son has made it to Parents magazine AND her three kids have been in a BRU flier. They love it and have fun with it and make extra money for the kid in the process. I think this kind of thing is different than say...pageants. I am not a fan of pageants. You could not pay me enough to put my kid through that kind of competition. She is too sensitive and impressionable. No way.

    We have always heard the same thing about Sophia. She is so photogenic, you should send her photo to an agency, etc. Now, my husband never liked the modeling idea and what I said to him was that most things are worth trying at least once. If she hates it and its like we are forcing her then we do not go back. If she enjoys it and has fun with it then we keep doing it until she doesn't. It can't hurt right? So I sent her photos in to an agency and few weeks ago... I have not heard a peep. I have not pursued any other agencies because it was more of a whim thing and I honestly don't think I have the time with me working fulltime.

    This is definitely a to each their own kind of thing. :)

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  • I think every baby and kid is told that to be honest, I have never heard a parent not say that. 

    Alexis was into it for a long time and I'm pretty much wrapping it up now that she's getting older. It can be time consuming, because some of the casting are big cattle calls so there is a lot of waiting. However, some are done by request and those you're in and out in 15 minutes!

    It can't hurt to send the pics in, make sure that you don't pay any money to anyone if they ask. No agencies should ask for money for anything. Don't expect to really make money doing it either. It's not a lot of money that they get paid normally and there is a cost associated with doing the pictures and drive times, etc.I did it for fun and certainly not for a "career"!! 

    Oh, and the season is winding down now. It's really fall and spring here in S. Fl, so send the pics in, but don't get discouraged if you don't hear back now, send them again at the end of the summer.  

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  • AlbahAlbah member
    I agree with PP's. It can't hurt to try. I'm very reserved when it comes to this kind of thing and like the others have said, many have told me to register the boys and I am so skeptical. I never did it with Evan when he was little and I said I would give it a try when he was a bit older. So funny enough, I registered Evan yesterday to PM. After I did it, I looked to see how I could delete him but I couldn't. I'm such a chicken for this kind of thing. hahaha
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  • Like Laura, I'm just very reserved about this. 

    Mel and Leanna, I totally agree with you.  I think she's beautiful, but I'm her mom and I'm aware of that.  I wouldn't want to subject her to the kind of judgement that comes with auditions and casting calls.  Not that she would remember now, but if we continued while she became more aware of what was going on.

    I guess to please DH, I'll just send a pic somewhere and see what comes of it.  I would NOT want to spend a lot of time at casting calls.  Like I mentioned, I'd rather be doing something with her that has to do with her development and learning new things, especially, since I have a limited amount of QT with her after work and on holidays.

    If you don't mind sharing where you sent your kids' pics, please email me at [email protected].  I don't want to send her pic to any shady contest or agency. 

     

  • My daughter models so I have a tiny bit of experience with this and just wanted to give you my 2 cents. 

    I think you would do best with an agency (I hear great things about World of Kids and Kate is at MK Kids).  That's the best way to get into castings and hear about calls.  This is probably the worst time of year to get into it though, it's the slowest part of their season.  We did a lot more during the winter time.  The pay is pretty good but there is a huge time investment.  From the other moms I've met and our experience I see the pay per hour around $75-125 an hour depending on the company and job, some pay per day.  You never know how long you'll be at a job but there is a huge commitment of time and very little notice.  That being said, I love that Kate loves it and I'm lucky to have the flexibility to take her to the castings and jobs. 

    Good luck with your decision!

  • Oh and this definitely would not be about the money.  DH said we would put whatever she got paid in a savings account for her college fund.  But, I figure this kind of stuff doesn't pay much.  We are planning on starting the Florida Prepaid Plan for her soon.  We just need to get a few home improvement projects done first. 

  • imageSnshine:

    My daughter models so I have a tiny bit of experience with this and just wanted to give you my 2 cents. 

    I think you would do best with an agency (I hear great things about World of Kids and Kate is at MK Kids).  That's the best way to get into castings and hear about calls.  This is probably the worst time of year to get into it though, it's the slowest part of their season.  We did a lot more during the winter time.  The pay is pretty good but there is a huge time investment.  From the other moms I've met and our experience I see the pay per hour around $75-125 an hour depending on the company and job, some pay per day.  You never know how long you'll be at a job but there is a huge commitment of time and very little notice.  That being said, I love that Kate loves it and I'm lucky to have the flexibility to take her to the castings and jobs. 

    Good luck with your decision!

     

    Thx for the info!  I will definitely share this with DH b/c if the Fall is the best time for this IDK where I would find the time for it.  I'm hoping to become an assistant principal next school year.  If that happens, then my time commitment to the school would increase which is okay with me b/c it's for the good of our whole family. 

  • I just sent you an email!

    Good luck :)  

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  • I think that if you want to try it- go for it. I know lots if mommies that have had success with it. Personally, it's not for me or my kid (not that I don't think she's cute enough! Lol). My time is limited & I just don't see the point in adding something like that on my plate. I'd rather spend the time I do have with her doing other things. Plus, I think the entire thing would be stressful (in my opinion) & I already undergo enough stress- in my spare time I just want to RELAX! ;-) Good luck with whatever you decide! I'm sure she'll be a great little model!
  • imageMariM:
    I think that if you want to try it- go for it. I know lots if mommies that have had success with it. Personally, it's not for me or my kid (not that I don't think she's cute enough! Lol). My time is limited & I just don't see the point in adding something like that on my plate. I'd rather spend the time I do have with her doing other things. Plus, I think the entire thing would be stressful (in my opinion) & I already undergo enough stress- in my spare time I just want to RELAX! ;-) Good luck with whatever you decide! I'm sure she'll be a great little model!

    ditto. word for word :) 

  • Jenny and Mari, I totally feel the same way.  But, I'm going to send her pic to one of the agencies the other ladies suggested just to see what comes of it.  I already shared all the information with DH so he sees how time-consuming it would be so he doesn't get his hopes up. 
  • I had some experience with this recently purely by chance. My cousin is in the advertising industry and she heard of a casting call for Carter's. She encouraged me to submit some pictures of Emma, which I did, and as a result she was invited to the casting call. Based on her "performance" in the casting call, she was hired as "back up" talent for two different photo shoots. In the first photo shoot, we basically showed up, sat in a trailer for 3 hours, and nothing happened. They never took her picture. The two little girls who were casted as the primary talent did great, the photographer got the shots they needed, and Emma was never called on. Having said that, she still got paid a decent amount just to show up. For the 2nd photo shoot, she was also cast as backup but was ultimately photographed anyway and her picture ended up on the cover of the Carter's spring catalog.

    After seeing how successful she was (she made the cover of a national catalog for one of the country's most popular children's clothing brand, hello!), of course it's super flattering and super tempting to get into it on a more intense level. But ultimately, it's not for us. If I were a SAHM I would definitely consider it and would probably try to get her signed up with a good agency. But as a working mom, it's just not practical. Most casting calls and photo shoots take place in the middle of the week and I can't afford to take off work every time she gets invited to a casting call or hired to do a shoot. Plus I don't trust anyone else (like my MIL or even my own mom) to take her for me. As great as the grandmas are with her, it requires a LOT of patience...whoever called the whole casting call/photo shoot process as a cattle call was spot on. There's a lot of waiting around, killing time, etc. And they have absolutely NO regard for your child in terms of what their schedule is, what type of mood they're in, etc. They have a certain amount of time blocked off to get the perfect shot, and if your kid is not cooperating, then you best get out of the way and let one of the 20 kids waiting in the wings take over. It took a lot out of both her and me to make it through those two days, and I wouldn't want to impose that responsibility on my mom or MIL to fill in for me as her "handler."

    Anyway, as I think any mom would, I wonder if Emma's success on her first and only modeling attempt was more than just a fluke and if she really has potential to do more with it. I hope I am not selling her short by not pursuing it further. But it's just not realistic for us. If the opportunity is ever dropped into our laps again like it was this first time, I would try to give her another shot, but I'm not going to be out there looking for opportunities.

    Overall, I think the positives of the whole thing are the money (we put what Emma earned in her savings account) and the flattery/fun/excitement of seeing your child out there like that. The negatives are how time consuming it is, how decidedly un-kid-friendly the whole process seemed (at least in my limited experience), and some of the people involved. I know the stage mom thing is probably a big stereotype and I'm sure the majority of moms whose kids model are nothing like that, but let me tell you...I met a few scary women in those few days that we did it. I would never want to turn into someone like that or get caught up in the whole thing like some of those moms.

    If you go with an agency, definitely look for someone who only works on commission. You shouldn't have to pay a dime unless they book a job for your kid where your kid earns money. Also, child modeling agencies get HUNDREDS of requests for representation a day. You have to be persistent...usually one e-mail submission of a photo won't do the trick.

    Good luck!!!!

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  • I think it's a personal decision. I never had any interest in it, but then (long story), I wound up submitting Brayden's pictures to an agent for Karen Greer models because they needed a newborn ASAP and I was home on maternity, so I figured, why not? He's been to 2 castings (Carter's and Next Directory). He was back-up for Carter's, so we went to the shoot, but the baby he was back-up for did great, so they didn't need him. Luckily, he was still paid. I put the money in an account for him. I'm not back at work (part-time) so if he gets called to a casting and I'm off, we'll go, if I'm working, we won't go!

    DH could care less either way...he said if I want him to do it, it's up to me.

     As someone mentioned, "season" is over right now and pics back up in September, so I would wait until then.

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  • Thx, ladies.

     

    Jen, what you described is exactly what I pictured and why I didnt want to get involved in this.  Hearing that kind of turns me off to the idea.  I'd rather spend all that time doing something else with Elise.  

    However, I did submit a pic to a couple of the agencies that were recommended and one did reply right away,  They liked the pics (the ones Jose took of her at Fairchild) and said they'd put her in their system.  I asked my mom if she would be interested in taking her to a casting call if it were to come up and she said yes.   So, we'll see what comes of it.  They did say that this was the slow season so I should send new pics in the Fall.  By then, I'll definitely be busy with the new school year, but if my mom wants to take her and they BOTH enjoy it, I'd be okay with it.  

     It's kind of funny how my mom and I are very reserved about this, but DH and my dad are the ones that think we should give her the opportunity and, of course, save whatever money she would make in her college savings account.

  • I am interested in getting my son involved in Modeling and was wondering if you ladies would be so kind as to send me info on how I can get him started.

     

    TIA,

    Danielle 

  • did Next Directory call you?

    How long does it take for a call?

    We went to a casting for them in June, but I havent heard anything as yet

    Will they call me directly or my Agent?

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