Page 31 – The Actor Career Center

I just received a call from a great photographer asking me if I wanted to do a shoot. He was offering me $600. The other part that was great, was that it would have been in a hospital setting with me as a doctor. Since I get booked as a doctor, I can never have too many great doctor shots. So, why in the world would I turn this down?

This was not an ad. Instead, it was a stock shot. This is where photographers create an incredible photo that looks like an ad, and then they try and rent it to ad agencies. It is always cheaper for an ad agency to rent an existing stock shot, then to hire a photographer, makeup artist, model, stylist and create a new ad.

There are many professional models who do stock photography. The good part, is that even though you will get paid a lot less for stock work (in NY you can expect up to $250/hour for an ad as opposed to $75/hour for stock work), the model gets an incredible photo that can be used on a comp card, or an agents web site.

The only problem with doing stock work is that you have to sign a release giving the photographer permission to use your image for any type of ad. You have no idea if your image will be a part of an ad campaign you are not comfortable being associated with. You also might not know where and how your image is being used. That is why I do not do any stock work anymore.

If I accepted this stock job, and my image is used for let’s say a pharmaceutical ad for high blood pressure, I would not be told or know how, where or for whom the shot was used. Not knowing where and how my image is being used could cause some incredible problems for me in the future. Quite often with pharmaceutical jobs, models are asked if they have any conflicts running (ads for competing companies or products). If I did a stock shot, I would have no idea if there are any ads running that would be considered a conflict. In the worst case scenario, and I did the new pharmaceutical job, and later, they find my stock shot running for a competing product, there could be some nasty legal ramifications.

So, as much as I wanted to work with this photographer, get some great shots, I did not think it would be a smart business decision. Be careful before accepting a stock photo booking.

I am the type of person who likes to arrange things way in advance. If I know I am giving a workshop in a distant city, I like booking my flight and hotel a few months in advance. I love getting details out of the way, so I can stop thinking about them and concentrate on new things.

Like many people, I am filled with contradictions. In the acting and modeling world, I rarely get to experience arrangements and details that are given to me long in advance. Unless you are a pretty well known talent, and a project is written and produced around you, we are some of the last people who get the necessary information. I have learned to accept the pecking order and understand how this business works. For example:

I got a call from a New York agent to find out if I was available on certain dates to do a print job. I told him I was available. They were also considering a few other models. Then I got a phone call about those dates changing, and was asked about availability for other dates. Finally, I was confirmed for the booking, but was told that since we were shooting outside, the date would change if we had bad weather. So, the day before the shoot, I found out the weather was good, and we were on for the next day.

The day before the shoot I found out my call time was 5:00 A.M.in NY. I live in Maryland, so now I scrambling to figure out where I am going to stay that evening. If I needed to look really tired and have circles under my eyes, I would have considered driving up at 12:30 A.M. But, for this shoot I needed to look alive and healthy, I knew that I had to sleep within an hour of N.Y. I jumped through that hurdle and found a place to stay.

Now things got trickier. Since I was going to drive directly to the park in Brooklyn, I would not have to meet the mobile home in NY that was transporting others to the shoot. The mobile home was picking up the other model, stylist and makeup artist, and driving them to the set. The mobile home was also going to be used as our holding area and transportation around the park for the different shots. I had to find everyone at the park at6:00 A.M. I learned that the park is huge, like Central Park, and finding them would not be as easy as I thought. So now I am the phone with the park people and their web site to get directions to the specific entrance where the mobile home was going to be parked. Fortunately, I had cell phone numbers for both the stylist (who was on the mobile home), and the photographer who was also driving to the park.

Because I always give myself plenty of time to get to a set, I actually wound up getting to the park at 4:45 A.M and sat in my car. When I did not see the mobile home by 6:00 I decided to call the stylist, just to make sure I was not in the wrong area. The mobile home was running late.

As it turned out, the shoot was incredible; and I had such a fun time shooting until 4:00 P.M., After the shoot, I drove straight home, and slept very well that night.

The point is, in this business, you have to be ready for anything, be flexible, and understand there are many people who make decisions on projects. When things change, just keep in the back of your mind, that as crazy as our lives get sometimes, this is the way the acting and modeling industry works, and you simply have to learn to go with the flow.

I don’t know what the weather is like where you are, but I am sitting here on a Sunday, looking out the window, and seeing a torrential downpour. This seems like the perfect time to create this blog for you.

In the past few weeks, I have driven over 1000 miles traveling to auditions, call backs and jobs. I want to share some of my experiences with you so that perhaps, you will be better prepared if these things happen to you.

In my acting/commercial modeling workshops, I always tell people that after the audition or go-see, it is good to analyze your performance. It is very helpful to figure out if there were some changes you should have made to improve your audition or go-see. Once you are done evaluating your audition and go-see, it is time to stop thinking about it, and not place any energy on wondering if you booked the job. There are too many factors that go into the hiring process that quite often it has less to do with your actual audition, and more to do with a look that is needed. Constantly sitting by the phone – hoping to hear that you booked the job can be very stressful and unproductive.

Having said that, there was a job that I really wanted and didn’t get. The agent told me that the part I was reading for on this TV series was already cast, but the actor and production company could not agree on financial terms. This was a principal role that would have lasted 8 episodes. No luck. I have to say, I was thinking about that job quite a bit. Then I had call backs for a TV spot that would have been fun, didn’t get that one either. There were a few print go-sees, one of them actually paying over $20,000, didn’t book that as well. Then out of nowhere, I get a booking without having to audition. The people saw my head shot, and video reel, on my web site site.

The point is, sometimes it can be tough. There can be a lot of traveling involved with absolutely no guarantee of booking anything. It is so important that like a baseball player who just went hitless the last 5 or 6 times at bat, you have to go into the next audition like you just hit a grand slam. Casting directors and photographers can easily smell desperation, or sense when the talent does not have confidence. It is rare for actors or models to get booked when not exuding positive feelings about themselves. Even if you are not feeling confident, you must use your acting skills, and show that positive feeling to the world at each audition and go-see.

In today’s market, I am finding that more and more commercial print (modeling) jobs are either paying less or the clients are wanting longer usage agreements (more than 12 months usage) and or offering less money for high exposure usage (billboards, posters etc…) That is why it is crucial that you carefully read the model release form you should be asked to sign at the end of every modeling job.

In my book, How to Become a Successful Commercial Model, you will see a release form, and the words that need to be changed. The words you are looking for are – your image can be used for any purpose and through any media what so ever. You don’t want to sign the release without scratching those words out, writing on the form exactly how your agent said the ad will be used (for newspaper only, magazine only, brochure only etc…), initial it, then sign it at the bottom. That is how you protect yourself. I know models who have lost thousands of dollars because they did not make the proper changes to the release form.

If you were getting paid for a newspaper ad, and then you find the ad on a billboard, or on the companies internet site, by making the changes I suggest, now you have a good chance of getting additional monies for having your image in a high exposure format – (and so will your agent).

If the photographer has any problem with your changes to the release form, then ask him/her to talk with your agent. Do not get into a negotiation with the photographer. If your agent asks you not to make the changes, then I would follow your agent’s advice.

About two months ago I decided to accept an audition that I knew would scare me. Even though I have been booked 1,201 times (so far), still, there are certain jobs that make me nervous.

This audition was for a medical school that is having its 200th anniversary. The main speaker for the event will be the comedian, Dennis Miller. There will be hundreds and hundreds of doctors and civic leaders attending this event. Three actors were hired to portray famous graduates from the institution. There was a lot of medical terminology in this 3 minute monologue.

I decided to go to the audition for no other reason then because I knew it would scare, and challenge me. The audition would take me out of my comfort zone, and it would be an interesting experience. As it turns out, I booked the job, and on the performance day, I was a very nervous guy portraying Dr. James Carrol. This man figured out that yellow fever was spread by mosquitoes, and his discoveries helped save millions of lives.

I always tell people at my acting/commercial modeling workshops, that not only is it not bad to be nervous, but, I actually think it helps me when I am nervous. When I am scared, there is a lot of energy flowing through my body. It helps me become alive. The trick is learning how to harness that energy so that others can see and feel the energy, but not notice the nervousness.

For many years I was trying to get representation with a particular agent in the New England area. For whatever reason, I would never hear from the agency after mailing them my new head shot, comp card and cover letter. This has been going on for years.

About two weeks ago I sent out an email up-date letter to about 600 agents, producers, photographers, art/creative directors from ad agencies and casting directors. These are people who I have either auditioned for or worked with over the years. Amazingly the agent from New England wrote back and said that she wanted to work with me, and asked me to send her my new head shot and comp card.

I don’t know if this agent decided to represent me now because one of their actors or models in my category decided to leave, which opened up a space for me. Or, perhaps they learned that there really is work (which means money for the agent) for someone like me, who looks like everyone’s next door neighbor, or maybe they just got tired of saying no!!! Sometimes it is hard to understand why people are and are not interested in either hiring us for a booking or wanting to represent us.

The main thing is that no matter what happens, just keep moving ahead, keep trying new ideas, appreciate your abilities and specialness, never take things personally, and always feel proud of what you are doing.

Sometimes being persistent is the difference between having success or just giving up and feeling angry.

I want to make this very clear from the beginning of this blog, that I am not saying my ideas are correct or should be used by everyone, but only that this is how I am currently running my acting and modeling business.

Years ago, I would accept most auditions, jobs or go-sees, even if it meant completely changing any personal plans I might have previously made. I would not cancel a vacation, but other personal plans would generally get moved to accommodate work. Over the past number of years, I have begun to change that philosophy, especially, when it comes to keeping my family plans.

Last Friday, I was in New York attending a go-see. While I was about 30 minutes from my home, I got a phone call from an agent asking me to attend a go-see in New York, the next day (Saturday). I had already made some family plans for Saturday. My son will be coming back home from a trip, my daughter will be leaving for college in about ten days, and I have some relatives coming over to visit.

My modeling/acting and workshops have me traveling quite a bit. I quickly thought about not wanting to turn down the go-see, but I also knew how much I wanted to spend some special time with my family. I chose to turn down the go-see.

If it were a local go-see, I would have taken the 20-30 minutes out of the day to attend and accepted it but, going to New York would have been a full-day adventure. By traveling back to New York, I would have missed the entire day with my family. I realize that I need to make a living, so turning down projects is not something I do very often. However, I have come to realize that as important work is to me, it is not as important as my family.

Although this experience dealt with a commercial print booking, the information will be helpful to you with whatever type of booking you have through an agent.

A while ago I received a call from my agent in New York, letting me know that I had a print booking. This was a direct booking, meaning that I did not have to attend a go-see (the audition for models). It is always nice not to have to attend a go-see and just get a call from an agent inquiring about my availability. In New York, unlike some other markets, most of the bookings in today’s time, come from attending go-sees. Direct bookings in New York simply don’t happen as often as in the past.

One of the questions I asked the agent was about the “usage.” This tells us how the ad is being seen by the public. An example of the usage would if the ad is running in a magazine, billboard, direct mail piece, etc… I was told the usage for this ad was a poster. The agent said he will have to get back in touch with me about the additional money I would receive because of the usage. A poster is considered a “high exposure format. Typically, in the commercial print world, a bonus is paid to the model if the ad is running in a high exposure format. These are ads that run on billboards, posters, on the side of a bus, etc… The reason for the additional fee is because talent can lose money if their ad is running in a high exposure format. Don’t get me wrong, it is great to be seen in a large format, but when an actor or model is so closely connected with a product or company in a large way, no competitor will hire the talent. People can also get over exposed in a market, and not get hired, even for non-competing ads. That is why we are typically paid a bonus for a high exposure ad.

I was told by the agent that I would get the standard $250/hour (we don’t always get that fee in today’s market, but that is the going rate for commercial models in New York), but there would not be any bonus payments.

I did not say anything to the agent. Honestly, I was very happy to do the job. Money is important to me, but even more important is the fact that I would meet and work with a new photographer and art/creative director. What better way to introduce myself to other industry professionals, then to actually work with them. I assume they will like my work, and keep me in mind for future projects.

I do have to say that I was disappointed that there would be no bonus for the posters. However, after I was told that the posters would only run for 3 months, I felt better. When I got to the set and was shown a lay out of the ad, and saw that it was primarily a profile shot of me, I felt a whole lot better about not receiving a bonus.

What I learned was that I should have trusted my agent to do whatever he thought would be best or could do in the negotiations for this job. I also was reminded that I should have asked the agent about the non-bonus aspect of the shoot to simply clear the air and not have me walk around with any negative feelings about an up-coming project.

When you get the exciting news about a print (modeling) booking, there are a number of questions you need to ask your agent before accepting the job.

Making sure you are free the date of the shoot is the most important question. I would also want to know what or whom the ad is for. If you do not want to be associated or support the ad campaign, let your agent know. I know models and actors who will not do ads for meat products, alcohol, furs, gambling or for certain medical issues. Make sure you stick by your convictions, and don’t accept any job that compromises your values or beliefs.

Here is a list of questions I always ask the agent.

Date of the shoot
For what company, type of business or product is the ad being created
Location of the shoot
Who is the photographer
Who gets invoiced for the job
Will they cover travel
Will they cover parking
Will they have a makeup artist
How long will the shoot last
How long will the ad run
What wardrobe do I need to bring
What is the usage for the ad (newspaper, magazine, etc…)
Fees – is it an hourly fee or a day rate, or a buyout)

Always have a paper and pen when you are asking these questions so you can easily write down the answers.

I just got a call about attending a go-see in New York. As I always do, I asked the agent what I should wear, she told me “a black turtle neck, and tight fitting black pants.” I had the turtle neck, but the only black pants I own are dress pants, so they are not too tight.

I thought it was a little crazy, but I decided to bring 2 large paper clips, just in case the casting director had a problem with my pants. When I walked into the room to have my photo taken, I asked the photographer if she wanted me to clamp my pants so they were more form fitting. She actually said yes, so I clipped the back of my pants so they looked tight. Fortunately, there were no shots taken from behind. It would have looked pretty silly.

As it turned out, the client was looking for someone who looked like and had the same body type of the famous artist, Andy Warhol. At the go-see, I saw 2 guys that looked just like him. I did not book the job, but I did get a chance to say hello to the casting director whom I had not seen for a few months. Even though our meeting was brief, seeing someone in person is always a great way to stay in touch with them. Hopefully, she will remember me for future castings.

So, be like a Boy or Girl Scout, always be prepared.

I just had a print job for a pharmaceutical company last week. Generally, for these jobs, I am either a doctor or a patient; this time I was the doctor. During a break in the session, I had a chance to talk with the art director. I am always curious how the art/creative director from the advertising agency decides which model gets cast for the project. The art director had something interesting to say that I want to share with you.

She said that there were many people who looked like a doctor, but there were a few factors that brought them to hire me. One helpful thing was the fact that I already had a shot on my comp card portraying a doctor. This shot allowed them to easily see I was right for the part, and very believable as a doctor. They also said some of the models who emailed jpgs (we all had to do this to make sure we still look like our comp card) had spent too much time in the sun this summer, and their skin was too tanned. One other swaying factor was that I did not look like a model, and showed a nice, warm, and friendly feel in a number of my photos.

In Summary

1. Try to show the characters you will be cast for on your comp card.

2. Don’t think that you have to look like a beautiful model in order to work as one.

3. Be careful when spending time in the sun; the beach look is not always the best one.

It is so important to stay in touch with people you have met and or worked with in the industry. Two days ago, I sent out an email to over 500 people in my data base. These industry professionals were people I have either worked with, auditioned for, or met. I wished them all a Happy New Year, and asked them to keep me in mind for future projects. I also asked them to let me know if they needed me to send them head shots, comp cards, or photos as jpg’s. Basically, it was just a way to stay in touch and let them know I am still around. I got a few quick responses asking for more materials, and yesterday a photographer called me about a booking.

Even if you have been in the industry for a while, it is essential that you stay in touch. This helps to remind people that you are around and available.

I was attending a go-see in New York last week. As with most go-sees (auditions for modeling jobs) in NY, this was a cattle call. Even though I was requested to be seen, still, there were at least 50 people being seen for this project.

I was talking with the assistant to the casting director. She was helping to sign people in and get them to fill out their size cards. This card gets handed in to the photographer along with the
model’s composite sheet.

During our conversation, I learned that she free-lances with a few casting directors. As it turned out, she also works for a large casting facility. I have been there for TV commercial castings. I asked if she would accept my head shot so that I could be considered for future auditions at the casting facility. She said sure, she was more than happy to have my head shot placed in the files. This will allow me to be kept in mind for future auditions.
So, you never know how helpful an audition or go-see can be – even if you don’t book the job.

The best way to get booked into the flyers and catalogs for Kolhs, Sears, JC Penney, etc… is to have an agent submit you for those jobs. If you don’t have an agent, or if your agent does not submit people for those types of bookings, then here are a few other suggestions.

Contact the company whose flyer or catalog you want to appear in. Ask which ad agency, they use when booking models for the flyers. If they have their own in-house agency, then
find out who should your photos be sent too. You will also need to find out exactly where they cast the models from.

When contacting an ad agency, ask for the art or creative director. Ask them if you can submit your photos directly to them or do they always book talent through agents. If they only
book through agents, then ask which agents they work with when hiring models for those companies.

Then you will need to contact the agent to see if you can be submitted for the job.

It can take some detective work, but this is a great way to market yourself and appear in catalogs and flyers.

I wanted to start working with an agent in a distant market. The agency needed to have my composite sheet on their web site. The problem was that on my comp card all of my personal contact information, (E-mail address, phone numbers, etc…) is shown on my card. I asked the agent if I could just send individual photos so that none of my contact information would be shown. She said that her clients like to see all of the photos at one time, so sending individual shots wouldn’t work.

In order to have representation with this agent, I needed to learn how to delete some of the text on my comp card. I found a great editing program called Gimp, that allows you to edit text and photos. And, this program is free. The address is: http://www.gimp.org/.

So, after learning how to delete the requested text I was able to be represented by the agent.

During a recent workshop, I was asked if spending $500 for a photo session sounded reasonable to me. That is actually a very tricky question, so I thought I would share my thoughts with all of you in this blog posting.

The cost of a photographer can greatly vary greatly depending on the market the photographer is working in and with the photographers experience. I would definitely do some research and find out what is a customary fee for your market. $500 might be a reasonable amount, some areas might be $100 or so less, and in NY, you could easily pay $550-$600 for a session.

Before you invest a bunch of money into photos, you need to know exactly how to take great photos and what types of pictures are going to get you the most work. Many people spend a lot
of time of money, and create pretty shots, but not necessarily strong commercial photos that can best get them work.

My book, How to Become a Successful Commercial Model – which can be ordered at www.HowToModel.com, will teach you how to practice before your shoot, and what the ingredients and formulas are that make photos grab the attention of agents, photographers and people at ad agencies. In the book, you will even learn how to get photos taken free.

Before you agree to shoot with a photographer, make sure you know all of the costs involved in the session. Will you be responsible for paying a makeup artist? Are there additional fees for getting copies from the session? Is there a fee if you are given a CD from the shoot? Will the photographer do minor touch ups if needed, and if so, is there a fee for this? There are more questions that I have listed in my book that will help you tremendously before you photo shoot.

I received a question on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/howtomodel) from Jeff. He wanted to know what I thought was the most professional way to tell one agent that he has to cancel a booking because a much higher paying job was also offered to him on the same day.

Here is my response to Jeff.

First of all Jeff, what a nice problem to have. Congratulations. The first thing I would do is be honest with the agent (of the smaller paying job) and tell her/him about your situation. Ask (and the other agent), if there is any chance either booking date can change. If that does not work, I would see if the times of the shoots can be spread out enough so that you could do both on the same day.

In either case, I would not recommend canceling a booking once you agreed to accepting the job. I realize that you will lose money by keeping your word with the first booking, but I believe that it is a much better way to do business. You always want to think about the future and what is best for your career. Not necessarily what is best for you right now.

If you pull out of your commitment with the small paying job, why would that agent ever want to book you again in the future. He/she will always be concerned that you will drop out again if a better job comes along.

So, I would suggest that you have an honest discussion with your agent. Let her/him know that you are committed to doing the job, and see if there is any way of getting it changed.

There are many ways an actor and or commercial model can get photos taken free. Here is one of my suggestions. Once you have read my book, How to Become a Successful Commercial Model, and you know exactly how to create and essentially produce amazing commercial shots, then visit a local college or university near your home. See if there is a photography class being taught in the art department. If so, show the teacher samples of your ideas for strong commercial shots (you will have learned how to do this in my book.) Ask if there are any students who want to get experience in commercial photography.

You will work out a deal with the student, where you will not charge your regular modeling fee, and they won’t charge you anything. This will be a TFP (trade for print). No money is exchanged. I would ask the student to sign a simple contract stating that you are giving the student permission to use your image in these shots for promotional purposes only. And, you both keep a copy of this contract.

Since you don’t know the student, I would bring someone with you to the set or wherever you are doing to shoot. You have to be very careful when working with a stranger. I know people who have created all the photos they need for a new composite sheet at no cost to them.

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