Q. If I was a young model today walking into a big agency for the first time what
would be a warning sign?
First off, never pay them money. You should never ever have to pay them
money. The only money you should ever spend is for testing and for comp cards.
That is all. Never anything else. If they ask for 500 dollars for a listing
fee, that is a massive warning sign. An agency will take 20 percent from you and
then 20 percent above that from the client. They should never ask for a listing
or fee to register with their agency.
The second warning is if they want an exclusive right away. Never sign an exclusive
unless you have been with them for at least 6 months. My rule is I will sign exclusives
with agencies when they can guarantee to pay my rent.
So again, two things you should never do are never pay an agency money and never
sign an exclusive right off the bat.
Q. When is the time when I should no longer accept TFP? Or is there?
Even super models test. The reality is that you should always test but ONLY with
photographers who can improve what you have or if you change your look (i.e.,
if you gain weight, lose weight, change your hair, etc.) Testing is something
you should do all the time and continue to progress with. So, no...you should
never stop tfps. You just need to continue to work with better and better
photographers.
Q. If a photographer is constantly trying to get me to sleep with him, should
I tell anyone? Same question for a minor.
If you are a model and a photographer is trying to sleep with you, first tell
someone you trust. You can always contact me or anyone at www.theblackbookproject.com
If you're scared to tell your parents or agent first, tell us and we can
help guide you. But you must tell someone. Not telling anyone that is the
worst thing you can do. You should be respected. You shouldn't have
to deal with this. If it was in any other business, they would be fired.
If you tell them no, and they continue, it is sexual harassment. Look for someone
you know and trust and tell them asap whether it's your parents, booker or agent.
Or, again you can contact us and we can help out.
If you are a minor, please contact us or tell someone IMMEDIATELY. If someone
is trying to sleep with you and you're a minor, chances are they have sexually
abused or hurt someone else already and if you turn them in, you may be able to
prevent it from happening again to yet another person. Also, if you are afraid
to tell your parents or your agent, contact me or the blackbook project crew and
we can help you. You can also call the police and tip them off. Again, you
want to do this and you will be protected. Don't let them scare you. There
are lots of people who will protect you and help you if you turn them in.
Don't let them make you think that it's YOUR FAULT. They are the ones that are
wrong and need to be stopped. You are the victim. You are not supposed to
have to deal with this. It is wrong. But in order for anything to really
change, not only do you need to tell someone, but you need to file a police report.
This will be used to help clean up the industry and make the world a better place.
Again, I cannot stress this enough -- speak out! It will be ok. I have been
there and it is not easy, but I kept it a secret for years and then I broke the
silence and got help and healed. Don't be afraid. It's ok and it's not your
fault. You are not the bad guy.
Q. Is there an agency that you trust and really believe in?
No. I wish I could say there was,. You have to look for bookers and people
who are honest. Many agencies see girls as nothing more than meat. Many agencies
push girls to be unhealthy. I have heard good things about Vision in New York
at least. But again there is no ONE agency that I would say is amazing and is
gold. If I find one or make one, I will let you know. The reason I am self-managed
is because I never found one I really liked. I work with a few, but I wont commit
to one.
Q. How big of a roll is the internet playing in the modeling/photography business?
The internet has and will continue to change the industry. I don't believe that
the agencies will be the super powers they are now in five years. I believe the
future is where most models and photographers will work directly with the client
until they reach a place where they need help and then they will turn to the agencies.
I believe the internet is wiping out the need for the standard agency. It will
take 5-10 years to hit, but I think more and more people are going directly to
the models which is both positive and negative. It is positive for those
who understand how to work the business, but it is negative for those who don't.
It is positive because it puts the power back in the hands of the talent and creators,
bit it is negative because many don't know what to do with it. If a model wants
to do it without guidance, they need education through one form or another or
else the chance of them ending up being hurt or used or in trouble are very high.
So one of the purposes of the black book project and my site is to attempt to
educate models so they don't end up being dinner for the predators and users.
Needless to say, one of the battles I am involved with is trying to get the older
and more aware models to reach out and teach the younger ones and to share their
knowledge and information so we have fewer models ending up in bad places.
Agencies used to protect models and now with the internet, they are trying to
compete, which is hard. And, because of their own losses in the financal
aspects due to the internet, they have become more cut throat and the models are
usually the ones paying the price. So the best advice I can give anyone is to
learn as much as possible, read as much as possible, and ask lots of questions
to anyone who is around you that has made it or has gotten anywhere in the modeling
world.
I hope that helps
please use it wherever you want
just credit me by name and mention
my three websites
also let me know where you post it so i can
tell others and spread the word that way to
thanks and let me know if you need anything else
Jillian Ann