Congratulations! You’ve got a modeling agency contract! Or you have a contract coming soon. 😉 This article entails everything I wish I knew before signing my first agency contract.
After 6 years in the industry, I have been offered and have reviewed a number of contracts. Here is everything you should have clarity on as you do your due diligence on your modeling agency contract.
Is this a Mother Agency Contract?
Many modeling agencies these days will offer mother agency contracts to new signs, especially for new models. New models need to be developed with portfolio shoots, digitals, and training on terms/norms in the industry. When a booking agent signs on a new model with no experience, they are typically the ones developing the model, so they want the additional financial benefit when the model starts working.
A mother agency contract means that outside of booking you jobs, they will also mentor, develop, and strategize your modeling career. Mother agents place their models with agencies in other markets, and when they do so, they will split the agency commission with the secondary booking agency. This will be at no additional cost to you. Their investment pays off when models start booking in other markets.
If you sign a mother agency contract with a booking agency–what types of markets do they envision you working in? What types of jobs would they see you booking in that market? What partner agency contacts do they have in that market? Are those the types of jobs you want to book? These are all questions you should get consider before you sign a Mother Agency contract.
A good mother agent is an invaluable asset and will help you succeed in the industry.
With mother agency contracts, I largely think models are better off working with mother agents who sign and manage a curated board of models, as compared to mother agents who also work as booking agents for their models. I explain my reasoning in depth in this article.
Exclusive vs Non-exclusive contract?
An exclusive contract means that an agency is your sole representation in a specific geographical area. Under an exclusive contract, you are not able to book work as a freelance model. For any clients that reach out to you directly requesting to book you for a job, the proper practice under an exclusive contract is to loop your agent in, and they will negotiate rates and usage terms on your behalf.
If you already have a network of creatives you have cultivated and can book work on your own, having a non-exclusive contract will still give you lots of flexibility to work freelance, while still getting additional leads from an agent’s network.
Many agencies have since moved away from non-exclusive contracts. Prior to Covid in big markets, models used to be signed with multiple agencies (ie New York). If both NYC agencies submitted the model to a casting, and the model booked the job, the agency commission would go to the agent that sent the casting first to the model. Which then meant redundant work with no guarantee for commission for agents.
Few agencies offer non-exclusive contracts now, though they still exist. I know a couple of models who have signed non-exclusive contracts with a couple of agencies in the same market (NYC) and regularly book freelance work on their own as well.
What is the Contract Length?
I have seen contracts anywhere from 1 – 3 years. 1 year is (in my opinion) gives the most flexibility. If you have a good agent, you should be casting/booking jobs effectively immediately. At the end of the year, you can always renew the contract if the partnership is going well for both parties.
Some contracts have a clause where if you have not booked a job within the first 6 months, you have the option to terminate the contract.
How easy is it for you to terminate your modeling contract?
Some contracts will let you terminate before the contract length is up as long as you give them some amount of advance warning. Some contracts only allow you to terminate at the end of contract term AND with advanced warning. So make sure you are very clear on terms for termination. Make a mental note of when you sign your contract, and if you want to terminate, be aware of termination terms.
In the one contract I have terminated before the contract length was up, I had not booked any work for months with that agency, so I simply emailed them asking to terminate my contract. They released me from the contract quite easily, as I was not making them money.
This might not always be the case–I have heard some models struggle to terminate their contracts before the contract term is up. Generally, if the agency is an honest business, they wouldn’t force a model to be in a situation she doesn’t want to be in. I always make sure to get the termination in writing.
What Fees do you have to Pay?
Legitimate modeling agencies will not charge any upfront fees. However, some agencies will offload certain costs onto the model, which either they take out of the model’s paycheck when they book a job, or the model pays directly to the service provider.
Here are the most common fees I pay as a model:
Agency Web Fees
Web fees are the most common fees models pay. This is the fee for hosting your portfolio on the model agency website.
In the United States web fees range anywhere from $300-$500 per year. The range depends on which market you’re in, which agency you sign with, and how much they charge.
Some agencies don’t charge models for web fees. That’s always a good sign of a legitimate agency.
Comp Card
Comp cards are the model’s business card that we drop off at castings whatever we get requested for in-person castings.
Comp cards typically cost anywhere between $40-$60 for a set of 15 cards. When my previous agency ordered these, I would pay the printer directly.
As a petite commercial model, most of my castings are self tapes and I don’t have many in person castings. Many of the castings I go to in person don’t ask for comp cards anymore, though it’s still nice to have on hand just in case.
Agency Commission
In the United States agency commission fees are 20%. Anything above 20% is high for industry standard. Some talent agencies charge 10%.
Agents take 20% from the client, and 20% from the model.
Agency commission is paid when you book a job–typically it gets taken out of your paycheck before your share is deposited into your bank account. This does not require any upfront payment.
Different agencies quote rates differently. Some agencies quote a rate for before the agency fee gets taken out on the client and model side (they do this for transparency), others quote a rate for before the agency commission on the model side gets paid.
To fully ensure you understand how much money goes to you after each job, consider asking your agent what the rates for a casting request looks like, and how much you get paid for a job. For example, if they send you a casting request for a rate of $10k, how much do you get deposited into your bank account?
Keep in mind as a model, you are a freelancer, so you take care of taxes on your own.
Portfolio shoots
If you have a good (aka well-connected) agent, they will be able to set up portfolio shoots for you for free, or very low cost.
In big US markets, portfolio shoots cost anywhere from $600 – $1,000 for HMU, styling and photographer included. Hiring just the photographer typically costs $300 – $500. These fees should get paid directly to the creatives you hire.
Some agencies offer in-house portfolio shoots. If agencies charge money for in house portfolio shoots, that is a red flag. Agencies should be making money from their models booking jobs whether in their home market, or secondary markets.
Who are regular clients your agency works with?
A well-connected agency will have a set of clients that primarily book that agency’s models. This is the value of an agency—they have access to direct clients who regularly book their models for campaigns.
I haven’t yet figured out a reliable way to vet this before signing with an agency. Agencies can claim a brand is a client because their models may have booked with the client in the past, even though they may have come through other channels, such as Casting Networks or Backstage.
The difference we’re looking for are ~returning clients, or clients who specifically seek out your agency’s models, not wide casting calls that all agencies can submit their models for. For the record, agencies will also book jobs for their models via location-wide casting calls too, but these types of jobs are much more competitive to book, as clients and casting directors are considering models across many different agencies, as compared to models from 1 or 2 agencies.
Once signed, regular client bookings typically come through direct texts from your agent checking your availability — as compared to casting network submissions, which go out to a much wider pool of models.
Conclusion
Read your contract thoroughly! If there are any egregious red flags in your contract, don’t sign it. Look for another agency. Make sure you know what your rights are in the agency contract, and always find an agency who will support you as a person, first and foremost.
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