We think our 3 1/2 month old baby girl is exceptionally compelling to
look at. My wife is off on one year of maternity leave and would like
to use some of her free time by engaging our baby in "modeling" work.
(print, advertising, television, film...)

What organizations in the Montreal Canada area can help arrange for
this type of work?

Being in Montreal we think that there is probably more work in the
French media but would also like to have the opportunity to arrange
for work in English media.

A bonus would be links to sage advice on the benefits and pitfalls of
engaging on such an endeavour. (Do's and don'ts, if you will.)

Augusta,

The following agencies advertise work for child models in the Montreal
area:

"Institut Top Modele"
http://www.itmsb.qc.ca/

Here's a sample page from Institut Top Modele of some of their current
child models: http://www.itmsb.qc.ca/ver_html/juniors/filles/choix_1_e_f.html

"Sybille Sasse On-Line"
http://www.sybillesasse.com/

Note that Sybille's page is tough to navigate, but if you click on
"FAQ", one of the questions reads as follows:

"Q: I have a child that I would like to start in modeling, what is the
procedure?

A: For children of ages 3 moths to teens, we require that you send by
mail only (not email) 5 snapshots (4x6 size) taken with your camera.
Each photo should be labeled with the name of child, birth date, home
telephone & address in a self-addressed and stamped envelope. If we
are interested, we will call the parents to schedule an appointment.
If the child is not accepted, we will send the photos back only if you
have submitted a self-addressed stamped envelope as requested."

While Angie's Models is based in Ottawa, their page mentions that
they've done work in Montreal:

"Angie's Models" -- based in Ottawa, but mentions work in Montreal.
http://www.angiesmodels.com/

Some of the above pages have sections in both English and French.


In terms of guidelines and pitfalls, I'd recommend that you start with
the following reading:

"Can my child become a successful model?"
http://www.babyzone.com/parenting/childmodel.asp

"Angie's Models -- FAQs from parents"
http://www.angiesmodels.com/faq2.htm

"Advice from the UCB parents' list on modeling"
http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/playing/modeling.html

"Dear Jill: I want my six-year-old to be a model"
http://www.tearsheet.com/dearjill/childmodeling/

"Tips on getting a child into modeling"
http://www.reporternews.com/1999/features/modelchild0503.html


Finally, here are the search terms I used in order to track down this
information for you.

"montreal" + "child model"
://www.google.com/search?as_q=montreal&num=100&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF8&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=child+model&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=&safe=images

"montreal" + "child" + "model agency"
://www.google.com/search?as_q=montreal+child&num=100&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF8&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=model+agency&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=&safe=images

"advice" + "for" + "parents" + "child model"
://www.google.com/search?as_q=advice+for+parents&num=100&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF8&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=child+model&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=&safe=images

I hope this helps you!

Thanks,

/ephraim

---

Request for Answer Clarification by augusta-ga on 03 Jul 2002 18:48 PDT

This answer is helpful but I would be more satisfied if the results
focussed more specifically on work for babies rather than children.

I suspsect that the sector of the industry that deals with modelling
for children is not quite the same as that which deals with babies.

---

Clarification of Answer by ephraim-ga on 03 Jul 2002 21:32 PDT

Augusta,

Are you looking for a clarification about modelling agencies in
Montreal that specifialize in babies or more advice about how to get
your baby into modelling?

FYI, every search I've done for modelling groups in Montreal has
eventually pointed me back at the same three places, two of which I
listed above. The third can be found at http://www.foliomontreal.com ,
but I didn't list it in my original post because their web site gives
no indication that they work with children or babies. This seems to
indicate that these are three of the main groups which do modelling
work in Montreal *and* have an online presence which can be found.

Given this, what can I try to find for you that would be most helpful
in your search?

/ephraim

Excellent answer. All details of the question covered. Results were
customized to focus on my local area. Speedy response to both question
and request for clarification. Thank you very much.