I have an adorable 11 mo old son (I know -  all moms says that ).
However, after numerous strangers and relatives asked me if he is
modeling, the idea stuck in my head.  He is, indeed, photogenic, has
beautiful teeth, hair, eyes and a smile and I decide to give it a try.
 My question is ?How and where do I start??.  The only thing I have
tried, so far, was to have gone to ?kids.com? - baby talent management
company.  They have asked for $595 upfront and this turned me off.
Later, I googled them and realized they were scammers.  Do I need a
management company (and which ones to avoid) or can I approach
modeling agencies directly?  If so ? which ones and how? Please
provide a thorough answer as I am new to the field and don?t have any
connections.  Perhaps, this is a bad idea and it is impossible to
break into the field without connections?  P.s. My goal is not to make
mega bucks but to see my child?s face printed in some baby magazine
(mom?s vanity - - guilty as charged) and, perhaps, earn small change
to help along while I am between careers.

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Request for Question Clarification by nenna-ga on 17 Oct 2006 14:53 PDT

Hello theskigirl-ga,

Could you tell me where you're located so that I may search for the
best answer to your question?

Nenna-GA

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Clarification of Question by theskigirl-ga on 17 Oct 2006 20:51 PDT

nenna, i live in jersey city, right by the holland tunnell if you
happen to be from the area.  it takes me about 15-20 min to downtown
Manhattan.
kriswrite and nmc500, thank you so much for the comments.

Hello theskigirl-ga,

Let?s talk a bit abut the modeling industry and children and then some
leads for you.

First of all, there are some questions you need to ask yourself to
make sure your child is cut out for modeling. While your son may be
adorable, he may not be able to handle the stress of modeling.

How does your son handle strangers with you around and with you gone?
Can you leave your son alone without him becoming upset?
Does your son handle travel well?
Does your son handle change with a good temperament? Naptime, feeding
time, these are all things that may get disrupted for a shoot. Both
you and your son need to be flexible.
http://www.baby-place.com/infant_modeling.html

Living locally to an agency will also help you out. Let?s take a look
at some quotes from various sources that talk about scams, good
advice, secrets, and tricks.

?"There is not a whole lot of [child] modeling work available outside
New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, and Dallas, so
make sure that an agency does not give you false information about who
their clients include." -- Parents Magazine?

?"Models must live near the agency's headquarters, which is likely to
be in New York City, Los Angeles, or Miami, though some leading firms
have offices in such cities as Cleveland or Phoenix." -- Deborah
Skolnik, Parents Magazine?

?"You need to be able to travel to shoots and meetings on very little
notice -- sometimes a few hours. Only people who are local can do
that." -- Margaret Pelino, booking agent, Ford Modeling Agency,
Manhattan?

It seems like you?re pretty local to a few agencies, so that?s a bonus
for you and your son.

Some other tips include:
Don?t spend a ton of money on a portfolio. Babies change too quickly.
Get a couple good photos every 3 months or so.
http://www.modelingscams.org/childmodelingscams.html

Make sure you check out the agency with other people in your area. The
Better Business Bureau, Ask for some references from other parent?s
whose children are placed by the agency, etc. Find someone in your
area who has been through this before and ask them for help. Make
friends, they?re your best connections.

Here are a few more good articles:
\http://www.babycenter.com/dilemma/baby/babydevelopment/1358648.html

http://www.cbs58.com/cbsdata.cgi?_dhweb=form&_lt23r=home&kv=headlinenews.headlinenew_id=2312

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/services/model.htm

Here are some sites to get you started around your local area:

http://www.elenskids.com/become/

Elen?s Kids represents infants to 18 y/o kids. They do a variety of
media including film, print, stage, and TV. They are located in
Cranford, NJ, which seems to be about 20 minutes from you. They state
they work with a number of agencies, so you?ll have more than just 1
agency looking to place your child.


http://www.modelscouts.com/?aid=82
?Model Scouts.com is the modeling industry's Number 1 model scouting
service and the only modeling service that guarantees that your photos
will be viewed by legitimate modeling agents and scouts for over 100
international modeling agencies within 24 hours after your photos are
submitted.?

Female models, male models and child models of all ages are welcome.
Professional photos not required. No experience necessary.

Google Search used:

infant modeling

://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=infant+modeling+&btnG=Search

infant baby modeling

://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=infant+baby+modeling+&btnG=Search

infant baby modeling new jersey

://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=infant+baby+modeling+new+jersey&btnG=Search

I hope this helps you to get a good start. Best of luck to you and
your son. Let us know if we can see his face anywhere soon!

If this answer requires further explanation, please request
clarification before rating it, and I'll be happy to look into this
further.

Nenna-GA
Google Answers Researcher

Hi theskigirl...

I don't know how to find a reputable agency these days, but when my
daughter was the same age as your son, she was actually "discovered"
by the director of a modelling agency, as I was pushing her in her
stroller one day ( this was in 1970 ).

The director just stopped me, pointed to my daughter, and said "we
want HER"... My daughter was beautiful too, a head of black curls,
chubby cheeks, huge eyes and a smile to die for..heheheh. The director
gave me her card....and well, the rest is history... She ended up
doing numerous photo shoots for a major retail  catalogue and earning
$ 75.00 to $ 120.00 /hour...

I still have her catalogue pics.....

Steph53

wow - that is a great story! how long did she model for?
i am suprized i did not get any answers to my question - i thought
baby modeling is a very popular topic and someone out there knows of
some agency names and the routine

All you have to do is contact local talent or modeling agencies. The
legit ones will NEVER ask for money from you. It's their job to give
YOU money, not the other way around. You may have to provide
photographs, but professional shots are almost never necessary in a
case like yours, so don't spend an arm and a leg on them.

Kriswrite

Hi, there is a fantaastic article in american baby magazine re:
modeling. You can look it up on their website. Article : "Could my
Baby be in pictures?" I was in the same position as you a few months
ago - so many people asked me - that my daughter should model - I
started to think - well maybe she could!
I figured I'd give it a shot & she actually just got call backs from 3
agencies! I took her pictures myself, though I should tell you I am a
photographer! But, you dont have to spend any money on pictures - just
take really good ones yourself & send them in. If you go to the
agencies' websites, they tell you how. The big, reputable agencies are
the ones to use. Then you can decide from there. Hope this helps. PS
depending on where you live, you are supposed to be w/in n hour's
drive away from agency...