User blogs

11 Ways to Get Started as a Model Scout, Agent, or Booker

Working as a model scout, agent, or booker can be a rewarding and interesting profession. It's a job that frequently requires extensive travel, attendance at stunning fashion shows and events, and, if you're lucky, working with famous models, fashion designers, photographers, and other celebrities.

As exciting and glamorous as the life of a model scout, agent, or booker might be, it also includes a lot of time spent in airports and hotels, dealing with grumpy models and demanding clients, working extremely long hours, and dealing with disappointment when things don't go as planned. 

Scouting's Function

It's critical to distinguish between a scout, an agent, and a booker. Scouts generally scout fresh faces and present them to the model agency that employs them, as well as a range of other modeling agencies. Should one or more of the agencies wish to hire the model, the scout should be able to advise the model on the appropriate agency for their specific needs. Scouts are always scouting, and models may be found anywhere, including shopping malls, airports, beaches, and organized activities. 

Once a model has been put with an agency, the agents and bookers take over. An agent and a booker are often used interchangeably and serve the same purpose. The agents and bookers will book the gigs, manage the model's "chart," and ensure that the model not only gets the greatest jobs, but also ones that fit with her brand and career aspirations.

Inappropriate Behavior

Never make inappropriate or sexually suggestive comments in a professional setting, or approach or gaze at a model in an uneasy manner. Because of the nature of the industry, even the most innocent of behaviors may appear weird, if not frightening, to a young

Follow Your Instincts

Being successful also entails trusting your intuition and going with your gut. If you believe one of your new faces has star potential but none of the major agencies or clients agree, you must do whatever it takes to persuade them.
It was exactly that kind of hunch that model scout David Cunningham had when he first met Kate Upton. Cunningham introduced Kate to New York super-agency IMG Models, but everyone at IMG Models believed Cunningham was nuts since Kate "wasn't fashionable enough." Ivan Bart, the head of IMG Models, spotted Kate's promise and signed her regardless.  And the rest, as they say, is history. Kate Upton has made millions of dollars as a model.

model.