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How to Become a Baby Model in Jax, Florida

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Having your baby model in Jacksonville, Florida and earn an income can be the key to their financial future: many child models can save a significant amount of money towards college. There are two ways you usually sign with an agency. The first way is to apply directly to the agency, usually by sending a professional photograph and an application. This may not be very successful because it's hard to tell which agencies books are currently full. The second option is to attend a convention, where you can connect with agencies who are actively looking for baby models.

Pick up copies of the Jacksonville Times-Union and the Folio weekly. Look in the entertainment and arts sections of the Times-Union and browse the Folio weekly for ads from modeling agencies and upcoming conventions. You may also find advertisements from modeling scouts visiting Jacksonville. Modeling scouts are on the lookout for models, which may include baby models at times, and earn their money by referring models to modeling agencies.

Call around the local modeling agencies and ask if they have openings for baby models. If they do, ask them what you should submit. They may have a website with specific submission requirements.

Look outside of the Jacksonville metropolitan area for modeling agency sign-ups and conventions. Good modeling conventions are rare in Jacksonville: check listings for Orlando, Tampa and Miami. For example, check the Orlando Sentinel newspaper for advertisements. You'll have a better chance of getting your baby signed with a reputable modeling agency if you travel to Orlando, a 2 1/2 hour drive. Many large entertainment companies are located in Orlando, as are many large modeling agencies. You'll find open calls for baby models are a relatively common occurrence in Orlando, while in Jacksonville, open calls are a rarity. Open calls are where baby models from several agencies go to a specified company at a specific time and compete with many other models for a chance to model in that company's commercial, catalog or show.

Tip

You can find an online version of the Times-Union at Jacksonville.com. Check the "Community" section of the online newspaper for upcoming events. If there's a large convention coming to Orlando, modeling scouts will normally make an appearance in Jacksonville several weeks before the Orlando convention. Professional photographs are usually not a requirement to signing with a modeling agency. Your own home snapshots can be enough to get signed.

Warning

Beware of modeling agencies that charge you a fee to sign up. This includes an agency who charges you a fee for photographs, modeling classes or fees for open calls. It's usual for scouts to charge a fee for attending a convention, which may be several hundred dollars. However, the scouts shouldn't sign every baby at an event up for the convention. Look for scouts who hand select less than half of the babies who show up to a scouting event.

Writer

Stephanie Ellen teaches mathematics and statistics at the university and college level. She coauthored a statistics textbook published by Houghton-Mifflin. She has been writing professionally since 2008. Ellen holds a Bachelor of Science in health science from State University New York, a master's degree in math education from Jacksonville University and a Master of Arts in creative writing from National University.

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