10 Tips For Those Looking For Agency Representation

Many artists see getting an agent as one of their top career goals so what can you do to prepare yourself and your book to achieve that goal?

Kathy Aragon who has been through the process has kindly shared some insider tips for those who are working towards agency representation.

1. The work you have in your book needs to show that you add value to the agency so it is important to have, not only excellent test shoot images, but work from paid jobs and tear sheets too.

2. Your book should show the agency you have experience working on multiple sets with a full crew so they have confidence sending you on a variety of assignments.

3. Your portfolio should be immaculate and beautifully presented. Don’t take the words ‘tear sheet’ literally. They will ideally want to see a book full of neatly cut out full page tears.

4. Of course every agent is different but most will want to see you are confident producing clean beauty looks. Clean looks also show the agent that you know how to edit your work which is important.

5. When building your book ‘Say no to random stuff on the face.’ This opinion was shared by many of the agencies Kathy heard speaking at the Makeup Show in LA. No feathers, no rhinestones, no gold leaf when you’re testing.

6. Agencies can spot a bad or overdone Photoshop job a mile off and generally don’t want to see overly Photoshopped images from tests in your book .

7. Before approaching an agency it is really important to do your home work. They will want to know that you have studied their artists and their work and that it matches what you want to do with your career.

8. Assisting the artists at a top agency is a great way to start building your relationship with the agency. If you call to put yourself forward for assisting opportunities mention specific artists you would like to assist. This gives them an idea of the direction you want to take your work and your inspiration. Be sure to also make it known that you are available to assist all of their artists so they know you are willing to assist anyone they represent to prove yourself. They want to see dedication.

9. Once you feel your book is ready you need to start by calling the agencies you’re interested in to find out what their submission process is and whether they are adding artists to their roster.

10. Not sure if your book is good enough to take to an agency? As a guideline when you are ready your work should be in line with the other artists represented by the agencies you are approaching.

You can view Kats work at www.kathyaragon.com or follow her on Twitter @KatAragon

If you too have agency representation like Kathy or have recently shown your book to an agency please share your experiences and tips in the comments section as I would love to hear from you.

Working Backstage at Ann Sofie Back A/W09

Just over a week ago I got an email from Jed Root asking if I was available to work fashion week as Ayami Nishimura wanted me to assist on three of her shows. Of course I absolutely jumped at the chance and yesterday I got to work my first show doing makeup for Ann Sofie Back at London Fashion Week.

Even though I felt nervous about working on the show and assisting Ayami there was such an amazing energy backstage and Ayami and the other artists made me feel really at ease so my nerves were gone as soon as I set up my station.

The idea behind the makeup look was to create a beautiful zombie which might sound like a contradiction but the models really did look stunning, even if a little scary. It had been said at the fitting that it should look like the model was in vogue shoot, died and they carried on shooting! Yep, a bit morbid but I think the look Ayami created really worked with this idea.

To re create the look Ayami designed I had to put Xtreme Eyez White Out contact lenses in the models eyes which was definitely a great learning experience. We used MAC Full Coverage in White as a base which we blended with a damp sponge to give a flawless look. We used the purple from a Bruise Wheel to do a smokey eye and lined the eyes with metallic purple airbrush makeup. The lips were covered with the base and we applied a dark red on the inside of the lips.

I felt really privileged to do makeup for Ayami and was ecstatic when she said that she had seen my website and really liked my work. It was amazing working on the show and cant wait to do it again!

Are you working any shows this season? Share your experiences in the comments section.

PS. I'm really sorry for the poor pic quality I finally found my camera this morning so I can stop using camera phone snaps on the blog!!