Signed Isn’t the Same as Represented — An article for new models

Sep 26

What new models in Australia might want to know before signing with an agency, and how to recognise when it might be time to leave.

I scout. In the past year, nine models I've referred have been offered agency contracts. Four of those were just this month.

That's the good part. The other part is the messages I get afterwards. Sometimes they're from those same girls, sometimes from models I've never met. The agency won't return calls. They were called in, weighed, photographed, and told they looked terrible. They haven't been sent to a casting in months. Their online portfolio is a year old.

Getting signed feels like the finish line. It isn't. It's the start of a working relationship. Some are good, some are lazy, and a few are just bad for you. I try to make sure the models I work with know the difference, before they sign and after.

They work for you

The first thing is simple. You shouldn't be paying to be with an agency. No joining fees, no registration fees, no compulsory courses, no "you need to shoot with our photographer before we can sign you." A real agency makes its money when you make yours, through commission on the work they book. They should work for you as hard as you work for them.

There is one nuance. Early on, you might pay for a test shoot with a photographer to build your book. That's common, and honestly, it's almost a rite of passage. The difference is who it serves. A test with a photographer the agency recommends because your book needs it is normal. A mandatory package, paid to the agency or their mate as a condition of being signed, is not.

$1,000 isn't $1,000 — and that's fine

In Australia, the agency's commission is typically 20%. That's the number to pay attention to.

The invoice is where a lot of new models get confused. Depending on how the job was set up, you'll also see super and GST in the numbers. Put those together and it can look like the agency is taking 40% of your money. They aren't.

Commission (20%) — the agency's cut. This is their fee.
Super — this is yours. It goes into your super fund.
GST — this is tax. It goes to the ATO, not the agency.

So on a $1,000 job, the agency's fee is $200. Everything else is either yours or the government's. If you're not sure how your agency breaks things down, ask them to walk you through a statement. A good agency will explain it.

And your rate shouldn't stay at $1,000. It should rise as you get more experience and bookings. Some Australian models are paid over $30,000 for a single job. That's not even the top end, but it shows there’s room to get some altitude.

The one contract detail I'd flag: watch for auto-renewal. Know when your contract ends and what happens if you do nothing.

Look at the work, not the website

Anyone can build a nice website and call themselves a modelling agency. The question is whether their models book.

Look for their girls' faces on billboards. On magazine covers. In editorial stories. Placed with agencies overseas. If an agency's models aren't booking the kind of brands you see on billboards in Westfield, you can be pretty sure that agency isn't worth signing with.

Be especially clear on the difference between modelling and promo work. Some agencies are really image or promotional agencies — their bookings are parties, events, brand activations and shows. That work exists, and appearances can be part of any model's job. But if that's the only work an agency books, it isn't a modelling agency, whatever it calls itself. Promo work doesn't build a book and it doesn't lead to campaigns.

The simplest check of all: talk to models who are with the agency now. Ask how often they test, how often they're sent to castings, and how quickly their booker replies. They'll tell you more in ten minutes than any website will.

Who runs it matters

New agencies open all the time in Australia, and most don't last. Not because the people are bad, but because an agency is only as good as its relationships with clients, and those take years to build.

The new agencies that do work tend to be started by people who already worked inside a modelling agency. They understand the market, they know the clients, and they know what to do with a new face. Two I rate highly are Merci Management and The Scouted. Both are boutique, both are led by people who came from inside the industry, and both are excellent.

Boutique agencies often have a real advantage for new models: time. With a smaller board, they can be hands-on. They treat modelling as a career they're helping you build, not a numbers game where they sign twenty girls and see which ones stick.

Boutique isn't the only way to go, though. Here are a few more agencies worth knowing, each for a different reason:

Kult and IMG are the big global names with offices in Sydney. Kult began in Hamburg and now has agencies in London, Stockholm, Vienna, Cape Town and Sydney. IMG has offices in New York, Paris, London, Milan and Sydney. If you're hoping to work overseas, an agency with its own international network can make that a lot easier.
Chic and Scoop are sister agencies with the same founders but different jobs. Chic handles fashion and Scoop handles commercial work: TV commercials and mainstream campaigns. There's also Chic Brisbane. Having the two side by side shows that a good agency is clear about what kind of work it books, which is the question you should ask of any agency.
Vivien's opened in Sydney in 1967. It describes itself as the second-longest-established agency in the world, and it's still family owned and run, which I think is great. The agency usually named as the one ahead of it is Ford Models, started in New York in 1946 by Eileen and Gerard Ford, and it did a lot to make modelling the industry it is today.
ICON was founded by Chelsea Bonner, who spent more than twenty years representing talent before she started it. More on her below, because she's leading the fight on AI.

And the obvious one, which I'll say plainly because I hear about it too often: some agencies are run by men who mostly want an excuse to be around attractive young women. Ask other models what it's like. And if you get a bad feeling in the meeting, don't sign. You don't owe anyone an explanation.

A "no" isn't a verdict

Here's something that surprises new models: you can't really judge an agency by the meeting, and they can't always judge you.

Agencies decide on your look, your confidence, how you answer their questions, and most of all how you present yourself. They also get it wrong. One model I rate among the best in the country was told by a top agency that she was "not a model." Another agency said she wasn't ready yet but they'd watch her development. She's now booked and busy.

So a rejection means not this agency, not right now. That's all it means.

What your first month should look like

If you've just signed, here's roughly what good looks like:

A portfolio shoot, or a plan for one
Meetings — with your booker, and with clients or photographers they want you to meet
Possibly walking classes
Maybe one test you pay for yourself

Most of all, you should come away knowing what they're aiming for with your look, and what you need to do to start booking. If you're over 18 and on development, I'd expect at least one shoot a month. It can be slower for under-18s, and it varies by agency — which is exactly why you should ask their current models what's normal.

Signs it's time to move on

This is the part most people won't say out loud.

They have no plan for you. They can't tell you what they see in your look, they aren't pushing you to test, and they don't explain what they're doing. If you ask and get half-answers, they probably don't know.
You're an afterthought. Replies take a week. You only hear from them when they want something. You're not being sent to castings.
They signed you to sit on you. It's brutal, but it happens: an agency signs a girl so a competitor can't, then does nothing with her. If months go by with no castings, no tests and no development, that may be what's going on.
Your book is stale. Your profile on their site hasn't been updated, your digitals are old, nobody is building your portfolio.
They play games. Some agencies take a model off the website, then call her in, and use it to unsettle her. This is real, and it's rubbish. If that's happening to you, let them drop you. You'll be better off.
Measurements have become harmful. Being measured is normal, especially ahead of fashion week, seasonal shows and placement overseas. But an agency should be realistic. If you're skipping meals to hit a number, living on liquids, or trying fad diets to meet their standard, it's time to leave. Your health isn't a negotiating point.
Your mental health is suffering. If the agency is making you feel worse about yourself month after month, leave. When your mental health goes, it shows — including in front of the camera. You're better off somewhere else, or on your own for a while.

If eating or body image is becoming a struggle, the Butterfly Foundation helpline is 1800 33 4673.

How to leave

Leave well. Send polite emails, especially about any money you're owed, and keep a written record. Don't burn bridges. The industry in Australia is small, people move between agencies, and the booker you're frustrated with today may be the one who books you in five years.

What agencies still aren't talking about

The industry is changing faster than a lot of agencies are.

Clients are finding talent themselves. Brands scout on Instagram and TikTok now, and book influencers and creators directly. That puts pressure on traditional agencies, and it means a model today isn't just someone who turns up to castings. Your social presence is part of your career.

Yet many agents downplay it, or keep it in a separate box. Ask before you sign: how does the agency handle brand deals that come through your socials? Do they help? Do they take commission on work you found yourself? Whatever the answer, it should be written into your contract. Most agencies still aren't doing this well enough.

AI is the new grey area. It's early, and nobody has fully worked it out. Chelsea Bonner at ICON has been one of the loudest voices here. She's made submissions to government and co-launched a petition to federal parliament calling for AI-generated images to be clearly labelled. She wants proper policy on how AI is used and how copyright applies, so models aren't simply swapped out for computer-generated ones. She has described using AI this way as "stealing somebody's identity in order to create false identities to sell for financial gain." Before you sign, ask any agency how they handle your likeness, digital use of your images, and AI. The good ones are already thinking about it.

You don't have to be signed. Plenty of models I've scouted have stayed freelance and done very well. Self-management isn't for everyone — negotiating your own rates is hard, and you carry all the admin. But a weak agency isn't better than no agency.

Two stories

A close friend of mine was dropped by her agency. They'd signed another girl with a similar look. She didn't give up. She built a new portfolio, signed with another agency, and has done very well since.

Another model left her agency because they were doing nothing for her. We shot together, and two weeks later she was offered a contract by the agency she'd always wanted — one that had rejected her twice. She's now cleaning up.

Perseverance was part of it for both. But the bigger factor was developing their look and energy, and working with great creatives — photographers, makeup artists, stylists. And both of them needed thick skin. I've seen this happen over and over again.

The short version

Don't pay to join. They should work for you.
The agency's cut is 20%. Super is yours, GST is tax.
Watch for auto-renewal.
Look for their models on billboards, covers and overseas — not just at events.
Talk to girls who are signed there now.
Expect a plan, regular testing and replies that don't take a month.
If they play games, or your health and headspace are suffering, go.
Leave politely. Never burn bridges.
One rejection means nothing. Keep building your book.