WARNING! LONG POST but worth it to know if you have child models or are a parent of a child model.
Hello Everyone & especially child models & their parents!
Allow me to take a moment to address a serious concern that is rarely (but sometimes) brought up in my conversations with various talent & parents in Oregon & Washington. I have heard all too well about this specific child modeling agency “Lil Angels Nation” & “Brittany Carter”. I do not have any experience with them as a parent of a child model. I do not know how they interact with their talent. I can only say what other parents of child models have told me. I can also provide some insight to how they deal with casting directors & photographers as Brittany has reached out to me many times since 2017...
First...
What people have told me is: they ask for money, promise gigs, & don’t always deliver. Many models have paid them but not received many gigs. This is only what I have heard. I do not know if there is any fact to that but it reportedly seems to be the common experience child models have had with them.
Second:
What I do know is that Option Models is PROVEN to be one of the biggest agencies & has a head quarters in Portland, OR. They also have child models, youth, all-ages, teens, etc. Their models make anywhere between $800-$3000+. I rarely work with their models because their models typically only do commercial productions whereas my work is typically non-commercial (Time for Print / Trade for Production, TFP). My business model is completely different because I’m an ARTIST trying to make my own personal artwork for social media as a niche content creator.
Compare Lil Angels Nations website to that of Options. Compare their social media & reviews. Google them both. You will see very different things.
Third:
Brittany Carter has contacted me since 2017 asking if I'd like to use their services to cast talent for my child modeling art projects. I've NEVER successfully casted a model via their services EVER. I've tried a few times & usually they say they’ll forward my Casting Call Info to their models & I never hear back.
Most recently, Brittany responded to one of my casting calls this summer. After a long email conversation she eventually asked about the details of the shoot I’m casting for -which were ALREADY listed in the casting call she responded to (did she not actually read the casting call?)
The casting is my standard casting that I've been doing since 2017. It lists all the general types of angles/views I’ll be doing: “head shots, medium close ups, bare feet modeling, & full length portraits”. This is my standard general shot list. Ask any child models parents I've worked with. This is what I do. I go over everything with parents in advance. We agree upon everything before we do a shoot. I've not had any complaints.
Brittany wrote back “the only thing we are not comfortable with is the bare feet modeling”. Then why did you not object any of the previous times you reached out to me? Why do you even respond to my casting call that clearly says “bare feet modeling included” at all? Why are you wasting peoples time?
Finally:
I personally have never casted using their “services”. They don’t seem to actually read anything I send them. I have found Brittany Carter to be difficult to communicate with because she doesn’t actually read what I send her. They now suddenly out-of-no-where have a problem with what I do (despite they didn’t have a problem with any of it previous years). Because of all these things I cannot & would not ever recommend their services.
ALSO please note that it looks like I’m not the only one here: https://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/angelsmanagement.co.uk
Additionally, here are other good articles regarding scams. There are a lot of agency’s (as well as photographers) who have dishonest practices. It’s worth it to know what these practices look like. Bare feet modeling is NOT a scam. I'm very honest & direct about what I'm trying to do as an artist including when it comes to my child modeling art work. Everything is clearly explained in the PDF you receive "Modeling Info" also found at the bottom of every page on my website.
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/a…/0071-look-out-modeling-scams
https://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Crimes/delivered/modeling.htm
https://actingcareerinfo.com/scam-agencies-vs-real-talent-agencies/
Please always remember: "Art is subjective". Everyone projects what they think they see onto the artwork. Their hatred for something says more about them as individuals than it does about the thing they hate. What is right for some people may not be right to others & vice versa. But as an artist I do me 100%. Haters will hate. Justin Bieber has more haters than Marilyn Manson. The more honest & authentic you are as a creator, performer, artist, individual, the more people will dislike you because they don't understand & are ignorant. I do not waste my time with/on anyone who has a "problem" with my work. I block/ban immediately & never give it a second thought. Your focus determines your reality; I will not waste any seconds on negativity. I will focus 100% on my projects, collaborating, building my network & community/tribe, business, & artist branding.
THANK YOU everyone who has supported me & allowed me to pursue my happiness as a creative artist, niche content creator, business man, & photography service trade-arts provider. I appreciate every single one of you & hope we can/will work together again soon! Please stay safe out there & let me know if you need anything
Best regards,
-Stephan Partipilo
http://stephanpartipilo.com