In the last four years, my toddlers have modeled for Pampers, Volkswagen, Parenting, Parents and Kiwi Magazines, Toys R Us, and Sears. Baby modeling is time intensive, last-minute, unremunerative and definitely not glamourous.
But it can also serve as an additional source of income.
Print modeling shoots typically pay between $100 and $200, a rate that's decided based on supply and demand. A better pay rate is $50 an hour—great for a one-year-old. The agency, however, takes a 20 percent cut. I usually have to drive into the city twice (once for the gosee and again for the shoot) and pay for parking and tolls. We basically break even. Plus, the odds of getting booked at an open so-called "go-see"—hundreds of kids are seen—are less than 1 percent.
I don't have any statistics on how many child models rotate in and out of the industry, but judging by the modeling go-sees, it's a very high percentage. Back when my son was an infant, I used to see the same mothers and babies all the time in the waiting areas (requests go out based on age, gender and ethnicity). Two and a half years later, I never see any of them anymore; not surprising considering many of them were coming into Manhattan from Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
Some gigs pay a little better. Pampers photographed me and my son for a new product—unfortunately, one that never hit the market—that paid about $500, plus an additional $2,500 if the photos were used. I also received a last-minute call earlier today for an out-of-state shoot paying $2,500. But, when we arrived at the go-see, we discovered that the shoot would start tomorrow and last for three days. Um, what?
We also rarely see photos from the kids' shoots. Photos are shelved for use years in the future or printed in newspaper inserts in far off places like Hawaii.
Still I continue to take my children to go-sees and sign them up for modeling gigs. You may wonder why. I am very fortunate to have a flexible job based in Hoboken. The go-sees are located in the west side of lower Manhattan near the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, so very convenient.
Funnyface Today represents models of all ages, so I am making an investment in my kids' future. As they get older, the compensation increases (Unsurprisingly, adults make three times as much as children). A casting director very kindly evaluated my daughter for me a couple of years ago when I was getting frustrated by going on fruitless go-sees for her. The agent loved her look and said she sees a future for her. The problem was that my girl looks like she's six but has the development of a four-year-old. The appearance/development gap is narrowing as she grows older, so she is getting booked more often now. Who knows, you may recognize her one day.
To read more about what makes Kathy Zucker tick, check out her blog at http://hobokenmomcondo.com/momblog and follow her at http://twitter.com/kathyzucker
Every week Kathy Zucker, mother of two toddlers, writes about issues and challenges that come with raising children in an urban setting.
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