New York City is probably the dream city for many models. There is a reason why the majority of the successful models live in New York. It’s simply the best money market in the industry. In NY you will meet the most powerful bookers, the powerhouse clients and the most influential casting directors. New York city is the ultimate modeling market…
Sasha@OMG
Kaya@OMG
Market criteria
NYC is a market that is good for any age (once you got the visa) and any level.
If you arrive in NYC it means that you have a visa so that you have been modeling for quite a while. You can still be considered as a new face in NY even if you did 2/3 seasons in Europe.
Many client like to use older (>25yo) models. E-commerce is a strong market in NY and many client want to have a pro on set. It’s not unusual to shoot more than 30 looks a day.
NY is the city that never sleeps … so there’s no “dead season”. Even August is a good month.
Thanksgiving and Christmas would be a bit slower.
Your agency will provide you a driver at the airport and you will be taken to the model apartment.
NYC is very easy to walk. You can’t get lost. Most of the time the agency will ask you to come to the office on the next day of your arrival.
Transportation
You can walk EVERYWHERE in NYC. It became a very safe city. Even at night. We recommend you to walk as much as possible.
Metro is 32$ per week and it works really well.
Uber and taxi are more expensive options.
What to wear
We would call it rock’n roll chic. Black is a must.
It’s a very interesting mix of “ I don’t care about what I am wearing but look how good I look”
Let’s say you will wear a destroy or too large t-shirt with the perfect tight jeans and the ultimate “last seen in vogue” boots.
If you re in NY by now you see how girls look after the shows. This is how you have to look everyday.
(for more tips check out http://www.omgmodelblog.com/model-style.html )
How to act on the castings
When you come to the agency for a first time, bring something special from your country as a gift. The simple gesture of sharing something from your home will be greatly appreciated – think souvenir key rings, chocolate bars, and other treats only available in your country. Avoid expensive or flamboyant offerings. Always simile and be polite!
You have to be extremely confident!!!! Remember, Karlie Kloss just walk before you…
The competition is fierce so you have to bring something else to get the job.
American will always tell you that you look amazing etc… it will not automatically mean that you have the job. It can be very disturbing…Just take each compliment with a big smile and thank you.
Also American always talk about positive stuff. Never ever complain on castings that its raining, that your shoes hurt etc…. The clients want to have a happy feeling on the set and so they want to hire happy positive people.
So in front of the casting director your life is fantastic, your booker is the best and the sun is always shinning in NYC.
On the job
You got the job, congratulations. Now your job is to get the next one.
NYC is the best market for models because clients like to book the same girls over and over. And for years. That is what you aim for.
As for the casting, be always positive. A bit of fun is always welcome on set so feel free to bring happiness to the team. Again, you need to be a bit special!
Food on a job goes from one extreme to the other. You can have a team ordering pizza to special design catering. Bring your food if you can and say that you’re on a special diet ( everyone in NY is on a special diet 😛 ).
Be careful, often the client can bring wine at the end of a long week of shooting. Do not drink if you re under 21 yo!
General information
Agency commission: 20% + 20%
Guarantees: No
Agencies in New York don’t offer models guaranteed contracts. The competition in Europe is incredibly high and agencies cannot guarantee that a model will work. Guarantees are only ever given to models who travel to some markets in Asia (e.g. Tokyo, Shanghai, and Seoul).
Standard Contract: from 2 weeks up to 3-4 months
Visa: You need to have a valid working visa. To get the working visa you need to have at least 50 pages of tearsheet in your book. The easiest way to collect that many tearsheet if you don’t have any is to go to Asia. Probably we will send you to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo or to Bangkok. Once we have everything your US agency will apply for your visa. Usually visa cost is between 3000-3500 USD. They agency will advance it for you!
About New york
From Wall Street’s skyscrapers to the neon of Times Square to Central Park’s leafy paths, New York City pulses with an irrepressible energy. History meets hipness in this global center of entertainment, fashion, media, and finance. World-class museums like MoMA and unforgettable icons like the Statue of Liberty beckon, but discovering the subtler strains of New York’s vast ambition is equally rewarding: ethnic enclaves and shops, historic streets of dignified brownstones, and trendy bars and eateries all add to the urban buzz.
Metropolitan Museum of Art : It would be possible to roam the labyrinthine corridors of the colossal Metropolitan Museum of Art for days. The Met has more than 2 million works of art representing 5,000 years of history, so it’s a good idea to plan ahead; looking at everything here could take a week.
Times Square: Hands down, Times Square is the most frenetic part of New York City, a cacophony of flashing lights and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds that many New Yorkers studiously avoid. If you like sensory overload, the chaotic mix of huge underwear billboards, flashing digital displays, on-location television broadcasts, naked cowboys, and Elmo clones will give you your fix.
Empire State Building: With a pencil-slim silhouette, recognizable virtually worldwide, the Empire State Building is an Art Deco monument to progress, a symbol for New York City, and a star in some great romantic scenes, on- and off-screen. The views of the city from the 86th-floor deck are spectacular, but the views from 16 stories up on the 102nd-floor observatory are even more so—and yet, fewer visitors make it this far.
Museum of Modern Art: Art enthusiasts and novices alike are often awestruck by the masterpieces they find at the MoMA, including Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and Van Gogh’s Starry Night. In addition to the artwork, one of the main draws of the museum is the building itself. A maze of glass walkways permits art viewing from many angles.
MoMa
Brooklyn Bridge: One of New York’s noblest and most recognized landmarks, the Brooklyn Bridge stretches over the East River, connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn. A walk across its promenade—a boardwalk elevated above the roadway, shared by pedestrians, in-line skaters, and cyclists—takes about 40 minutes and delivers exhilarating views.
Central Park: A combination escape hatch and exercise yard, Central Park is an urbanized Eden that gives residents and visitors alike a bite of the apple. The busy southern section of Central Park, from 59th to 72nd Street, is where most visitors get their first impression. But no matter how many people congregate around here, you can always find a spot to picnic, ponder, or just take in the greenery, especially on a sunny day.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum: Frank Lloyd Wright’s landmark nautilus-like museum building is renowned as much for its famous architecture as for its superlative collection of art and well-curated shows. Opened in 1959, shortly after Wright’s death, the Guggenheim is acclaimed as one of the greatest buildings of the 20th century.
