You have two doors into an agency: the open call and the online submission. Open calls are in-person casting days. Online submissions are digitals and stats sent through a website form. Both work. The question is which one works for you.
Open calls let your presence do the talking. Walk, posture, personality, and how you handle nerves all register in person in ways photos cannot. If you are charismatic and confident, show up. Arrive early, dress simple, and bring digitals printed just in case.
The Online Route
Online submissions are efficient and low-pressure. Follow the agency's exact format: usually digitals, measurements, and contact info. No elaborate portfolios. The downside is volume. Your email competes with hundreds. Make your subject line clean and your photos honest.
Do both. Submit online, then attend the open call two weeks later. The double exposure helps. And if one agency passes, it means nothing about the next. Different bookers want different looks on different days. Rejection is data, not a verdict.
Prepare a one-page model resume for open calls: your name, stats, contact, agency status, and a small selection of your best images or a QR code linking to your portfolio. Most models show up with nothing but themselves. The resume does not get you signed, but it makes you memorable and easy to follow up with. After the open call, send a brief thank-you email referencing something specific from the conversation. Small professional touches separate you from the crowd of hopefuls.
Dress for the agency's market. Research their roster beforehand and mirror the general aesthetic: polished for commercial houses, edgier for fashion-forward ones. Looking like you belong is half the battle.
About the Author – Ruben Burgos: Ruben Burgos brings over 25 years of music expertise and more than 15 years of model guidance to the table. He is the indie major pinnacle to retaining credits for musicians and helping them navigate this wicked industry without the fuckery.