Happy Motivational Monday to all! I figured I could use this opportunity to write a lot of different stories from the journey I've been on since I started modeling four months ago, but I want to share one story in particular that displays the mind state I have when it comes to going after what you want. This story occurred a few weeks ago, during the time I was shopping my portfolio around to different agencies in New York.
At the very first meeting I had with an agency (which was arranged by a friend), I quickly realized how lucky I was to have received that connection when I randomly walked into another one to attempt to show someone my portfolio. I didn't even make it up to the floor the agency was on because I was turned away in the lobby of the building for not having a meeting set up with a person who worked there. Basically, I got rejected before I even had the chance to get rejected by someone who actually works there (so a pre rejection I would say).
After this occurred, I knew I was going to need a better plan before attempting to try something like that again. Yes I could have gone home and submitted online like everyone else (which I did for a couple), but I didn't want to just be another face they might flip past or not even look at; I wanted to stand out to give myself the best possible chance. So with that in mind I started to brainstorm, and eventually it led to the idea of using LinkedIn to search for employees that worked at the agencies (filtering it to the exact city), and using those names at the bottom floor. At that very moment LinkedIn (which I've never cared much for) became my new best friend.
So fast forward to the day that I decided to test out one of the names that I had in my arsenal (which was a big handful). I thought, what better way to start then to go into one of the biggest agencies in the world. At this point along my journey I had been rejected from a handful of agencies (which i became use to), but I also had a few smaller/medium sized ones who were interested in signing me (which gave me some confidence). Although it was nice to feel wanted, I didn't want to make any decisions until I exhausted all possible options, which meant shoot for the top. I figured the worst that could happen that day is that they don't let me in and I head home.
As I entered the building, I proceeded up to the front desk with confidence and told the guy working there I had a meeting with the head of entire male division (for this story he will be known as X). After briefly questioning me, he opened the elevator door and directed me to the right floor (holy shit it worked). When I arrived to the agency's floor (their office was the entire floor), the doors opened to a waiting area where I saw a couple of people sitting around. Right away I walked towards the receptionist's desk, and before I could even say a word she asked me if I was here for the casting, so without any hesitation (like a boss), I quickly said yes, signed in and took a seat.
My initial thought was that this was not the plan (I really didn't have a plan), but I sat wondering what the casting could be for since I was sure this agency didn't do open castings for aspiring models. As more people trickled into the waiting area, I quickly realized that they were all models with this agency (everyone having same portfolio cases with the name gave it away). At this point I looked around the room at the beautiful faces and felt this place was a bit out of my league, but I calmed myself and decided to roll with it. Eventually I overheard that the casting was for a major clothing website (one that I've shopped on before), and although I knew they marketed to a younger crowd, I was still confident I had a look that would benefit them from what I've seen on the site.
When it was my turn to go in for the casting I continued to act like I was suppose to be there. It was a quick process........I showed my portfolio, they questioned why I didn't have a comp card, and about my previous work. Luckily I had some business cards (in place of a comp card), and was able to drop at least one well known brand name that I did in my previous work (my shoot sponsored by Mens Wearhouse). Next they took some digitals of me (one with me holding up my business card haha) and that was all she wrote. Although it was a cool experience, I felt that I couldn’t leave the office without at least attempting to see (X), especially since it was the main reason I was there.
At this point I knew I had the receptionist convinced I was a model there, so (without hesitation) I asked her if (X) was in his office. She buzzed me in the door to the back (holy shit it worked again), and I began wandering around the entire floor looking for a guy that I've only seen in a LinkedIn profile picture. Eventually I made it to an open work space, and decided to ask someone to point me in the right direction. As I rounded the corner to his office, I saw him, quickly introduced myself, and asked if he could please take a few mins of my time to look at my portfolio. Right away he wondered how I got up to the floor / in the back office, so I decided to be honest and explained my story. Although he seemed caught off guard by what was going on (and maybe thinking I was a little crazy), he told me that since I made it this far that he would check it out.
Eventually he brought me into a room, looked at my portfolio, and was straightforward with me about reasons why this agency wouldn't be the right choice for me (which all made sense). I then thanked him for his time, and thought that was going to be the end of it there (which at this point I would have been fine with), but he started flipping my portfolio around and the conversation continued on. He ended up taking an extra 20 minutes of his time to give me valuable feedback about my portfolio set up, and insight on which agencies would be best for me. At the end, he gave me all his direct contact info (not listed on LinkedIn), and told me he wanted to continue to help me through this process because of how I took that initiative to get in the door.
When I left that day it may not have been as a model for the agency, but I did not feel rejected one bit. I felt a strong sense of accomplishment for my efforts, and in the end I was even rewarded with a new relationship. This is the exact mindset that I have molded into all areas of my life, and if you take anything away from this remember that you aren’t going to get what you want by sitting around hoping for it to happen. When doors are locked find a way to open them with a key you make yourself in your garage. The worst thing that can happen is the key doesn't work and someone turns you down, but the thing is that you never know what can happen though if you just TRY!
With that being said I'm happy to officially announce that I've signed contracts with both MSA and Fenton modeling agencies here in New York. I tried (and kept trying), and look where it has got me!
