Ask Lianne
Here is your chance to pose your questions to her and get a female perspective about any questions you might have that you need advice for. She'll respond to selected questions with her answers for you right here.
April 2, 2006
Dear Lianne,
I'm often told that I should be a runway model. I'm wondering if most models pay for their own school, because I don't have extra money for that. In the past I have been selected to go to three different open calls in the Seattle area that turned out to be scams, so I don't know who I can trust. What is my best course of action right now?
If you want to be a runway model, all you need to know is how to take good care of your face, hair, and body, and how to walk down the runway. You don't need a school for that -- all you need is a good beauty advice book and someone (a fellow model or someone else from your future agency) to show you how to walk. The only thing you might need to spend money on (depending on the agency) is a couple of good pictures. Once you find an agency, you'll need to spend some more money printing up comp cards.
In Seattle, you won't find too many professional runway opportunities. You'll more likely come across something like a small show put on at a nightclub by a local unknown designer, where you don't get paid and most of the models are not professional. Once in a while, someone will produce a big show, and they will go to an agency and pick whichever models they think are the best. If you really want exposure to a lot of serious fashion opportunities, New York City is the place to be.
The reason so many scams happen (especially in places other than NYC) is because most people are not exposed to the industry and don't know the first thing about becoming a model, so they are easier targets for scams. I was even been ripped off by a scam about 6 years ago before I started modeling, but luckily that company has been sued and just recently I got some of my money back.
If you can't move to New York and just want to model when the opportunity arises in Seattle, just take your portfolio to open calls at these local agencies (taken from the agency index of Your Modeling Career by Debbie Press, ISBN: 158115-359-7):
http://www.heffnermgmt.com
http://www.smgmodels.com
http://www.tcmmodels.com
More information can be found on these websites. Good luck!
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Lianne grew up near Berkeley, California and went from a quiet and shy girl to a woman who is now a professional model, actress, photographer, artist, and hair stylist.
Find out more about Lianne here: www.liannelin.com
Photos used by permission courtesy of Lianne Lin (www.liannelin.com). Photos are copyrighted by Lianne Lin.