Insight from the Ultimate Mom-Manager: Interview with Melanie C.
Mom’s Perspective…
My name is Melanie and I am the mother of three beautiful children, my middle child being Mia who is now a LA-based model signed with DT Model Management - a premier modeling agency and every girl’s dream.
I was the typical stay at home mom. I was a member of PTA, drove a minivan and was the team mom for multiple youth sports.
When Mia was around 10 years old, a close friend suggested I send a photo into a Seattle modeling agency. Mia was a shy, healthy, natural child with freckles and long brunette hair. She had a “girl next door” ease about her that made everyone love her. She was shy and seemed to be satisfied to be a Wallflower. I introduced Mia into modeling to build her confidence. I always believed that all women are beautiful and we should not compare ourselves to others but love ourselves for our uniqueness. Every little freckle.
Getting Signed with an Agency…
When Mia was 10 she signed with Seattle Model’s Guild, one of the best agencies in Seattle. Most castings and shoots are during weekdays so she did miss a lot of school. I learned that open communication with teachers and officials is a must if your child is in the modeling or acting business. Thankfully, Mia was able to keep her grades up while modeling weekly. Mia worked for Nordstrom’s, Eddie Bauer, and Union Bay. She had a lot of fun modeling and even though she kept it secret from her classmates, it built her confidence. She learned many valuable lessons. She was working with professional adults and learned communication skills and time management as well as patience. She learned to earn her paycheck and we opened her a savings account building her future.
I was Mia’s manager and SMG was her agency but I always treated Mia as a partner and discussed all jobs, photographers, and payment so she could learn to make good decisions. As Mia grew taller she began to outgrow the children’s division. We found that there was no market in Seattle for “tweens.” She still wanted to work and I knew she needed to develop her modeling skills so we began portfolio building for adult modeling. SMG signed her onto an adult contract but we became frustrated with lack of jobs. I nicknamed this time as “being on the shelf.” By this, I mean young models are under contract but there are no paying jobs until they reach 17 – 18yrs due to state work restrictions. Agencies are not forthcoming about this period of time. In fact, she wanted to work so bad we signed in Oregon as well. She worked for NIKE and that was when we learned about restrictions. The client at NIKE explained any model under 18yrs old can only work half day so they don’t book under 18. NIKE did not know she was 17.
At age 15, we began to build a portfolio. Mia’s first shoot was with the one and only Jennifer Mcintyre. Mia learned so much from working with Jennifer. She was also introduced to older models and fashion runway. The agency was against fashion shows but I believe it was good experience and it was. Mia shot a few editorials and was published in five different magazines.
Restricting Standards.
Over time, we became increasingly frustrated with the Seattle market and Mia did a few independent paid jobs. The Seattle market preferred different measurements than Mia and the agency discussed this issue with me. They told me Mia was too short and too curvy. This was viewed as not preferred by the area clientele they served. Mia was 5’8 and a size 0/2. The desired measurements were 5’9 and up and size 0.
I disagreed.
These restrictive standards caused some stress for Mia due to Mother Nature. I believe it is a good thing to be the healthiest version of yourself. It is unhealthy to take drastic measures to change into what someone else wants you to be. There is constant pressure on models to loose inches and they are frequently measured.
I took matters into my own hands and I began reaching out to top LA agencies. Ford requested to see her when she turned 18 after I sent them some images. Our favorite models were always GUESS and Victoria Secret models. I reached out to GUESS headquarters and they recommended her agency send her. Both SMG and Muse had no contacts with the clients Mia wanted to work with. It was clear she would need to move to LA. Ultimately, we released her from SMG and Muse so she would be a free agent.
Networking in Los Angeles.
We took a few trips to Los Angeles to see if that’s where Mia wanted to move. I began speaking to top LA photographers that I found through Instagram. In the meantime, Mia reached out to Paul Marciano, the owner of GUESS and when she turned 18 he invited her to meet him in LA. We flew to LA, met and shot with a top photographer, Josh Ryan, who does GUESS campaigns and also shoots for Playboy and Maxim. Josh recommended to DT Models that they become her mother agency. The next day Mia had a test shoot at GUESS. The team called DT Models to sign Mia immediately which we were stunned and very grateful for.
When Mia walked into DT Model Management, the next day, they told her she was tall and perfect exactly they way she was. I was extremely happy! We found an agency we felt at home with. I love that they also supported Mia’s return home to Washington State to attend and graduate high school properly. I felt that they were the perfect fit for Mia. The arrangement was that DT Models would have Mia return to LA and they would provide housing in a model apartment for her to live in. In April 2019, she flew to LA independently to do her first commercial shoot for GUESS. It was a great success. Mia was very happy to be part of a wonderful agency.
After graduating high school, Mia moved to LA within two weeks. We made it a family vacation and exciting road trip. All three kids drove in Mia’s car while my husband and I drove in the truck with her belongings. It was a wonderful trip and we spent a week with her at Venice Beach before we moved her into her model apartment. Of course I was devastated to leave my little girl but incredibly proud of the brave young woman she had become. Thank god for FaceTime! We still see each other and speak almost daily. We continue to communicate about jobs, health, and photographers.
Today it has almost been a year since Mia has signed. Mia had great success in LA and was excited to be on GUESS store posters nationwide last Christmas. She signed with two other agencies - NEXT in Miami and Leni’s in London. In January 2020, she moved to London where she was working weekly.
Inspiration for Model Moms.
From a model mom’s perspective, the lessons learned are to never give up and be steadfast in demanding young models are valued for who they are and the size they are. Maintaining a healthy child is hard even without the pressures of a society and external agencies telling you that your model kid is not thin or tall enough. This world needs models of all sizes and looks to demonstrate inclusivity to reach all types of customers. Never settle or accept something you know in your heart to not be a good fit for your child.
Best of luck to all mom-managers out there managing the careers of their young models. It’s hard work but it truly does pay off even if it doesn’t end up in a modeling contract. Your child will thank you for your efforts.
Follow Mia @mia_schubert // Agencies: @dtmodelmgmt @nextmodels @lenisagency