Model scouting app Mode launches first ever app-based model search
Vancouver, British Columbia (PRWEB) October 27, 2015 -- Model scouting app Mode launches first ever app-based model search
Traditionally, model scouts have relied on an old-fashioned, costly, and fairly labour-intensive method of acquiring new talent that mainly involves hanging out in locales frequented by a youthful demographic - shopping malls, amusement parks, and movie theatres - where they can easily scan through crowds and hone in on potential candidates.
The flaws in this method, however, are glaringly obvious, especially to anyone who has worked in the industry. First, there is the unavoidable taboo of an adult scout approaching a minor - the majority of working models are discovered while still in their teens, which is especially troublesome if the scout is male. The scouting process is also time-consuming and draining, with most scouts having to travel frequently to visit new territories or meet with potential candidates in person.
“It’s actually very frustrating because there are some really interesting-looking faces out there in places we aren’t flying to, like Greenland and Ethiopia,” says Tricia Romani, a seasoned model agent and scout who works with large-scale agencies such as Wilhelmina Models New York and runs her own talent and modeling agencies, Wilhelmina Models Vancouver and InspirationALL Talent, out of Vancouver, Canada.
“Scouts spend a lot of time on the road, which is not always productive,” she adds.
Wanting to remove some of these barriers, Romani began to wonder if the scouting process could be streamlined.
“I thought, there must be an easier way,” she says.
Romani then met with Jonathan Hill of Vancouver-based app developers The Defiant Ventures and partnered with them to develop Mode, a digital platform that allows working and wannabe models to upload their profiles to a database, which is perused daily by agencies looking for new talent.
“We’re really surprised by how many profiles we’ve managed to acquire already – and from some really promising new models, too,” she adds. We’re getting submissions from all over the world.”
So far Mode has acquired thousands of profiles from the USA, Estonia, Norway, Russia, Iceland and Brazil.
New model Jennifer Languedoc of Ottawa, Canada was scouted by Romani through the Mode app and within weeks found herself in New York City meeting with top agencies, doing fashion photo-shoots, and eventually signing with numerous global modeling agencies. She is currently working in Milan and is headed to Paris next month.
In August, Mode launched the first ever app-based model search, Mode Model Search, which will close on November 15th. The winner will be granted a three-year modeling contract with US-based agency Model Logic, plus a chance to fly to New York to take part in a catwalk show and photo shoot. The search is free of cost and open to both males and females, but Romani says that it will focus on candidates based in the US and Canada, mainly for simplicity’s sake. Mode’s subsequent searches, she adds, will be open to a wider demographic.
Recently, international modeling agencies have attempted to use social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook to recruit new faces, but the issue of quality control often adds additional headaches for agencies further down the line due to the tendency of users to doctor their selfies using Photoshop and images filters.
While the Mode Model Search is technically open to anyone - contestants can enter easily by downloading the app and submitting an application - Mode implements several quality control filters. Firstly, the app will only allow applicants to submit photos taken in real-time, with their own camera phone, while they are filling out their profile – the app will recognize if the photo has been taken from another source, or if it has been doctored.
Applicants must also include a headshot without makeup, in addition to full-body images taken while wearing a bikini/swimsuit or form-fitting clothing. They must also include their measurements, height, weight, age, and correct contact information. Romani then personally vets each submission to ensure they meet the general requirements sought by Mode’s agency-side users.
While Mode has only just completed its soft launch, Romani and her team are optimistic about what the future holds. “This is going to change the modeling industry,” she says excitedly. “It’s an amazing opportunity for a new face to be discovered from anywhere in the world. I just found a girl from Estonia and I think she’s going to be big. Watch this space!”
Follow us on Instagram at @modemodeling
Tricia Romani, Mode Model Management, http://www.mymode.co, +1 646-863-4860, [email protected]
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