So You Want To Be A Model? An Insider's Guide

As an intern for one of New York's top 10 agencies, any aspiring models that come in through open call, call the office, or submit online go through me first. The other day I went through 250 e-mails from aspiring models, and we weren't interested in ANY of them. If you are wanting to break into the modeling industry and plan on doing so through online submissions or open calls, here are a few tips to get you through the first step and possibly score you a meeting with the agents.

ONLINE SUBMISSIONS:

Step 1: Attach two very clear pictures, a natural headshot, and a full body. Please try to make this files very small, files over 1,000KB's will often crash our computers and if it won't open the first time, chances are I'll delete it and get to the other 17 submissions of the day.

Step 2: In the body of the e-mail, keep it short and sweet. We aren't going to read your life story. However, we are going to read your stats. AND ALWAYS INCLUDE YOUR HEIGHT! That's the first thing I look for, if it's not there, chances are you are going to get deleted.

Step 3: Always include contact information, and a thank you. That's just common sense and common courtesy.

OPEN CALLS:

Step 1: Show up, but only within the parameters of their open call. If you don't know what time these are, check out the agencies website or give them a call. However, I strongly suggest you check the website first, it can be entirely obnoxious to answer that question 23 times a day when it is on the website.

Step 2: Know your height, and don't lie about it. The first question I ask is how tall someone is, and if you don't know then I'll probably tell you that you should know. Also, don't tell me that you are 6'1 when you are 5'11, I can tell the difference.

Step 3: Bring in snapshots or professional photos IF you have them. Unless you are a working model, then don't go spend a lot of money on photos. There is absolutely no reason to do so. If we like your snapshots we will take it from there, and if you don't have snapshots then we will take digitals of you to see how you photograph.*

Step 4: If you get rejected, be kind, move on and deal with it. Don't ask why, don't try to talk to me privately, and don't make a big deal out of it. Sometimes we just know what we want and what we don't. Every agency is different, and you can't always take these things super personally.

So there are my tips on open call and online submissions. Next up, I'll give you the ugly truth about becoming a model, some hints at what high fashion agencies are looking for, to help you determine whether or not you fit the profile.



*One of my favorite models and a personal friend of mine, Nathan, took snapshots of himself in his hostel while on Spring Break in New York from North Dakota and had the pictures developed at a Walgreens. He came into an open call, and was signed before he left the building. He shot Italian Vogue with Steven Meisel last month.

Hipster Hotspot: Teddy's

I have grown quite affectionate of my neck of the woods. Having hated New York for the first few (okay, 9) months I lived here, after spending some time in Brooklyn I have grown to call it home. Part of what I love about Williamsburg is all the great places to eat. A self-proclaimed foodie, I have a weakness for interesting menus, casual eateries, variety, and cocktails.

In the past two months, I have been to Williamsburg hotspot, Teddy's at least 5 times. Located on North 8th and Berry, I have made the trip to Teddy's at 1 AM (kitchen is open until 2), in the pouring rain (twice), and when my parents came to visit from Montana.

Teddy's atmosphere is great, just hipster enough to be cool, and not so hipster that I feel out of place. The bartenders and servers are super friendly, and the building is beautiful.

Over the weekend I made two appearances at Teddy's. The first was for a mission all about wings. As a wing connoisseur, I am rather picky. They must have the right crunchiness, the perfect wing sauce, and come with a side of blue cheese dressing without me asking for it. Much to my surprise, Teddy's passed this test (which seems to be harder in this city then you could imagine), and with my 7&7, I was in late night, post-work bliss.

My second Teddy's venture included brunch with my roommate on Sunday. As much as I love going to brunch there, part of me always dreads it, I always take forever to make up my mind. My most difficult decision is usually whether or not I want savory versus sweet. Luckily Teddy's has come up with a solution to my conundrum, the French Toast sandwich. My roommate and I decided to split the sandwich and get an order of nachos. Not only were both huge portions of food, but I left feeling so sickly satisfied I didn't eat for the rest of the day.

Teddy's has quickly become one of my regular hangouts, and for anyone who either lives in Williamsburg or visits there often, I strongly suggest you check it out :)

Hipster Must-See: The Who's Tommy

Over the weekend, I quit my paying job (whoops), and therefore had scads of free time to catch up on all sorts of movies. One such movie, was The Who's epic Tommy, which I recorded off Ovation on Saturday night to prevent me from having to watch the hours worth of commercials.

Growing up, my dad was at home with me during the day (self-employeed), and according to him, I often complained whenever he would put Tommy on the TV. Well, I was an asshole of a child.

Being older, and much wiser, I have grown a fondness and appreciation for such a film. Actually, it goes deeper then that, I have fallen in love with it.

Not being extremely well-versed in The Who, I beyond appreciated the Rock Opera feel combined with songs I know well from popular culture. I adored Roger Daltry and Ann-Margaret as the leads, and cameos by Jack Nicholson, Elton John, and Tina Turner really got me going. I finished the film desperately wanting Daltry's soft curls, Ann-Margaret's wardrobe, and a new guitar.

Pinball wizard I am not, Tommy afficianado I am.

If Only I Were 15: My Love of Twilight

Okay, right now my Netflix Queue is full of classic thrillers, Elizabeth Taylor films, experimental film collections, and the occassional b-rate horror film. I stray away from Michael Bay action films, spoof movies, and tween phenomenons. Therefore, Twilight is no where near my Netflix radar.

Don't get my wrong, I love vampires. I own the entire Buffy collection, have written essays on Near Dark, and Nosferatu, and have a "Vampires in Literature and Film" course on my university transcripts. But something about a mass culture flick about teen vampires is just NOT appealing. However, when my roommate received Twilight in the mail, I was a bit curious.

Maybe it was the martini, or the raging hormones that have been taking over my body as of late, but I have to admit, I get it. I understand the phenomenon. It's not well written, not well acted, and the cinematography and CGI is repulsive. But not too unlike Harry Potter, there is something that appeals to the very depths of my soul. Perhaps it is the basic good versus evil plotline, or maybe the "I dream about being with you forever" lovestory, or hell, maybe even Robert Pattinson's dreamy good looks, but I enjoyed Twilight.

I'm not proud to admit it, and I'm not about to read the novels, but next time someone talks about their undying love for teenage vampires, I may not give them such a hard time. After all, with the Robert Pattinson montage of pictures cut out from Bop and TeenBeat, am I really one to talk?

New Favorite Bar: Black Rabbit

Between working as an intern for an event marketing/public relations company, and waiting tables to pay my bills, I rarely get a night off. When I do, it usually entails me getting wasted with co-workers, or attempting to juggle dates with whatever boy may be in my life at the time. However, summer time inspires me to be better, with the growth of flowers and greenery, I feel this opportunity to start anew, make up for all the mistakes I've made in the past few months and join the smiling legions of peers in my neighborhood. The easiest way to join these happy people is to feel at home in my area. I've made this decision to create a community; attending events, weekly brunchs, concerts, meeting new people and trying new bars.

Well, act one in my quest for a community was to find a trivia night that I could attend semi-regularly. I'm a trivia junkie, and after trying multiple trivia nights in the city, I have found one that I want to stick with. Tuesday nights, at Black Rabbit, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. After talking my roommate into joining me, we got our spot at the bar, and embarked on an epic adventure that would leave me excited, knowledgable, and a bit hungover.

Some of the questions were entirely ridiculous and esoteric (playing a song from a Blur album and asking us to name the album, really?), and others were questions that everyone should know (like the picture round of dictators). Bonus questions were fun, and equaled a shot of absinthe (next time I plan on not drinking so much beer and just getting bonus questions continually correct). The crowd was great, drinks reasonably priced, great atmosphere, and the bartender is social and comfortable (something I find to be strangely lacking in many Williamsburg/Greenpoint bars)

All in all, I will be attending this trivia night in the future, I may have to recruit a few more troops though, my knowledge may be vast in certain areas, but severly limited in others. It's definitely one of the better trivia nights I've experienced and hey, I can walk home after several shots of absinthe. Ya can't beat that.

http://blackrabbitbar.com/

Artistic Love of my Life: Spencer Krug

Okay, so I have been mulling over this posting for months, but have never really had the guts to write it. I am a very well-known love for singer/songwriter Spencer Krug. I'm not talking a crazy stalker love, or obsession, but more of an extreme musical appreciation, that can be overwhelming at times.

Krug is the lead singer for Canadian experiemental rock band, Sunset Rubdown. I discovered Sunset Rubdown while in university in Victoria, BC, and have had a long standing love affair ever since. My concert experiences are so:

1) I missed my mothers birthday party in Montana to attend their show in Victoria, BC, unfortunately I was unable to attend the show anyway.
2) The first show I saw was at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, two days after I had moved to New York. At the time I knew nobody, went by myself, and took the subway home to 207th street, alone, at 4 AM. This was also the night that Spencer Krug walked into the empty bar I was sitting in and I was too big of a pussy to say anything.
3) Going to a second show in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, by myself, while my parents were visiting from Montana. <--this was like two weeks ago.

And now I'm contemplating a third show in September, in Ireland. I have the travel bug and I figure what's the harm it coinciding a trip with a show of my favorite band?

For those of you that haven't had the opportunity to listen to Sunset Rubdown, then I suggest you go out and do so, right now. If possible, try to experience it on vinyl, because the Random Spirit Lover album doesn't compare electronically to the vinyl version. The lyrics are pure poetry, the format is unconventional, and the systematic layering and changing of sounds is arguably unprecedented in modern indie rock.

If Sunset Rubdown isn't your thing (not sure how I feel about you), then listen to Krug's other band, Wolf Parade. A little less experiemental, just as amazing. And rumor has it that Wolf Parade will be back in the studio in October 2009 recording a new album.

This post doesn't do Krug or either band justice. This is probably why I've hesistated to write it for so very long, I cannot find the words to describe the ebullience that comes over me when I listen to Sunset Rubdown. I swear, if they ever get mainstream, I'm not sure what I'll do :)

Hipster Must-See: Moon

Okay, so I rarely go to movies in New York City. This is for two reasons, the first is that movies always take some sort of planning, making sure I'm getting to the theater on time, what theater to go to, and my life doesn't always accommodate planning. The second reason is with $12 price tags, I can't always bring myself to spend the money.

Well, due to recent drunkface activities, I've decided to give the movie going lifestyle a second chance. This morning I went to see Moon, starring the amazing Sam Rockwell. Upon never having seen any real previews of this movie, I was under the impression that it had something to do with aliens, and I guess in a way it did, but maybe it's the fact that I was misinformed that has caused me to lack a decisive yay or nay about the film.

Essentially it felt like The Parent Trap, except instead of twins, we had clones, and instead of parents, we had the government/space agency, and instead of summer camp we had the moon. It was definitely different from anything I've seen in a while, and Sam Rockwell gives an amazing performance, and I don't mind staring at one of him, so two? Okay, I'm on board. Finally, Kevin Spacey as the voice of the robot, priceless, I'm reminded of falling rose petals all over again.

I suppose that Moon is one of those movies that if you're into Sci-Fi, you'll probably enjoy, or if you just have nothing better to do on a lazy afternoon. Maybe I'll change my opinion tomorrow however, I think this movie will need some time to digest.