I'm pleased with the results so far! My daughter is attending; it's wonderful the way they encourage the girls and help them develop their self-confidence, posture, carriage, presentation, interview skills, and grooming habits (kids listen to them in ways they may not with parents!). My daughter is loving it and we are under no illusion that this coaching/training gurarantees her future modeling work. No college guarantees their student a fabulous salary or job, that is up to the student to follow through with. Modeling is one of the toughest businesses out there. I'm running into parents who attended as kids. Some highly recommend it (they used what they learned in their daily life even though they never went on to model professionally) and only one thinks it was a waste of time (she isn't particularly into people skills). Here's how I think of it, you either go for what you want in life with passion or you don't. I recommend the Seattle Barbizon from the results I'm seeing in my daughter. Suggestions: I'd love it if the space were larger and they spent more time with walk and pose reviews.
Real agencies do not charge you to represent you, nor do they require you to buy any classes or photos from them or their affiliated photographers. That kind of behavior is considered shady in the industry, at least here in California.
By professional industry standards this is a SCHOOL and should not be listed under agencies because at least from anyone I've talked to they always tell people they are required to take their classes, regardless of their level of skill. They have been around for decades luring people into taking their classes with the promise of making them a star....don't fall for it. You will have better luck getting work from a reputable agency - in fact saying you're represented by Barbizon might turn off potential clients because of their reputation.
Look for high quality acting/modeling schools, then go get a licensed agent who only makes a percentage off the paychecks from the gigs they get you.
It basically goes like this- you are invited to an open call at a hotel.
You sit and listen to people speak for hours. They tell you why it takes money to make money and how you can benefit in so many ways from signing up for barbizon courses. The people are friendly and easy to talk to. At the end you meet with an adivosr and they discuss classses to fit your buget. It is basically a modeling school so be prepared to pay money for classes. I decided not to sign up due to lack of money. I do not know first hand about the quality of classes or job placement.
I went to the actual Barbizon modeling school in Seattle for my interview. What happened? I payed a lot of money and took some classes, but never got a job!!!!!! So if you want modeling school, I guess Barbizon in for you. But if you would like to actually make some money, send your pics.. and resume to actual agencies, not schools. I did learn something from the classes, but I expected to work as a model afterwards, and that surely did not happen!!!!
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