In the past year I answered this question like million times… after every interview I’ve got msgs from many countries around the world on Facebook, Skype, Twitter, etc. and I am always glad if I can help someone. When I was starting social media were nowhere near like they’re today and also the lack of info about modeling made it harder for beginners then. So, you want to be a model…

First of all have in mind that this is not an easy work as it might seem or as someone might be telling you. No it’s not easy money either. Be real, there are only few models who can say that they are earning enormous amount of money… only few. That doesn’t mean that wont be you in a couple of years but still… dream big but be real. One of the first thing I say to everyone who wants to be a model is to believe in yourself. I know its sounds like a cliche but if you don’t believe in yourself and if you don’t have self-confidence and strong will, don’t even start – give up immediately. Because in this business you’d be judged, you’d  feel like shit, you’d be disappointed (a lot), you wont understand why (most of the time) and you would want to give up many times. That’s why I am saying, if you are not strong enough, you can be the most beautiful creature on this world, but you will not succeed. Talking about the looks, keep in mind that look isn’t everything. There can be tons of people who might be better looking than you but if you have that something, if you have a character and you’re not afraid of showing it, if you’re an interesting persona, your own mind… you’re the winner. And it happened million times that at the casting, client chooses the one that stand out, the one that have that something, the one that is different…  even there are maybe better choices considering the looks. So don’t be discouraged by anyone, just have faith in yourself. That’s the first rule in succeeding in anything. In everything.

Now, there still are some rules that needs to be satisfied in order to be a model. First, you have to have a pretty face… whatever that might be. For a catwalk model not so much, for a model yes. But overall obviously it is an important factor and I’d say the crucial one along with the height. Yes, the height… you have to be tall as the first thing when you go to the agency they will have a look at you, your face, your body and then they will measure you. The height first. It is one of the most important factors in modeling business. For guys you have to be at least 183cm ( 6’0″). I’d say the ideal height is between 184 and 188cm.  You need to have athletic built body that means slim fit with some muscles but not too much. In Europe the ideal suit size for male model is 48. That means do not overdo yourself in the gym. Stay slim and fit. Yeah i know lately in the male modeling there have been some different male looks like skinny, anorexic, androgynous looks but I’m not gonna go into that as I’m not really supporting that because the most important thing above all is to stay healthy.

What every models needs to have are polaroids and video. The polaroids or the digitals are your “normal” photos without makeup/Photoshop/posing etc. That means few snapshots of your body in your swimwear, profile shots and face close up shots. The video must include the same along with your walk and talk. Have a walk from one side to another, say your name, age, height and that’s it. Make sure everything looks OK because that is your first impression. That is your “visit card”. That’s the only thing your booker will have a look at. Of course, if you have a model book (its called a book, even its not one, there’s nothing to read there, only pictures of your latest work, campaigns, editorials etc.) that’s even better. Some agency will not even have look at you if you don’t have a strong book, others will maybe take a chance on you and start to work on you and get you some test photo shootings. That of course depends on your polas and video and how they see you and like you. But… my advice here would be – don’t send your material to the agencies through email, go visit them instead. I think this is logical and also very important. In live you can meet the bookers, talk to them, but more importantly they can meet you, see you in live and get the impression of you… your thoughts, your way of thinking, your character and also your look. Because sometimes the pictures and video don’t do any justice… talking from my own example, many bookers and agents have told me that I look different in live than on the pictures, and that it’s the best that I go personally to the agencies because I am more than only a good looking (their words) and you get much better impression when talking to me. So I did. And that’s what I will do in future, too. So keep that in mind.

And… don’t be disappointed if they don’t pick you. Maybe they’re not looking for your face at the moment, maybe you should try and get to them again in a couple of months or maybe you should try with a different agency. Because not all the agencies works on the same way  with the same models and not all the agencies search for the same faces. Make a list of the agencies, your priorities and go. Sometimes it’s better to start with the best agencies, the biggest ones as if you can manage to get into them you can be sure that you’re in good hands… but the biggest agencies have also many models so that’s why its good to have a look and pay attention to smaller agencies as they don’t have many models but all of they’re models are working constantly. So that’s also one thing to have in mind when choosing the agency. Just promise me to never give up… not now, not ever… I have been turned down in my life so many times… I have had so many fails even more than successes. But I have never give up. nor I ever will. And success came to me… after six years in this business. Maybe it could have come a lot earlier but I wouldn’t change a thing. As I worked hard and then even harder. I gave my all… but it came back to me. It’s good to see your face on the TV commercials, on big billboards all over the country, on the covers of the magazines, etc. And to see what have you accomplished and to know what have you been through to do it. But more importantly it’s good that you get to learn that nothing comes overnight (and even if it does, that’s exactly how long it lasts) and that you have to work for what you care. To me it also helped to build my self-confident to the max. And it also got me to believe that dreams do come true. No, it is not a cliche. You just have to have faith in yourself, have courage to try it, and never, never stop dreaming.