BOUTIQUE AGENCY VS. LARGE COPORATE AGENCY

I have worked as a professional model for going on 8 years.  In that time, I have been based in NY, Atlanta, Miami, Milan and other domestic and foreign markets.  I have also worked for a variety of agencies from smaller boutique agencies like L'Agence and Eye For I, to the larger corporate giants like Elite and Ford.  While this is a highly individualized preference, I will share my experiences regarding the positives and negatives of each type of agency.
 
Let's start with Boutique Agencies.  When I first began my career, I had the same mindset that many new faces have... Bigger is Better!  I thought that an agency's name alone determined whether or not it was successful.  I have since learned that bigger and more renowned does not necessarily dictate success for a model in that environment.  The thing I most enjoyed about the boutique agencies is that they tended to look at the whole package of what a model brought to the table.  Not just labeling her strictly for runway, they looked for other talents that could be utilized and gave the opportunity to develop those areas.  I received much more individualized attention and had a chance to shine at boutiques.
 
Obviously, there is a smaller board which also means less competition within your own agency.  So if you are a strong model, you may tend to book out more.  I also had an opportunity to be more proactive in the course of my career.  Smaller boutique agencies can develop a specific marketing plan for each model to help her reach her full potential.  In an environment such as this, you tend to develop a very close working relationship with your booker and the atmosphere is generally close, supportive and friendly.  I would even go so far as to say, in some instances, it feels like home.
 
The negatives of working for a boutique agency generally are that in a particular market, they may not get all of the casting calls and may not book the large campaigns.  Sometimes clients are also guilty of simply going thru the phone book and calling the big name agencies, overlooking the talent pool available in boutiques. 
 
Also, payroll may be more sporadic in small agencies since some are family-owned.  They can sometimes be slower to advance models on jobs since it is literally coming out of their own pockets.  I have been in a situation where a boutique agency I worked with for 3 years filed bankruptcy recently.  Since they had stopped advancing me (which should have tipped me off), I lost all my earnings for an entire quarter and will probably never receive a dime for those even though the bookings were worked to completion.  So you have to be very careful regarding fiscal stability at boutiques.  If you see signs indicating a change in the manner in which you are being paid, your radar should go up. 
 
I did enjoy the fact that paystubs were extremely easy to read, deductions from my paychecks were low, and deductions for postage, comps, and other incidentals were typically cleared with me first so I knew to expect them in the next pay period.  I brought home more of what I earned because with fewer employees, their overheads were lower. 
 
Large agencies have distinct advantages in several areas.  First, big names mean big name recognition.  There is a clout that comes with being repped by the big agencies.  Say you are with IMG and doors will open as a result.  That's a huge plus.  But with big agencies, expect big boards.  You may be one of several hundred or several thousand models.  Forget trying to stand out on a casting, if you can't stand out at your own agency you won't be sent out much.  Also, larger agencies tend to do more categorizing of models.  At one large agency I worked for, if you were a runway model, that's ALL you were.  Forget about branching into print, tv or films.  It wasn't going to happen.  Also, because so many models are repped at some of the large agencies, they can develop a reputation for being a model factory, pumping out hundreds or thousands of new faces but not really helping anyone to develop to their full potential.  When you rep that many models, face it, developing an individual marketing plan is not going to happen.
 
And big agencies also have the advantage that their name instantly comes to mind when a client is booking models or looking for the star of their next campaign.  Some of the giants who have been around for 30 years like Elite, Ford and Wilhelmina have an edge simply because they have longevity and have made a name for themselves by consistently cranking out supermodels. 
 
On the upside, the large agencies tend to pay regularly and have the working capital to advance models on most jobs.  They also have big scary legal departments so clients are more likely to pay their bills.  On the downside, if a large agency files bankruptcy (as has also happened to me) many more models will suffer as a result.   And my paystubs at the large agencies were so complicated, you needed a decoder ring to figure out all the deductions being made.  It was not uncommon for me to work a $600 booking and bring home less than $100 by the time they deducted for every single phone call, fax, copy, fed-X, comp, postage stamp, etc..... you get the picture.  The codes were so vague, I usually had to call their accounting department and go thru my check item by item to figure out what all the charges were for.  It became excessive and a bit ridiculous.