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Commercial Models - How much do they earn?
Commercial [print] models - that are doing fashion, accessories, cosmetics, hair products, footwear, etc. But NOT glamour, men's mags, nudes, adult entertainment, or private shoots. How much do typical full time ordinary professional models earn per month or year? Can they make Real money? Not super-models. Just your ordinary good mainstream working models. Let's assume in the main centers - NYC, LA, London, Paris, Toronto, etc., or where there's an industry happening. You could also assume they are agency listed. How many hours a week? Hourly rates? What's the best paying kinds of work? Who are the typical clients? Where is the most work? etc. Can any veterans of the fashion or commercial industry shed some light on this? We hear about how photographers make money here but not so much about models. Apr 06 06 10:16 pm Link Anyone? My recent experience is limited to my small town where there is but one agency. They book a total of about 10-20 hours per week, unless there is a fashion show or some major event. Of the 60 or so models on their books, only about a half-dozen tend to get the first calls. They are available on short notice, have quite a bit of experience, and get on well with the clients and other players. These models tend to earn $80-$120 per hour for fashion, and get the usual 1.5X and 2X rate for lingerie or nudes. Models are advised not to quit their day jobs or leave school! The busiest model probably earns about $10,000 per year. Sucks eh? This agency seems fairly reluctant to bring on new talent. Any contenders have to be pretty special. Models are expected to keep their card and book uptodate. They can pay a house photographer or use an independent as long as standards are met. I think over the years the demand for fashion models goes up and down. It seems that at the moment the bulk of the commercial activity in the region is at another city about 500mi away. But that swings to and from over the years. There is a bit of a downturn locally at the moment. The many small designers try and use free models, and even the largest fashion show of the year - Montana Wearable Arts - nationally televised, doesn't pay their models. Sucks eh? Apr 09 06 01:54 am Link it'd be really hard to compare a "full-time" model's income to "full-time" any traditional career income because there are so many factors involved: * how much is (s)he getting sent out? how many jobs are being landed? * what specific type job is it? and what's being licensed (usage rights) back? are their residuals and/or royalties on the project? or is the model being paid "scale" for a one-time gig? * "scale" --- geographic differences too; what's going in Dallas is not the same as in NYC or L.A. ... * etc., etc. ... Apr 09 06 02:02 am Link i know that you make big money on the big corporations like target, gap, and children's place for kids. my friends daughter got a job and thought i remember her saying that it was about $3,000. i think the same thing goes for the catalogs like macy's jcpenny's and so on. i've heard from some of my friends that are models that you make more money doing catalog work than editorial. editorial you just want for the tearsheets. just my 2 cents maybe someone here with more experience can give better details in terms of exact dollar amounts. if you ever wind up on a billboard in times square be expecting lots of cash flow... Apr 09 06 02:17 am Link San Diego is about $1200/day plus usage. That can vary greatly. Wm Apr 09 06 02:25 am Link Successful commercial models can easily make more than $100,000 per year. Most commercial models don't. Some make nothing. Apr 09 06 10:15 am Link So lets say an unknown gets signed to do a Guess campaign. What would be the going rate, perks, etc.? Apr 11 06 07:32 pm Link I suppose it's time we defined terms. Visual E wrote: None of that is "commercial modeling". That is fashion modeling. Apr 11 06 09:07 pm Link From U.S. Department of Labor http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos253.htm Median hourly earnings of models were $10.50 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $8.44 and $14.34. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $7.16, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $17.17. Earnings vary for different types of modeling, and depend on the experience and reputation of the model. Female models typically earn more than male models for similar work. Hourly earnings can be relatively high, particularly for supermodels and others in high demand, but models may not have work every day, and jobs may last only a few hours. Models occasionally receive clothing or clothing discounts instead of, or in addition to, regular earnings. Almost all models work with agents, and pay 15 to 20 percent of their earnings in return for an agentâs services. Models who do not find immediate work may receive payments, called advances, from agents to cover promotional and living expenses. Models must provide their own health and retirement benefits. Apr 11 06 09:45 pm Link How much money does a model get for doing commercial ads? The correct phrase is "Print ads" - short for print advertisements. [Everything you do is considered "commercial work".] Most of your print ads are handled by major advertising agencies. These ad agencies (90% of the time) will only work with a model who is represented by a modeling agency. They usually do not work with freelance/independent models. The base-pay (minimum wage sort-of-speak) for doing a print ad frequently starts at $1,500 per half-day. A half-day booking usually is 3 to 5.5 hours for the model. Payday usually comes between the 2nd. or 3rd. week from doing that booking. the client is invoiced from the modeling agency and has up to 30 days to pay the bill. Various advertisements can pay MUCH more for a half-day. Even $20k. Some ads can pay up to $50k for a day booking. It really depends. ***Print ads & then catalog pay the highest. Check out www.BBDO.com to see some REAL work that this MAJOR ad agency handles ... listed under THE WORKS = their clients. Ray Apr 15 06 01:52 am Link That's it, put even bigger stars in the eyes of the internet model... Apr 15 06 02:12 am Link There are too many variables and the range is too wide to really discuss that completely. The big clients and ads that are mentioned here are NOT "normal jobs". National ads like Guess, Cover Girl, etc. are called "buy outs". That is you can't work for another make-up or clothes company for the term of the contract. Only top models get those contracts. The bottom end are the convention/car show models that earn $20 per hour or $150 per show. If they can do 10 shows a year, they're hot. Maybe a few car poster or get their own pay sites. They can be so locked in to the "Miss American" pagent smile and poses that's it's hard to untraing them. Some can do better if they get a chance. Then there are the glamor models that do magazines, promotions and may be spokes persons. They can make $500 to a few thousand per promotion and try to get into modeling work. Usually calendars, posters. But the pay isn't that much. The best ones will do $35k to $50k a year. The next are catalog & newspaper/sunday section models that aren't super models but work steady (2-10 jobs per month). They get normal rates around $150-$300 per hour. They're professional and have agencies. If not already booked, you can call the agency and they will show up in 1/2 hr. ready to shoot and looking like they just came from the beauty salon and took a long nap. The top end of these will make around $100k+ a year. They are mostly also at least 5 ft. 8 in. tall and around 110-120 lb. No 5' 3" 130 lb need apply. Apr 15 06 04:16 am Link JUST THE JAIMES wrote: That won't happen.... Apr 15 06 08:51 am Link I'm really trying to get some commercail agencies in NY and shooting for commercails. Apr 15 06 09:00 am Link ray robinson wrote: No, it isn't. "Editorial" is distinct from "commercial work". So are PSAs. ray robinson wrote: This is only true for fashion print, not for commercial print, where the pay scales on average are lower - although the best commercial print jobs can pay a good deal more than $1,500 for a half day. ray robinson wrote: Actually, getting a principle job on a SAG national commercial can pay much more than most print jobs. Six figures is not all that unusual, and high five figures is common. Apr 15 06 09:03 am Link Leonard Gee Photography wrote: No, that is not what "buyout" means. A "buyout" grants the purchaser unlimited right to use an image (although a buyout can in fact be limited by geography or time "buyout for North America for two years" is a legitimate usage of the term, and things like that do happen.) Apr 15 06 09:08 am Link JUST THE JAIMES wrote: Personal 2005 observation, 1st gig as a maternity model from a woman who was a fresh agency signee was a Gap ad that brought her 7500$. All that for less than a half day of actual shooting. Ah, smell the nepotism. Apr 15 06 09:15 am Link Modeling is like acting in one significant sense: Most models are unemployed, as are most actors. When either gets work, the pay is far better than your typical job. A couple of extreme examples: A friend who owns an agency signed a girl and just on a lark also signed her 76-year-old Oriental father. Shortly thereafter, in come a request for an elderly Oriental man for an ad. The guy got $25,000 for a few hours work and one year usage rights. Another time he had a girl whose print ad was about to run out, but the company wanted to continue using an image. So, the girl got another $25,000 for NOTHING. Well, usage rights aren't "nothing," but she didn't have to do a thing except cash the check. On the other end of the spectrum are lots of models who hardly ever get a paying gig. It's a tough business. Apr 15 06 09:22 am Link Commercial [print] models - that are doing fashion, accessories, cosmetics, hair products, footwear, etc. *****These jobs you're talking about are print ads. Print ads are when you, the model, advertise a product (Pepsi, FUBU, Revlon, Nike). These print ads often pay a model (an average model from a modeling agency) STARTS at $1,500 per half-day. Confirm the figure by calling some advertising agencies. You could earn MUCH more. But again, this is an average minimum wage for a half-day. "But NOT glamour, men's mags, nudes, adult entertainment, or private shoots." ***These types of work here are called editorial work. Editorial work is when a model is used to give a visual concept for an article in a publication. The pay for editorial work really varies. It could a freebie; it could pay $50 for the DAY; it can pay $2,000 for the day. Most editorial jobs do not pay what a model a realistic true value. The pay is often low ... in MOST cases. How much do typical full time ordinary professional models earn per month or year? **** There are so many factors to bring forth an answer. Your question is like asking "If I get a professional 9-5 job, how much might I make?" ----- You could make $8 per hour or as much as $25 per hour depending upon the kind of 9-5 job you have. Lawyer, police officer, bus driver, doctor, dentist, consultant, teacher, administrative assistant, etc. Modeling wise, you'd have you'd have to make a list of the types of assignments suited for you to do - and if you're good at doing them. The salary youâll get per job will vary because different clients will pay different amounts for you. It's so much to take into consideration. Keep your FULL TIME job and model on the side. Can they make Real money? The opportunity is always there. If it happens ... that will be a blessing.  Ray Apr 15 06 11:59 am Link ray robinson wrote: Honestly, you really ought to learn what commercial print really is, how it differs from fashion print, and what real, typical rates are for it. Spend some time sitting in a commercial print agency office fielding the castings they get. What you claim is simply not true. Yes, there are some jobs that pay $1,500 per day or even a lot more. But the average is much less now, and well over half of all commercial print jobs pay less than $1,500 - even less for a half day. Apr 15 06 02:08 pm Link ray robinson wrote: We can admit to the fact that appearing in a men's magazine is "editorial", and that such an appearance in some high end magazines can pay $2,000 per day, or even more. The average pay for a men's magazine is much less, however. Apr 15 06 02:10 pm Link TXPhotog wrote: ******Actualy you should confirm your comments ... which appears to be your opinion. Call some major advertising agencies such as: BBDO, Y&R, J W Thompson and others. They will inform you as to how much they pay models for doing a print ad per half-day. Base pay is a starting rate easliy $1,500 per half-day. Some ads can easily pay more. I've got my facts correct. thses are some of my clients. Apr 15 06 03:04 pm Link TXPhotog wrote: ray robinson wrote: We can admit to the fact that appearing in a men's magazine is "editorial", and that such an appearance in some high end magazines can pay $2,000 per day, or even more. The average pay for a men's magazine is much less, however. Apr 15 06 03:07 pm Link ray robinson wrote: I don't need to call them. They called me. In fact, they and many other agencies and casting directors called me thousands of times in the last six years. I am VERY familiar with what commercial print work pays, and your statement is not correct. Apr 15 06 03:57 pm Link ray robinson wrote: Once again, here is what you said: ray robinson wrote: That very clearly makes the claim that editorial work pays as much as $2,000 per day. You then go on to acknowledge that it is generally low paying (which is true). But that isn't the point. I ask again: given your claim that editorial can pay as much as $2,000 a day, please tell us which magazines (other than very high end men's magazines, and damned few of them) pay in excess of $1,000 per day. Apr 15 06 04:01 pm Link I work with an agency that pays models $75.00 to $150.00 per hour depending on asignment and client billing hours.... Usually a 2 to 5 hour shoots ,,, For every day good looking models.... No nudity !! Manny D. Apr 15 06 04:06 pm Link |
