By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
Q: kids modeling agencies/company
Hi, does anyone know any modeling agencies or company that hire kids as models? I have 2 lovely kids, boy and a girl half caste mum is Chinese and am Nigerian. I want my lads into this biz, any reasonable response will be highly appreciated. Ryan
9 years 37 weeks ago in Business & Jobs - China
You won't find one that you can just walk into. They'll find you on you local classified jobs website, like us in Shenzhen, www.shenzhenparty.com got my son 4 jobs last year. So that being said they"ll find who they need when they need someone.
I recall from previous posts that you are in BJ nbmlord.
Not sure about BJ, but in the Pearl river delta there are loads of companies doing this.
I suggest you stay away from agents. Most companies are small studios ran by the photographer who takes commissions direct from the clothes manufacturer or seller. Some companies are good, some not so good.
As Ironman says, most companies will find you, and they tend to do this via Chinese social media. I know that sounds creepy, but it's not. It works like this:
Most cities will have some sort of loose online social group of Chinese women married to foreigners. It's up to your wife to find such a group where you live. In that group there will certainly be parents of kids who model. Introductions with the photographer can be made by other parents, or the studio might contact you directly if they see photos of your kids on the group's social media.
It's a system that works well. The mums in the group get to know each other and help each other out. They also tend to almost regulate the actual industry itself by sharing experiences and pay rates. If a studio offers pay less than the accepted going rate it will struggle to get models.
The most important thing of course is that if your kids get work, they should enjoy it. If they don't enjoy it then forget it. I don't think modeling should be seen as an income source, it should be a fun thing to do.
Good luck 
Why in the heck would you want to do this? It would be a cold day in hell before I ever considered making money off of my twins.
With the amount of kidnapping (never ends well) and sickos around, the last thing you should want is your child's face all over the place.
Normally, I'd say, "To each his/her own," but this is a decision that you're making for your child and with all the inherent risks, you need to ask yourself is the little money worth it?
sorrel:
modeling by its very nature is superficial and to 'force' children into it for the sake of a buck or vanity (on the part of parents) is wrong.
at 18, people can make a more informed decision, but not as a child
you would just be telling your children that their looks are of value, not their character.
China is a very superficial country - are these values you want your children to learn?
ScotsAlan:
Yeah. I understand the points you are both making.
But you know, I can honestly say I have never seen any vanity or pushiness or money grabbing involved.
The modelling is all about the clothes or the product. It's not about the child. The child is not the subject of the photograph. It's got very little to do with how pretty or handsome the child is, it's all about being reliable for shoots and having the right temprement to enjoy it. The child has to enjoy it otherwise the product photos are rubbish.
Money? My wife and I don't make any money from our daughter. It actually costs us money for the transport to and from the studio. I pay that and every penny paid to our daughter belongs to our daughter. It' all goes in the bank for her to use in the future.
I think this is one of these things that a casual observer can have strong opinions about, but after giving it a go and visiting a studio, their perception might be swayed slightly.
Photography is one of my hobbies and I enjoy going to the studio too. I borrow a spare flash transmitter and get to use a professional flash lit studio to get some decent shots for the photo album.
Perverts? Yeah, they are out there without a doubt. But nobody ever stops us in the street because they recognise our daughter. An occasional friend may comment on seeing a photo somewhere, but they only comment because they recognise her. They don't comment on the other 200 kids they saw as they browsed Taobao for a new outfit for their own child. How often does anyone comment on any photo of a random child they don't know?
Superficial? Vain? Nah.
My daughter enjoys it. My wife enjoys it. My MIL enjoys it.
But I do concede the point about choice. My daughter does not choose to do it. We choose for her. Will she hate us for it in the future? I don't know. Maybe yes, maybe no. Who knows? Our daughter has not been baptised, will she hate us for that, or would she hate us more if we got her baptised.
I have yet to see the definitive instruction manual on how to be a perfect parent 
Sinobear:
I used to teach photography...has no bearing on putting my children in danger.
There's a purported 380,000 kids that go missing in China annually. I just find the risk of exposing your child to an increased risk of kidnapping is just not cricket.
I am not even bringing exploitation, sexualization and/or pedo fap-fodder into the equation. The harsh truth worldwide is, most kids who get kidnapped for ransom end up dead within hours. I don't need to tell you that certain elements of Chinese society don't care about another's life and will certainly do anything for money.
It's all about the increased risk.
ScotsAlan:
Come on Sino. Lets apply science here.
Who is the biggest risk to a child? Who is the most likely to abuse a child?
Yup. The one sure way to reduce child abuse is actually to remove the father from being involved in the child's upbringing. And the uncles too. And all male family friends.
The father is the biggest risk by far.
Total strangers? Small risk. Local people... medium risk. There are certainly some local security guys my wife and I are very wary of.
Some guy browsing taobao looking for victims? Yeah right.
Now lets consider the police reaction to a missing child. "Do you have a photo?"
"Erm no."
or.......
" of course, she is everywhere on taobao"
What story would get most coverage in the press?
I have no idea where you get your stats for kidnapping for cash ransoms.
If the figures are published, I would put the deaths you quote down to abusive fathers disposing of the evidence and lazy police looking for an easy solution.
Believe me, as part of a group of parents who have children who model, if one went missing it would be a major international issue.
Erm....I am interested that you taught photography. Do you have a website with your work? PM me if you do. I would like to see.
