Page 78 - playtimes_2011_11

J

odi stood before the building in Tsim Sha Tsui and looked up. There, staring back at her from a billboard several storeys tall, was an image of her teenage daughter – star of the new advertisement. Naturally, Jodi was thrilled. “I was acting like a total idiot,” Jodi recalls, “going down and having my picture taken in front of it.”

American Jodi has three children who are all signed up at Peanut Butter ’n Jelly, a Hong Kong agency run solely to represent child models. While her son has no interest, both girls have pursued projects with success, from magazine shoots to toy product packaging and clothing. After living in Milan and seeing “lecherous old men” involved in the entertainment business, and in Los Angeles, where “models’ mums won’t even let their children go on a swing in case they fall off and hit their face,” Jodi has been pleasantly surprised by the environment in Asia. “Here in Hong Kong there have only been positive experiences,” she says.

Highs and lows

Not everyone has such glowing reports. Wendy was approached by a talent scout at home in Discovery Bay, who asked if her two-year-old daughter would try out for a TV commercial. After venturing frst to a casting, then a ftting – both unpaid – her daughter was selected to appear in the advertisement, which was shown on local TV. The appearance, which took just over two hours to shoot, resulted in a cheque for $1,000. When the agency told Wendy their client was interested in contracting her

daughter for a larger campaign across Hong Kong and China for two years, she was asked to name her price. “I quoted between $3,000 and $5,000, and they said it was too much. She never came back to me,” explains Wendy. The whole experience left her feeling naive and uninformed. Rates vary tremendously between types of job and the clients paying, says Keely Chow at Star Fantasy, the agency that approached Wendy. Agencies seem to have little control over negotiating rates. Child models are not classed as “talent” like adults, and it’s all too easy for clients to hunt out colleagues’ children to avoid paying agency fees at all.

Parents here are not asked to sign loyalty agreements and may sign with as many agencies as they wish. In theory, this sounds positive. But it does leave clients free to pick agencies with the cheapest rates, equalling less pay for models. Star Fantasy will not force parents to attend castings or accept jobs, says Keely, and parents can state a desired minimum hourly rate or daily sum if they wish. “You can decide if you like the job or not and take it if you think it’s OK, but once you confrm you are committed.” There is no joining fee, but also no guarantees of work. Commission varies from ten per cent and up depending on the job. Keely’s strategy is to send newer models to lower paying jobs to gain experience.

Events work and catwalks can be non-paid. Magazine work and TV commercials are considered the lowest paying jobs (with commercials taking hours to flm). Clothing and toy companies and catalogues can pay

Have you and your child got what it takes to become Hong Kong’s next top model? asks Elle Kwan .

76 Playtimes