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INSIGHT: PAID OR NOT TO BE PAID? That is the question | VIVYD Magazine Spring issue 2021

PAID OR NOT TO BE PAID?

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That is the question.....

When is it acceptable not to charge for your modeling services.

by Ron Adams

This reoccurring question must be the one of the questions of the year, decade, century…as a model when should I start getting paid? I hear it all the time. It is usually a conversation that models have with other models, but I have been privy to this discussion from time to time. Usually right after that question, you would hear a response similar to this “know your worth” or “don’t let them use you” or something along those lines. However, the truth of the matter is as with most topics, there is no clear-cut answer to monetizing your time because the bottom line is simple, it is “YOUR” time, so you are the only one that can truly answer that. Instead, I will give you a few examples of when other considerations might need to be made before you start insisting that being paid is the only way to get value out of your time and career.

Riddle me this? How much did JLO or the Weeknd get paid to perform in the last two Superbowl’s? The answer is next to nothing. Forbes reported a story which stated that the only thing that was covered for these Superbowl’s was the cost of production and expenses. Why is this important? Well to be honest some people never account for the other side of the coin and that is the full cost of conducting a production. On any scale, whether it is the Superbowl or your first photoshoot, the cost of production has to be accounted for and taken into regard. For example, if your rate is $100 dollars an hour and your photographer’s rate is $125 an hour, but he or she is willing to offer a collaboration with you, do you think you should get paid? I would hope that in this case your answer would be no as the rates are pretty even and in fact in this example the model comes out the winner. Here is another instance, if you are being provided with wardrobe, makeup, studio time, and photographic services to where your not only getting exposure to the business’s network, but you get the images used in the production for no additional cost, should you have a rate? In this case I would say that you should only expect compensation if the finished product is expected to produce sizeable revenue, i.e., the reason why movie stars get paid and get percentages of the total box office. But for smaller productions to where the grossing yield is expected to be small, no compensation would be ideal here. Again, there is no real formula to get to this answer but keep in mind, if you are just starting and have nothing to bargain with (followers, a portfolio of work, etc.) many businesses that will provide you all of those things may find themselves reluctant to pay someone a few hundred dollars when they are footing a production cost that may equal well over $700 to $1000.

So, when should you ask for compensation? I would say that anytime your expenses exceed that of what is expected in normal shoot. Meaning if you are asked to travel out of your local area, or you are asked to show up with your make up professionally done, or if you are asked to arrive in specific wardrobe that you would have to purchase. Any one of those reason would warrant a discussion on paid work. Additionally, other examples would include being involved in large scale projects or marketing campaigns, to where the company you are freelancing for stands to receive something that can be measured in a financial formula. Just keep in mind that if you are receiving compensation, that means that the person or company paying has an expectation of professionalism associated with paying an employee. This suggests that your skill set, and professional product warrants the rate that you are asking for.

In the end your time is your time and how you monetize it is completely up to you. Nonetheless if you are truly serious about your craft, I would suggest that before you ask about being paid, that you refine your skills, build a reputation, offer countering points such as social media influence and what you can offer to the company as investment into you. That will go a hell of lot further than just asking for money just because that seems like something that you should do. Be honest with yourself and what you are offering, if all you have to bargain with is a pretty face, that may not be enough for most small companies to decide to pay you. Sure, there are individuals that may deal, but a small company with a small budget is only concerned about the bottom line. And if I have said it once, I will say it again, if JLO can perform on a world stage and not get paid, where do you honestly stack up in the big cog of the machine. There are far more other things that need to be taken into consideration before you start spouting out words like “know your worth.” I would never suggest that you should not get paid but remember there is more than one way to receive what you want or deserve.

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