We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bridgette Martin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Bridgette, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you’ve thought about whether to sign with an agent or manager?

Signing with an agent is a huge step in an Actor or Model’s career. There are plenty of opportunities for a freelance Actor or a Model that can be found online via social media and public casting calls. However, these opportunities will only take you to a certain level such as extra/features extra work and TFP photoshoots where the talent is not compensated or the compensation is very little. These are great opportunities for a model or actor with no experience who is looking to build a resume from scratch. But once you have a few of these experiences under your belt, it will eventually become time to start booking more professional, more lucrative jobs. That is when you start looking for agency representation.

Bridgette, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was an actress and a model for 15 years, and I still get in front of the camera from time to time. I have experienced the acting and modeling industry from the talent perspective and have been through it all! I’ve been represented by both exclusive and nonexclusive agencies, worked on professional sets and not-so-professional sets, been the victim of scams and learned valuable lessons from people in all divisions of this industry. All of these experiences have given me the insight and preparation to advise and guide models and actors entering the field today. As a Mother Agent, my job is to teach, develop, and provide opportunities for models to grow and succeed in this exciting and ever-changing industry.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I previously mentioned that I had been the victim of a modeling scam, and though it was not my proudest moment, it was definitely a learning experience that I often reference when teaching models about this unfortunate side of the industry. When I was about 16 years old, I was signed up on a website that would post casting calls. I received an email that I had been selected as the featured model in a fashion magazine spread. I was so excited! At first, communication with this magazine began via email and then progressed to phone calls. They explained everything that would happen during the shoot including date and time details, my responsibilities, the vision for the project, etc. Somewhere along the way, I was asked to pay a fee upfront that would go to wardrobe for the shoot and that I would be reimbursed in addition to my paycheck for working. I didn’t know any better and had never been told that this is not the way a paid modeling job typically goes. I sent a check, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks that I had likely just been scammed. Luckily, I was able to track down the check that was en route to the scammer’s house, and stopped it from being delivered just in time.
I still receive emails in my inbox every single day from models asking if an email they received is “legit” or not, and so many of them mirror the exact scam I fell for.
I use this experience as a tool to teach my models how to identify a fraudulent offer vs. a real, professional opportunity.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I had joined a Mother Agency much earlier in my acting/modeling career. I learned to be successful on my own and found amazing talent agents to represent me, but the process would’ve been much faster if I had someone to advise me and introduce me to trustworthy professionals in the industry instead of weeding them out myself. It’s always a good idea to have someone on your team to ask all of the questions and small details, so that you can grow your toolbox and be prepared to hit the ground running!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.premiere-model.com
• Instagram: @premieremodelsnash
• Facebook: facebook.com/PremiereModelsATL
• Other: Florida branch Instagram: @premieremodelsnsb

Image Credits
Kendall Parsons Photography Jonni Nickole Photography Mary Eva Photography Select Models Miami Premiere Models NSB Diana Garton Photography Barrett Dennison Photography Shannon Leblanc: Lifestyle By Leblanc