How long has Babyshak been established?

Babyshak began life as a part of the already highly successful Bizzykidz Child Model Agency. Realising that babies are such a specialized area, Babyshak became its own entity in 2003 and has seen a considerable growth in its own right ever since. It is the only UK agency that solely caters for Babies & Toddlers. and has since grown to become one of the largest and most successful child agencies in the UK.  Our commitment to our children, parents and the industry, coupled with friendliness and professionalism, has helped us develop a reputation as being one of the most efficient agencies in business as quoted by our parents and clients alike.
Babyshak (a part of Bizzy Agencies LTD) is registered with Companies House and is also a VAT registered company. Bizzy Agencies Ltd, incl. Babyshak are also a Department of Trade & Industry (DTI), now called BERR approved agency and work in accordance with 1st October 2010 legislation amendments.

How do I know if an agency is reputable?

The length of time an agency has been in operation would normally indicate how good the company is, however, there are many other ways to find out if they are reputable, or not.

The first thing you could do is to speak to the agency directly if you have any questions. If they are not willing to answer your queries then an agency that does not have time to speak to you should be avoided.

The majority of clients request a model book from agencies, so an agency that does not produce one of these will normally be restricted in the amount of work they obtain for their children. A model book eliminates any ‘snap shots’ that agencies may use on their usual Directory and shows a portfolio of children who are suited solely to photographic assignments and demonstrates how they would appear on print. Many agencies use a digital/online version of these today.

A fully established agency would not advertise to potential applicants in newspapers, or by any other means. They would never hold ‘seminars’ in hotels, nor would they offer a service of obtaining so-called ‘contracts’ with ‘leading agencies’ once you have joined. Any agency that offers these services to applicants should be avoided at all cost.

If an agency were obtaining work for their children then the client would be using them. It’s as simple as that. Leading child Casting Directors (a list of these can be found under casting directors on www.castweb.co.uk) use only good agencies and would know if the agency you are querying is reputable. If they have never heard of them, the chances are that no one else has!

Babyshak have secured countless assignments over the years for many, many children, including Bepanthen, Huggies, Calpol, Pampers, and Mothercare etc. If a parent were to call one of these clients, however, and ask if they have used Babyshak, or know of them, they would most likely say no. This would be due to a Casting Director being the person that actively seeks the children from an agency by holding auditions, on behalf of the ultimate client. It is therefore not recommended that a parent does call a client for recommendation.  Babyshak do, however, secure many assignments every day, which come directly from the client and not via a third party. (Including Mothercare, ASOS etc).

Every question that we have been asked by a parent is covered on our website, with the most popular being listed below. Should you have any further questions, please call, or email us and we will be happy to address your query.

Does Babyshak accept everyone that applies to join & is there a fee?

Babyshak receives dozens of new applications every week via our Applications Department. Unlike other agencies that charge annual fees, Babyshak charge a one off payment for any Talent Directory Listing and do not charge for their Model Agency inclusion whatsoever. There are no ‘representation’ fees applied by any of our agencies as the commission earned by children covers that.

This means that if we were to accept every child that applied then we would have thousands of children on our books within a very short time. Babyshak therefore have to be extremely selective when accepting any child and currently hold a below average amount on their books, when compared to other agencies in the UK. We will only take on a child that we strongly feel would be a valuable asset to our current portfolio.

We produce an online publication for the industry called The Babyshak Talent Directory. This is what our clients use when selecting children, is what our children use to promote themselves and is what our agency bookers use when submitting children for work. It is our way of promoting children and is used by every client that uses our agency services. In order to appear in this Talent Directory, as with any industry Directory (e.g. Spotlight etc) you will be expected to cover the cost of setting up your listing. Unlike other Directories, however, once a child is set up there are no further annual fees to remain listed. There are no additional fees for agency representation. The only stipulation to remain listed in this Directory is that parents ensure their child’s details are kept up to date. This Directory is accessible by clients only and by using a secure password. Parents have their own password to view, check and amend their own listing.

Babyshak Talent Directory one off set up cost is currently £100 (as from 30th September 2010). There are 2 options for being listed and joining the agency (explained below), with no further fees payable until the child leaves at 4yrs. Included within your free representation service with the agency would be all licence applications, z-cards & header sheets (sent out to clients upon request for particular assignments) and all amendments to the child's profile when necessary (including photographic/admin changes) throughout the years they are with us. If you wish to also be considered for Model work once listed within this Directory then there are no extra charges applied.

All children registered with Bizzy Agencies Ltd and Babyshak are represented and submitted for commercial work and are therefore signed with our Talent Agency. Commercial work will involve all levels of ability from novices to the industry right up to highly trained dancers and actors with, or without experience. Children are not automatically considered for modeling work. Our Model Agency runs separately to our Talent Agency and representation with this section would be subject to recommendation by our staff following your Agency Audition (see below), or subject to experience the child already has on their CV. There is no extra charge to be represented as a model by Babyshak, it is a free additional service provided by our agency for all suitable candidates.

Babyshak are not a sole representation agency.

Are there any further costs to be expected once I have joined Babyshak?

No. Babyshak do not charge yearly fees for administration, representation, or any other service. We do have the ‘optional’ facility for audition showreels and other services to be added to your Babyshak Talent Directory listing for clients to view and help enhance your portfolio. Our Studio also offers Baby Ballet classes and Parent & Toddler Model Academy Workshops. These services are not provided by the agency, although will be added to your profiles free of charge and then advertised to clients. These studio facilities, which are heavily subsidized by the Agency, should be booked directly with Bizzy Studios: for current rates and full information see www.bizzystudios.com.

We also publish an annual Model Look Book designed specifically for photographic Models. This again is optional. Only children registered with the agency who have been selected for model work can take the option to be included in this publication. Look Book photographic shoots are held at Bizzy Studios at only £65 per child. For this you will receive your Model Look Book main headshot photograph by email, entry for the model into the Look Book and the Agency will use the portfolio images to update your Babyshak Talent Directory listing (4 images in total). Model Look Book entry is for a 6-month period for babies & toddlers due to rapid appearance changes. This shoot rate covers the studio time & photographer and is not an administration, or inclusion charge which is free. We are unable to accept parents ‘own’ professional images, as we need to meet and assess all of our model children and ensure that all images are taken to the same standard and spec as each other. Look Book inclusion is purely optional and is not something we insist upon. You can choose to be considered for model work from the main Talent Directory if preferred and use your own photographs. Photographic clients mostly refer to and are directed toward the Look Book for professional models.

How do I apply to join Babyshak?

You would need to make an application to the agency using our ‘How To Apply’ page. Our assessment team will make a decision based upon your location, photographs sent, information provided, child’s criteria in relation to the client work we have coming in and whether or not we have a place available on our books. We have a very large client list and as a reputable agency we need to be able to supply a healthy and adequate portfolio of children to those clients.

We will contact you with our decision regardless of the outcome of this assessment and offer advice on how to find an alternative agency if unsuccessful.

If we feel that your child would be suitable for our client list then we will contact you within a few days.

What do I have to do once I have joined the agency?

Should you be accepted and decide to proceed we will send you a letter giving full instruction on how to complete the joining process. Once up and running with Babyshak we will send you a confirmation letter that includes full instructions on how to activate your Directory listing and how to update your Directory Listing as and when required. This letter will also discuss us obtaining a licence for your child to work and requests a copy of the child’s birth certificate, the parents' signature on a licence application form (supplied by the Council) a declaration of good health for the child and a school approval letter (if attending full-time education). Please note that this is a legal requirement expected of ALL agencies in the UK and no child can be submitted, or confirmed for work without the agency having these documents on file. The letter we send parents after joining is extremely easy to follow. You only need then keep us informed of any unavailability dates for your child throughout the year and update accordingly.

Babyshak earn 25% commission on a child’s earnings that are secured through the agency.

UPDATES

Although Babyshak permits snapshots to be listed in our Directory, they should be of an acceptable standard. See www.childmodelagency.co.uk for tips we have devised on how to take acceptable images for your listing at home. It is in the agency’s interest to keep your listing up to date, so if we do not accept your photo update it would be for a valid reason. Bizzy Studios offers Update Sittings to all Babyshak children at only £30 per sitting. They will also ensure that your whole Directory listing is fully up to date at your appointment.

PLEASE NOTE: You do not need to supply these types of images for your initial application; regular snapshots will be fine.

Is it illegal for agencies to charge fees?

New legislation that came into effect on 1st October 2010 stipulated that Model Agencies are not allowed to charge upfront fees to their potential models. Up until that date this was only applicable to adult agencies.

Babyshak Model Agency does not charge any upfront fees to its models for representation; the Model Agency department earns money from commission gained from client work and is offered free to all Babyshak children.

Babyshak Agency operates from Bizzy Studios Complex, comprising of film, dance, audio & photographic studios. These studios are open to the public as a business, with Babyshak Agency operating from offices on site. We have an Academy of Performing Arts and are the largest Child Agency service in the UK. The agency supplies children to clients from our Bizzy Studio classes/sessions and also via our Talent Directory. Clients for auditions, studio hire and rehearsals use Bizzy Studios regularly throughout the year. The Studio holds regular dance & drama classes and Academy workshops for modeling, singing and dance, whilst also providing a whole variety of activities, including cheer leading classes for children, yoga & keep fit sessions for adults. These are available for agency children and the general public. See www.bizzystudios.com.

60% of Babyshak Agency business is TV, Film, Theatre, Voiceover and other Commercial work. We are primarily a Talent Agency and all suitable children listed within our Babyshak Talent Directory (for which a one off fee is charged for listing) are offered the option of free representation with our Model Agency section if suitable. Despite only approximately 40% of our assignments being modeling work, this still amounts to a very large amount of work in comparison with the majority of other agencies. We have a separate Model Agency within the Studio, which is overlooked by our agency Head Booker and Company Director.

What type of work should the children with Babyshak expect?

Roughly 60% of our work is commercial/TV, with the remainder being photographic modelling. We receive anything up to 40 queries a day from clients and subsequently submit a minimum of approximately 40 children out for audition every day. We have regular contracts with clients and also have long standing working relationships with Production Companies, Advertising Agencies, Casting Directors and Photographers from all over the UK. For a list of our clients please see our client list link on the home page

Can an agency guarantee work?

Any agency that guarantees work to any of its models should be avoided. An agencies duty to its clients is to create a full and varied portfolio of up-to-date artists, then to advertise the agency (therefore its artists) adequately to the industry. Babyshak currently advertise in every directory known to them that is used by clients when seeking a child Talent, or Model Agency.

No agency can know what particular assignment is going to arrive on their desk from one day to the next, so needs to ensure that they can supply whatever the client is asking for, hence the reason to produce a full portfolio upon demand. If, for example, a client asks for a selection of 6-month old babies, then, naturally, 2-yr olds could not be considered for submission, and vice versa. The client therefore makes the decision as to what they are looking for and not the agency. Likewise, once the agency has submitted a selection of children to the client, the choice as to which of those children is actually selected is down to the client and not the Agency. This is why no agency can guarantee work to any child that it represents. A reputable agency will only accept a child if they feel that the child would be a valuable asset to their portfolio, but should not be blamed if the client does not confirm them whilst with the agency.

How do Babyshak promote their children?

BABYSHAK TALENT DIRECTORY Babyshak Agency are fully computerised and equipped to present our children by way of both Z-cards/brochures and also by way of our website and in our Look Book when children are represented as Models (where appropriate). This way your child's details can be updated as and when necessary throughout the year on our website, so keeping the client informed of their progress and thus avoiding any unnecessary commercial castings for children that have changed somewhat since the Look Book first went to print. Due to technology, clients are increasingly using the Internet for up-to-date images and measurement details when searching for children. This technology enables us to access a far greater volume of client for your child, both nationally and internationally. Please note that we exercise the strictest of security measures when taking bookings for children through our website and that generally the site is used as an up-to-date reference for our already established clients. We do not display any details on our website, other than age, height, hair colour, eye colour, skin colour, name, licencing authority and CV details. Our Talent Directory is also protected by a secure access. Should you have any concerns about this facility please speak to one of our staff. Our children are only accessible on our website with the use of a username and password. This is only issued to established clients and parents of children that are displayed on the website. Babyshak Talent Directory fees are not refundable once work has been completed on a child’s portfolio and the 7-day cooling off period has passed. Full Terms provided at the point of acceptance in accordance with legal requirements.

LOOK BOOK Babyshak also have a Model Agency, which is a part of one of the largest in the UK. We promote children suitable for photographic work in our Agency Look Book and it is available to selected clients and those who are seeking only photographic models. All children will be assessed at the time of their Agency Audition, or application by our staff and if suitable for model work will be offered the opportunity to become a Babyshak Model. There is no additional cost for this service. They can be submitted to and viewed by clients via the Talent Directory using their own photographs, or choose the option to appear in our Look Book publication using professional images. Our newest Look Book is an online version, which means that all newcomers to the agency can be offered a place and included within a few days. This is also very helpful when a child has a severe haircut etc, or changes in appearance somewhat, as new photos can be replaced immediately. All Look Book photographs must be taken at Bizzy Studios to maintain a common theme and standard.

PRODUCTION MANUALS All reputable agencies will advertise in Production Manuals, of which there are many to choose from. These publications, which are available to and used by their clients as a reference when seeking stylists, agencies, etc, are often referred to as a clients "Bible" and all good agencies will advertise in one, the majority of, or all of those that are available to them. Babyshak currently advertises in every publication that is known to the agency and looking to increase that number every year as new publications are produced. A few that we are currently in include, The Knowledge, Contacts, Kemps, The Creative Handbook, however, we advertise in many more too. Those that we do not advertise in, but may have done in the past, have proven to not generate enough work, as our clients do not primarily use them as a search tool.

WEBSITE Babyshak advertise our website in every way that we can in order that we are seen first by our clients. Although we have an already extensive database of clients that use us regularly, as with any efficient company, we are always looking to extend that list.

How long will it be before my child gets work and how many assignments should I expect?

This is an impossible question to answer and any agency that does promise a figure should, again, be avoided. No agency can know in advance what assignments are going to come in the next day, or even that day. Although they may be involved in campaigns that have been planned for several weeks, or even months, the general rule of thumb would be that a client will simply call the agency and ask for a selection of children to be submitted to them by return, then they will make a selection from that list and inform the agency. In our experience, some children can start working immediately after joining the agency, whilst some may be slower than others and then become very busy. Some may work periodically throughout the year, whilst others may have larger gaps in-between assignments. The fact remains that an agency earns commission when a child is working, so will always submit every child on their books for every assignment they are suited to, in the hope that they are selected. After all, this is how the agency earns their money.

HOW DO I KNOW IF BABYSHAK ARE A BONA FIDE AGENCY?

1) Babyshak have been established since 2003
2) Babyshak, a part of Bizzy Agencies LTD, is listed with ALBA, Reputable Model Agencies (RMA) & Every Model (EM) as being a reputable agency
3) Babyshak does not charge yearly fees & do not charge as a Model Agency
4) Babyshak terms are approved by BERR and they operate to the new legislation as of 1st October 2010
5) Bizzy Agencies LTD (i.e. Babyshak) is registered with Companies House as a Limited Company
6) Bizzy Agencies is a Bexley Council Work Experience Approved Company
7) Bizzy Agencies LTD is a VAT registered company with Customs & Excise
8) Babyshak has a very large client list (a sample of which is published on our website)
9) Babyshak has a fantastic reputation amongst clients within the industry
10) Babyshak uses every means known to them to advertise their agency, artists & models to the industry
11) Babyshak operate from their own studio complex which is used by clients for auditions, shoots and rehearsals
That certainly speaks for itself!

Debi Clark, Director of Bizzy Agencies Ltd, has comprised The Comprehensive Guide to Child Modelling. This information booklet is extremely informative and covers Child Licences, Regulatory Bodies, Agencies, how to avoid unscrupulous agencies, child income tax, how to apply to an agency correctly, buyout/repeat fees and usage rates, what to expect at an audition/assignment and much, much more. Every question we have ever been asked by a parent is covered in this informative guide and can be obtained immediately by paying on-line for only £3.50. CLICK HERE to obtain your own copy.