Then again, and again
No contacts and no idea where to start. Corinne Pan-Kita on teaching herself how the industry works, and the digitals she kept sending until an agent replied.
There's no single route into modelling. Corinne didn't know a single person in the industry, so she learned how it works on her own, one agency website at a time. She wrote this for us. Her words, lightly edited.
My name is Corinne Pan-Kita. I was born and raised in Naples, Florida, about two hours west of Miami. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to model. When people asked me “what do you want to be when you grow up?”, I always had a made-up answer ready. I thought people would see me as delusional for thinking I could be a model, but I knew I could reach my goals.
Without a single idea of how to break into this industry, or a single connection, the research started. I looked up every agency that had a branch in Miami. I learned what a mother agent was and which ones signed models to the different agencies. I researched photographers, the models I aspired to be like, who they worked with and who they were signed with.
“When I had no response, I retook my digitals and submitted again, then again, and again.”
I began taking my own digitals and submitting them to agencies. When I had no response, I retook my digitals and submitted again, then again, and again. I also started posting on my social media at least once a day. I had one video go semi-viral, and I knew this was my ticket in. As my followers grew, I resubmitted my digitals and refollowed every agency. Finally, I got a response from the mother agent I'm still with today.
From there, we signed with Ford in Miami, then in LA, which meant moving there the following year. We went on to sign in London, New York, Barcelona, Sweden and Hawaii. This has been, and will go on to be, my dream. I feel so blessed for the opportunities this industry has given me, and I look forward to the rest of this journey.
Corinne has been a working model for the past five years, with international placements. Represented by The Industry Model Management in Los Angeles and Miami.
@corinnepankitaWorking model or creative with a story to tell? You don't need to be a writer, you need to have been there. Read how to write for Call Time, or email hello@checkyourcalltime.com.