VIVA!
Starting out
My first jazz dance performances in front of a large audience at Berlin’s famous 6-Day cycling race were awkward and disastrous. Fortunately, there were a number of talented dancers on stage. My boyfriend’s mother thought I should try modeling, because I had the right height, figure, and look. She came up with some nice clothes for me, created the styling and sent me with the pictures she had taken to the only modeling agency in Berlin, which was at the city’s employment office. They signed me up and sent me on my first assignment: a full week of swimsuit fashion shows in a department store. The job was great, the people were nice, and the money I made gave me a sense of independence. My father was enthusiastic, because he no longer had to give me pocket money to buy fashion accessories. But my mother felt that a model loses a part of her personality with each photo.
Modeling in Berlin
I had been bitten by the modeling bug, but first I had to finish high school. I had no idea what kind of career I wanted to pursue. I had a few ideas, but modeling seemed to be the most exciting. West Berlin was isolated by the Wall and it was easy to find assignments. This continued for three years. I thought it would be possible to pursue my educational goals at a later date. A PR specialist working for a clothing manufacturer asked me about my future plans. I wanted to maintain my comfortable lifestyle and was thinking about working behind the scenes at an advertising agency. I could see myself assisting on a photo shoot. After that I started a training program as a management assistant in advertising.
One single modeling agency in a city like Berlin was simply not enough. For example, when a creative team needed five Asian models to shoot an advertising spread, they called the city’s only agency, which had a total of three Asians on file. One was on vacation, another was sick, and it was impossible to reach the third candidate. There were never enough models available for fashion productions. New faces were clearly in demand!
Founding my own agency
The situation in Berlin prompted me to start my own modeling agency. But the local employment agency had a monopoly in the insular city and I didn’t think there would be room for a privately-owned agency. So I shifted to plan B. I went to Madrid to learn a foreign language (Spanish) and did some modeling on the side to make ends meet. I could pick and choose between four or five good agencies. This was very different from the situation in Berlin, where my chances of getting an assignment were about one in three. In Madrid, there were always at least 99 other candidates, and all of them seemed better suited for the job. After the Berlin Wall fell, I knew I had to return to my hometown. After all, I had experience as a model in Berlin/Germany and had worked in Madrid/Spain. And Berlin would surely be looking for new faces. Plus, I had training in the business field. Adding up these skills and experiences, I decided to start my own modeling agency in Berlin. I chose the name VIVA, a Spanish word that basically means “hurray, live it up!”
Working world
The concept of a modeling agency is generally associated with glamour, ravishingly beautiful men and women (with perfect faces and athletic bodies), and fantastic earnings. Aside from the business aspects, I love to work with truly exceptional people. Ideally, we’ll find a young woman who is inspired by the assignment, has a certain talent for the job, and loves to work. She should have the right look for the project – along with the right personality. It can be really hard for a young woman to go to thirty different castings and not get a single job. This profession takes lots of self-esteem, discipline, and a good sense of humor. Models fail to get booked for the craziest reasons: ears too small, too big, stick out too much, don’t stick out enough… The list goes on and on. Sometimes it comes down to the right chemistry between people. For one new model, we heard nothing but praise after her first ten assignments for a number of different clients. Then another client called to complain that the same girl couldn’t move right, was too passive, unmotivated and incredibly ill-tempered.
Who are you supposed to believe? The agency needs to get a good, objective take on the situation to make sure things are handled fairly and diplomatically. Everyone involved should be able to look back at the assignment with a sense of satisfaction. Ultimately, the end result is all that really counts.
Personality is the key
Ideally, a model successfully progresses from local assignments to the international stage. This requires mutual trust. The “home agency” can’t be in Paris, London, Tokyo, Milan, and New York to support the models and help them deal with problems like homesickness or feeling lonely and unloved. It’s impossible to always be on-site to guide a model through the pitfalls of a high-flying lifestyle that come with successful modeling. When a model’s career takes off and they are making good money, we know that we did the right thing. It makes us feel proud and we’re thrilled for the model and for our agency.
The fact that VIVA has been in business for nearly twenty-five years makes me very happy. Although this business is sometimes critically referred to as “human trafficking,” it has many exciting aspects. You meet intelligent, extremely interesting people. Most of them are friendly, cheerful and good-humored. At the same time, they can be a little wild and crazy, but that’s what makes them unique. My mother always told me that the best way to stay young is to surround yourself with young people. She’s absolutely right!
The current trend is to book more “mature” faces. I’m glad, because the VIVA lineup includes models in all age groups. For many of our successful advertising placements, it was a unique personality and acting ability that mattered, and not flawless beauty.
Born in Berlin, Andrea Matthias worked for 10 years as a photo and fashion model. She launched the VIVA Berlin modeling agency in 1990. www.vivamodels.com