In short
- The catalogue has one agency in Etten-Leur: DC Models, formerly Dyon Caractère.
- Since 1991 it has run a paid course, Shooting & Catwalk, every year: 13 lessons and a portfolio; the price is not published.
- There is one anonymous negative review of it, written in 2017.
DC Models
Etten-Leur is a town in the west of the province of North Brabant, near Breda. Our catalogue has one agency here among the 100 Dutch records. The catalogue lists every business that represents models; we do not vouch for them, and each profile shows what we found, good and bad.
DC Models is an agency whose initials recall its former name, Dyon Caractère. The present company is DC Models B.V., its KVK number is 60517069 and the office is at Bazuinlaan 4. The catalogue gives the agency four boards: women, men, kids and commercial. We recorded no founding year, because the site gives 1991 only as the start of the course.
The Shooting & Catwalk course
The most distinctive feature of this agency is training. The site says that since 1991 it has run a paid model course, Shooting & Catwalk, once a year. The course consists of 13 lessons and a complete portfolio, and the lessons are held in neighbouring Breda, at Hotel Nassau Breda. The price of the course is not published on the site.
Thirteen lessons with a portfolio is a sizeable purchase, so before signing up find out the exact amount and what you get for it. The more important question is another: is the course a route into the agency's file, or a separate service? If the agency takes models without the course as well, then the course is your choice and not an entry fee. The police advice for beginners in the Netherlands is that a reliable agency pays the costs of the first photo session itself and later deducts them from the model's earnings.
A review under the former name
The review site Vergelijk Modellenbureaus has one entry about the agency under its former name, written on 1 February 2017. The anonymous author called the agency a swindler and complained about its staff. He gave no evidence, so it is no more than one person's accusation. We show it because the catalogue publishes unfavourable findings too, and readers decide for themselves how much they weigh. The catalogue carries no favourable reviews or press reports about the agency.
Other markets
- Tilburg has Frisse Koppen, a commercial agency with eight boards and seven staff.
- Rotterdam has four catalogue agencies.
- Amsterdam has 50 of the 100 catalogue agencies and is the main fashion and advertising market.
How to get started
- Ask for the course price, lesson dates and terms in writing, including what is refunded if you do not finish.
- Ask whether you can get into the file without the course by sending simple digitals.
- Ask how many course graduates got paid bookings through this agency in the past year.
- If you sign a contract, it should state the commission and the exclusivity clause.
- What Dutch law says about fees for applicants is explained in the guide Modeling agencies in the Netherlands.