In short
- The catalogue has four agencies in Rotterdam: Rule Model Management, The Force Models, Editorial Model Management and The Specials.
- The Specials is a trade name of Max Models B.V.; it charges no registration fee and looks for models aged 3 to 100.
- Applying to Rule Model Management is free; the minimum age is 13 and the minimum height 175 cm.
- The Force Models' terms charge clients a 20% agency commission on top of the model's fee.
Rotterdam's agencies
Rotterdam is the country's second-largest city, but in modelling it is far smaller than Amsterdam: the catalogue has 50 agencies there and four here. Three of Rotterdam's fashion agencies are small, and the fourth continues an old commercial business under a new name. A model agency needs no licence in the Netherlands: the permit for private job placement ended on 1 September 2003 and nothing replaced it. In an evaluation commissioned by the government in 2020, respondents put it plainly: anyone can call themselves a scout or start a model agency. So the catalogue lists every business that represents models and reports what we found about each. Contracts, tax and paperwork are covered in the guide Modeling agencies in the Netherlands.
Rule Model Management
Rule Model Management is a boutique agency established by Naomi Janna. The office is at Haringvliet 86, and the KVK number is 68939302. The agency works as a mother agency: it finds and develops a model and later places her with other agencies. In the catalogue it has women's and new faces boards. The application page says that applying is completely free, that the minimum age is 13 and the minimum height 175 cm; minors are asked to get the permission of their parents or guardians. Clear numbers save time: if you are shorter than 175 cm, this agency is not looking for you.
The Force Models
The Force Models calls itself a dynamic and unique modeling agency based in the metropolis of Rotterdam. In the catalogue it has women's and men's boards. Its general terms say that it is established in Rotterdam and registered with the Chamber of Commerce (KVK) under number 65033892. The same terms charge clients a 20% agency commission on top of the model's fee. That is a charge the client pays; how much the agency keeps from the fee itself has to be written in your representation agreement.
Editorial Model Management
Editorial Model Management says it was founded in the heart of Rotterdam and describes itself as a platform where talent, artistry and vision come together. In the catalogue it has women's, men's and new faces boards. Of its address the site gives the city only, and we found KVK number 73055336 in a third-party company directory, not on the agency's own pages. We found no dated press or other facts about this agency, which is why its profile is short. Before you meet, ask for the office address and the company name in an email.
The Specials
The Specials has the longest history we know of among the four. The agency says it has worked in commercial modelling since 1990: until December 2020 it was a separate department of Max Models, and since January 2021 it has traded under its own name. According to its general terms it is still a trade name of Max Models B.V. (KVK 24396572), the company under whose name the fashion agency Ulla Models works in Amsterdam. In the catalogue The Specials has commercial, kids and sport boards. On its application page the agency says it charges no registration fee and looks for models aged 3 to 100. It also warns that many people currently pose as model scouts and advises anyone in doubt to contact the office directly.
Compared: which agency is for whom
| Agency | Who it works with | What we know about fees |
|---|---|---|
| Rule Model Management | Women and new faces from 13, height from 175 cm | Applying is free |
| The Force Models | Women and men | 20% commission charged to the client on top of the model's fee |
| Editorial Model Management | Women, men, new faces | Ask for the terms in writing |
| The Specials | Commercial models, children, sport models; ages 3 to 100 | No registration fee |
Respondents in the 2020 evaluation split the Dutch market into two branches, commercial and high fashion, with a large middle group between them. In Rotterdam the difference is easy to see. The Specials looks for people of every age and look for advertising, while Rule Model Management applies the fashion market's height requirement and works as a mother agency, so a career that starts there will most likely continue in Amsterdam or abroad.
Children and teenagers at Rotterdam's agencies
The Specials takes children from the age of 3 and Rule Model Management from 13. In the Netherlands a child under 13 may work on a photo shoot or a film set only with an exemption from the Labour Authority (Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie). It is requested by whoever has authority over the child during the work: the employer, a parent or a producer, but not the agency that does the casting. A child under 7 may work at most 2 hours on a school day and 4 hours on a free day; for a child of 7 to 12 the limits are 4 and 7 hours. From 13 no exemption is needed, but separate hour and day limits apply. Before a first job, ask the agency who will file the request with the Labour Authority and who will accompany the child.
Other markets
- Amsterdam is the main market: 50 agencies, 36 of them with a women's board and 27 with a men's board, and the fashion week in September.
- Capelle aan den IJssel borders Rotterdam and is where ONLY Model Management is registered.
- The Hague has five small agencies, two of them with a curve board.
How to apply
- Photograph yourself without make-up in daylight: agencies want digitals first, not professional pictures.
- Check on the agency's profile whether you fit its requirements: Rule Model Management states age and height limits, and The Specials looks for children and older people too.
- Check the KVK number in the Chamber of Commerce's free search. The number shows that the business exists and says nothing about the quality of its work.
- Look in the contract for the commission percentage, the exclusivity and how it can be ended. If the agency is to be your mother agency, ask what share it takes from work booked through other agencies.
- If a "scout" messages you, do what The Specials itself advises: phone the office. More warning signs are in the glossary entry on modeling scams.