BUSINESS OF MODELING
M adeleine Almering believes we can do anything we set our minds to. A former model, she understands the competitive mindset it takes to adapt to high profile scenarios— situations where all eyes search for perfect and imperfect moments. Her time as a student has made her a perfect teacher. Today, as co-founder, CEO, and director of the SALT Agency (www.saltmat.com), Almering and her team are helping to usher in a new wave of modeling talent. The female- owned, full-service agency focuses on fashion, editorial, runway, lifestyle, and commercial print. The agency continues to be a force by placing some of the industry’s leading up and coming talent at high profile agencies like DNA, Wilhelmina, Next, Ford, Elite, and IMG in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Asia, and Milan. The agency’s name—SALT—comes from the term “Salt of the Earth.” It is a tenet that Almering and co-owner and COO Kelly McGill, and Director of Digital Partnerships Jacqueline Childers take to heart by surrounding themselves with people of good integrity and high moral compasses. The boutique agency
apart. Beyond being models, the SALT Family are wives, chefs, personal trainers, nurses, doting dads, and more. “We want to let that complexity shine,” McGill says. “Launching our Digital Partnerships division allows us to lean into this exciting chapter in the modeling world, where talent can be fully themselves and create content with top brands through their social media channels.” What will COVID mean to the future of the modeling industry? It’s a question that Almering, McGill, and Childers continue to address with a fervent resolve. In the foreseeable future, they believe the industry will continue to thrive via ecommerce and digital partnerships. Due to COVID protocols, while large productions and runway shows will be scaled down to accommodate less models, it will mean more working days for those models. “The landscape of the modeling industry is constantly evolving, so flexibility and adaptability are incredibly important,” Almering says. “Being resilient and having a strong work ethic are paramount in this industry. You may be one person’s ‘no’, but another person’s ‘yes’, so remember that your uniqueness is what separates you from everyone else. Modeling takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but the rewards are amazing.” “ You may be one person’s ‘no’, but another person’s ‘yes’, so remember that your uniqueness is what separates you from everyone else. ”
Kelly McGill, COO
Photo by Leslie Andrews Photography
more inclusive toward ethnicities, heights, and sizes, SALT created a Lifestyle and Curve division and started booking models on jobs that in years past would never have been considered. In addition, it is currently in the midst of a beta-launch for its Digital Partnerships division. “Thanks to an engaged social media community, digital partnerships are a lucrative opportunity for our models to build their personal brand while showcasing their charisma and charm through their own voice and personality,” Childers says. The pandemic actually skyrocketed the way brands invested in influencer marketing, making it the ideal time for SALT to build out its capabilities and present influencer marketing to its talent base. “It isn’t anything new that influencer marketing dominates in key verticals like fashion and beauty,” Childers says. “However, we see influencer partnerships through the lens of the SALT mentality to be timeless.” As SALT starts to filter more opportunities, authen- ticity is a factor that McGill says will help set its talent
devotes its time, talent, and resources to helping its models— “The SALT Family”—in career development, portfolios, and placement opportunities. “Scouting new talent is always a top priority to us,” Almering says. “Additionally, we are constantly nurturing relationships with our current clients and networking to seek new ones. We are very grateful to have incredible relationships with top agencies worldwide and are always placing our models with them.” It is no secret that the past year has been monumen- tally tough for the entertainment industry. During the pandemic, marketing budgets were among the first to be cut by large companies. And while many small compa- nies succumbed to the weight of the pandemic’s crush, SALT kept its collective head held high. Having created one of the Southeast’s premiere agencies, the SALT team understood that as bad as things seemed to be, the indus- try would persevere. It is not the first time their intuition has paid off. For example, following the industry’s trend of being
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