Business
Cream of the Crop
Creamy Model Management has been in the business more than 30 years, providing kids and adult models for photo shoots, commercials and catalogues around Kansai. KS sat down with Kayoko Terauchi to find out how it all works.
What kinds of work are models and actors that Creamy casts involved in?
We get requests from our clients for models to appear in all sorts of things, from mail order catalogues for children’s clothes to adult extras to appear in TV commercials. Most of the media is print-based (flyers, brochures, etc.) but we also get requests for kids’ fashion shows or TV commercials.
What kinds of companies and businesses are clients of Creamy?
Mainly apparel brands, department stores, and other clothing related clients, but sometimes car makers – virtually any product where the client is looking for a child model. Our clients are mainly based in Kansai, but some are in Tokyo, Nagoya, and even Kyushu.
Do you enjoy your work?
I love this job. I will never quit. It’s tough and has its challenges, but I get the chance to meet a lot of people and it’s extremely rewarding.
What kinds of challenges does Creamy face with regard to models and clients?
Well, I am on call 24 hours a day. Kids get sick, or nervous and have to withdraw from a shoot and so I have to find a replacement asap. I have to deal with angry clients when the models underperform and smooth things over.
How do you choose which models to forward to a client?
We don’t choose the kids at all, the client does. Each model has a composite card (with a selection of photos and their dimensions) and based on the criteria the client is searching for – a certain height or age etc., I’ll send them every card we have on our books that matches. What would an average day on a Creamy assignment be like? Assignments can vary from four to five hours for most shoots but can sometimes extend up to eight hours in any one day. I don’t go on the shoots, myself, but there is often a lot of waiting around especially if the shoot is on location. Mostly they are held in photo studios. Long shoots can be troublesome for young kids, so usually one parent is encouraged to attend.
What kinds of kids does Creamy look to recruit?
We welcome applications from children of any age and nationality. Creamy recruits babies to high school age kids, and our sister company Advance handles models in their teens and older. For kids, it is all about looks, but for adult models anything goes, since the client often needs a wide range of models for its shoots – often as background extras or to play Santa Claus, or to be a grandmother, etc.
If foreigners living in Kansai decided they wanted to get their kids involved in modelling, or even model themselves, what would they have to do to start working for Creamy?
Send me pictures by email! We need clear photos, that show the face as well as full body. We will email back and if you or your child passes the first screening, you will be invited to the office for an interview. We’ll explain during the interview about how everything works in detail. There is no registration fee to be accepted onto our books, but you must sign a contract with us.
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Creamy Model Management
• Tel: 06-6347-7705
• Address: Ekimae Dai-2 Bldg 2F,
Umeda 1-2-2, Kita-ku, Osaka
• Access: Nishi-Umeda Stn
• Website: pre21.com
• Email: creamy@pre21.com
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