USA Calendar Girls Project

Yes, it certainly can be when you are held back by the "established" paths laid down by most players in the modeling and entertainment industry.  It goes without saying that not every person is cut out to be a model, and some simply don't ever develop the skills or deep interest required to do the work. But a positive attitude and a willingness to learn make a huge difference in the industry, and there is no rule that says a model has to "pay her dues" by waiting for years to get a chance at exciting and profitable assignments. 
The secret is, most talent agencies, modeling agencies and studios want you to use their channels to get work.  That means modeling and acting classes, and alot of expensive and time consuming training, seminars, photo sessions and workshops.  The "established" way of getting into modeling can work, but it's not the only way to get where you want to go.

The short answer is "No."  As with any legitimate job opportunity, you don't pay us for your working contribution on projects, and there are no shady "fees" or hidden charges in becoming part of our team.  You won't be billed for anything that's part of what we do or anything under our control.  We want people who are committed to giving modeling a try in a safe and obligation free environment.  Getting you working only expands our pool of available models and makes our job in completing profitable projects that much easier.  In the end, you gain modeling experience, and we all gain financial rewards.  And important to remember:  as a USACGP model, you are in charge of your own career, and you will never be pressured to accept any modeling assignment which doesn't interest you.

The answer is simple:  We need new and enthusiastic model talent for a continuing schedule of projects in the coming years, and we want to do our part in getting fresh faces the chance to see what a modeling career might hold in store.  We are not a profit-based operation where our model talent is concerned.  Our profit comes through the completion of a variety of art and advertising projects, and promotional products and services, that bring rewards to both our professional cooperative and our models.  What we are not, is in the business of getting money from model talent.  What we do within our group is give new talent a helping hand in getting started in the industry, because we believe that increasing the pool of talented and available models only makes our jobs as media and entertainment professionals easier.

One of the biggest myths in modeling is that models need to be physically perfect.  Besides being laughable to expect perfection, it's also completely untrue.  Models are humans, and every human has something about him or her that (at least in his or her mind) is a flaw.  The truth is, beauty exists in faces and bodies of all types, heights, colors, shapes and sizes.  The mythical idea that models needed to look a certain way to be successful is ridiculous.  While "runway" models often are held to certain optimum height and weight figures (and sometimes share a particular "look" that might be accepted as traditional) few other areas of modeling have strict requirements.  Nowadays, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes leafing through a stack of top industry magazines (Vogue, Elle, Seventeen or Cosmopolitan, for example) to see that models of all looks are successful and are getting great exposure. And great assignments.

Our industry professionals work on a cooperative basis, and we do not provide "talent agency" services.  What this means is, we might suggest certain projects to you based on our analysis of your skills and our understanding of your goals, but we do not "market" you out to third parties, and do not represent you for any projects we are not producing.  Because of this, there are no fees and we don't put pressure on you to take any job.  Ever.  The only money we receive from your work is a simple percentage of the overall payment you receive from any completed project that we get for you.  In other words, we don't get paid unless you get paid, so there is no out-of-pocket cost to you.  And you control your participation in all projects, so if you decide to decline any job we suggest, you won't owe us anything --- not even an explanation.