Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Schwitzky.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I myself pursued modeling and acting full time when I was 16. Even when I was little, I did some modeling jobs for kids in California before I moved to Miami when I was 11. I started out one the talent side first before I became an agent. I connect with my clients because of this.
Not every agency has that unique perspective of being both talent and agent, employee and boss. Having multiple perspective makes me more understanding and even more driven to make sure my talent gets what they’re owed. The reason my agency began was because, at the age of 20, I got pregnant with my first baby. I was still getting called in for jobs I couldn’t attend so I started finding replacements. I started telling people “Hey, I can’t work but I know this gorgeous girl that can go in my place”.
I suddenly had a high demand and I had enough contacts to start my business overnight. I started out with a few good contacts and now I have over 3,000 members and 6,000 clients (and three kids!). My office gets about three to five potential booking opportunities a day, and that’s not including the potential gigs posted online on Casting Network and Backstage. That’s 15 to 25 potential castings a week available for our members to be submitted to. And it’s not just models and actors that we represent. My whole life I wanted to be a star. I honestly thought that I was destined to be walking red carpets and on the cover of magazines, but when I made the transition from being talent to agent I felt like I was fulfilling a much bigger destiny. When I decided to expand from a modeling agency to a talent agency I felt like it was just the next step I absolutely had to take to fulfill my new, big, important destiny.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, of course not. There’s no such thing as a smooth road, especially not in Miami. There’s a new road construction every day in Miami. The same metaphor applies to business. There’s a new challenge everyday and everyday I face it. The main challenge in running a talent agency, and any other business owner can sympathize, is the clients and customers. I’m grateful that I have a wide variety of talent that look and sound different so when a client is looking for something specific I have options. In the beginning, when it was just people I knew it was harder. I would have a client looking for someone I just didn’t have in my agency. I lost a few opportunities but I made sure I kept growing and signing a diverse amount of talent over the past eight years.
The biggest bumps on the road are usually always about money though. Either the client doesn’t pay by the agreed time and the talent are left waiting and waiting for their check. And of course that’s when the talent points their pitchforks at their agent. Sometimes they forget they’re not the only people not getting paid. Agencies survive off that 20% agency fee or taking 20% from the talent’s check. It’s hard to get the talent to understand that sometimes. At the very least, I understand them because I used to BE them. I like to believe that I’m a bigger more important mission as an agent than I was as talent, but when a client thinks they can pull one over on me or people are fighting me with their claws out I ask myself what the actual f*** was I thinking? Running a talent agencies is one of the hardest businesses to be in. It takes a strong individual to do it, but it’s no big surprise that one of those individuals is me.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about CS Talent – what should we know?
I’m the founder of CS Talent. We’re a talent entertainment agency located in Miami, Florida but we work with associates in Los Angeles and New York City. We submit our members to castings, direct bookings, local events, photoshoots and many other work opportunities. We represent models, actors, brand ambassadors, singers, dancers, athletes, and children of all ages and ethnicity. When someone signs one of our contracts they are asked what they want out of their career (whether it’s stardom or extra cash) and are asked to select what work they’d want to be considered for. They can select commercial, fashion shows, music videos, modeling, television, film, catalog/print ad, dancing or choreography, singing, speaker, voiceover, bartender or waitressing jobs in popular events, convention centers, MC/hosting, promo/brand ambassadors, extras, fitness, theater, galas, and more. We offer more opportunities in varies areas of work than any other modeling agency in Miami and that’s one of the things that sets us apart from the others. I’m most proud of how far my agency has come and am looking forward to more changes for the better. I’d also like to point out my company is completely women-run. That’s quiet a personal achievement for me.
What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
My first agency.
Pricing:
- $20 for a monthly membership cost for access to bookings and castings for a month
- $100 annual active membership cost for those who want access to local bookings and casting calls as well as nationwide projects. This is ideal for talent starting out and wants a year-round treatment of casting opportunities and social media exposure.
- $199 for talent with over 3 years of experience and full portfolio to get ALL ACCESS treatment to our services. These members benefit from highest paid gigs, private casting calls, dinners//events, social media promotion on all CS platforms and get submitted to international bookings.
- A standard deduction of a 20% agency fee from paychecks to pay agent booking fee
Contact Info:
- Address: 5901 NW 183rd ST Hialeah, Florida 33015
- Website: www.cstalentent.com
- Phone: 844-301-7827
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Isis Hernandez
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