Scouting · 6 min read
What we look for when we scout in Europe
Every market rewards something slightly different. Here is how our scouts read a city — and what actually earns a first meeting.
Scouting is a market question, not a beauty question
The first thing our scouts do in a new city is not look at faces. It is look at the work being made there — the studios, the publications, the casting directors who set the tone for a season. A face that is right for Milan in September is not automatically right for Amsterdam in February, and pretending otherwise is how young models end up with a book full of jobs that lead nowhere.
What earns a meeting
Distinctiveness beats symmetry every time. Beyond that: how someone carries themselves in a room, whether they ask questions, and whether they seem to actually want this rather than want the idea of it. Height and measurements matter for some boards and not for others — we will always tell you honestly which is which.
What we never do
We do not charge for scouting, meetings, testing or portfolio development. We do not ask new talent to pay for photography, courses, or 'placement'. If anyone contacts you claiming to represent VANTA and asks for money, it is not us — report it to us and we will act on it.
More from the journal
The first eighteen months of a modelling career
What actually happens between signing and a first season — testing, book-building, market timing and the unglamorous parts nobody posts about.
How to write a casting brief that gets the right cast
The briefs that produce great shortlists all share four things. A short guide for creative directors and producers.
VANTA is coming to Europe
After more than a decade shaping careers across the United States, we are opening a European desk — here is what that means for talent and clients.
