Model-turned-manager Tjarda Jansen is young and ambitious. Her small but impressive roster of models has international agencies and clients tracking her down. Having just launched Rose and Ylonka, with exquisite faces Nyok, Isabeau, Harry and Fardau to follow in the near future, Tjarda Model Management is one to watch.

Agency Name: Tjarda Model Management
Website: www.tjarda.eu

How did you get into the agency business/what is your background?
As a child I was fascinated by the fashion magazines. And I always wanted to know who decided what girl would be on the cover. Back then I thought I wanted to be a photographer. Then I started modeling when I was fifteen and I ended that career about a year ago. Through out that whole time I was fascinated by the whole process of casting girls. I started guessing which girl would get the job, and more and more I’d be right. When I started scouting for other agencies I found out I liked it more than modeling. Et voila; my model management was born!

How many models do you represent?
Not so many, and I want to keep it that way. Of course I have some younger girls on hold. It’s better for them to wait for another year or so.

What are the agency’s divisions?
At the moment it’s only new faces. I have a couple of boys, but it’s mainly girls.

First model signed?
David.

Who are your top models?
I believe in all my models. I think I’ll have to wait for another year to be able to tell who my top models are.

Who are your ones to watch?
Nyok, Rose, Ylonka, Fardau, Isabeau, David, Lotte and Harry. And I scouted a couple of beautiful girls last week I would place my bets on.

What do you look for in a new prospect?
A strong personality, honesty, open and interactive, trust, and beauty of course. But I tend to like girls that are just that little bit different and on the edge of beautiful.

What is your development process?
I scout the girls myself. Mostly they start of with a test shoot and learning how to walk on heels. In their school holidays I often send them abroad to get used to modeling. It’s very important they develop a passion for the job, but finishing school is priority. Also the involvement of the parents is very important to me. That will give the model a better base to start her full time career.

What sets you apart from other agencies?
I have a very intense contact with my models. I find it very important to have an open and honest relationship with the model and her parents. I don’t sell beautiful stories to new girls. You won’t become a top model over night. Having a potential is a different thing. I was a model myself, so I fully understand the girls – the traveling all by yourself, competing with hundreds of other girls… But also the kick of getting the job. I won’t let a fourteen year old model do lingerie shoots. She can do that when she’s 18. What also makes a difference in my opinion is that I scout most of my girls in small towns. It seems that people from these small places are a bit more down to earth.
Less unrealistic. That is an important feature to have dealing with disappointments or big success. In Holland we say: Doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg. I don’t think there’s a translation for
that!

In Holland there’s a lot of competition going on between all the agencies at the moment. Everyone is trying to take models away from other companies trying to benefit from that. I don’t want to participate in that scene. I stay focused on doing my own thing as well as I can. I believe you have to respect others to get it back from them.

Describe the ideal Tjarda Model Management model?
I can’t say it too often: Strong personality. Honesty. Open communication and interaction. And beauty with something special.

What other agencies around the world have you formed close ties with?
My management is too young to say concrete things about this. In the past year I got to know a lot of agencies. In a few years/months I could tell you who I work with the most.

What do you look for in bookers, agents, scouts, etc. before hiring them?
It’s very important that we share the same vision. Next to that they have to be able to deal with stress, and be as passionate about the business as I am.

What are the most common ways of discovering a new face?
I mainly go to little towns and villages on Saturdays. And I look around me in clubs and bars in the evenings.

What’s been an unusual way?
I scouted some girls via internet, and I found one guy from Dutch Idol last year.

What is your advice for people wanting to become models?
Try to find out for yourself whether you want to be a model just for the fame or because you’d like a challenge, some adventure, traveling and love fashion. If option 2 is the case, check your measurements and send me an e-mail with some pics!

Scouted by model/manager Tjarda Jansen at the age of 14, Ylonka Verheul is like an outer space version of nineties icon Kirsten Owen. Now almost 16 and standing tall at 182cm, Ylonka is currently in Milan with Why Not Model Management. This super gorgeous and super sweet girl has all the makings of a superstar. View Ylonka’s profile.