Keep Smiling

TIANA PONGS

Keep Smiling

A CAREER GUIDE FOR MODELS

EBOZON PUBLISHING

Bibliographic information from the German National Library:

The German National Library lists this publication in the German National Bibliography; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.

1st edition June 2020

Copyright © 2020 by Ebozon Publishing

a brand of CONDURIS UG (haftungsbeschränkt)

www.ebozon-verlag.com

All rights reserved.

Translated by Tom Peters

Editing by Patrick Neyens

Cover design by media designer 24

Cover photo by © Ann Weitz

Text design/layout/conversion by Ebozon Publishing

ISBN 978-3-95963-700-8 (PDF)

ISBN 978-3-95963-698-8 (ePUB)

ISBN 978-3-95963-699-5 (Mobipocket)

ISBN paperback 978-3-95963-701-5

All rights reserved in all media. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical (including but not limited to: the internet, photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system), without prior permission in writing from the author and/or publisher.

Praise for »Keep Smiling«

This book is great! It's a very helpful guide for inspiring models finding their way into the business.

I'd highly recommend reading it before applying to a professional agency.

- Diana Pistalu, Owner IMM Europe

I loved reading Tiana's honest and sincere assessment of the facts you need to break into, find your way, and then thrive in this business.

An utterly inspiring book for young models.

- Joel Cartier, Film Director

Full of insights and a great guide for those who are not only interested in following this career, but also for the parents, family and friends that want to help and have a better view about it. In this world there is not only black and white, but many different shades in between. Tiana expresses that very well in this book, in a simple way. A must-have!

- Marjorieth Sanmartin, Executive Creative Director

I've known Tiana since the beginning of her career, and she was a highly professional model. Always in a good mood and the atmosphere on set was always enriched by her great style and professionalism! Her book gives young girls a competent guide on how to get started in the model business. The model business is very multifaceted! With “Keep Smiling” girls who dream of a modeling career can learn from the best.

- Fiona Lang, Make-Up Artist

This book is generous, practical, and in the right hands will be

perfect guidance. Nothing is sugar-coated, nor is it cynical.

It's just reality, plain and simple.

- Sebastian Brüll, Fashion Photographer

For my son, Vin.

And for all those who encouraged

me to fly towards my dreams:

Let's soar.

This book was created with the intention of passing on my 15 years of experience in the modeling business to you. It is also dedicated to parents or family members who don't really know how to handle their daughter's dream of becoming a professional model. Many girls have the desire to become a model - some of them even have what it takes to become one, but don't really know who to contact. The internet is like a maze providing you with thousands of addresses and different contact points, but unfortunately 90% of them are dubious. I would especially like to warn you about online model databases; those have nothing to do with the real model business. You won't find any professional photographers, let alone professional customers on there. A good agency is the be-all and end-all. Therefore, my book offers you a step-by-step guide that will help you gain a foothold in the modeling industry the quickest and easiest way possible. I would also like to point out that I wrote this book using the language that is commonly used in the model business. So, if there are any words that may seem unfamiliar to you, make sure to check out the explanations found in the chapter “Model Basics” at the end of the book.

1. Nice To Meet You - That’s Me

Don’t worry, I’m not going to bore you to death with the detailed story of my life. I'm just going to write a few quick lines about myself instead. This is so that you know who you’re dealing with and also that I used to struggle with the same things in the beginning - things that you are probably struggling with right now.

I started working as a photo model when I was 15 years old. Although I did not see any need for it back in the day, I am very happy that I finished school and completed my A-level exams. As a model, I was represented by internationally renowned agencies in Europe and worked for many well-known customers such as Wella, Schwarzkopf, Mercedes, Otto, Heine, Milka, etc. This was my professional life for 15 years - working both internationally and full-time. Like many other models, I had started out at a fashion fair, namely the CPD in Düsseldorf, Germany. It was then, when I was approached on the street by an agency, which is now called Thomsen, and I was invited to take casting pictures. My first job followed shortly, where I found myself stuck in a very embarrassing cheerleader costume for Pizza Hut.

Since I was still a student back then, in most cases I was forced to do jobs on the weekends only. After graduating, I eventually sent out applications to larger agencies in Munich. One called me back shortly and after a long conversation they became my mother agency. That agency was called Java Models at the time.

As I still felt uncertain whether or not I could make a living with modeling in the long-term, I also decided to register at a university for psychology and educational sciences. But thanks to my agency in Munich, my career proved to be successful very quickly.

What was supposed to be a three-day trip to Munich, then turned out to be a two week stay. Three days of go-sees were planned in Munich originally, but instead resulted in me getting my first bookings and other options. From Munich I then went straight to a major casting in Paris and also to Athens to set up my photo portfolio. At the time, I was accommodated in a private model apartment. This is where I quickly got to experience the loneliness firsthand that one often feels when they suddenly live and work far away from home. I often found myself in completely strange cities, and moreover with people that often didn’t even speak my language. I have traveled a lot in the past twenty years and have gotten to know the different markets of the model world, which I would like to introduce to you in greater detail.

My early pregnancy was definitely a major turning point in my private, as well as my professional life. Begging the question - what was I willing to sacrifice for this job? If I'm being completely honest, my decision to keep my baby was therefore also kind of a protection for the sake of my private life. I had to choose whether or not I was willing to commit to this life to the fullest and accept a lot cutbacks regarding my private life. I was not. I would have definitely lived a very different life, if I had been willing to do so. With a baby boy, however, I always had a valid excuse not to be “on stay” somewhere for weeks at a time. In retrospect, it was the right decision for me. I love my son, and for me, my family life is the perfect balance to this fast-changing and impulsive, sometimes very superficial model life.

Now I am 40 years old and have slowly and steadily withdrawn from the modeling industry in recent years in order to focus more and more on my acting career instead. This is a wish that I have had ever since I was 9 years old, and which has crossed my path every now and then due to my many years in the modeling industry. At the age of 20 I was offered a leading role in the famous German soap opera “Marienhof” (ARD), which I had to turn down due to my pregnancy. My career definitely would have been completely different, if I had decided to accept this offer.

In retrospect, I have to say that many things in my life initially didn't seem to make much sense at first but eventually turned out to be incredibly helpful to me. My psychology studies combined with 20 years of camera experience, for instance, are the best foundation for my future acting career.

Steve Jobs once said in his famous Stanford speech: “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

The journey is the reward and I would like to accompany you on the first few steps of your journey. It is my goal to remove a few stumbling blocks from the start and to give you an understandable, clear and honest insight into the world of modeling. It is a wonderful world, but this shiny world also has its dark sides. Nevertheless, I’m more than grateful for my life experience, my trips, and the many wonderful people I got to know during that time.