What a Mother Agency Is

A mother agency is a model’s home-market representative, typically the first agency to sign them, responsible for overall career guidance and placing the model with board agencies in other markets.

What a Board Agency Is

A board agency represents a model in a specific secondary market (a different city or country), usually placed there through the mother agency’s relationship, handling local bookings while the mother agency remains the model’s primary long-term representative.

How This Structure Benefits a Model’s Career

This structure lets a model work across multiple markets without needing to independently find and negotiate with every local agency — the mother agency’s established relationships open doors a model couldn’t access alone.

Commission Splits Across This Structure

When a model works through a board agency placement, commission is often split between the mother agency and the board agency — understanding this structure helps a model make sense of how their earnings are actually being divided.