AMERICAN APPAREL KIDS MODEL AUDITION EXPERIENCE

Last Sunday I took baby to the American Apparel Kids Model Audition.

I had never done this before so I just wanted to see how it would be..

The casting call for babies age 6month-2year old was 10am-11am..

Because I had to drive up from OC, I left a bit earlier and arrived about 9:20am..and there was already a tiny line..BUT not many cars in the parking lot..so then I thought, wow, not many people here...

but after I lined up behind probably 20 parents, signed my name on a clipboard like I was waiting for a seat at a restaurant...I was told to wait in the warehouse area around the corner for my name to be called .... I realized that we were NOT the earliest to arrive as there were like 50 families before us! WOWSERS! some people had been there since 8am!!! AND..THERE WERE SO MANY CUTE HALF BABIES!!! 

After my name was called, which I wish was done better than a guy standing on a table screaming out names at the top of his lungs over a bunch of parents talking and yelling etc... (it was so hard to hear..) I had to write baby's name//age//and my contact info on a sheet of paper with a number on it.  I had to do this while baby was ergo'ed to my body and a bunch of parents pushing and shoving...

Keep in mind, we were pretty much outdoors..and it was not warm...and not comfortable at all..

especially for baby..in addition to this, we didn't know what to do, where to go or anything..so I had my sister go ask the dude... I thought we were supposed to go to the 2nd floor...I didn't understand what was going on...baby was getting fussy..so I just breastfed her and kept her warm..

We were then told to wait for my # to be called which fortunately, we were not that far behind and was called about 15 minutes later..phew!! By now the line to just sign the parent's name in had wrapped around like a line for space mountain at disneyland!! OMG!!! 

It was 10:20ish am.. 

My # was called and we were told to go into another area of the warehouse around the corner which was not that much different from the last and we lined up so that our babies could have their photos taken against the wall...

um........

I was thinking to myself..actually along with a few other mothers who were kind of upset that this was what they were waiting for....how will my baby take a photo against this wall with a dangerous rail in the way..and she cannot even stand up by herself yet?! 

The baby before us was held up to stand by his parents...and he fell backwards and hit his head on the wall behind him...........and cried his brains out. O-M-G...........

The photographer didn't seem too concerned..and looked more impatient than anything to wait for this child to calm down..... we couldn't believe this......

but then 'we' were next..and I told the girl that my baby cannot stand yet..and she told me I can just hold her..

by now, baby is not happy.. until we witnessed the crying baby, zooey was super smiley and happy...

our photos were taken..I tried to make zooey smile by bouncing and talking to her...

but she just looked at the photographer with no expression...

Then we were done.

That's it.

We walked out..and the line was even LONGER than 10 minutes earlier...

it was now..like the photo above...

Good Luck to all the other parents....

I thought to myself..is it worth it to subject my baby to a situation like this?

Make her endure a super un-friendly baby environment in order to be in the next campaign for this brand?  Nothing against American Apparel...I overheard from another mother in the crowd that this was their first time casting kids and maybe they will do better next year... 

How could this have been more organized and efficient?

1. Have more STAFF (and make sure they communicate with each other..)

2. give the guy calling out names a megaphone. 

3. or instead of having a guy call out names, give people a number when they arrive and certain #'s go to designated areas to fill out the information sheet!

4. set up stations with SIGNS..

5. have more than 1 photographer.

6. PUT INSTRUCTIONS ALL OVER SO PEOPLE KNOW WHERE TO GO and WHAT TO DO!

this list can go on...

but hey..

it was just for the experience..

Is this what all parents // stage moms // momagers go through and make their kids go through?

I think I will stick to auditions by introduction from now on...

Thank you American Apparel for this experience. 

I will not hold this against you..

and

 if baby zooey gets a call back to be in this campaign..(or NOT because of this blog post--I apologize in advance) I hope it can be shot in tokyo because that's where we will be. ♥

P.S.  I'm confident that if this audition WAS taking place in Tokyo it would have been more organized...and this is one reason I don't hold this against you American Apparel.

ほよよ〜