HUMAN CONNECTION IS NOT OPTIONAL

The conversation around AI in our industry often focuses on images, likeness and rights. This is all important, but there’s a quieter risk sitting underneath it that doesn’t get talked about enough: The erosion of human connection. 

Modelling has always been relational, between agent and model, casting director and client, and creative teams on set. Trust, instinct, chemistry and judgement play a huge role in how work is cast and produced. 

Years ago, it was rare to walk into an agency and not hear phones ringing constantly. We had phones on each ear all day, lines flashing and people shouting across desks – there was always lots of energy and excitement. 

After work, we would go out, meet clients and build new relationships in person. Yes, we probably (definitely!) drank a little too much wine, but we knew our clients inside-out, understood their personalities and their preferences – we weren’t just names in an inbox.  

This shift has also been accelerated by the rise of platform-based agencies and self-listing sites. These platforms offer models the opportunity to pay to upload their details and be discoverable by clients. While they serve a purpose and clearly meet a demand, they also remove a layer of quality control that traditional agencies provide. Anyone can list. From a client’s perspective, that makes it difficult to know what they are getting.

Does the model look like their images? Can they take direction? Will they turn up on time? Do they understand set etiquette, licensing requirements and usage agreements, and importantly, are they nice to work with?

When I walk into the office, my booking desk looks at me slightly warily because they know the first question is coming… 

“Who have you spoken to today?” I mean actually spoken to – sending an email is not speaking to someone.

When we train young bookers, the first skill they learn is the phone. It’s uncomfortable at the beginning, of course it is. You feel exposed with everyone listening to what you say, you might stumble to start with but you get over that fear with practice and knowledge, and this is a people business – that skill is crucial. If you can’t pick up the phone, you will struggle to build long-term relationships. 

There is also a psychological element to written communication that is rarely acknowledged. You can’t control how someone reads your email, the tone is projected by the reader and if someone is stressed, under pressure or defensive, neutrality could be read as criticism. Brevity can be read as passive aggression and efficiency can be read as abruptness, even if that was never the intention. 

On the phone, tone carries warmth, so you hear personality and can clarify things immediately, and it’s harder for things to get lost in translation. It’s the way to build genuine, trustworthy relationships, especially in this industry. 

 Of course, some things need to be in writing; Contracts, confirmations, usage, etc., and email and messaging absolutely have their place, but in my opinion, the best working relationships only truly form once you have met someone or at least heard their voice. 

When I record The Business of Modelling, I refuse to record remotely, I want to sit with someone and feel their energy. Many of my guests are not media trained and for some, it is the first time they have ever spoken publicly about their career. They need to feel comfortable and trust me, if they don’t, the interview will always stay surface level. You’d get the polished version, not the honest one.  

In this industry, it’s important that agents choose to really know the people they represent, clients choose to work with partners rather than just suppliers, for creative teams to value collaboration over speed and for models to understand that their professionalism, communication and presence matter just as much as their images.  

At Sandra Reynolds, we pick up the phone and speak to our models and clients, then follow up in writing to confirm details, clearly and professionally. Conversation builds the relationship, email secures the agreement, and each play their part, but it’s the balance between the two that really matters. 

Technology will continue to develop, workflows will become faster and automation will increase. This is all inevitable, but what is not inevitable is whether we allow convenience to replace real human connection or not. 

We can choose to work efficiently without becoming transactional and we can choose to protect rights and likeness while also protecting culture, judgement and care. The modelling industry has always been built on relationships, reputation and trust and if we lose that, we lose far more than we gain in speed. 

Human connection is not nostalgic, indulgent or inefficient. It is the foundation of good casting, good representation and long-term careers. It is something we must actively preserve. 

 And tomorrow morning, I will still walk into the office and ask the same question. 

‘Who have you spoken to today?’ 

So next time someone wants to connect with a telephone call, a face-to-face meeting or wants to take you for lunch, say yes. It will benefit you in so many ways.