A day in the life of a model: Lucy Smith

With no two days the same in the modelling industry, we caught up with BOSS model Lucy to see how she spends her time on and off duty. 

My typical day can vary considerably. Some days I can have a job five minutes walk away in the Northern Quarter which is extremely handy, other days can be a train away to Liverpool, Leeds or London, but most of my work tends to be in and around Manchester. So depending on where my job is I'm usually up by 7am. I always start my day with a cup of tea to wake me up, and a bowl of porridge. After work I will try fit in a gym session before dinner. I live 5 minutes walk away from our gym, which means I have no excuse!

The best part of my job is that no day is the same. I tend to work with a really wide variety of companies including Giorgio Armani, Russell Hobbs, GHD, Harvey Nichols and Remmington. I get to meet so many amazing people and working on location can be exciting. Modelling has really pushed me out of my comfort zone and has given me more confidence.

I got into modelling when I was working full time in retail and Jennie scouted me in the NQ one evening, I thought it was a great opportunity for me to try something new! BOSS have been great and are always there to offer help and advice if needed. My second ever modelling job was a five day shoot in Iceland for outdoor brand Craghoppers. I have BOSS to thank for getting me some amazing experiences like this.

In my downtime during the week I go to the gym and swimming pool to stay toned. My friend and I are also going to take up horse riding again on weekends. Living in the NQ I try to make the most of city life with the abundance of bars and restaurants on our doorstep. My fiancée and I love having our friends over for meals out in the city. Both being from North Yorkshire, we travel back some weekends to visit family and friends. We are currently planning our wedding in France next June, and saving up to buy our first home together – it all makes me feel very grown up!

Three things people might not know about me are:

- The scariest most exciting thing I've ever done is jumping out of plane when I was 19, travelling in New Zealand - that was amazing! On the same trip I also volunteered in Vietnam helping to build houses for flood victims, followed by looking after endangered Wallabies in the Australian outback.

- Nutella is my guilty pleasure! I used to eat it out of the jar at uni!

- At the moment, I’m all about Planet Earth 2. I love listening to David Attenborough’s voice! 

See Lucy's full profile on our website now.

Graham in Monochrome

Our Mainboard model Graham looks chilled and chiselled in these new photos. We love the monochrome styling and shearling jacket! See Graham's full portfolio photos on our website.

#WomenCrushWednesday: Erica Correa

Fresh from Miami, Erica is back in town and available for bookings. See her full profile and booking info on our website.

Henry Evans in Esquire's Big Black Book

Dialogues: Everything means something. This editorial shows off Henry's strong look in some sharp tailoring. See his full profile here.

Saying goodbye to our office 👋🏻 👋🏻 👋🏻

It's an exciting time for us here at BOSS. We're moving! After a long restoration project, we are relocating to brand new premises with more space for our growing team, built specifically for our needs. The wait is now over and from Monday we will be able to continue being the best at what we do, in a building that reflects our outstanding reputation.

But before we go, we want to give our office at Fourways House a good send off, after all, a lot has gone down over the eight years that we've been here! Here are a few of our highlights.

Lauren, Senior Booker
This is how I will remember Fourways: Endless days with the awesome Gdoggy by my side.

Gareth, Head Booker
A few images of Lauren at Fourways House - this is why I sit next to her every day!

Bart, Junior Booker
I enjoyed the day when we had poultry in the office.

Robyn, Casting Booker
It was hilarious to have Ted on the desk as a booker!

Olivia, Junior Division Booker

A few photo memories from my time at Fourways House, all mainly from a fun-filled Friday – the fizz/wine comes out at 5! What’s not to love! When our BOSS branded merchandise arrived in time for client Christmas visits. We all repped them fabulously - model material?

Sarah, Accountant
I had my baby shower at the office!

Debbie, Managing Director

I have so many memories – from our previous home of 20 years in Chapel Walks, and then getting to the end of that lease and desperately looking for a new home which really suited us and could cope with our expansion. I called to view Fourways and was told it was full, but finally in November 2008 I got a call to say a client was having to move out and would I like to view it. It was love at first sight, just right! Thank you David Cohen!

I got married on 12th December, Mum passed away on 20th December and we moved at Christmas that year into Fourways, courtesy of the fabulous BOSS team, who as always rally the troops and get on with the job in hand. It was another momentous chapter beginning for BOSS! A truly memorable period in my life for many reasons, not least as I was also pregnant with my (now 7 years old) son. 

My two huge dogs, Wolfie the German Shepherd and Milo the Irish Wolfhound were regular visitors – I used to walk them along the canal nearby, chasing the geese into the water (them not me!). I also celebrated my 50th Birthday at Fourways in 2010 (still looking 39 without a scrap of surgery – well, on a good day with the light behind me). There is NEVER a dull moment in the life of BOSS and we’ve had a few eye popping moments: Scouting Joe Collier on Market Street when going for drinks after work and the first day Ed Wilding walked through the door. Welcoming jaw-dropping talent through the doors every day, plus international clients, local clients, incredible creatives, and having a bubbling cauldron of magical people to work with makes my DAY!

We're moving...

…and we wouldn’t want you to miss us! While we couldn't bring ourselves to leave our Northern Quarter home, we’re heading to a new office, closer to even more burger joints and badly lit bars. 

Pop round for a brew at our brand new building from Monday 21st November 2016 - 33 Turner Street, Manchester, M4 1DW – we’ll put the kettle on!

You can still catch us on our regular email addresses and phone number. 

Meet Hannah: Front of House at BOSS HQ

The first face you see when you walk through the doors at our offices, Hannah has been behind the reception desk at BOSS since January. We caught up with her to see what an average day is like.

What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?

The first thing I do in the morning when I wake up in bed is check my phone for the happenings around the world, most importantly, the news of my trusted bloggers on Instagram. My absolute favourite at the moment is Danish Stylist, Co-founder & Creative Director at Social Zoo, Pernille Teisbaek - my fashion icon. 

What’s a normal day like for you?

A normal day in the office is never really normal! Working in a modelling agency there isn’t a single moment of silence, there is always something going on. My day would always start with getting the train into our city centre office. I live around a 40-minute train ride away from Manchester, so travelling is a big part of my day, but it gives me time to sit down and read a magazine – lately I have been loving a magazine called KINFOLK. 

Any old Front of House role, in any other industry, is nowhere near a Front of House role at Boss Model Management. With Boss being one of the leading agencies in the North, there is always a million things to do, but this is what has made Boss exactly that. My usual day involves a lot of imaging: From getting photos sent in from clients and photographers, processing the images through our system, to editing the photos for our use and uploading them on to the website. It could also be filled up with Polaroid appointments - getting fresh shots of our models to send out to clients or agencies abroad. Most days I deal with children’s licenses but this is an extremely important part of my role. None of the children on our books would be able to work if they didn’t have license paperwork in order, so I’m there to make sure they do. 

Working at Boss Model Management is very different from any job I have ever heard of. It’s extremely full-on every day of the week, but I love it! 

 What do you love about your job?

My favourite thing about my job at Boss, is the fact that I get to do a bit of everything. My best days are when I get to be creative – I could be assisting on one of our children's shoots or I could have a full day of doing polaroids & castings.  

What do you enjoy least about your job?

The thing I enjoy the least about my job at Boss is the fact that I have to travel back and forth every day. I leave the house at 7.15am in the morning and I’m home around 7.15pm at night. It’s a long day, especially with the work pace that is Boss, but what I get out of every day makes up for it. 

How do you spend your downtime?

I spend all my downtime with my loved ones. Friends, family, boyfriend, boyfriend’s family and boyfriend’s dog – he’s called Harvey and he is the most beautiful Spanish water dog you will ever meet. I love going out at the weekend! As well as Manchester I like going to Liverpool because it’s a harbour city. I’m from Denmark and I grew up living a 10 minute walk from the beach, so being near the water is something very important to me.

What’s your bedtime ritual?

When I get in from work I love to take a nice hot shower to calm myself down from my otherwise probably very busy day. I love when I come out of the shower with a fresh face, freshly washed hair and get all cuddled up in my snug dressing gown, especially when it’s crispy cold outside. I always have a hot drink at night, sometimes I go for a liquorice and peppermint tea, other times I have a cheeky hot chocolate or a nice warming Horlicks. For bedtime entertainment, recently I have been very caught up in the British crime drama series The Fall. Series three is currently running on BBC. I am also a sucker for a good horror movie! I’m fascinated by the fact that image combined with sounds effects and aesthetic can make a person feel a certain way. 

Modelling scams - don’t get caught out!

After the recent reports on BBC Watchdog’s Rogue Traders feature about photographic company Kube Studios in Manchester charging people hundreds of pounds for portfolio shots, we would like to issue a word of warning.

On the programme, which aired last night, the BBC claim that Kube Studios use images they have taken of children to pressure parents into a sale with the promise of a modelling career. The company are also known as Luxe Models and The Model Factory, advertising recruitment of adult models. On the programme, the BBC show that Kube Studios charged one woman £2000 for a full set of model cards, a website and professional photos.

Our Senior Booker Lauren Mellor said, ‘There is absolutely no need to have professional portfolio photographs taken before joining a model agency. You do not need to go to a photo studio to be taken on by a modelling agency. Like any credible modelling agency, we meet models before we take them on and arrange to have pictures taken by a photographer that we recommend. We will only do this once we have agreed to sign a model to our books.’

Please be aware of modelling scams and companies such as Kube Studios. If you are ever unsure about whether a modelling agency is credible, you can check with the Association of Model Agents (AMA), their website is http://www.associationofmodelagents.org/

Boss Model Management have a junior and adults division with the opportunity to apply online at www.bossmodelmanagement.co.uk