The Instagram photo might be worth more than a few likes — including thousands in the bank and your face on a billboard.
“One minute you can be in the Midwest posting a selfie, and the next be in New York going to castings with some of the biggest photographers in the world,” says Mimi Yapor, an agent at Next Model Management’s Los Angeles office.
Yes, Kate Moss was spotted in an airport and Gisele Bündchen caught the eye of a scout while eating at a São Paulo McDonald’s.
But these days, modeling agencies and fashion brands are scouring social media platforms to find their next fresh face, who can end up earning anywhere from $50,000 to $250,000 per campaign, according to Yapor.
Yapor found skater boy-turned-DKNY model Ben Nordberg on Instagram. That’s also where Guess tapped its latest star, model Simone Holtznagel.
ASOS discovered the face of its plus-size collection through a social media contest, and Marc by Marc Jacobs cast its last two campaigns from wannabe models hashtagging photos #castmemarc. In June, DKNY summoned the power of model Cara Delevingne and her 9.5 million Instagram followers to search for mannequins to model her capsule collection.
In December, IMG launched “We Love Your Genes” — a talent-search system where users simply hashtag their photos #wlyg to put them in front of the development team at the modeling giant.
Meet five models who went from Instagram to instant fashion stars.
Matthew Noszka
Age: 22
From: Pittsburgh
Instagram handle: @matthew_noszka
Modeling gig: Hugo Boss
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The 6-foot-2 blond was playing hoops at Pittsburgh’s Point Park University and working at a Lebanese restaurant when he caught the eye of Wilhelmina agent Luke Simone last spring on Instagram.
“He had some great photos and videos of him dunking,” says Simone.
Despite Noszka’s all-American looks — the shot that got him famous shows him shirtless while working on a deck — modeling wasn’t anything he planned to do.
“My grandfather played for the Celtics,” says Noszka. “I always wanted to play professional basketball overseas.”
Noszka just returned from Germany, where he wasn’t shooting hoops but shooting Hugo Boss’ lookbook. He quit school, left Pittsburgh and now lives in the Financial District.
While he’s worked for Nike and Calvin Klein, he dreams of doing a big fragrance ad.
“You see the guys on TV who are swimming on an exotic island? Yeah, I want that,” says Noszka. “I went from making $12 an hour busing tables to being able to send my parents to Florida for their 50th birthdays.”
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Lindsey Lugrin
Age: 24
From: Houston
Instagram handle: @lindseylee
Modeling gig: Marc by Marc Jacobs
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Lugrin isn’t just beautiful — she’s brainy, too.
She began modeling as an undergrad at the University of Texas, and is now finishing her master’s degree in geology at Rutgers.
When she moved to New Jersey two years ago, she landed an agent at Americana Models with the understanding that school came first, modeling second.
That is, until she won a spot in the Marc by Marc Jacobs spring campaign via an Instagram contest. From the more than 100,000 submissions, 11 were chosen.
“I said, ‘What the hell,’ and then I actually won,” she explains.
She celebrated by drinking some wine and doing more schoolwork. “I have always been told that I am beautiful but too short, so it’s nice to be recognized,” says the 5-foot-4 brunette. “But I have a mountain of geology crap to do.”
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Toks Adewetan
Age: 26
From: Brooklyn
Instagram handle: @flightz_canon_fashion
Modeling gig: Marc by Marc Jacobs
During the week, Adewetan works as a teacher’s assistant in a Bed-Stuy middle school for special-needs children. But a look at the soft-spoken Brooklynite’s Instagram account suggests he’s way too cool for school.
At least, that’s what Marc Jacobs’ people thought after he entered an Instagram contest for the brand’s spring campaign.
“It didn’t cost me anything to hashtag a picture, so I did it,” says Adewetan, who’d been doing a bit of modeling and photography on the side. “When I found out I was chosen, I was ecstatic.”
The single father of one won’t disclose how much he was paid for the ad, but he hopes to parlay it into more work. “I would love to land a major billboard in Times Square [and] go take a picture of myself with it.”
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Lauren Punter
Age: 20
From: Leicester, England
Instagram handle: @laurenmaypx
Modeling gig: ASOS
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When ASOS launched a competition to find the face of Curve, its plus-size collection, it turned to Instagram — and a reluctant star was born.
“I love to take selfies,” says Punter, who was working as a sales assistant at clothing store Superdry. “When I found out about the competition, I thought I wouldn’t be lucky enough, but my mum encouraged me [to enter] at the last minute.”
After being chosen from 8,000 entrants in June, she’s now working regularly with ASOS, and has won a contract with Models 1’s Curve division.
“I can’t imagine doing anything else in my life right now,” says the exotic beauty, who dreams of donning Angel wings.
“I absolutely love Victoria’s Secret and their shows, so [my goal is] to walk in a show with some fellow Curve models, because curves are sexy.”
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Ben Nordberg
Age: 25
From: Bath, England
Instagram handle: @bennordberg
Modeling gig: DKNY
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Nordberg is an amateur skater who caught the eye of Next Models in March of 2014 when he appeared on the Instagram account of one of the agency’s models, his then-girlfriend.
“I just said, ‘Skateboarding is No. 1, but if I can do some extra stuff, great,’ ” Nordberg recalls of his meeting with Next.
Despite his nonchalance, the LA-based skater landed the latest DKNY mens’ campaign alongside Cara Delevingne. Nordberg says his Instagram followers increased by 12,000 after Delevingne tagged him on her account.
While skating is still his top priority, he says his dream is landing a campaign with Burberry or Saint Laurent. And he’s still perplexed by the social media app that changed his life.
“Instagram is weird,” he says with a laugh. “The one that really baffles me are the girls doing squats and getting big asses. But it’s a great way to promote yourself.”