‘We are the only matching tool between talent and customers at the moment’

Since its inception, the media & entertainment space has always been at the forefront of adopting technology but one area that has remained immune to technological advances has been the critical casting process. That's all set to change with My Mother Agency.

Mother Agency originated from the combined expertise of Founder Bernard Hennet – Former CEO of Elite Model Management and actor and producer Christopher Lambert who felt that the modelling and acting industries were too restrictive and that it would need to change for more inclusivity and transparency.

Launched in 2021 in France, My Mother Agency quickly expanded operations across Europe and last year entered Africa with a presence in French-speaking countries such as Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Senegal. Now looking to tap the immense opportunity in India, the Mother agency was officially launched in the country on April 19, 2023.
Charlotte Bouilloux–Lafont, Deputy General Director, My Mother Agency says, “My Mother Agency is a global digital talent platform that acts as a bridge between the talent (actors, models, extras, and influencers) and clients/customers. Members gain access to global opportunity. MMA addresses the key needs of the talent management industry including – need for fresh talent, digitisation of the process, higher levels of inclusivity and greater transparency.”

Currently, around 50,000 talents have registered worldwide on the platform and more than 500 customers are using the platform in Europe and in French speaking countries in Africa. Bouilloux–Lafont also says that the platform has seen 86% of growth from Y1 2021 to Y2 2022.

Commenting on the adoption journey Bouilloux–Lafont says, “Initially, it was tough as we have a diverse set of talent and only the premium typical model profile had work. This is because most customers were close minded and it was tough for talent with fresh and different faces to get work. It took us a year to build a talent portfolio in Europe and Africa. It took time in Europe but in Africa it was easier. What we have noticed is that once a talent gets a job, they keep coming back as the platform is user-friendly, easy to use and economical. My Mother Agency offers a customized platform that blends the benefits of a traditional agency with the convenience of self-representation.” A large and diverse portfolio also means that this now reflects on the number of customers who are using the platform.

In Africa, My Mother Agency’s success with influencers has seen the building of a big community of influencers, who have registered as talent on the platform, and who work with brands to promote them through their content. She adds, “In Ivory Coast and France, My Mother Agency has built a community of influencers - who have more than a million followers on average - and who want to be supported in growing their business and connected with brands.”

A Replacement For The Casting Agency?

A big question that arises is if My Mother Agency is looking to replace the traditional casting agency? Bouilloux–Lafont strongly asserts, “We are not replacing agencies, we are more of a facilitator. We are the platform that they should use to get bookings done.” She adds that agencies, even a large agency would have around 100 talents on board, sometimes fail to meet specific requests from their customers due to a limited pool size. It is here that My Mother Agency can work as a collaborator. She says, “For customers using My Mother Agency brings more opportunity for their talent at home and brings more talent for their own opportunities.”

Leveraging Technology

Commenting on the technology, Bouilloux–Lafont says, “We are the only matching tool between the talent and the customers at the moment. Right now, the technology is doing 75% of the job and the human interface takes care of the last 25%, this is important as we are trading humans at the end of the day.”

The registration process is simple. Once the talent registers on the site, they get access to an application to complete their portfolio; this is a similar process to a typical classical agency. Through the app, the talent gets access to a feed of casting that they can reply to straight on the app and also gets access to diverse content on a daily basis to help them grow as professionals. With the aim to make the platform accessible to all, the subscription fee is less than Rs 10 per day, with the Talents Classic package priced at Rs 3,649/year, this gives access to a large range of castings all other the world and to daily news and content on the industry. The Talents Lab package is prized at Rs 7,999/year which assists talents in their professional career through a 100% digitalized coaching content.

On the customer side, the registration is free and customers get access to the talent board. Says Bouilloux–Lafont, “We work like Airbnb or Booking.com for talent and have more than 100 tools that clients can use as filters which are very specific. For example, a customer can specify that they want a brown-haired girl in India, in a specific age group, plays cricket and also the piano, speaks Spanish etc. The filters are very detailed and deep so that the client can find the perfect profile for their request. The customer does not pay when they register but a commission is charged when they make a booking.”

Why India?

The sheer volume of the Indian Media and Entertainment industry and the fact that India has the biggest market globally in terms of movie production, and it is not surprising that My Mother Agency decided to enter the country. On her part, Bouilloux–Lafont is very optimistic about the market. She says, “I believe India will be the biggest market for My Mother Agency in two years. It can be our biggest market very soon, because the volume of talent is huge and the customers that I have met are open minded and willing to use technology and use a platform like ours for their booking.” She adds, “The platform will help clients save money, time and energy, and it’s a win-win situation for them. India is a huge country and it is complicated to get in touch with talent from across the country. We want to facilitate this market to work together and are a one-stop shop.”

Currently the Indian operations of My Mother Agency are based out of Chennai, and is headed by media veteran Narendra Kumar Alambara as the CEO.
On addressing the multiple languages and film industries in the country, Bouilloux–Lafont says, “It is a challenge because India is not a country but a continent. We are looking at the country region to region. We started with Chennai as we believe that the city is open to innovations and has the presence of a huge production industry. The idea is to spread around the country step by step. We plan to replicate what we do in Chennai across other regions. We are also in the process of setting up an Advisory Panel for India, featuring eminent directors, cinematographers, stylists and acting coaches to mentor and guide the My Mother Agency growth path here.”
“We are also planning to launch in the US and in South American countries next.”