A smile on the face

Children convey authenticity - natural, emotionally charged and almost impossible to surpass. Except, perhaps, for the yowling effect of certain animal films. Children behave authentically in front of the camera, act without bias and get used to the observing eye enormously quickly, without becoming tense. Agencies often select child models according to their naturalness, choosing character faces rather than posing beauties. This has also been noticed by Sandra Kissling, owner of Kinderagenturswiss.ch. She has been observing this trend for several years now. However, this was not the reason for the foundation of the platform Kinderagenturswiss.ch. Rather, the idea was born when her daughter was born. When she was still a baby, Sandra Kissling often heard: "Your daughter looks like a baby model." So she began to inquire about appropriate agencies. After asking a film production company to send her photos, she thought: "If I send a photo now, the baby will already look different in a month. That doesn't make sense in the long run." In her search for suitable children's agencies, she also grew concerned about good data protection, since often the names to the pictures are visible to all. So without further ado, she founded Kinderagenturswiss.ch. Together with her life partner, she designed a placement platform that she has continued to expand to this day. "Somehow this idea was dropped in our laps," she says about it. However, she didn't think it would turn into a successful project. "Just start it," was the thought. Currently, several hundred children are listed on the interactive platform. The platform has already been online for six years. "We now have many great references," says Kissling.

"Children are not money machines"

Data protection is very important to Sandra Kissling. For example, anonymous visitors to Kinderagenturswiss. ch does not see any names. However, if one registers as a company, Kissling checks the details before access to the images is possible. Even registered companies and agencies do not see addresses or family names - only the first name with the necessary characteristics is then visible. The entire placement of the children as well as the organization of the appointments is handled by the children's agency. Over the past six years, she said, she has received an enormous amount of positive feedback from clients about the great parents whose children she places. "The whole project is a matter of the heart; it's the only way such a platform is even possible for me," Kissling emphasizes. That way, she says, dealing with each other is a joy. And that is exactly what motivates her to run the platform. "When I'm able to place an order, I experience the joy of the children themselves," she says. "Ultimately, that's also my motivation to keep going." The children she places, she says, are all excited to be in front of the camera. In no way, she says, does she want parents who want to impose their own desires on the children or make money off the children. "Children are not money machines," Sandra Kissling emphasizes and becomes very serious. "It is enormously important to me that the children enjoy what they are doing. That's the only way they can enjoy being in front of the camera, and that's the only way they come across authentically."

"There is a lot of child talent in Switzerland".

In recent years, Kissling has noticed that the naturalness of children and their authenticity is the reason why they are often booked for subjects and spots. "That's why we only have children on our portal who are neither made up nor pose too much, but appear in their natural appearance," says Kissling. So the customer also gets a good impression of how the child then looks, styling can still be done if necessary. The mothers can upload the pictures on the platform themselves. "That looks then perhaps not so professional with cell phone shots, because the pictures are just not edited. "Naturalness is in demand, that's what I've always said," says Kissling, who is honestly pleased about the success of this approach. Because every child is different and it is precisely this natural personality that she wants to convey. So she writes on the platform: "Every baby or child up to 15 years of age has the chance to be discovered, as advertising agencies are looking for very individual faces depending on the assignment." Sandra Kissling knows from experience that many children are very talented. That's why she is always trying to place new children at the request of clients. "Every child who wants to perform should also be given a chance. There are a lot of talented children in Switzerland," she says with conviction. Among other things, she is very happy and also proud of two projects with children from Kinderagenturswiss. ch, which she was able to realize together with Crunchy Communications: Migrosmania with the children Caterina and Morgan, who were able to take a balloon ride, and the music video "Oh wie schad" by Baschi. For this video, she was able to achieve that all the children who had applied could participate in the casting and meet the singer. "It was such a joy to see the beaming faces of the children," she says. In the end, it is precisely this joy of the children that motivates her today, after six years, to continue. How long, however, is not clear. At some point she would like to emigrate, she reveals, "but that is still a long way off."

Independent mother

When Sandra Kissling started Kinderagenturswiss.ch, she had "zero idea about the advertising industry," she says. She originally completed her commercial training at a local government office and then spent many years on the road as a globetrotter. In between, Kissling experienced various industries; hotel, car dealership, insurance, industry, managed a travel agency in Switzerland as well as a small resort in Sinai, Egypt. That would always have been the most fun for her, learning new industries. "I always need a new challenge," Kissling is aware. She never originally thought she would ever start her own business with child models in the advertising and film industry. "It just came about through my daughter," she says. In the beginning, Sandra Kissling simply kept approaching parents in their everyday lives with her business idea and was amazed at how many parents were immediately enthusiastic about it. "It's not at all a matter of course that a mother spontaneously gives you her e-mail address," she explains. Everything just fit very well right from the start, she says. Once she had accepted the first 100 children, she was able to launch the platform. She did not experience any uncertainties on the part of parents. "It actually turned out that I found a lot of great parents who trusted me and my project," she says. That's still the case today, she adds. Only once in the last six years would she have had to end a collaboration because the mother's attitude simply didn't match the agency director's basic ethical beliefs. In order to get to know children and parents, Kissling repeatedly participates in fairs. There is a very good relationship with all the families represented on Kinderagentur swiss.ch. At the same time as building up the business, Sandra Kissling was raising her daughter. "I had dozens of phone calls every day with advertising agencies, film productions, companies, and the little one was always with me," she says. But that's also how the child learned to play independently, she says. "It was also the best opportunity for me to be there for my daughter," she adds.

Ursina mason

Beaming children at the casting with Baschi, for the music video "Oh wie schad". Produced by Crunchy Communications.

During the shoot for Migrosmania (production Crunchy Communications), the children were allowed to "take off" and take a balloon ride.