Does
your child love to act? Has he/she expressed an interest in being in
movies, or on TV? Do you think your child has what it takes to be cast
in commercials? Would you like to help him/her reach this goal, but
don't even know where to begin? I can help!
I am an experienced stage mom from California. I have two children who've spent several years working on TV show, movies, commercials and in music videos, in Hollywood/
My daughter started acting at the age of 12. She began by taking drama classes at her middle school, and acting in the school plays. She also took very affordable acting classes through our local school district. She drove me crazy for a full year, asking me to help her get acting roles in Hollywood. My first reaction was...no way! I was raised in conservative New England, and still being fairly new to California, I thought that Hollywood was a crazy place. When her passion for acting continued to grow, I realized that this was really her choice to make, and that my role was to help her to realize her dreams, all the while making sure she remained safe and grounded throughout the process.
I signed her up (as well as her younger brother) with a children's
management company called Studio Kids Management. This company works
with the majority of the casting companies in Hollywood, and places
children in paid, non-speaking (background) roles in movies, TV shows,
commercials, and music videos. No audition was required, and the only
money we paid was a $50, one time, registration fee. This company took a
very reasonable, 15% commission from each paycheck that my kids
received from the acting jobs that Studio Kids arranged for them. I give
Studio Kids very high marks. The roles they got for my kids were above
and beyond my expectations. This was a great way for my kids to begin
their acting careers. They did not need to audition for these types of
roles, and therefore were able to work a lot. They learned about set
protocol, rules, working with directors, and handling some long work
days. They were able to keep up with their regular schoolwork, as they
were required by the child labor laws to attend class on the set for
three hours a day.
Almost a year later, and after taking several acting classes from highly respected instructors in Hollywood, my daughter auditioned for, and landed an agent. Please know that a legitimate talent agent will NEVER take money from you up front. Agents work on commission, and earn a small percentage from each of the roles that they secure for you. Once you get to this level, you are auditioning for most every role. Know that it takes many, many auditions (in most cases) to land your first role. There were several days that we drove from Orange County to Los Angeles (a good three hour round trip) for a ten minute audition. The good news is twofold. First, if she got the part, it was worth every minute of effort that was put into the pursuit of it. And second, most of the casting directors are very nice, and your child is never rejected on the spot. If they like him/her they will call your child back, via his/her agent, for a second audition (a callback) within the week. If the casting people are not interested in your child for that role, you just won't hear back.
Both of my kids have had some very exciting roles. Both kids worked on the entire first season of, "Everybody Hates Chris." My daughter played a small part on an episode of, "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody." My son played the ten year old version of Piper's son (Wyatt) in the finale of, "Charmed." My daughter worked on commercials with Jesse McCartney and Jamie Kennedy. My son played a soccer player in the movie, "The TV Set." My daughter has modeled for websites and catalogs, danced in a music video, and had the main speaking role in two commercials for Cox Communications. I could go on and on. But, you get the gist of what is possible.
In hind site, this was a wonderful experience for the kids. They met and interacted with many different people. They had the thrill of being a part of something much bigger than themselves. They learned a lot about the entertainment industry, how to behave on set, follow directions, and what it takes to hold down a job. They also added some money to their bank accounts in the process. The kids were treated very well, and did not have any bad experiences. I think they grew quite a bit, and became more worldly as well. They maintained totally normal lives while they were acting. Acting was basically one of their extracurricular activities. The fact that they were able to experience Hollywood, while still being kids, gave them the best of both worlds. I found that this was also a great way for a new stage mom to start as well. I learned a lot from Studio Kids, and time spent on various sets, about the workings of Hollywood and the myriad of child labor laws.
I am an experienced stage mom from California. I have two children who've spent several years working on TV show, movies, commercials and in music videos, in Hollywood/
My daughter started acting at the age of 12. She began by taking drama classes at her middle school, and acting in the school plays. She also took very affordable acting classes through our local school district. She drove me crazy for a full year, asking me to help her get acting roles in Hollywood. My first reaction was...no way! I was raised in conservative New England, and still being fairly new to California, I thought that Hollywood was a crazy place. When her passion for acting continued to grow, I realized that this was really her choice to make, and that my role was to help her to realize her dreams, all the while making sure she remained safe and grounded throughout the process.
I signed her up (as well as her younger brother) with a children's
management company called Studio Kids Management. This company works
with the majority of the casting companies in Hollywood, and places
children in paid, non-speaking (background) roles in movies, TV shows,
commercials, and music videos. No audition was required, and the only
money we paid was a $50, one time, registration fee. This company took a
very reasonable, 15% commission from each paycheck that my kids
received from the acting jobs that Studio Kids arranged for them. I give
Studio Kids very high marks. The roles they got for my kids were above
and beyond my expectations. This was a great way for my kids to begin
their acting careers. They did not need to audition for these types of
roles, and therefore were able to work a lot. They learned about set
protocol, rules, working with directors, and handling some long work
days. They were able to keep up with their regular schoolwork, as they
were required by the child labor laws to attend class on the set for
three hours a day.Almost a year later, and after taking several acting classes from highly respected instructors in Hollywood, my daughter auditioned for, and landed an agent. Please know that a legitimate talent agent will NEVER take money from you up front. Agents work on commission, and earn a small percentage from each of the roles that they secure for you. Once you get to this level, you are auditioning for most every role. Know that it takes many, many auditions (in most cases) to land your first role. There were several days that we drove from Orange County to Los Angeles (a good three hour round trip) for a ten minute audition. The good news is twofold. First, if she got the part, it was worth every minute of effort that was put into the pursuit of it. And second, most of the casting directors are very nice, and your child is never rejected on the spot. If they like him/her they will call your child back, via his/her agent, for a second audition (a callback) within the week. If the casting people are not interested in your child for that role, you just won't hear back.
Both of my kids have had some very exciting roles. Both kids worked on the entire first season of, "Everybody Hates Chris." My daughter played a small part on an episode of, "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody." My son played the ten year old version of Piper's son (Wyatt) in the finale of, "Charmed." My daughter worked on commercials with Jesse McCartney and Jamie Kennedy. My son played a soccer player in the movie, "The TV Set." My daughter has modeled for websites and catalogs, danced in a music video, and had the main speaking role in two commercials for Cox Communications. I could go on and on. But, you get the gist of what is possible.
In hind site, this was a wonderful experience for the kids. They met and interacted with many different people. They had the thrill of being a part of something much bigger than themselves. They learned a lot about the entertainment industry, how to behave on set, follow directions, and what it takes to hold down a job. They also added some money to their bank accounts in the process. The kids were treated very well, and did not have any bad experiences. I think they grew quite a bit, and became more worldly as well. They maintained totally normal lives while they were acting. Acting was basically one of their extracurricular activities. The fact that they were able to experience Hollywood, while still being kids, gave them the best of both worlds. I found that this was also a great way for a new stage mom to start as well. I learned a lot from Studio Kids, and time spent on various sets, about the workings of Hollywood and the myriad of child labor laws.