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Well, it is official.  We found out this last week that the pilot Cody auditioned for, Prodigy Bully, did not get picked up to series.  Surprisingly we are not too disappointed – except for the fact that we won’t get to work daily with such a great cast and crew.  I’ve had a couple of people make comments about how “heart-breaking” this must be for us, but it’s not—at least not for us.  This is a part of the business, and we are fully aware that in filming a pilot it may not be picked up to series.  The old adage “smile because it happened, don’t cry because it’s over” holds true here.

The positives I see in this;

1.   We made many new friends that I am sure we’ll have the opportunity to see again.  Some we shared contact info and we’ll still keep in touch.

2.   I still got feedback that my son did fantastic, and that he is a great actor and wonderful to work with – validation from industry professionals that we must be doing something right – as parents, and as the kid/actor involved.

3.   I learned more about filling out the tax forms (even though I know this part well due to my own experience, I goofed by putting ZERO exemptions on his W-4 form.  Don’t do that.  They took 50% in taxes.  I don’t like getting large returns at the end of the year…so now I have to adjust accordingly – the plus – each job you fill out a new W-4 for the job).

4.   Because of this, he is now SAG-AFTRA Union.  He can no longer do non-union work however, I am not seeing a downside to this.  Being Union you are offered more protections as an actor.  I am still learning all of the benefits, and have much reading to do.  I’ve seen many breakdowns that have said “will not hire must-join, must be non-union or full union” so now there’s no concern of the “in-between stage” any more.

5.   He’s now auditioning for more pilots (while major network pilot season is Jan-Mar, all the other networks start them whenever they feel like it – year-round).

6.   He got to learn how to ride a horse for the show!

7.  He learned some basics about stunts

8.   I learned more about how the entire process works.  Each time there are new things to learn.  It seems that even each network will run things differently

9.   Auditions continue as always – which means the casting directors still think he’s good enough to bring in to audition.  This also means – there’s no time to be bummed!

                 There was another pilot, Malibu Country, that wanted him to test too. We found out over a 2-day period that both wanted him to test.  Since he tested and booked Prodigy Bully before Malibu Country did their testing, he didn’t test for them.  Well, Malibu Country got picked up…in fact, we know the kids that booked that will be playing Reba’s children.  AND, the part that he auditioned for…got cut before the pilot went to filming.  I am SO happy for the kids that booked it, and their parents, too.  I honestly think it happened to exactly the right kids.  They are great actors, and very down-to-earth kids.  Watch the show – it is hysterical – we got to watch the pilot being filmed, and if I can, I will watch every episode during filming.  *Testing means that choices are down to the last 2-4 for the parts, and contracts are signed committing to the series along with the terms.  When they go in to test, paperwork has to be signed before they are allowed in the audition room.

                Cody is continuing to audition for other projects, feature films, TV guest roles, and pilots.  Since filming Prodigy Bully he booked his first print job, as well as a new Comedy Central Show called Mash-Up.  He got to work with Pete Holmes on that one – another great experience with such a light-hearted cast and crew—but then it IS all about the comedy!  It’s not often that a person gets paid to be a goof-ball.

On set of Mash-Up with Pete Holmes

                I do have to admit, I was initially concerned that he would be upset that Prodigy Bully did not get picked up to series, but then I guess he does listen to me.  I always believe there is a reason for everything, and that this just makes room for something bigger and better even if we don’t know/see it now; apparently that attitude has rubbed off on him.  He shrugged his shoulders and said “when’s the next audition?”  Which is good, because in the next 24 hours he got THREE!

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One thing I have found out since getting my son in this business, is the great resources and networking that is available.  This has been a nice surprise since it is not something I expected when we first began our journey in to film and television acting.  One of those resources I discovered is the Hollywood Mom Blog; and as a result, I also contribute to her blog.  But it’s SO competitive gives a different look on booking a role.

Enjoy and feel free to comment!

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I find that that now every time I watch a movie or a TV show and I see a kid on it, I wonder “Who IS that kid?” I never did this before having a kid in the business.  Sometimes I wonder if it makes me a nut that I now want to know “more” about who I am seeing on TV.  One thing I do like, though, is that I can go to the Internet Movie Data Base and look up the TV show or movie, and usually find out who is in it, and then find out what other projects they have done.  I find this helpful when I see a face that looks familiar but I cannot remember from where – so now I no longer have to wake up at 2 a.m. and say “NOW I REMEMBER!” before I go back to sleep!

Let me sleep!

I do like that I have a place to search information on projects now.  IMDB, while it is a subsidiary of Amazon, is a great resource for checking out projects Cody is auditioning for as well as producers, directors, casting directors, and even agents and managers.  I never thought I would become so familiar with a website!   When I did start using it, I found interesting that these “sudden overnight sensations” had been in the business for years and had many projects on their resume.  Most actors and actresses are not like Lana Turner, who was “discovered” while sitting at an ice cream counter in a drug store.  Those are few and far between.  Most actors are busting their behinds doing what they love, the fame, from what I am seeing, is secondary.

Please share if you have any resources you use to check out projects!