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The top 7 reasons I encourage my son to be an actor

There was an article on Backstage recently written by a casting director “5 Reasons I Won’t Discourage My Daughter From Acting.” For those of you that are not in the industry, a casting director is the person you go see for an audition.  I have to say I commend this woman for this article. And not just because my son is an actor. Cathy Reinking has been a casting director for more than 20 years, so she is not a newby by any stretch. It’s a refreshing change to so much negative we see regarding acting – especially for a child actor.

What struck me was reading the comments below her post and one individual who makes the comment about how she’s never been an actor herself and doesn’t understand when others should be discouraged (gently of course) from getting in to this business.

I find this a narrow-minded view. I am not young by any stretch – and this business is not the only area I have seen this “opinion” and parents that say “I would NEVER let my child do _____ for a living.” Whether it be in sports, military, legal, health, teacher, social work…you get the picture. Ironically, these same parents are happy doing these jobs (most of the time) and they do them well, just as Cathy states in her article of the parents she’s met.  Why not encourage your child to do what it is they love to do?  And what is wrong if they choose to follow in your footsteps?  Why is it necessary to discourage ANYONE from going after their dream – regardless of what that dream is? (gently or otherwise?) Instead of assuming a child “can’t handle it” or “can’t stick it out” or “doesn’t have the talent” what exactly is the harm in explaining to them what it takes (at an age appropriate level of course), and letting them take classes, and go one step at a time to see if they want to delve farther in to what their interests are?

I got a dose of this myself when my son decided to audition for the part of Ryan in High School Musical Junior at the local Oz children’s theatre. I wanted to “protect him” from the disappointment that might come if he didn’t get the part.  It was his first audition.  I thought I was preparing him and told him to just realize he might not get the part. After all, I am the mom and I don’t want to see him crushed. After I had said this the second or third time, driving to the audition, from the back seat he said to me “please don’t say that.” And, still thinking I needed to “prepare him” I asked him why not.  His answer hit me like a ton of bricks. “Because I have faith in myself.”  He was 9 years old. I shut up. Even at 9 he spoke with more conviction than I have heard from many adults.  And he got the part.  The joy on his face when he performed on that stage put me in tears – not tears of pride because my son was on stage – but tears because I got to witness the pure joy on his face doing what he loves.

Since then I have not discouraged him from doing anything – as long as it is legal, of course.  It’s not my job to discourage my son and tell him all the negatives and all the reasons why he should not do what is his passion; it is my job as his mom to prepare him for the world and to do what he can to make it a better place. He will need to make many decisions as an adult when I am not there. Learning to make decisions for himself at a younger age teaches him what the consequences of his decisions are. The first time he had to miss a birthday party because he had play practice he was disappointed. When I explained to him that this is the price you pay to go after your dreams, he didn’t hesitate. He had made a commitment to attend play practices according to the schedule, and Darla was strict about not missing play practice (as she should be). I asked him if he’d rather continue doing plays, or stop doing them so he could go to birthday parties like this (a question I ask continually when something like this comes up).  His answer? Well – duh – look at where we are. It was a great feeling for him (and me) when he had friends whose moms then began contacting me wanting to know what his schedule was so they could schedule their birthday parties around his play practice.

So here are my top seven reasons I encourage my child to be an actor;

1. Because it is his choice, his passion
2. Because of the sheer joy I see emanate from him when he is on stage, or on a set filming, and especially after the day is done
3. Because I can use it as leverage to ensure he gets good grades. (bad grades mean no more acting – and yes, he knows I will follow through because I always do)
4. Because his faith in himself is stronger than anyone – even me – discouraging him
5. Because of the life’s lessons he is learning while I can still give him guidance;

• Learning what work ethic is
• Learning that even when you are doing what you love, after being on set all day you can, will and do come home exhausted – and that’s how it is with any job – which is why it is important to do what you love
• Learning that there will be people that will only want to be his friend because he is an actor – now and in the future – and how to handle that
• Learning that it takes a team and effective communication to put together a great end-product
• Learning that even though he is only one team member, his contribution, as well as his lack of contribution can affect the end product
• Learning the importance of relationships with others (treating everyone with kindness but don’t let them walk all over you)
• Learning all about money, taxes, expenses, and tax returns
• Learning why what you get paid is not what your final check is – and figuring out the percentages of how much goes where and what happens with the rest
• Learning how to start a business from the ground up because that is what this is
• Learning to balance play time, school time, and work time and realize it is important to have interests outside of acting as well
• Learning that choices have consequences
• Learning that to go after a passion means sometimes making sacrifices in order for it to happen – and that’s ok

6. Because by encouraging my son to go after HIS passion – I have watched him grow more than I ever thought possible
7. Because he has taught me what having faith in yourself means

Who am I to stop him?

 

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Yes, it has been a while since the last post – many things have happened over the last few months – vacation, family time, premiere (Hell and Mr. Fudge), auditions, bookings (Chicago Fire), DVD release (The Measure of a Man) and music album release (Elential).  Oh, and school for my son, as well as me working on my masters.  Life is busy and fun – you only live once!

I wanted to take the time in this post to address marketing your child actor;

What is marketing about?  Is it really necessary?  I mean really, think about it, either a child “has” acting talent, or not.  Right?   Shouldn’t agents, managers and casting directors be beating down your door to get your child on the big screen then?  Not if they don’t know anything about how talented your child is, and that all they want is to be on a set and in front of a camera.

Let’s back up just a bit – what about a doctor just out of med school.  He or she has done their residency.  Isn’t that enough to succeed?  Or how about a realtor?  If someone gets their realtor’s license to sell real estate, isn’t that enough to succeed?  Does that mean they don’t have to put forth any more effort, just because they have declared their profession, paid for school and licensing fees?  Kind of silly to think a doctor would have to market themselves, but that’s exactly what they do in order to gain experience.  They build their resume, no matter how small, and market to those companies or businesses they are interested in becoming a part of, and then they have to build their clientele.  As for a realtor, getting clients requires getting out and meeting people that want to buy or sell homes.  How you find them requires marketing yourself.

As a marketing major, and through training, workshops, and having run multiple businesses myself, one thing about marketing I have learned is that any campaign you do is only going to get a three percent response rate.  That’s right, for every 100 post cards you mail, it is “average” to get only three phone calls/responses from those (not purchases, signed clients, or bookings – just a response).  Anything more is bonus.  It does not matter if you sell real estate, widgets, gadget-of-the-year, or your child’s acting, having a marketing plan that increases that three percent to anything higher requires some kind of marketing strategy.  If you combine various campaigns, and do them continually, eventually your three percent will increase.  Eventually – remember, it is going to take time.  Just think of any major company that’s been around for a few years – they do various types of marketing and branding so that you remember their product.

So what type of a marketing plan should you have for a child actor?  Honestly, that is up to you as the parent.  The primary concern is most likely going to be how it is funded.  If your child is just starting out and hasn’t made any money, you will have to determine where those funds will come from.  If you have an idea of where to start, it will make the process less stressful.

So here’s the list – some of these will be common sense to most; it is not necessarily all-inclusive, if you have more ideas, please feel free comment and share below;

1.   Headshots/Resume – Headshots are a must for any actor – your child will need one for every audition they attend.  A resume, no matter how small, is also required.  Headshot photos can also be used in the rest of your campaign.  No glamour shots.  A child should look like themselves in the picture.

Cody’s Headshot

2.   Post cards – it is interesting to be a part of so many conversations where others say “post cards don’t work – most of them get thrown away anyway.”  Remember that three percent response rate?  I am marketing to the three percent that will respond versus that 97 percent that “might.”  To me, in this business, post cards are a cost effective way to let casting directors know what your child is doing.  I’ve seen it work – and when I send out post cards, activity levels increase (auditions as well as on-line activity).  They don’t have to be big or fancy.

The trick is to do them with a purpose – meaning there is a reason to send them – not just to say “Hi!”  or “Hire me!”

Reasons include:

• new headshots,
• new representation,
• booked,
• filmed/wrapped, or
• WATCH ME on ____ (fill in the blank).

If there is enough activity, every six weeks or so is sufficient.  When there was a “dry-spell” no post cards went out for about eight months.  However, as soon as there was something to send out, I increased my mailing list to add some new casting directors.  It  was a few months, but a booking came out of someone I added to the list.  I’m still not convinced they don’t work.

So how do you find the mailing lists?  Start with the auditions your child has already been on – add those to your list to keep updated.  Add any casting directors seen at workshops, classes, intensives, or events where you meet them.  If they say they don’t like post cards, ask for an email address.  LACasting, NowCasting, and CastingAbout all have casting director addresses.

What to put on a post card?  Of course picture(s) – this is another place you can use some of those headshot pictures.  Snapshots from filming (if production is ok with it).  Representation information.  What’s been booked, filmed, or needs to be watched (make sure to add network/channel & time if available).  Also, if you have it, a link to a website, imdb page, or fan page – add that.

Where do you get post cards done?  There are a plethora of services that can be used, you can pay someone to make them up for you, or you can do them yourself.  I use www.gotprint.com – mostly because I can go pick up the post cards in Burbank, but they do quality work as well, with a quick and affordable turn-around time.

3.   Headshot Drops – There are services where you give them 50-100 copies of headshots and resumes and they will drop them to the casting offices around town that are working on projects that pertain to your child’s age range.  At the end of the month, they will give you a list of the casting offices where they were dropped off.  You can also do this yourself if you have the time to do so.  You can ask about these anywhere they provide acting classes or casting director workshops.

4.   Social media – this would be a fan page on Facebook, or a Twitter account (or both).  If there are any credits on imdb, link all of them in to each other.  Updates on Twitter will show up on imdb just like they do on Facebook if you set them up that way.  Keeping people updated on activity, what’s going on, where and when to watch filmed projects and being interactive with those that comment are excellent ways to use your social media.  If you have a website, link them in as well.

5.   Agent/Manager  – yes, the agent/manager will submit and pitch your child, as they should.  Keeping them updated on your child is also a good idea so they are not forgotten.  Yes, they will know your child booked and filmed something since they are a part of the process, but they are also busy and may not remember when a movie is available, or a show is on TV to watch.  Also, letting them know of any training or projects your child has completed is a way to show they are working on their craft and really serious about it.

6.   Websites for casting projects;

• Actors Access (this is the biggest nationwide)
• LA Casting – this has commercials, shorts, films and tv shows
• The Casting Frontier – this is mostly for commercials

Disclaimer – this is not an all-inclusive list – I am not familiar with the NY market.  Also, while these are good and legitimate sites, agents and managers are the ones that will see the major breakdowns that the general public does not see on these sites.  If you do not have representation, you will be limited by what the general public is allowed to see and submit.

When your child books a project, you want to keep these sites updated with the most current information.  When you get clips of their work, add them as well.  You can add a reel, but remember that casting directors will stop watching after about 2 minutes.  I have chosen to add clips specific to a given project so that a casting director can look at a clip that pertains to what they are casting (comedy or dramatic).

7.   CD Workshops – these do cost money, but in my opinion worth the cost.  Actor Training in LA is one place that caters to children and casting directors that cast children.  We arrived in Los Angeles from an extremely small and limited market, and this was the quickest way to get in front of casting directors that weren’t necessarily casting for projects.  In fact, they are not allowed to have workshops just to find actors for current projects.  They will sit and answer questions for about 20 minutes, and then each child is taken is to an audition room where they go through a mock audition and get feedback and redirects.  In my opinion, this did wonders for my son because he quickly realized that casting directors really don’t bite, and that he was allowed to have fun and be himself in an audition.  I think these are wonderful because you do get feedback in the room, which will help your actor to maximize everyone’s time in an actual audition.

8.   Training – this falls under marketing in the sense that your child is taking the time to learn about being in front of the camera, learning techniques, and teaching the brain how to act, respond, and listen to the other actors.  This process is making them more marketable.  While the best training is actually doing, taking classes can increase their marketability.

9.   Keeping in touch – is exactly how it sounds.  When my son works on a project, I do my best to get mailing addresses or email addresses of the director, producers, etc.  Depending on the project, we may have contact info for everyone on the project.  When I send out post cards to casting directors, and emails to those that prefer email, I also email those from past projects to let them know what he is up to.  I don’t always get responses but that’s ok.  One booking he had, afterwards he direct-booked two more projects, and was called in to audition for two additional just from that first project.

10.   Showing appreciation – another one that is exactly how it sounds.  When he books a project, I make sure we thank the agents and manager for starters – which is the easy part—that usually starts right after “you booked”!  When the project finishes filming, my son writes Thank Yous to the directors, producers, casting director, and anyone else that was a major help through the process.  Some people send gifts as well depending on the size of the project.  Keep in mind, for tax purposes, you can only write off $25 for gifts per person per year.

If you have any other ideas or ways that you market your child actor, or additional resources to add, feel free to comment below.  I’ve learned most of this from other parents of child actors and discussions for pros and cons for all of them are quite interesting.  I look forward to reading your comments!

And I must add that credit here needs to be given to my husband for editing this for me before publishing it. 🙂

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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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Resources Resources Resources!

I have not been a “momager” for very long.  Cody decided he wanted to be an actor when he was 8, and did local theatre productions for a few years until my husband and I realized he was serious and he continued to push for more; he wanted to do television and film, too.  So when he was 11, just two years ago, we made our first trek to Los Angeles.  My ONLY experience in LA was LAX passing through on my way to and from The Republic of the Philippines when I was stationed there in the ‘80s.  Not much to go on there!

I did as much research as I could prior to arriving in Los Angeles, and did not personally know anyone with a child actor at the time that could help me.  Cody had two fantastic people that helped him get started in Florida, the director of the theatre group he was in, Darla, and Ann Marie, now an agent.  Both taught him what they knew, and gave him a fantastic foundation, however, in the part of Florida we were in (The Panhandle), at the time they were the only acting coaches available to prepare actors—and they are only two people.  As he continued to ask for more classes, more training, we chose to head to Los Angeles and see what would happen.  Darla and Ann Marie prepared Cody well to get in front of Los Angeles casting directors, agents and managers.  It is comforting to look back now and know they helped him prepare a good foundation.  Not everyone has good experiences.  I don’t know anyone personally, but have seen the articles of people paying a “company” thousands of dollars (well over $10,000) to supposedly “guarantee” their child a part on their own show, or with top agencies.  Some companies have been exposed as frauds. Yes, there have been costs to getting my son in this industry, but you have to remember, there are NO guarantees.  If it sound too good to be true, it is.

I will be honest; it is not necessary to get in to one of these “events” to get your child “in” to show business.  And if you meet an agent or manager that says “well, in order to represent your child, you will need to pay me $XX first.”  That’s bogus.  A reputable agent or manager gets paid when your child gets paid.  There are NO upfront costs to get representation.  One cost you will have – to get headshots.  These are your child’s calling card.

So enough time has passed, your child has done local acting work, whether local commercials, plays, student film and is pushing for more.  Hopefully you have at least a few people in your corner to get you started.  Even though Darla and Ann Marie were a HUGE help to me, and always available to answer my many questions, too much information is like a firehose.  It takes time to process it and learn what works best for you.

I am an avid researcher, and for this reason love the fact that I can use the internet for so many things.  I did a lot of research prior to our first visit which helped make a bumpy ride a bit smoother.

So what resources can you check out for yourself and learn about?  Here goes!  Granted these are only a few, and do not seem like a lot, but each of these have a plethora of information.  With these links it may feel like a firehose initially, but bookmark the links and check out as you digest the information;

www.bizparentz.org (a non-profit website advocating for children’s rights in the entertainment industry) This is an excellent site not only when starting out, but as you navigate this industry.

www.sag.org
www.aftra.org
(these two have merged, the websites have not as of yet; there are changes in the process, so just be aware of this.)  Keep in mind that your child will need to do at least one union job before they are able to join the union.  Agents and Managers say to stay non-union as long as you can because once you are union, you cannot do non-union work.  On the flip side, rules are different in different states.  If you have specific questions, it’s best to call one of the contact numbers on their website.  It seems everyone’s situation is different, so it’s often best to get the word from the horse’s mouth! 🙂

www.hollywoodmomblog.com  a great resource for classes, as well as a plethora of other information.  This is run by mom of a child actor.  She can also be found on twitter and facebook.

http://networkedblogs.com/w0Puy   this is a list of places to take classes in Los Angeles.  This list is off The Hollywood Mom Blog.

Actor Training in LA is a great place for classes, coaching, and workshops

ActorsWest another great place for classes, coaching, and workshops

Actorsite is another great place for classes, coaching and workshops

http://forums.delphiforums.com/proactors  you will need to sign up for a free account here; shorthand this site is called PARF (Professional Actors Resource Forum).  I get information overload on this one so don’t browse it often.

This is a start regarding acting specifically.  Deciding to go to a larger market with your child is a big decision.  By doing your research on costs, budgeting, and what is necessary, making a trip might be the best way to go.  I recently watched a video regarding parents that paid $20,000 at an “industry event” where they were “guaranteed” their child would become a star.  I see numbers like that and I am one to look at how better my money can be spent.  With that kind of money, you can get a temporary place in LA for six months – giving your child time to get an agent and/or manager, go out on multiple auditions, as well as get in to classes, workshops and coaching.  Yes you will need to budget – but I for one, knows from experience that it can happen.

Remember that even though your child really wants this, and you want to help him or her follow their dream, it is still a business.  The challenge for you as the parent is to remain the parent, make decisions in the best interest of your child, and run a business.

Does this raise more questions?  If it does, great!  Ask away!  I will do my best to answer based on my experiences.