This is the last of my three part series on “How to get your child or teen into Showbiz.’ Assuming you have followed the specific tips I’ve offered in Parts I and II, by now you should have a child or teen embarking on the exciting journey of Acting in Hollywood. Read more
There are many ways to go about getting an Agent for a child or teen actor to get them started in show business, including cold calling and/or submitting online through each Agencies website. This is the least effective way to go about this monumental task and the most daunting. There are numerous ways to go about it and enjoy it more with more successful results and we are going to address those options with you here, assuming you studied Part 1 of this 3 part series. If you have not done so, I recommend you do that now.
Part 1 is critical to your success. You need only visit MasterTalentTeachers.com to read the article or watch the video and will take only a few minutes. Without those preliminary steps, it would be difficult to proceed. Especially without training in an Acting class with a credible coach or teacher. Find the best one you can at a reasonable price and be sure to get busy! All Agents in Los Angeles only want to work with trained Actors, of any age.
The Agents and Managers that you WANT to be with generally have a pretty large and well-established roster in each category. They have their “go to” people who are bookers and who are established, so why would they sign a newbie or someone without credits? The answer is simple; they have to keep growing and expanding and “cleaning house“ each season. That means they only keep the talent that is booking after their contracts are up and if they aren’t then it’s often “bye bye”. That is where your opportunity lies. That is when the Agent or Mgr needs to call that actor they saw in a showcase, and that’s where they want to find you!
Agents know that if you have taken the time to perform in a showcase that it is pretty likely that they had to prepare with a coach in an organized setting. They know that many coaches, like myself, accept actors that have had to audition and have had a night or two of training with a coach who will help “package” them. A- list reps love that. Not only do they see you in performance mode, they also see you in a “niche” that you can play. We do everything we can to make sure you perform in a scene that represents your type or shows off your skills at maximum “castability”. This is not the easiest task for individuals on their own, but with a team to support you, it is much more fun, for both the actors and the reps attending. They get to “scout” talent and “discover” you from a reputable coach and you get to have fun performing with a coach who has your best interests at heart. Win – win! We hold 3 to 5 Agent Showcases per year in two locations and 90% of our actors sign with A list Agents when they are accepted into our showcase workshops.
Once you have been accepted, I want you to know that there are specific ways to stay in the forefront of your Agents/Managers minds. You can be obnoxious and call them or email them every week and lose them because you don’t understand “protocol” or you can contact them (after 2:30) on weekdays only when it is pertinent to your development with the Agency. Agents and Managers want to know if you are in a play or workshop and they want to know if you’ve lost a tooth or some weight. Or changed your hair color or your address and staying in touch with your reps by email or phone is best if it’s about once every 6 weeks. Knowing things like this will not only keep you in the forefront of their minds, it will also keep them saying “Now that’s a pro”. Mom or Dad or Guardian, keep in mind that once your child or teen reaches about 14, it is time for them to start doing business themselves. This not only teaches them to be business like, it keeps the relationship between talent and the reps current, so that the rep is privy to the young actors changes and growth. It helps them see who the teens are becoming, and they do change a lot during the teen years. It helps your rep know how to re-market you or submit you for roles.
So, in conclusion, work smarter, not harder. Parents will also help your kids to succeed by remembering that reps have very little time to “chat” when you call for auditions. I always tell parents to “just say yes” to auditions when reps call. Say yes and then go figure out your life. They definitely do not have time to listen to your “to do” list. So, keep it succinct and let those wonderful people get back to work on your behalf. They will never want to let you go!
This 3 part video series was designed for families who are seeking a professional career in the Entertainment Industry in Los Angeles for their children or teenagers.
Each segment, parts I, II, and III are critical steps designed to be taken with patience, dedication and a 100% commitment to producing results. If you rush these steps, you could really hurt your child or their chances of making a solid first impression. In our Industry, that would definitely be detrimental to their opportunities down the line. The last thing you want to do is send young talent into an arena that is already competitive, and leave a Casting Director or Agent with an impression that says “They were not ready.” Those first impressions are very hard to erase. That would be all they would remember once they actually ARE ready. Let’s not do that. Let’s follow some protocol here and do things right!
How To Get Your Teen Into Showbiz Part 1
by: Diane Christiansen
This 3 part video series was designed for families who are seeking a professional career in the Entertainment Industry in Los Angeles for their children or teenagers.
We would like to congratulate 4 of our Master Talent Teachers, for winning Backstage West’s LA Readers Choice Awards for Favorite Teacher. Master Talent Teachers strives to provide the highest caliber entertainment coaching for artists of all levels, and we thank You for your Support.
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Just when you thought you had learned everything about the emotional journey an Actor must master, we go and add another layer of technical knowledge into the mix. Camera shots! Unless you study filmmaking as well as Acting, you won’t know about shots and frames unless you spend a lot of time in an on camera class or on set, watching, learning and grasping all of those buzz words the Director and the crew are using to describe the shots they are setting up and using to shoot each scene. Read more
Most Actors pride themselves on having a dazzling paint box filled with emotions that range in a number of shades, which they can use to paint their roles with and change frequently. Many imagine they have few limits, whether their sensibilities are based in Theatrical training or Film work, most of them believe they can “play anything”. However, from that idea to actual execution is another point entirely. Depending on the training and how well versed an Actor is in his or her characters, there seems to be a general misinterpretation of “Style”. Style, in my opinion, needs to be erased from the Actors language.
Once an Actor begins to think about his “style”, he usually gives up working subjectively and starts to think objectively, and that in itself is where his damage begins. Although most Actors love to make adjustments from role to role, script-to-script, I have found that the minute they begin thinking about changing their natural style, they suddenly become stiff and unbelievable. Who wants to watch that, Actors showing us their work at doing a new “style”?
I have chosen five Teen Actors who are training with me at my various locations in the L.A. area, all at various places in their careers and training. They have been asked to not only demonstrate their different styles, but also to offer you their concepts of how adjusting their styles on a script to script basis lands with them when asked, whether it be for an audition, a role that they have booked or a role for class. I thought their answers were poignant and interesting.
Miranda May (15) was asked, “What happens to you, a stand up comedienne, and often cast in comedic roles when you get a Disney script?”
Miranda states, “When I look at a Disney script, I think ENERGY, I think HAPPY. As opposed to say and ‘E.R.’ audition which is more real”.
Mason Alexander (15) was asked, “Since you are a Nickelodeon Actor on both iCarly and Bucket & Skinners Epic Adventure, what do you do when you get a Soap Opera audition?”
Mason says, “When I receive contrasting scripts, I ask myself, ‘ What do I need to do personally to find that character in myself?’
Zach Callison (14) was asked, “What do you, a Disney Actor, do when a Feature Film script comes in from your Agent?”
Zach offers, “Having done a lot of Disney, I’m now excited when I get to adjust and tone down my work for a Feature Film role.”
Dani Jacoby (18) was asked, “Since you are primarily a Host and busy commercial actress, what do you do when you get an episodic or dramatic script?”
Dani states, “I love episodic because you can show your range and go deep and expand yourself.”
Marcus O’Dell (15) was asked by Diane, “I know you love doing sketch comedy characters and impersonations, but what do you do with a script from a big Feature Film like “The Social Network” in class?”
Marcus said, “ Never copy a celebrity’s performance in your scene study, always find your own interpretation, make it your own”.
All of the Actors had intelligent approaches to this topic of adjusting your style and that has a lot to do with their experience and training. They are smart actors. However, I have this to offer any actor approaching something out of their comfort zone, or some style other than their natural style. Shift your focus from the ‘style’ of the script, which you need to be aware of every time you pick up a script, to the ‘behavior’ of your character in each script. Consider these behavior choices as you approach your character:
• Posture – How does my character stand, walk or move?
• Speaking patterns – What does my character sound like or say?
• When does this particular character internalize and when would they express things outwardly?
• Work from the inside out and from the outside in.
• Find the vulnerabilities inside the Life of your characters and inside yourself.
It is important for the actor to understand why the characters chose to behave as they do. They have chosen based on their life style in each script, whether it is a modern day character or a period piece. Style then becomes very simple.
