Are Casting Director Workshops Useful for Actors?

Casting Director Workshops are considered good by some, bad by others. It is a personal decision you’ll have to make whether to attend or not. In any case, it is best not to spend a lot of money to attend one.

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What Does AB1660 Mean for Your Child Actor?

AB1660 for Your Child Actor – If you live in California and have a child actor (or if you are a teen actor), you have probably heard about AB1660. You may wonder exactly what AB1660 is and what it means for your child actor. AB1660 (Assembly Bill 1660) has been in the news and discussed …

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Do You Want (Your Child) to Become an Actor?

Do You Want to Become an Actor ? Have you every really thought about what it is like to become an actor? Whether you are an adult or a child or teen (or the parents of a child or teen), there are so many issues to think about as you contemplate whether this is something …

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If Your Child Wants to Be On Disney Channel, What Should You Do?

Your Child Wants to Be On Disney Channel – Having a child who wants to be on Disney Channel is not unusual — many children want to be on Disney Channel.  And the thought of your child being on Disney Channel is probably pleasurable to you. However, it is important to determine how serious your …

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Should Your Child Actor Take the CHSPE ?

Should Your Child Actor Take the CHSPE ? When a child actor becomes a teen, it is not uncommon to be excluded from auditions for characters who are meant to be exactly your age. These roles are often specified as “18TPY” (18 To Play Younger) or perhaps as “Legal 18.”  It is precisely at this …

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What Is the CHSPE (Showbiz Term of the Day)?

What Is the CHSPE ? Don’t you hate it when everyone uses acronyms, like CHSPE, and you don’t know what they mean?  I know I do. In this particular case, the term CHSPE is not uniquely a showbiz term (view showbiz terms in my “Showbiz Term of the Day” posts).   In fact, the CHSPE …

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How Do You Quickly Get a California Entertainment Work Permit?

California Entertainment Work Permit – Every minor working in the entertainment industry in California is required to have a California Entertainment Work Permit.  For those who need an entertainment work permit quickly, there is now (as of January 1, 2012) a faster, easier way to get a California Entertainment Work Permit. This new temporary entertainment …

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What Is a Headshot? (Showbiz Term of the Day)

What Is a Headshot? I’ve had several young actors email me recently to ask, “What Is a Headshot?” While I often talk about headshots on my blog and in the emails I send to my subscribers,  I don’t exactly answer the question, “What is a Headshot?” So today I picked “headshot” to be my “Showbiz …

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Are Casting Director Workshops Useful for Actors?What Does AB1660 Mean for Your Child Actor?Do You Want (Your Child) to Become an Actor?If Your Child Wants to Be On Disney Channel, What Should You Do?Should Your Child Actor Take the CHSPE ?What Is the CHSPE (Showbiz Term of the Day)?How Do You Quickly Get a California Entertainment Work Permit?What Is a Headshot? (Showbiz Term of the Day)

Sep 25

How Do You Renew Your Child’s Entertainment Work Permit?

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Work Permit

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Van Nuys work permit office

Office for Entertainment Work Permits, Van Nuys

I just drove to Van Nuys today to renew my daughter’s California entertainment work permit. Her work permit was going to expire on September 27th.

I like to always keep my daughter’s entertainment work permit up to date so if an opportunity to work comes up, we don’t have to worry about it. Since things can pop up suddenly in the entertainment industry, not having a current work permit can result in a missed opportunity.

If you are not sure if you need a work permit for your child actor or model, refer to “Do You Need an Entertainment Work Permit for Your Child Actor?”

Fortunately, the process of getting a work permit is much better now than it used to be. It used to be a nightmare! (See “How Do You Get a Child Entertainment Work Permit in Southern California?” for additional details on the work permit process.)

Allow Extra Time for Work Permit Renewals

I had to take the work permit application to her new school (she moved from elementary school to middle school this year) to have it filled out and stamped. I did run into a snag there as the registrar informed me that they only fill out work permits after progress reports are issued (and that is still a couple of weeks away!). My heart sank.

When I explained that my daughter’s work permit would expire in a few days, she said they might be able to approve it prior to the progress report if a child was an exceptional student. I assured her that my daughter is an excellent student.

Thank goodness my daughter is very serious about her schoolwork. The school registrar then told me she’d look back at her school records, and if it was true, she would go ahead and complete the work permit application by the next day.

I am just warning you to keep this sort of thing in mind when dealing with public schools and work permits. They can make getting a work permit a little more difficult than we’d all like it to be.  Your child needs to keep his/her grades up.  And you need to avoid procrastination when it comes to getting work permit applications filled out, so you have time to deal with all the little issues that can slow the process down.

Things Are Good in the Van Nuys Entertainment Work Permit Office

Fortunately, the work permit process in the L.A. area still seems to be running smoothly, just as it was 6 months ago.

I had a good drive down to Van Nuys, and managed to be in and out of the work permit office in only 25 minutes.  I did have to sit in traffic moving at a snail’s pace for an extra 20 minutes on the way home, but that is par for the course here in the Los Angeles Area.

I completed the whole trip to the work permit office and back in just under two hours. And in my hands I now have her new work permit that is good from today until March 24, 2010. I am so glad that is done and out of the way for another 6 months!

So, “How Do You Renew Your Child’s Entertainment Work Permit?”

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Sep 14

How Much Do Talent Agents Make?

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Talent Agents

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337/365: The Big Money

How Much Do Talent Agents Make? Image by DavidDMuir via Flickr

It seems that a lot of people have asked me lately, “How much do talent agents make?”

When we first began our journey into acting, it was hard to get a handle on how the entertainment business operates. We wondered who does what and who gets paid and by whom.

There are so many different people involved — talent agents, talent managers, casting directors, directors, producers.

Be sure to read  “What Do Talent Agents Do?” for more information about what talent agents do.

So, “How much do talent agents make?”

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Sep 10

Is AMTC a Scam?

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AMTC, Talent Contests

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DSCF9591resize

AMTC, Broadway Song

After my friend and I took our daughters to the AMTC auditions, we wondered, “Is AMTC a Scam?”

My friend and I suspected that everyone at the auditions got callbacks, since both of our daughters and another girl we knew got callbacks.

Also, we were surprised at the high prices to attend the convention.  So we were skeptical and began investigating to determine if AMTC could be a scam.  (See more on this topic in “Should Your Child Attend Talent Contests?” and “What is AMTC?“)

What is a scam, really?

The definition of scam, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, is:  a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation.

It is hard to decide exactly when something is or is not a scam.  If you are misled and promised certain things that are not provided, then it is a scam.   Also,  if you are charged much more for something than what it is really worth, it is a scam.  But how do you define how much something is worth?  That is a difficult thing to do.

Do Industry Professionals Actually Attend AMTC?

My friend actually called up some of the talent agents, talent managers, and casting directors on the list of AMTC attendees and asked them if they regularly attended AMTC.  They all confirmed that they did indeed attend. She asked them other questions and was satisfied with their answers.

Does Everyone Get a Callback?

Still, we wondered if every person who auditioned got  a callback.  I asked the talent scouts and was told that not everyone was selected to attend the convention.  I was never absolutely able to verify this, but at least one person told me they knew someone who was not called back.

I was also told of one person who was not “selected” to attend but asked if they could attend anyway. They were allowed to attend. Was it wrong for AMTC to allow them to attend if they really wanted to attend?

Our Decision About AMTC

After much soul-searching and many discussions with friends and family, my husband and I did sign our 5-year-old daughter up to participate in AMTC. My friend planned for her daughter to attend but changed her mind since she thought her daughter was not ready for an event like this.

There were two sets of classes (one for adults and one for kids and teens) being held at Millie Lewis of Charleston to prepare the participants for the competitions. My daughter and I attended the weekly classes from October to January to help prepare her (and me) for the convention being held in January of 2003 in Charleston, SC (AMTC is usually held in Orlando, Florida.)

We worked hard on preparing her for the competitions, practicing frequently at home. We watched videos from previous contests. We got costumes and other clothing ready and planned hairstyles. I also read all the materials I could find and asked questions to help ensure that we’d be prepared. (See “How Do You Prepare for Talent Contests Such as AMTC?” for more on how to prepare if you do decide to attend.)

The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays passed, and the next thing I knew, it was time for the convention.

Staying in the Convention Hotel

We planned to drive over for the various events since we lived only 30 minutes to an hour away. But as the time grew closer, we decided to stay in the convention hotel. We shared with another girl and her mother, so the price was not bad.

We both enjoyed the various events going on in the hotel. I don’t think we would have had the same experience if we had not stayed on site at the hotel–my daughter enjoyed swimming with the other contestants, eating with the other contestants, and hanging out with them in the evenings. It was very convenient to be able to go back to our room to change clothes, freshen up, rest, or just to escape for a few minutes.

The truth is, my daughter had the time of her life at AMTC, and absolutely loved every minute of it. I found the seminars taught by the industry professionals to be quite informative.

And for our family, this was a life-changing event. My daughter did well, and the end result was that we ended up here in L.A. (And soon a detailed account of our experiences will be available for your reading pleasure.)

But I know of others who were very disappointed and felt cheated and unhappy when the convention was over.

So what is the answer to the question “Is AMTC a SCAM?”

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Sep 04

How Do the California Wildfires Affect Your Health?

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California Wilfires

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L.A. California Wildfires

California Wildfires, Image by Getty Images via Daylife

When we made the move to Los Angeles for an acting career, we did not anticipate dealing with the California wildfires. But over the last 6 years since we’ve been here, we’ve had to learn how to deal with them.

The Good News — Wildfires Getting Under Control

It is good news that the California wildfires in the Angeles National Forest are now 42% contained (under  control).  The humidity is up, the wind has died down, and the temperatures are a little cooler and heading down.

The slight weather changes should allow the firefighters to continue to make gains in the battle with the wildfires that have been going on for over a week now in the Los Angeles area.

Fortunately, in our area, the air is a little better today than it was yesterday. With the cooler temperatures predicted for the weekend, that trend is likely to continue.

The Bad News

The bad news about the California Wildfires is that over 140,000 acres of the Angeles National Forest have burned, two firefighters have died, people have been injured, people have lost their homes, and the fire is still burning. And even worse, it is believed that the fire is the result of arson. And now there is some talk about there having been some toxic fumes in the air in one of the areas where the firefighters were stationed.

And now there is a new fire South of Los Angeles near Lake Elsinore.

The air quality continues to be extremely poor, and it is not likely to improve much for quite a while.

The threat of additional fires also still remains high, so residents in the L.A. area need to continue to be prepared for evacuation and need to think about the quality of the air they are breathing. (See Are You Prepared for the California Wildfires? for more information.)

Breathing In Smoke and Particles in the Air

Yesterday, when I ventured out to take kids to school, my eyes, nose, and throat were burning, and the windshield was covered in flakes of ash. The whole area was covered in a fog of smoke.

As a parent of a child actor, I am continuing to drive all over the area to auditions and rehearsals and to take care of other tasks related to my child actor’s acting career even with all the smoke and fire nearby.   This is yet another negative of making the move to the L.A. area in pursuit of an acting career for my daughter!

Life still goes on. But the smoke is taking its toll on all of us. We are all suffering with minor symptoms of smoke inhalation, and I am hoping it will get significantly better soon.

I took some time to do some more research on protecting my family from the dangers of breathing in the smoke and ash. I read all about the effects of the California wildfires and how to prevent health problems related to them. I’d like to share what I’ve found with you.

So, “How Are the California Wildfires Affecting Your Health?”  and what can you do about it?

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Aug 31

Are You Prepared for the California Wildfires?

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California Wilfires

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Angeles National Forest Fire (smoke)

California Wildfires, Angeles National Forest (Flickr/donielle)

I remember our first experience with California wildfires. My daughter and I were living in Burbank when one of the first California wildfires of the season erupted on a nearby hillside.

It was October of 2003 and we’d only been in LA for a couple of months.  I was frightened and stayed glued to the tv day and night wondering what I’d do if we had to evacuate.

There were fires scattered all about the area. The air was full of smoke.  I went out and bought white face masks and filled the van with gas, preparing for the worst. This was not something I was expecting when we made the move to L.A. for my daughter to pursue an acting career!

Santa Ana Winds Fuel the Wildfires

The wildfires were being fueled by the fierce Santa Ana winds, making it difficult for the firefighters to contain the fires.

The air quality was so poor that the kids couldn’t go out for lunch or recess. There was a thick haze of smoke, and pieces of ash were falling from the sky. It almost looked like snow falling…

California Wildfires 2009

Now it is 2009. We are once again dealing with California wildfires (as we have most years since 2003).  The Santa Ana winds are not blowing, but the fires have burned many acres in the Angeles National Forest and are continuing to spread.  As I stepped out of my house this morning, I could not only see the smoke in the air but I could smell it.

My family and I drove to Dick Blick Art Supply in Pasadena yesterday. We weren’t thinking about the fires, but as we headed close to the burning areas near the 210 freeway, we could see flames on the hills and huge, dark clouds of smoke filling the air.

Stay Tuned in to KFI/640 for Updates on the California Wildfires

We kept the radio on KFI (640 am) to hear the ongoing coverage of the fires. As we listened to the evacuation orders for a number of nearby areas, I thought of all the people being forced to leave their homes.

We saw people lined up outside of their vehicles watching the fires, possibly shut off from their homes near the burning areas. We watched the fire helicopters dropping water and retardant on the fires.

Time to Get Prepared!

All this made me start thinking about the need to get prepared for the fires and smoke spreading closer to our home and the possibility of needing to evacuate.  The fire season is just beginning, so these issues are likely to continue for the next several months.

If you are in Southern California, you are no doubt concerned about the wildfires and with good reason. How will the California wildfires affect you?

Are you prepared for the California wildfires?

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