How to Submit Your Child for Projects You Find Online
So many parents are submitting online for projects, I thought I would talk a little about how to submit your child for projects you find online. I recommend you only use for the following services if you want to submit online - these are the ones those of us in the industry use:
Actors Access (also known as Breakdown Services) LA Casting NOW Casting There might be other services for your local area so check it out! Call a licensed agency in your area and ask if they can recommend an online casting site.
TIP #1:
KNOW YOUR CHILD’S TYPE AND THEN SUBMIT ONLY FOR THOSE PROJECTS In the casting the character descriptions were very clear and detailed. Make sure your child’s stats are exactly what they have listed. Make sure your child fits the description and age range! Don’t waste your time or the casting director’s time submitting your 6 year old to play a toddler!
If they are casting for a certain ethnicity - make sure your child is that ethnicity! Also be honest about what your child’s look is! Is your child athletic looking? Looks like a bully? Perhaps your child looks like a nerd? Or are they the classic Ralph Lauren looking child? No child can do it all so be realistic when submitting!
TIP #2:
THE PICTURE
If your child is under the age of 4, a snapshot is all you need BUT it must be a great snapshot! It needs to be clear and in focus (you can’t believe how many out of focus shots I get). Also make sure that the picture has no other people in it (or pets). It should be a nice closeup but not so close that the face takes up the entire frame. If your child is over the age of 4, make sure you have professional headshots! If you are trying to use snapshots or “family” type studio shots it shows that you do not take your career serious. And all pics should be in color! Sepia tone and Black and White make great pics for your mantle but do not belong in the business!
TIP #3:
PICTURES MUST BE CURRENT!!!!
For little ones under the age of 4 this mean pictures that are no older than 3 months old! For children over 4, pictures MUST be updated every 12 months (and sooner if teeth come and go, hair is longer or shorter, etc).
If a Casting Director calls your child in it is because they want to see the child in the picture! It is imperative that your child looks like the picture! I strongly suggest that you always date the picture if possible!
TIP #4:
ARE THERE SPECIAL SKILLS NEEDED?
When something specific is noted, it means your child’s resume needs to show that they have that capability. For little ones it can mean “can sit up alone, can stand alone, can walk alone, and for older kids it can mean actual skills such as bike riding, skateboarding, gymnastics, dance, sports, swimming, etc. A very important note here - if your child took 6 weeks of gymnastics two years ago then gymnastics should NOT be on your resume! I get resumes for kids that have them being able to do everything from playing piano to being an Olympic quality athlete! You could end up embarrassing your child (and yourself) if you stretch the truth on a resume and then the child is asked to perform the skill at the audition and cannot do it! This can also leave such a bad impression with the casting director that they make a note to NEVER call your child in again!
TIP 5:
CONTACT INFO
This is where I feel parents can almost give too much information! Use a separate email just for your child’s submissions. DO NOT use your personal email address especially if you receive lots of emails and there is a chance that an audition notice could go to the Junk Mail or be deleted.
NEVER use your personal home phone number and NEVER NEVER EVER put down your home address! Use a separate cell phone if possible! I suggest the ones that you can buy minutes on (to keep the cost down and you do not need to sign a contract). These type phones are inexpensive and keep your information PRIVATE. If your child starts working a lot, then you might decided to get a dedicated line for them!
TIP #6:
CUTE EMAIL ADDRESSES/LONG “CUTE” MESSAGES ON YOUR ANSWERING SERVICE
It never ceases to amaze what some people will put in an email address! Remember that first impressions are everything in this business and do not make up a funny or what you think is cute email address! I even received emails from addresses that sounded like they were coming from an adult performer (referring to specific body parts - yes I have gotten those kind and they were from parents of kids)!
And please do not have music, your child singing or talking, or a long drawn out message that the caller has to wait for in order to leave you a message. The best messages are succinct! Leave your name (first only), child’s name (first only), your number and a SHORT note - “Sorry we can’t pick up the phone right now but leave a message and we will call you back as soon as we can!”
Suggestive or cute email addresses, answering machine messages that consists of listening to a minute of music, a child talking, a child singing or other “cute” things are unprofessional. What Grandma thinks is cute - won’t be what a casting director thinks!
TIP #7
RESUME
The most important part of a resume for a child is the STATS! Make sure they are as current as possible! My clients must update their stats every month!
If your child does have some credit - make sure it is real! DO NOT lie on your child’s resume! There are loads of opportunities to perform, even at a local level. Local print and commercials, local community theatre (or school theatre- but never list your child’s school on a resume as a predator would have your child’s name, age, and school and could do something unthinkable). You can list school/church/synagogue related activities just as that - giving the character and project name and listing it as a school play, church or synagogue event!
TIP #8
WHERE IS THE PROJECT?
If you live in Memphis, TN (a great town that I called home for many years) and the project is casting in Dallas - can you make the audition? No one will pay for you to bring your child to an audition! For those of you in an area where you have several metro areas around you - you have the option of trying to work in all of them but just remember that you have to get you and your child to the audition and back at your expense.
I get hundreds of calls from people all over the country and they ask how they can be repped by me - when I say they need to live in LA area, they stock answer is “we are willing to move, if we get a good offer”. Unless your child is cast in a television series as a regular, a major film or other big money project - no one will offer you anything! And it is difficult to be cast in these type of projects unless you live in one of the major metro areas! This does not mean Los Angeles or NYC alone! Dallas, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans and other large cities have great opportunities. And if you have REPRESENTATION that can submit you via tape for projects in LA or NYC and you can make it to the callbacks in those cities - then you and your child can have the opportunity to make it BIG!
TIP #9
KNOW THE BUSINESS
Make sure you know if your child needs an Entertainment Work Permit for your state and make sure if so, your child’s permit is CURRENT.
Make sure you know the Child Labor Laws for your state
Make sure you understand any contracts that you are given
DO NOT put you or child in a dangerous situation (do not go to castings that are held in a private home, hotel room, etc)
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS and your obligations!
Keep a journal of auditions, notes on auditions, bookings etc
Keep all business expenses separate and make sure you understand (if your child makes money) the tax laws
TIP #10
Understand that this is a BUSINESS and all of us in it are here to make money! We do not do this because it is FUN! There are few “overnight success stories”. TO be successful in this or in any field (sports, music, dance, business) it takes hard work, time and a little luck! If you are looking for that overnight success - then this is probably not the business for you!