The On Location Education Blog
5 Common Mistakes Made by Parents of Child Actors
5 Common Mistakes Made by Parents of Child Actors
Parents of child actors have a difficult role to navigate. On one hand, you want to nurture and support your child in every way you can, but on the other hand, you must understand that acting is a business and requires professionalism. There are many different aspects of parenting a young actor that can be challenging—from interacting with agents to navigating auditions and balancing family and fun time with work. You’re human, and you’re bound to make mistakes.
6 Things Every Parent of a Child Actor Should Know
6 Things Every Parent of a Child Actor Should Know
Supporting a young performer comes with a mountain of changes and challenges that parents and children must navigate together. But as your child’s guardian (and often as their manager), there are some lessons that parents might have to learn the hard way. The information below is intended for you to facilitate this transition and provide valuable insights that might prevent headaches down the road.
Child Actors and Managing Mental Health
Child Actors and Managing Mental Health
Show business can be a stressful industry for anyone and everyone in it. As the parent of a young performer, you will likely get to witness the repercussions of such a stressful job in real time. With schooling, family, friends, and a career to manage, young actors can easily be overwhelmed. And this challenging combination can have wide-ranging effects, all of which need to be monitored. Actors young and old are constantly put under pressure by their careers and personal lives, and while the show must go on, health and safety are top priorities.
The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media for Young Actors
The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media for Young Actors
In a previous article, we discussed the benefits of building a strong social media presence for young actors. The next step is to outline best practices to ensure that your experience on social media is productive and rewarding. If your child actor is using social media to advance his or her career, the first and foremost consideration is safety. As a parent supervising these accounts, you must strike a balance to be struck between publicity and privacy.
Social media can be a treasure trove of valuable connections and information; but if unchecked, it can also be a Pandora’s box of potential harm. Responsibility is the key to success when it comes to crafting a professional and safe presence for your child on social media.
To Tweet or Not to Tweet: Social Media for Young Performers
To Tweet or Not to Tweet: Social Media for Young Performers
Like all professionals, young performers can benefit greatly from having a strong and consistent social media presence. But because of age restrictions and safety concerns, social media can be a tricky landscape to navigate for child actors. It almost goes without saying that every professional actor should be present and active on social media, but there are several precautions and issues one must consider before beginning.
Parents should begin by finding out the nuances, benefits, and risks of each platform. Here’s what you need to know.
So, Your Child Wants to Be an Actor
So, Your Child Wants to Be an Actor
Has your child recently expressed an interest in show business? Perhaps he’s been involved in musical theater at her school for a while, or has a knack for storytelling and doing voices, or maybe he’s walked right up to you and said, “I want to be an actor.” Whatever the circumstances, acting, like any creative field, comes with its own challenges and rewards. As parents and guardians, it’s important to be able to weigh the pros and cons of your children’s aspirations to better help them achieve their dreams.
If you aren’t an actor yourself, it is very likely that you will have questions regarding your child’s options, or how to start. There are some important details to clarify before you begin to ensure that you and your child have all the bases covered before jumping into any commitments.
What Makes A Great Momager
What Makes a Great Momager
Before we delve into what makes a great momager, let’s define the term: As the name implies, it is a combination of “mom” and “manager,” and refers to a mother who manages her child’s or children’s show business careers.
Spotting A Scam
Actors Beware: How to Uncover a Scam
Scams, unfortunately, are abundant within the entertainment industry. This is especially true when it comes to young performers. Unscrupulous talent agents, service providers, and other so-called industry professionals are focused more on collecting their fees than they are in helping your child succeed.
“Baby, You Ought to Be In Pictures”: 5 Steps to Avoiding a Scam
“Excuse me, can I talk with you for a moment? Your child is beautiful and has real start potential! She’s just what we’re looking for,” says the woman standing at the kiosk in the center of the mall. There are photos of smiling faces all around and signage that tells you this woman should know a thing or two about what makes a star. You might think: She’s a talent scout, after all. And of course, she’s right. My child is positively adorable with those sparkling eyes and generous, toothy grin.
Industry Voices: Staying Safe Online
An interview with BizParentz Co-Founders Paula Dorn and Anne Henry: Part 2
BizParentz Foundation, a non-profit organization, supports young performers and their parents by providing education, advocacy and charitable support. Created by stage moms Paula Dorn and Anne Henry, BizParentz aims to share information on topics associated with children in the entertainment industry so that families can make an informed decision best suited to their individual needs and experience.
Industry Voices: Safety, Smart Choices & Stage Names
An interview with BizParentz Co-Founders Paula Dorn and Anne Henry: Part I
How it all began: In 2001, Paula Dorn met Anne Henry. Their sons, both 10 years old and established young performers in the LA area, were working in a live show at Disneyland. Around that same time, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was sponsoring legislation that updated the “Coogan Law,” which requires trust accounts for young performers.
Assuring the Well-Being of Your Child Performer
Recently, two industry powerhouses, Sally Gaglini and Alan Simon, had the opportunity to engage in a Twitter discussion on the topic, “Assuring the Well-Being of Your Child Performer.”
Alan Simon is the founder and President of Location Education, co-chairperson of the SAG-AFTRA Performer’s Committee (New York Branch), and a member of the Young Performer’s Committee of the Actors’ Equity Association. Sally Gaglini is the author of Young Performers at Work: Child Star Survival Guide and a legal advisor with twenty-five years’ experience working with young performers.