Behind The Scenes: Interview with OLE’s Lauren Stamm
We hope you had a great summer! Our team is looking forward to the beginning of another school year, and is excited to provide academic and administrative support for child performers around the globe. This month on the OLE blog, we’re taking a look behind the scenes at the work involved in coordinating services for young performers on entertainment projects. Read our interview below with Lauren Stamm, an OLE Project Director working on film and television projects in the United States.
About Lauren: Lauren is a Director at On Location Education, where she oversees the educational needs of child actors in the entertainment industry. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Secondary Education, Lauren taught middle and high school science in Pennsylvania for 7 years before moving to New York City. Her career with On Location Education began nearly 10 years ago, where she served as a set teacher for child actors in television, film, and theater productions. Over the years, Lauren has worked on a multitude of TV/film productions, including Nurse Jackie, The Americans, The Affair, and Annie. She has also worked on numerous Broadway productions, including Fun Home, On Your Feet!, Falsettos, and The Ferryman. In 2019, she joined OLE’s management team, where she now utilizes her experience as both a traditional school teacher and as a set teacher to oversee the educational needs of child actors on set.
Tell us about your unique background that led you to this role at OLE.
I’ve always loved science, so I started my career as a middle school and high school science teacher in Pennsylvania. I also have a passion for music, and began writing science pop songs for my students to help them learn Earth Science concepts. After teaching in a public school for seven years, I moved to New York City to pursue several creative endeavors and take a break from traditional teaching. I was fortunate enough to connect with On Location Education, and the rest is history. In 2012, I started teaching on the sets of TV, film, and theater productions, and then accepted a full-time Director position with OLE in 2019.
What does your work as a Project Director at OLE entail?
As a Director at OLE, I manage the details of the setup for on set tutoring for child performers in the entertainment industry and ensure that their academic needs are being met while working on set, which includes reaching out to families and schools and assisting productions by providing SAG and COVID-Compliant classrooms. This includes taking great care to select teachers who will meet the needs of each student’s coursework to ensure academic excellence is being achieved on set. I utilize my experience as an on-set teacher and my knowledge of child labor laws and regulations to help support production companies, teachers, and parents working with OLE.
How has your time as a studio teacher and educator informed your work?
I truly believe that the best way to learn is through experience. My time teaching science in a traditional classroom helped me to be the most effective teacher I could be on set, even as I was learning New York child labor laws and SAG regulations. My years of experience teaching in the on-set classroom, learning and adhering to child labor laws and union regulations, allows me, as an OLE Director, to feel well equipped in supporting teachers through the set teaching experience and helping productions understand child labor laws and on-set tutoring requirements.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your role?
I take pride in our team’s great care to hand select the best fit teachers for each student we work with. Knowing that the child actors working on TV and film productions are in good hands with our teachers and child labor coordinators is certainly the most rewarding part of my job. It also gives me great fulfillment being able to help teachers and productions through any challenging situations they might face while on set, such as struggling to find the time required for tutoring, dealing with safety issues like atmospheric smoke or weapons, and adjusting to sudden changes in the schedule.
What is the most challenging aspect you face when working on projects?
The most challenging part of my job is recognizing that sometimes things happen that are beyond my control. In the entertainment industry, we know to expect the unexpected, but it can be an arduous task to fill last-minute teacher requests or navigate sudden changes to the schedule. The motto that I always find myself saying is, “One day at a time,” and that couldn’t be more true in this industry!
In addition to your history in education, you also have a creative background. What have you been up to recently?
I have a passion project I’ve been working on for over 10 years now. I am the creator, producer, and songwriter of I AM, an autobiographical musical that was performed at La MaMa Theatre in New York City in 2018. I AM explores the stories of several LGBTQ+ characters struggling to find personal fulfillment and acceptance in rural Pennsylvania. I recently released the I AM soundtrack, which is an exciting milestone for me.
Check back over the coming months as we interview industry professionals, explore roles related to on set education, and more. We look forward to another exciting school year, and are ready to provide services on your next project! To learn more and get in touch, explore the links below.