The On Location Education Blog
Parents of Child Actors Embrace "Best Supporting Role"
For parents of young performers, there’s often so much focus on the child landing or perfecting the big part that they find themselves struggling to find their own place in the process. A strong family support system is an important part of every young actor’s path to success, so you need to begin with an honest assessment of what is behind the pursuit of a career in show business. Assuming you’re in it for your child’s sake and not driven by a misguided personal need, there are two basic schools of thought concerning a parent’s role in show business.
Industry Voices
In the first part one of our interview with Angela J. Williams, she recounted her sons’ early successes and the journey that led her to write My Child is Going to Be Rich and Famous. In part two, Angela looks at how show business stacks up to more traditional pursuits and offers suggestions for personal and professional support systems for young actors and their families.
Industry Voices
singer/songwriter, producer, and author, but she’s most proud of her role as devoted mother to three talented sons (Tyler James, Tyrel Jackson, and Tylen Jacob), each of whom have successful careers in show business. They’d be the first to agree that much of their success is due to their mother’s hard work behind the scenes, efforts that inspired her to write My Child is Going to Be Rich and Famous as a guide to budding young actors and the families that support them.
Industry Voices
We’re excited to continue our series of interviews with Hollywood parents and industry insiders who share their secrets of success for their children, clients, and families.
In part one of our conversation with Bonnie Wallace (BW), she discussed what inspired her to write her book, A Hollywood Parents Guide, its unique point of view, and how child actors and parents should define success. In the conclusion of our interview, Bonnie defines stage parents and discusses the importance of support systems and professional organizations to the child actor’s successful career.
Parental Guidance: Required Reading for Young Performers and Their Families
Are you ready to break into acting? A new year is a good time to start, but it takes more than a date and a dream to achieve your goals. For a child actor just starting out in the business, the challenges can seem overwhelming; but luckily, there are a number of resources available for performers and parents to help guide you on your journey. And just as there is more than one way to tackle a role, there is no single path to success either. 2015 brought us these great books by industry advocates for child actors that can help guide you through 2016 and beyond!
Industry Voices
Since we began in 1982, On Location Education (OLE) has been dedicated to helping young actors balance the demands of their careers and education. You could say balance in all things is something of a guiding principle for us, and it is with this in mind that we approached authors of several recent books targeted at young performers and their families who want to make a career out of show business.
Family Support System Crucial for Child Actors
Where are they now? "Wonder Years" stars find success as adults.
The new sitcom The Grinder marks the return of Fred Savage to the small screen. And while Fred is the best known child actor from the Wonder Years, all of our young friends from the late-80s dramedy went on to success in other acting ventures, on the other side of the camera, or away from show business altogether
STAGE PARENTS SHOULD BE WAITING IN THE WINGS
Good parents naturally want what’s best for their kids, but the road to success for young performers can be long, winding, and fraught with extraordinary challenges, making it difficult for their parents to help guide the way. Use these strategies to avoid three common pitfalls:
The journey is about them.