Acting Jobs For Kids

Summertime is ending and so is the time of the flock of the Stage Mom’s here in Los Angeles. You see, each summer thousands of rich Mom’s from around the country fly themselves and their darling little ones out to Hollywood to find acting jobs for kids. They stay at furnished apartments, like Oakwood, or hotels and flood the child acting scene like locusts in a corn field. Some get lucky and end up with a commercial or two. Most end up accepting background work at Disney for $100 a day.

How do I know so much about this? My kid is a child actor  and we live in Burbank, right in the shadows of Disney, Universal, NBC, and Warner Brothers Studios. However, we LIVE here. My kid was on “King of Queens” and has done dozens of commercials and voice over work. The little dude has had his SAG Card and a trust fund since he was four. He even did a bit with Jimmy Kimmel called “Haq-A-Shaq” during the NBA finals a few years back. He’s a busy guy.

People always ask me, “What’s the key to finding acting jobs for kids?”, like there’s some magic potion or a secret handshake you need to get in. No, it’s not that hard.

First and foremost you need a kid that wants to find acting jobs for kids. I see these lame-ass parents all the time dragging their brat into audtions and wasting everyone’s time because junior doesn’t want to audition. Guess what? He doesn’t get the gig. What a shock! If your kid doesn’t want to act, then leave them alone you power hungry dumb shit. Maybe then they won’t grow up hating you.

Next you need some pictures. Not $500 pictures, but something that just shows off your kid’s personality. That’s how you’re going to shop them around to managers and agents. Oh, and by the way, only use SAG approved agents so they won’t rip you off and only use recommended Managers for the same reason. Some folks say you don’t need a Manager, but I like ours because she weeds through the bullshit and saves us time and money.

Now it’s audition time, and for Heaven’s sake let your kid be themselves. Most Directors and Producers hate acting coaches because they take the natural charm out of kids. The process is easy: If your child’s personality and look fits the part then they’ll get it. If not, forget about it and move on. Rejection is part of the game here and it’s part of life. It’s not a bad lesson to learn at a young age.

If you get the gig, show up 15 minutes early and the production staff will already be in love with you and your child as most folks will be late. STAY AWAY FROM THE STAGE MOM HIVE! That place is boring, nasty and makes you feel like you need to wash your hands every ten minutes.

Acting jobs for kids is a fun and easy business for your child. It’s a lot of hard work and running around for you. I didn’t even get into the legal paperwork that needs to be done. The main key for you is to “chill”. Remember that nothing in Hollywood runs on time. People panic for no reason. Everyone lies about their kid’s resume, and Jimmy Kimmel really is that short.