Our instruction TAKES YOU FROM CRAYONS TO PERFUME (ask your mum and dad - or better yet, go to netflix and watch TO SIR WITH LOVE).

We work with our actors from childhood to late teens giving them a skill set that helps them become healthy, happy, successful professional young artists. 

Now is the time to book your SPRING CLASSES & WORKSHOPS as SUMMER TIME is shooting time for young artists! Be READY! Our students are.

Call the office at 604.408.8550 and get started!

Calum Worthy has been a student over the years. He's now a lead in Disney's Austin and Ally. Not a bad life!

SOME GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS!

• The KIDS Commercial Class
• Teen FOUNDATION ACTING CLASS

click HERE for an example of our KIDS COMMERCIAL WORK

click HERE for an example of our TEEN students work on HAUNTING HOUR

Have a look at our website and find the class that works best for you or your child. Or give us a call and we can help you find it!

Give us a call at 604.408.8550

Last week we featured the spotlight interview with 12 year old actor Julia Stone who stared in the feature film, The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom.  We are continuing the interview but now with Julia’s mother, Sue Chappel, about the reality of parenting a young film actor.

How did you feel about Julia getting into acting?

Sue - Julia was 9 years old when she stated that she wanted to be an actor. I say “stated” because she just walked up to me while I was making dinner and made her announcement, as if it was old, factual news that I’d heard 100 times before. A bag of emotions bombed my brain.

Surprise!  Julia is an incorrigible introvert. How could such a shy, quiet, thinking/observing kid who preferred books to TV, desire such a public, extroverted career?  How does an arts child come from a math genius and science nerd?

Scared! I was worried about her big heart being crushed before she really started living!  I was even more concerned that she would change who she was, to pursue something that seemed to contrary to her personality.

Panic!  She was serious. I felt the winds of change blowing on my face with each uttered word.  Supporting her meant overcoming my own misconceptions and fears. There’s also the hypocrisy of being a big supporter of the arts, but blocking my own child from creating it. Finally, I couldn’t make personal peace with the duplicity of telling a kid that they shouldn’t chase impractical dreams.

So, I did what most parents do when their 9 year old scares them witless with intense proclamations: I delayed the inevitable for as long as possible by blowing it in another direction.

I held her off for a year.  We made a pact. She was to spend 1 more unfettered year becoming “Julia”. She had 1 more year to experience real life before letting other complex characters in confusing adult situations temporarily take over her mind and body. She also had to do some research to understand what a demanding, lifelong journey it is to become a great artist. Finally, she also had to consider whether she was willing spend the time developing her skills and making some sacrifices, even if she never booked a single role. Without any reminders and almost 1 year to the day, she confirmed that she was ready and proved that she did her homework.

In September 2008, Julia got an agent and enrolled in her first professional acting class.  By December 2008, she was hooked and happy. She became very serious about it.  Another pact was made.

I work full time. In fact, I work more than full time because I own my own business, have 6 employees, nearly 1000 clients and an office. Time is precious to me. Skiving off work and shirking business responsibilities to support a half- hearted hobby wasn’t a realistic option. So, I agreed to support her in proportion to the effort she put in herself. For example, I won’t change my work schedule to take her to an audition unless she’s put in the work herself to prepare. I won’t take her to a class unless she’s prepared for it. And finally, nothing happens until homework is done and minimum grades in a handful of subjects are maintained.

And so began our incredible journey into this new, wonderful and mysterious world. Armed with determination, moxy and a big bag of ignorance, we set on our way. As things turned out, Julia puts in a lot of effort and my clever plan boomeranged right back on me. True to my word, I give my full support in very happy measure.

If you had any hesitation what was it and have the things that worried you happened?

I had 4 concerns:

None of these things happened. This is partly because she had a grounded sense of who she was before exploring and pursuing acting. In addition, when she became more deeply immersed in the art, we became more proactive in actively mitigating our concerns. Finally, and most importantly, we soon discovered that the film community is packed with extraordinary, powerful and positive role models for kids. Acting is a big positive force in Julia’s life. Irrespective of whether she’s among the fortunate few to make it a career, it has given her vital life skills, tools and the self discipline to succeed in whatever she pursues.

What kind of relationship do you have with Julia’s agent?

Our relationship is fantastic because we share common goals, concerns, and values. He’s supportive of Julia. He has a long term view. They share the same key ideals and artistic vision.

Every agent is different. Every kid is unique. It’s important to find an agent that’s well-suited to your child, their interests and personal goals. It’s also crucial that your agent respect the non-negotiable things. For Julia, it’s school. He also recognizes and supports Julia’s desire to explore the craft by volunteering herself for rich and challenging roles with local, emerging film makers.

Are you in any way a Mom-ager!?

My most important job is to be Julia’s mom. That comes first. I’m extremely time-crunched, so when it comes to acting, I delegate as much as possible. That’s why Julia’s agent is vital to our family. Also important are classes and the instructors she works with. They give advice and guidance. I depend on them for their experience and wisdom, and trust them.

Specifically, here’s what I do:

• Ask questions – everything except “Why aren’t there more auditions?”
• Review incoming auditions
• Scheduling ….& rescheduling!
• Research and book classes and workshops
• Research independent, volunteer role opportunities & do self-submissions.
• Maintain resumes, casting accounts (Casting Workbook, etc.) and web sites (IMDB, Facebook page). It’s faster than going back and forth with someone.
• Organize audition coaching and taping
• Drive!
• Administration and bookkeeping
• Discuss characters and scenes – but actual scene work is between Julia and a pro coach, (unless I’m her last resort.)

How have you had to change your life to make her dream happen?

I don’t make her dream happen. She does.

I can’t do the work for her. I can only help her create the time to get the work done, explore opportunities to learn and grow, and support her when things look grim. But, in the end, it’s up to her to make her dream happen and carry the load.

Having said that, our family life has changed quite a bit!

Here are some examples:

• Nothing is planned far in advance – many things have become last minute only.
• I start work a lot earlier and usually work late in to the evenings to make up for time away for acting-related things.
• I’ve become seriously mobile and adaptable. I can work from any location – including cars, cramped corners, trailers, tents, etc! My only needs have become warmth, hot water for coffee and a strong wifii signal!
• I’ve delegated a lot more responsibility to my amazing staff. I couldn’t support Julia without their support.
• I’ve stopped sweating the small, mind numbing and time-eating stuff in life.
• I’ve weaned myself away as much as possible from the comforting concept of a daily routine. I’ve accepted that it no longer exists for me or our family!
• I schedule meetings and time commitments with the upfront disclosed caveat that I may have to cancel due to family commitments. I used to be dependable. Now I am dependable with full disclosure of the risks.

Above all, the realities of the film industry have given me a great gift. They’ve forced me to live in, and appreciate, the joy of the moment. I rarely know what’s coming in the next one, so I really savour the present, the people and perfection of what’s in front of me. If it sucks, I exit to a better place.

Advance plans and schedules are reserved only for a very small number of truly important things

What can you tell parents to help them in their journey guiding young actors?

• Kids should only pursue acting if they love it and as if they’ll never book a paid role.
• Focus on the craft and art above all else. All good things like joy and fun, flow from there. One day, they may get paid for it. But that shouldn’t matter at this point.
• Know your real life priorities and preserve them. Instill them in your kids. Actors must live a full, diverse and authentic life. Acting is pretend. There’s no substitute for the real thing to fuel the authenticity of your pretending.
• Be realistic – there are no shortcuts. It takes 10,000 hours to be really good at anything. The 10,000 hour plan includes classes, volunteering for roles, being an extra, and any skill that helps them physically express a character. This could include voice and movement skills, like dance and martial arts.  It also includes understanding why people are they way they are, and why they do the things they do. Reading amazing books is a tunnel into a character’s mind – so encourage your kids to read a lot.
• There are no shortcuts. They must do the work and it takes a lot of time.
• Work and time don’t guarantee success.  And, since there are no guarantees of success, it’s important to do really, really well in school. It’s how they can get in to competitive, related film making, writing and digital technology programs later in life.
• They’ll write as they read and act as they read and watch. Pay a little more attention to what they’re watching and reading. Monkey see, monkey do.
• Give back to the film community, emerging writers and filmmakers in any way you can.
• Support local productions by seeing them in the theatres and renting them. Choose Canadian. Their success and growth are essential to a vibrant industry and employment. Learn more about what’s filming and showing at www.firstweekendclub.ca.
• When on set, tell your child where you are and make sure it’s out of their view while they’re working. You’re goal is to be present, but invisible and out of the way!
• There’s lots of waiting around for everyone while on set. Bring things to do while you’re waiting.
• Have and develop your own life, relationships and goals. Remember, your first job is to be their parent and role model.

How do you see the future for you and Julia?

Lots of skiing, movie watching, cooking, reading, learning and having fun working hard on our own respective goals that make our hearts beat just a little faster!  If Julia is lucky & keeps growing as an actor, toss in some film projects, meet some more fabulous people and travel to interesting places!

It goes without saying that acting classes are a de facto part of whatever is left of the daily or weekly routine. Expect Julia to be lurking around in pretty much every class opportunity she can find for the rest of her life.

We’re really close, so whatever Julia does and wherever she is, we’ll be close by cheering her on and helping out however we can. I’ll be the one waving from behind the computer screen with a big mug of steaming coffee.

———————
Kirsten Clarkson is the Founder and Senior Education Advisor at Young Screen Actors Academy. For over 20 years, she has been coaching Vancouver’s top young actors who have book everything from actor to leading roles on films and TV shows. Kirsten has experience as an actor, writer, director, development executive, casting director and talent agent.

Part one of an interview with JULIA SARAH STONE and her mum, Sue Chappel - the ins and outs of being a teen star!

MR. YOUNG has been picked up by DISNEY - Gig Morton and his truly lovely mum have been in LA being fabulous!

Sean Kyer's film EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE is in VIFF and Sean is being called a SCENE STEALER!

Jasmine Chan's commercial for BARBIE is out - CLICK HERE

Kennedy Montano's United Way video won and audience choice award.

Kaitlin Cheung booked a short film called PORTRAIT.

Alisha Newton and Dawson Dunbar booked the short film JOANNA MAKES A FRIEND.

 Connor Stanhope has been shooting JAKE & JASPER.

Bridget Jeske shot HEY THERE DELILAH.

Julia Sarah Stone has booked a lead in the new feature film VAMPIRE DOGS and is currently shooting in the bustling metropolis of Regina. Sounds like a twilight franchise for the doggie set...

Bragging point: this lead role was booked off a taped audition and required no callback!

At the young age of 14 Miss Stone is an award-winning actress and graduate of the Full Time Program at YSAA. Julia does all her private coaching with Kirsten and takes the Emotional Connection and Analysis Class and the Audition Class - Professional level - when she is not on location shooting, like now!

Julia Sarah Stone has booked the supporting lead role of HANNAH in THE PASTORS WIFE starring Rose McGowan. Julia was cast off her first audition tape - no callbacks, just cast! More news to come about this fabulous artist who continues her training on an intense level including privates with MR. YOUNG star, Gig Morton!

Click here to see Zeniah Friesen in her very first gig: A TARGET COMMERCIAL! Wonderful! Zeniah is a student of Marc-Anthony Massiah. One of his many talented young actors!

Mr. Young

Show-runner Howard Nemetz watches as three cameras catch various angles of actors Gig Morton and Raugi Yu in a scene for the YTV sitcom Mr. Young.

The teenaged Morton is sitting on a bench about to eat a sandwich, when Yu jumps up from behind and skewers the sandwich with a finger-poking karate move. It’s that episode’s running gag.

Nemetz moves from behind the camera to talk to the actors between set-ups, and the scene is run again.

The show, which debuts this Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on the youth-oriented network, is a new wrinkle for Canadian TV. Parts of the show are shot in front of a live audience at the production’s south Burnaby studios. The exterior school set is built on the sound stage, and is one of several sets that circle the audience bleachers.

“To me this is the best way to do comedy,” says Nemetz. He and the show’s creator Dan Signer are both Canadians who followed the work to Los Angeles, where Signer helped create the long-running U.S. tween sitcom The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.

“If you’re going to do a flat-out comedy — Roseanne or Community or a Big Bang Theory, this is the best way to do it,” says Nemetz, who worked on Suite Life as a writer-producer. The pair are making a return to Canada with this new series, which stars Edmonton’s Brendan Meyer as Adam Young, a 14-year-old child prodigy who graduates college and decides to become a teacher at his hometown high school.

Fellow teen actor Morton co-stars as Adam’s best friend Derby. These two and many of the rest of the cast have experience in live theatre. Meyer is a serious Shakespeare student, while Morton has trained in theatre and dance.

“If you have stage experience, this show mirrors that,” says Nemetz, who got his show business start as a stand-up comedian in Montreal and Toronto before heading south. “We film a play every week. Actors play off each other, they wait for a laugh — instead of us saying ‘hold for a laugh,’ there’s an actual laugh for them to hold for.”

The series pilot and another early episode share a broad retro-style of pratfalls, verbal groaners and sight gags. Yu’s character is a Vietnamese janitor and martial arts whiz named Dang (whose athletic feats often prompt the exclamation “Dang!” from onlookers).

Vancouver theatre veteran Milo Shandel plays the school’s principal, Mr. Tater, whose young achievers club is known as the Tater Tots.

Shandel started his career in Stratford and spent six years touring North America with the stage musical Mamma Mia! before coming home to Vancouver, and was in the Arts Club production of The Buddy Holly Story last summer when he was spotted by the Mr. Young casting types. He returns to the stage after Mr. Young wraps this spring for a role in Hairspray.

“I haven’t tailored my performance for the cameras,” Shandel says of the jump from big stage to small screen. “I’m pretty much doing a stage performance and they have yet to tell me to pull it back. It seems to work in this format.”

Shandel says the tweener-sitcom genre that includes Suite Life and the new show have a retro vibe that will be familiar to boomers.

“They’re almost a throwback to the 1950s sitcoms,” he says. “I feel like I’m in The Honeymooners, The Milton Berle Show, or I Love Lucy. The physical gags that we do are very much along those lines, and we’ve got people in drag all the time, which is like Uncle Miltie.”

Goofy costumes include the Flock of Seagulls hairstyle Shandel sported for a 1980s flashback episode. “We have a great wig woman on the show, she works miracles.”

Writer-producer Nemetz says the sight gags travel across generational lines, as with a plotline that has school bully Slab (Kurt Ostlund) find a love for ballet.

“We try to write stuff for adults as well as children, we want a product that anyone can laugh at,” says Nemetz. “You can write a lot of clever jokes but they’re not going to get as big a laugh as a big guy in a tutu.”

The show is inviting viewers over 12 years old to join the studio audience for the production of the last four episodes, March 4, 11, 25, and April 1.

The studio is at Byrne Road and Marine Way in Burnaby. Audiences check in at 3:30 p.m. and the show goes on from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. To reserve a seat call             604-433-0779       or email mr.youngaudience@gmail.com.

GRADUATE AVAN JOGIA IS A TV STAR AND A CARING HUMAN  BEING! Avan is a graduate of our full time acting program.

Not only is Avan Jogia the talented (and dreamy) star of Victorious, he is also extremely passionate about gay rights activism, which is what led him to start Straight But Not Narrow, a pro-gay rights campaign that encouraged straight men to stick up for their gay peers. Celebuzz got a chance to talk to Avan about his new organization, the surprising fan reaction and how we can all get involved.

How did you come up with the idea to start Straight But Not Narrow?

I kind of found the idea based on where I’m from and the kind of culture that we have in Vancouver. My mother is a hairdresser so I grew up in a lot of gay culture and I have friends who have gay parents and friends who have gay brothers and it didn’t make a lot of sense to me that there was a huge amount of [separation] between the lines.

I thought, I have some friends who work with charities so why not I start a charitable campaign? So, I came to my friends Andre Pochan and Heather Wilk [of Cause Creative Marketing] who work with a bunch of charities and I told them that I wanted to start this charity campaign and we started moving on from there.

Check out Celebuzz’ 10 Facts About Avan Jogia.

Were you ever involved with other charities and causes before Straight But Not Narrow?

Not really. I think you should really care about the charity you stand by. Unless you really have a line that links you to a charity, I don’t really think there is a need to be a part of a charity unless you are really, really involved.

Is gay rights something that you are really passionate about?

Completely! I think that I wouldn’t get involved in something unless I was completely passionate about it and having friends who are gay and seeing what they went through in high school, it just didn’t seem right to me for there to be all this confusion and hate.

If you do have a voice and you do have the ability to speak out about it, then do so. It’s a waste of that ability if you don’t speak out about something that’s important to you.

What has the fan reaction to your involvement with Straight But Not Narrow been?

It’s been really, really positive which has been very cool for me. It really strengthens my thoughts that within a couple years, hopefully within the next ten years, programs like this are never going to be necessary.

The support from the younger people who work really hard, they help our online presence, they run around and they tweet about and post on these bloggy things and they do tons and tons of things and that really strengthens my feeling on the subject.

How can fans and people who are interested in the cause get involved?

We aren’t a charity, we are a campaign, but if you want to donate to charity the Trevor Project it an amazing charity, they have youth suicide prevention resources and all kinds of things if you need help. The Trevor Project has been doing really amazing work and we are happy to lend as much help to that as we can through our campaign.

VIDEO LINK to Avan talking about STRAIGHT BUT NOT NARROW.

Meeting Potential Agents

When you meet with agents let them know you are meeting with a few and tell them you will be deciding in a few weeks. This eliminates the “first date” uncomfortable feeling when they offer to work with you but you have an interview with another agent the next day. That rejection is not nice for anyone and agents feel it too. If they are offering to work with you it is because they see you as a new partner and someone they believe in. Having that offer rejected is a drag. Set the meeting up well and every agent you meet will respect your professionalism.

You need to make sure you like your agent. This doesn’t have to be a love relationship but it really helps if you really like your agent.  Most likely this is a long term business agreement and it’s best to form those with people you have some affinity for.

Also, if your child is anything other than Caucasian, ask if the agent submits cross-culturally. If you hear there are no auditions for brown kids or yellow kids or red kids or whatever beautiful mix your kid might be you might want to consider another agent or ask your agent to submit to your child’s type and not skin colour.

I think life it too short to ascribe to those kinds of values and those blocks in working, thinking and living. When I was an agent I treated the sexism, racism and other biases in the writing of scripts and breakdowns as a mistake. I submitted across the board if there was nothing preventing it (like the characters are described as identical red-headed, left-handed, skateboarding Chinese speaking twins with a pronounced lisp).

Most casting directors are not bigots and they will see the actor. At least they did when I submitted. Different ethnic groups get “hot” at different times. Since there is currently a larger buying group in Canada that are Asian or South Asian there are more opportunities for actors in those groups. This is a case where actors can also strike when the iron is hot.  You can also take advantage of cultural biases. If the character is written as a Caucasian computer geek who loves math why not submit a child who falls into the cultural bias?

Do You Have Your Tool Belt Ready?

Once you have selected an agent and you are working together supply your agent with the tools they need, and create a strong working relationship remembering to update them about every loose tooth, haircut and vacation plan.

Tools agents need are the following:

An Acting Demo Reel: Put together two contrasting scenes that are SHORT. Reels should be about 2 minutes in length. Make sure to think about your child’s type or hit when selecting scenes. This is a marketing tool not a painter’s palette.  DO THIS WITH A PROFESSIONAL. Bad sound is the bête noir of production. People will watch a great performance with a not so great image but they will not tolerate bad sound.

A Voice Over Demo: Not as important at the start as an Acting Demo but a great supplementary tool. VO is an industry that does not die and is a great way to have fun and bring in college money.  It is equally important to have a professional demo for this. Have a listen to the reels on kokoproductions.com for an idea of what this will sound like.

Updates On Training: Let your agent know what your child is studying and with whom. If they have just taken a commercial audition class it is likely that the agent will then send them on commercial auditions!

Special Skills: If your child plays a sport or game, speaks another language, can dance or sing – you MUST let your agent know. Auditions are often about special skills. This can be a foot in the door. Don’t miss out on the new Barbie commercial being shot in Mandarin because your agent assumed your very Caucasian looking daughter didn’t have the language. Special skills also allow for quirky things like your child being an amazing baker or hoola hoop champion at the age of 6. Speaking of championships: include awards from academics to volunteering. They all spark interest and reveal the soul of the child.

In my experience it is best to communicate with agents via email. Actors invariably call when an agent is doing breakdowns and very busy. It’s easier to read an email and get back to you at their convenience.

I would say it’s really important to be unreasonable when helping your child along this path. Reasonable people end up accountants (not that there is anything wrong with that). Unreasonable people set impossible goals like being a successful actor. Don’t be reasonable in your ambition but do be reasonable about the steps you take in this journey.

I have notice in my more than 20 years working as an agent, casting director, producer, director and finally now as an acting coach that parental support is the magic that makes the journey an exciting ride to success rather than a terrifying journey. Kids and teens need your love and support even more when they are working toward a difficult dream.  In fact they need to believe that the impossible is just a short distance away.

To quote the fabulous standard “Crazy He Calls Me” sung by the incomparable Billie Holiday, “ The difficult I’ll do right now… the impossible will take a little while.”

———————-
Kirsten Clarkson is the Founder and Senior Education Advisor at Young Screen Actors Academy. For over 20 years, she has been coaching Vancouver’s top young actors who have book everything from actor to leading roles on films and TV shows. Kirsten has experience as an actor, writer, director, development executive, casting director and talent agent.

1970s came of age itself on Facebook and Skype, when Montreal-based director Tara Johns met then-12-year-old Vancouver actor Julia Stone online.

Julia, with some short films to her credit and a guest role on the kids horror anthology series The Haunting Hour, found Johns’ blog online which detailed the director’s efforts to develop the feature The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom.

“My mom and I were following Tara’s blog because we thought (the movie) was a really great story with such great characters,” says Julia, now 13. “We were interested in how a movie went from an idea in her mind to a movie that we actually watch. My mom was commenting on the blog, we thought it was really going to go far.”

The movie follows an 11-year-old Winnipeg girl who comes to believe that she’s the adopted daughter of singer Dolly Parton, and hops on her two-wheeler with a plan to head down to a Minneapolis concert to meet the singer. Filmed in Quebec and Manitoba last year, the movie was based on Johns’ own childhood memories of thinking she was Joni Mitchell’s long-lost daughter.

Julia posted a video audition on the movie’s Facebook page when Johns put out a casting call.

“I decided to just go for it,” says Julia. “When I first heard that I got the part I was ecstatic and scared out of my mind, but once I got on set, although I was really nervous at the beginning, everyone was so welcoming and everyone was so kind to me.”

Julia herself speaks with a calm maturity and says she first got interested in acting when it occurred to her that work went into the pictures she saw on TV and in movies. “I’ve always been interested in how movies were made. From a very early age I watched them and thought there are actually people doing this, and I always thought that would be really fun.”

And she’s learned perhaps the most important thing about an acting career — love the audition process.

“I think every audition is a chance to explore a new character, see things through another person’s eyes just for a little while,” she says. “I don’t have to get the part for it to be fun.”

Alien Abductions and Hockey Dads in Crisis

Does it seem as though an alien life force has abducted your daughter? Is the former introvert (who hid behind the curtains when company came to call) suddenly declaring loudly for all the world to hear that she is going to be an actress on TV?

Has your outgoing athletic son found himself the star of a school play and decided this is his destiny? You’re a Hockey Dad. You’ve always been a Hockey Dad. What the hell does a Drama Dad do?

You want to support your child in his or her dreams. You want them to have every opportunity to live their lives to their fullest but you don’t know this world. Film and television is a foreign land to you. You can’t even imagine the first step.

Don’t worry! Help is on the way. I’ll take you through the steps as I know them.

First things first: child actors are professionals. They do everything that adult actors do – audition, book series and TV, travel for work, do interviews, get paid and pay taxes and agents fees. They work fewer hours on set but are expected to be professionals. Like all professionals the right kind of education offers all the advantages. For example if you go to Harvard Law School the connections you make there would be far more valuable and the education you receive would be far superior to the experience you would have at an online university. Make sure you pick a good school. Bigger isn’t always better. It’s results that you should be looking at.

One way to find a good school is to call agents and ask them who they recommend. Agents see the results of the training. They see if their actors are booking or not after taking classes and they hear from the students about the quality of instruction.

You can ask the school to provide you with references from actors, their parents or agents or get a list of actors they have trained and look them up on IMDB.com (a resource for professionals that is often used by the public). For information specific to Vancouver you can have a look at Vancouver Actor’s Guide and see what parents and kids are saying there.

Once you’ve decided on the school see if they have resources for parents as well as actors. Agents are not going to be able to train you to be a good “stage mom” but you do need some guidance in this area as there are many choices you will have to make.

Next time I’ll cover how to find the right agent for your child and you.

Fairytales can come true, it can happen to you – but it probably won’t.

I don’t hate dreams but don’t think they are particularly useful past the initial inspiration stage. In my own life real has been so much better than dreams. It’s great to dream you’ll get an agent and end up with a fabulous career but it’s much better to work step by step toward making that real. This article is a step by step map to getting a real agent who will then help you get a real career. I’ll write about how to help create and handle a successful career for your child in another article.

Odds are your child won’t get an agent standing in line at H&M but it does happen. Even if it does happen that way getting an agent is not the whole of the moon.

Looking for an Agent

Selecting an agent is the first step in your journey. If your child’s acting instructor says “get an agent” – get one. There can be timing elements involved in a child’s career. If your instructor knows its Kid & Teen season (late spring to early fall) and your child is ready, they will encourage you to get an agent and give you referrals.

If your instructor isn’t comfortable doing this (for whatever reason) then ask friends and other kids in class. A referral is worth its weight in gold. Also, ask your instructor why they won’t refer. Maybe they don’t know any agents taking clients or maybe they have been burned by clients previously. It’s important to pay attention to the reasoning. It could be your child is not ready. If they are – strike while the iron is hot.

If you have no connections through friends, contemporaries or instructors have a look at Vancouver Actors Guide. There is a comprehensive list in the information section of the guide and there is a wonderful mastermind group of actors on the forums who will help you with their mostly unbiased opinions.  They love to help. Let them.

Character “Type”

The agent you select for your child should have a roster that does not include more than one of your child’s HIT or TYPE. The hit or type is what your child will be cast as: bully, geek, girl next door, sporty, class clown, etc. If your child is blond and blue eyed – you have a marketable but common type for a child actor– it’s tough to find an agent without a couple of cute blonde kids but it is possible. It is important that your agent have a reasonable sized roster.  Like in any business if you are taking care of too many clients the ones who are bringing you the least money suffer.

Business of Agents

Agents work for free in the beginning of a client’s career, helping develop them by getting them out to Casting Directors for auditions via two primary services: Casting Workbook and Breakdown Services. You will pay to have your child on Casting Workbook (a nominal yearly fee) and the agent pays for Breakdown Services (a larger monthly fee the agency pays). It is imperative that agents have access to both services as Casting Directors use both. Ask. If they are not on both they are not real agents.

Agents take a 15% commission in Canada and 10% in the US. Don’t worry about US representation at the beginning of your child’s career. Your child will be better off developing a career in Canada, compiling a list of professional credits and press in all media. If your agent has a reciprocal (commission split of any sort) with a US agency, that’s great. If they don’t, that’s fine too. It’s not imperative at the beginning and actors often find US representation after they are cast in series or film produced by the larger US production companies.

Submissions

In order to submit to an agent you will need a short professional cover letter. You will have researched the agent or had a referral so DON’T submit to, To Whom It May Concern. Know who the agent is and address them by their correctly spelled name.  You will need Headshots and a resume as well.

Great Headshots: If you are new it helps to look professional. Don’t cheap out. Most photographers offer reasonable deals to kids and teens. Get referrals from the usual suspects: instructors, contemporaries, and agents.

A Professional Resume: There is an example on the VAG. Casting Workbook also has a great system for setting up your resume online. Don’t worry if you have nothing but training to put on your resume and DON’T LIE. As long as your contact information (phone and email only -  no one needs to have access to where your child lives) and training is on your resume you are fine.

Next time we’ll continue the “getting an agent” article with details on what to expect when you meet with a prospective agent, and building that relationship.

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Kirsten Clarkson is the Founder and Senior Education Advisor at Young Screen Actors Academy. For over 20 years, she has been coaching Vancouver’s top young actors who have book everything from actor to leading roles on films and TV shows. Kirsten has experience as an actor, writer, director, development executive, casting director and talent agent.

Congrats to Emily Rose Delahunty for booking CRAYOLA!

The fabulous Miss Alisha Newton has booked a commercial for CAMPBELLS SOUP and a spot on the acclaimed series FRINGE! She booked the episode of FRINGE on her 10th birthday. This kid has a sense of timing and occasion. Hooray!

Alisha, though 10 years old is taking two teen classes: Emotional Connection and Analysis and Audition - Professional Level with Kirsten Clarkson.

Actors in Emmy Nominated series, Oscar winning films, Leo Nominated and Leo Award Winning Actors, LA Young Actor Award Nominated and LA Young Actor Award Winning actors study under Kirsten Clarkson and Marc-Anthony Massiah. Join us. We want to help you get there too! Call Kirsten or Mandy and we can find the right class for you. 604.408.8550.

• Rapturepalooza 
• Ranger Charlie 
• Everything and Everyone
• Fringe 
• Neither Here Nor There
• Shhh
  V

Things we think are important when accepting students: bravery, citizenship, fairness, wisdom. kindness, courage and integrity.

Talent we can nourish and provoke but without the aforementioned qualities talent is empty and meaningless.

We are not looking for Ken and Barbie actors. We are not looking for a particular "brand" of actor. We want the indescribable essence of genius. We want kindness. We want courage. We want integrity. 

George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Audrey Hepburn, Robert Redford,  Chris Rock, Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep, Will and Jada Smith, Angelina Jolie...

We want our actors to be among these great civic leaders who also happen to be actors.

We take a great deal of pride in the reputation our students have in the industry. They are known for being all of the above. We continue to seek out and accept artists who are of this calibre. 

Our feeling is that old fashioned  good character is something that can be taught while actors are learning to create good characters.

These are the elements we are looking for: zest, grit, self-control, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism and curiosity. Is this you? We hope so. We know these are primary building blocks for success in any field. In acting all the more so. Especially grit. True Grit.

 

Our students book everything from Commercials to leads in series.

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We've had more than 10 students on HAUNTING HOUR!

Here are a few of our adorable kids in their COMMERCIAL WORK!

Tragedy/Comedy and how training at YSAA works!

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