I spent a couple years running my daughter around to auditions as well. She had a theatrical and commercial agent. She booked an extra spot on Legally Blonde 2 and got call backs for “Are We There Yet,” and a couple other parts, but in the end, I think the metaphor of Hollywood as a “very expensive acting school” is just about right. You learn things being here that you will not learn anywhere else, that’s for sure. But oh the cost of that education. That’s a very good point about expecting actors to act for food, credit and a copy of the reel–reels are very hard to get. It’s amazing how they get away with that here.

And great insight into the agents and managers too. I remember one point I hadn’t gotten a call from my acting agent in 2 months. I went out of town for a trip and suddenly she called. I told her I was out of town and she hit the roof. I thought, “You got some nerve–You don’t call me for 2 months and now you’re mad at me?” People are a trip. But their jobs are high stress too. They’re all subject to the same nuts who make the movies–the directors who “want to see your polished kid in 30 minutes.” I’m sorry to hear about them threatening to drop you for prioritizing, but that is also true. So much of what I write in this book, as you know, is exactly the kind of insight you’re bring in this comment. In fact, I’d love to quote you directly in the new edition I’m working on now for the digital device release. That will then flow into the new edition of the book as well. I’ll contact you by email to set up an interview if you’re cool with it.

Appreciate the comment. I know a lot of readers will find it very helpful. Thank you.
TRL

You are right that in LA you will get many more opportunitites. My son has auditioned at least 50 times since last September. That’s 48 more times than we auditioned when he was signed up at a modeling/talent agency in Miami Beach, FL several years ago. But you are also right that the competition is that much greater, that the pool of talent is that much better, and the living costs are exponentially higher. My son, who is a newbie with a B-list Hollywood agent, has managed to land some really big auditions on his look alone – Tim Burton’s next feature Frankenweenie, Disney FX’s Zeke & Luther, Nick’s iCarly and Big Time Rush, Lifetime movie Amish Grace, several feature films and national commercials. Of the 50 auditions, he has only booked two commercials — one as an extra and another as a principal kid — and one film — also as an extra — and has made a grand total of $500. Many parents don’t realize that non-union roles no longer pay. They expect you to work for the standard credit/copy/meals. And good luck getting a copy of the work after production wraps! I still have to hound directors for a copy of my son’s work for his demo reel.

As a parent of a child actor trying to break into Hollywood, the best advice I could give is to see living here as a VERY expensive acting school (with “tuition, room and board” averaging about 35k to 50k a year), with the rewards being that you get a chance to rub elbows with real industry people and not just your local theater acting coaches. Hollywood can also wreak havoc on marriages, which your book depicted so well, and I am personally experiencing. My husband could not find work here so he returned to FL, meanwhile he is underwriting our adventures out here in LA.
Needless to say, this contract will expire soon, as he cannot keep up with this very expensive arrangement.

Most acting coaches, casting directors, agents and managers in the industry want the actors (and the parents of actors) to have a life outside of the acting world. Many will ask the children what they want to be when they grow up, and usually they will reject them if they say “acting.” They usually want to hear something else, like lawyer, doctor, tennis star…. anything BUT actor. They realize that most children won’t make it in the business (and those who do make it as child actors wind up unemployed as adults) so they emphasize the need to get involved in other activities outside of Hollywood. The problem is… once you have an agent, they OWN you. They want you to be on call 24 hours, and you simply can’t say “No” or they will drop you as a client. Its a troubling dichotomy and only the most emotionally stable people need sign up for that kind of tension and suspense. It can be quite gut wrenching to be at an important meeting for your job or school (bravo for having a life) then…. get a call that the director wants to see your polished kid in 30 minutes. That’s what happened to me this past Monday, except I couldn’t answer the cell phone because its prohibited in class. It was the first time since we signed with the agency that I refused to go to an audition at all. It would have been impossible anyway, but it is not beyond these folks to expect the impossible from us. The agency is now considering dropping us because of it. That’s Hollywood.

This post was mentioned on Twitter by TRLocke: As promised…the new post: “When Should Actors Move to L.A. or N.Y. Please check it out: http://ping.fm/QBPUb...