Acting In Chicago has been helping actors launch and grow careers since 2010. Now, kids and parents have their own book!
I’m a Dad with a son in the business. Parents often ask me how they can get their children started as professional actors, so I wrote a book just for them.
It’s called Acting In Chicago for Kids and Parents. The title says it all. It’s for parents who want to help their kids go from inspired to hired.
The book is a huge time saver, especially for parents who are new to the business. Just like the original Acting In Chicago book, it explains everything needed to launch and grow a young performer’s career.
Parents don’t have a lot of free time. Unfortunately, figuring out the entertainment industry is time consuming. There’s no clear path for young actors and their parents. With so many choices of where to go, what to do, and how to get it done, there are endless moving parts. It can seem overwhelming.
Local kids work on TV shows, movies, commercials and other projects all the time, but they can’t just show up and be put into these things. There’s a complicated process in place to get there.
The book helps parents spend less time figuring out the details and more time helping their kids reach their full potential. It beaks down everything about the types of work available, agents, auditions, tools kids will need, what to expect on set or in the studio, and how much child actors earn from each type job.
It also explains regulations, like minor employment certificates and minor trust accounts, something every child actor is legally required to have.
And how do child actors balance the demands of school with their acting? We’ll talk about ways to do that as well. Here’s a hint: child actors can go to regular public school. They don’t have to be home schooled.
Along the way, parents will hear from other Moms and Dads with kids in the business, like the Illinois Mom who was told that her baby girl could be a model. At a family photo shoot, the photographer pulled her aside and said she should contact a talent agent because her youngest daughter had some rare qualities that might allow her to work professionally. A few phone calls later, the agent signed the little girl. Not long after that, she landed a commercial for a national brand of diapers. She’s still acting today, many years later.
We’ll also share the story of an entire family of actors in the suburbs of Chicago. Their two kids, a boy and a girl, both join their parents at work regularly. The advice they share for other parents is invaluable.
Funny thing: when my son started booking jobs, I was just like most parents. I had a lot of questions about how it all worked, even though I’d been “on the inside” for almost 20 years at that point. I knew there were special rules in place for child actors, I just didn’t know what they were.
My experience helped me get up to speed quickly, but I could see how confusing it would be if you didn’t have that benefit. So the goal of the book is to make it easier for all parents.
If you’ve got a young performer in the house, or know a parent who might appreciate having this information, pick up a copy. It’ll be an excellent investment.