Showbiz Kidz

ShowBiz Kidz

How to get your child started in Show Business

By Rugg Williams and Sabina Cabe

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As a parent it is your responsibility to discern between your dream and your kids’ dream. “Make sure it’s your child’s choice. If your child wants to [perform] again and again and again and is excited about it, then, it is your job, as a good parent, to support them and give them the opportunity, lessons, or whatever comes with it.   But if it’s not their choice you’ve got to really examine who this is for?” – states Executive Producer Fracaswell Hyman Step outside yourself as the parent and ask yourself,  “Is this what I want?” Did you always dream of being on TV, movies or singing on stage? If the answer is yes, then live your dream yourself, not your dream through your child. Your child may become a star in the process, but might resent you along the way. “You [can] get to a point where you lose touch and that’s why a lot of the kids grow up and they don’t want their parents to have anything to do with their business”, says industry veteran Chip Fields – Hurd

So before you consider this for your child, here are a few things to think about. First of all it can be very expensive to maintain a child or children in show business.  Not knowing what to expect and the lack of knowledge can leave parents exposed to con-artists who call themselves professionals.  So please continue to prepare yourself.  Next it really takes a special kid to want to have: strange people combing their hair, blotting there face, dressing them, and stand under hot lights for six to eight hours a day repeating the same routine over and over again. This doesn’t even sound normal for an adult, not to mention a child. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. There are some children who absolutely love the attention and even the work that goes along with it, but the majority do not. “[With] some kids, you get the feeling that they have been dragged to the process or that they’re not really interested in doing this, so we kind of look for the kid that has that spark, because it’s a lot of work.” – says Fracaswell

Know that the entertainment industry will not  put your child first, it is a business and business first always. “They [ producers and directors ] have a job to do and a business to run and none of it is centered around your child!” - asserts Showbiz Parent Angel Massey whose has two kids on popular television series, Kyle from Disney’s That’s so Raven and Christopher from Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101. Sydney Davis, mother of Aree Davis from the Disney’s movie The Haunted Mansion and Dee Dee Davis of Fox’s The Bernie Mac Show adds, “Learn how to play the game. Just know that LA is a plastic town, and most of all, don’t get caught up in the hype! [In most cases] if you’re not the star of the show, you’re not top priority.

Some kids find it difficult making the adjustment. In addition to all this, the kids are required to put in a full day of school (3 hours of seat work), while on the set working. Concentration is a must, to put it lightly. Children’s grades should be at least a C+ average or better to even be allowed to work. This is a big commitment from both the parent and the child, not to mention the ups and downs of the business.

It’s very important to be a knowledgeable parent, not a “Stage Parent.” The phrase “Stage Parent” is a bad word in Hollywood. “A major drawback is "Stage Parents." When you have a great child actor, but obnoxious stage parents, it makes it very difficult to work with the child." says Sharon Lieblein, <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times N