Hollywood Agents & Casting Directors Auditioning Young Actors - by Linda Seto

Q- What does Hollywood look for when seeking new upcoming child or teen actors?

A- I’ve worked for 25 years preparing young actors for the Hollywood market. Quite a few have been working on TV series, Major motion pictures in lead, starring and guest roles. Over the years, I’ve developed important networking relationships with some of Hollywood’s biggest professionals in the TV/Movie Industry for young talent. These include Bob Preston ( who was Head of Youth Division of L.A. Talent Agency C.E.D. for 20 years- now C.E.S.D. which discovered and developed Miley Cyrus ( Hannah Montana TV series) career, Hayden Panetiere ( Heroes TV series), Annasophia Robb ( Bridge to Teribitha) and many others. Cindy Osbrink of Osbrink Talent agency, who reps Hollywood’s highest paid teen actress, Dakota Fanning who was recently in the latest Twilight movie saga, and 12 yr old actor Jae Head, who played Sandra Bullock’s son in the blockbuster movie, “The Blind Side”.

Here is some of the ADVICE for those young aspiring actors:

  1. BE PREPARED for the Industry. It’s a business. That means understanding how it works, what you should or shouldn’t do, who does what, from Agent to Casting Directors, Directors, producers, TV vs. Feature Film roles, etc. The more knowledge you have, the less mistakes you’ll make and the better you’ll do.

  2. Get quality ACTING TRAINING from reputable acting schools, those recommended by top level professionals such as Agents, casting Directors who do work with successful young actors. The list of those acting studios and acting coaches who are well known and have an impressive history of developing young talent, is short. You will need to do your research, visit the school/studio, learn about its history, what it offers, etc. Spend your time and money wisely by getting into the best acting program you can. You will need to have strong acting skills to be competitive and book roles.

  3. Be DEDICATED and PASSIONATE. If you are, you won’t mind putting forth the extra work and time it takes to make it in the Industry.

These are the basics to get started in the Industry. More Advice & tips on getting into the acting business, actors Headshots, Resume, What agents do, marketing and more… coming up in future blogs.   Click here to read more..