Do you look at your child and think “she looks like such a star”. Many parents do and wonder how to get their baby or toddler or even pre-teen into acting, modeling and commercials.

Gap Kids, Gap and Baby Gap are popular children’s brands and often hold casting calls and auditions for kids. There are 2 ways that the Gap does this. They either hold a large online contest, such as the BabyGap modeling contest or they hold an open casting call.

To find information about these events and how to get your child an audition, you will need to do your research and stay on top of it. There are places on the internet that can help you find auditions for GapKids and BabyGap. Also, local papers will normally publish the information as it becomes available.

So if you want to get your baby into modeling, a Gap casting call may be a great start!

There are so many kids that want to be famous and most are searching for the obvious Disney Auditions and Nickelodeon auditions in a search engine such as Google or simply through social sites like MySpace, Twitter and Facebook.

Sooner or later, the parents find out about the kids quest for fame, in some cases the parents begin that quest themselves. Either way, the child’s parent may get involved in helping the child find the fame the kid wants.

After searching the Intenet for hours, they realize that it is quite difficult to find any kids auditions on the Internet, especially, if one lives outside of of metropolitan areas, or the two largest cities for auditions, New York and L.A.

The auditions that they do find, many times may not be what they expected and they get disappointed in the search. Other times, the information they find actually ends up being a Acting and modeling scam .

Getting into acting takes time and effort, there is no magic to it or a quick way to stardom. Since most people lack the patience required to achieve such goals, many get sucked in by fast talking sales people who promise fame and deliver nothing.  If approached by someone with the “fast track to fame” attitude, it is most important to do your research before agreeing to anything especially, since it involves your child.

There are many services out there that promise auditions and casting director attention for a fee. Some of them are are completely web based while others use a more personal approach such as approaching someone in a mall. Both methods are used to play on your heart strings and love for your child.

There are so many ways set up to disconnect one from ones money and one of the more popular ways is the “mass casting call” method. Unscrupulous companies may use commissioned sales people that they call “talent scouts”, “talent agents” or any other name that sounds like they have some power over getting your child work. These “fake” agents and “scouts” will normally hang out in places that people tend to visit with a child,  shopping malls and stores is a common area for them to work in. They see you and your child walking to the car and they approach you. These scammers will tell you what both of you want to hear, your child has “The perfect Look” and offer to audition him. They tell you it’s free to go to the audition and casting directors will be there to interview you and your child.

So you go. You feel you have nothing to lose to simply check it out. Once at the audition, you realize that it is nothing more than a huge sales pitch at some of their services. Services that may include acting classes, portfolios, conventions, pageants and anything else they can think of that they feel you may fall for. Most the time the services are sub-par and worthless but come with a heavy price tag. They try to convince you and your child this is the way to get what you want. It is done in the same manner as timeshare conventions. Basically, bait and switch.

They get you there with the promise of something “free” then use hard sales tactics to separate you from your money. The entire sales pitch is done in a way to appeal to your child and convince your child this is the way to stardom. If you resist or say no, you will disappoint your child, and the organizers know that. How many parents want their child to believe all their dreams were shattered by you not wanting to cough up some money?

Another great method to do the same will not happen face to face,  is online. Your child searches for “disney casting calls” or any other combination of searches and finds a form that asks for email, phone number, and name. They tell you the info is so casting directors can contact you and most kids fall for it. A few days later you get a call from a so called casting director who offers you an audition. You and your child are excited and then the ball drops. You hear “A payment is required” to submit your child. How can you refuse? Your child was offered a part for Disney, right? Not so much. The so called “casting director” is playing on words and you do not realize it. The casting director is really just another telemarketer with no connections at all to anyone in Hollywood.

What they are actually saying is that an audition is “available” and “He” believes your child is a perfect fit. He will “submit” you if you pay.

Here is what it all means:
“Available” – means that the production company may actually be casting for the part, they saw it on one of the entertainment sites or spoiler sites.
“He” – means just that, which is meaningless since he is no closer to the casting director than you are. Remember, he never actually stated that he had any control over the casting, only that “he” believed your child fit. BTW, he believes ALL kids fit as long as he gets his sales commission.
“Submit” – means that he will forward your kids name to whatever contact he may have. He does not need to have the correct contact and most likely does not.

If you actually fall for this one, your child will be very disappointed when no one ever calls and an audition never happens. But I was submitted? right? Sure, maybe a link to your page was sent out, maybe not, no one knows, but most casting directors do not even get those. They get rejected as spam. If you were casting a large project would you want to be bombarded with thousands of unqualified links to pages? No. Most casting directors casting large projects for Disney and others use agents to find the talent they want. Most projects will only look at someone if they were submitted by an agent. There are a few exceptions and everynow and then you will run into a casting that asks for headshot, resume and reel be sent to a office location.

I don’t get it. I know my kid is awesome, why will they only deal with an agent? Simply because every kid is awesome and they only want to see the few kids that are qualified and trained. An agent is a screener of sorts making sure that they only see the candidates that not only have the look, but training and experience as well.

Great, the easy ways into showbiz are scams. Now what?

To get your child into acting or modeling you must focus on the skill set needed. Forget about the money and fame aspect of it and concentrate on developing the skills needed to get an agent. If this quest was started as a way to make quick money, forget it. You will most likely spend more money than you make, at least at first. Get your child involved in his school plays and community theater group. Not only will it be fun for the kid but it will also show you how dedicated he is to the craft. Once your child finds out he / she will not become an overnight Miley Cyrus, will they still want to do it? If the answer is yes, you enroll the kid in acting classes. The community theater, acting classes, etc. not only help teach your child the skills needed and build experience, they also offer you a way to network with other parents that can help you find an agent for your child.

Work on building a great resume using your unpaid gigs and classes. Agents like people who have experience and a good resume. They want to send out talent that they know can perform under pressure and won’t botch the audition. I have heard many times that if given a choice, most agents will sign the experienced child who shows less natural ability over the “natural” with no experience.

So here is how to get your child into acting
1, Get your child involved with his school drama classes and school plays
2, Talk to your child’s drama teacher and get his input
3, Find your local community theater and get your child into their productions
4, Network with everyone you meed along the way and get advise from other parents who are doing the same thing you are.
5, Build your child’s resume – Here is a How to create an actor’s resume
6, Find an agent – you can call around or if out of your area, send out mailings to agents -talent agent and casting director labels
7, Break a leg!

What makes her so amazing is her willingness to talk and discuss her accomplishments with people she does not even know.

I started this blog and a few more. I am also an aspiring model and, I must add,  a huge fan of Cindy. I wrote qa story about her and the amazing thing is she responds with comments and advice to my readers.

Cindy really is an amazing person and it’s hard to believe that she finds the time for us, but she does.

Cindy Joseph has responded to every comment that readers have added and I think that is totally awesome!

Below are some comments she posted on another entry, I just wanted to share her comments withe everyone who may have not seen the original post.

My friend went to a private movie screening for John Paul Rice’s new flick “One Hour Fantasy Girl” . You can read about the Independent film casting and screening on the modeling.net blog

I heard it was a fun night and the wine may have gottan to her. Check her out with MaddHouse Media rep.

Joe Luckay of One Hour Fantasy girl

I later emailed, Don Hinder, Marketing Director for Explore Talent, Don said

“The evening was a blast and I am glad Explore Talent was able to contribute the acting talent for this production”

In attendance were reps of Victoria’s Secret, Loreal, Sunset Tan and Dancing with the Stars. Producer John Paul Rice (One Hour Fantasy Girl) was there on the lookout for talent for a new movie he is planning to shoot in early 2009 and comedians Tom Green and Arsenio Hall were hanging out with the crowd. Leif Garrett was seen hanging out and talked a bit about his Tru Tv gig and gave tips for aspiring actors.

The place was packed with models, aspiring models, actors and reality TV stars. Lucy Suicide from the Web hit Suicide Girls spent a minute giving her tips as well.

Agyness Deyn for French Vogue

Agyness Deyn French Elle

Agyness Deyn Japan Elle Cover

Agyness Deyn Elle Japan

Agyness Deyn China Vogue Cover

Agyness Deyn V Cover

So I guess this weekend Explore Talent is Hosting a party at One Sunset. The party is supposed to be a mixer for aspiring models, casting agents, directors and other industry folks.

Victoria’s Secret, Loreal and many others will be there. Sunset Tan will be there looking for a new girl, dancing with the stars will be there as well. There will also be a few movie producers there looking for actors and talent for 2 new films

The party seems like fun, especially the painted models that will be walking around in nothing but body paint. the invite Explore Talent sent to their members along with the press release below

Join Explore Talent at the Largest Industry Networking Event of the Year

Hollywood, CA – Explore Talent, the world’s largest online talent resource with 2.2  Million members; will break out of cyberspace to host the industry’s largest live networking event of the year at the exclusive One Sunset club in West Hollywood, California on Friday, November 21, 2008.

Explore Talent along with special guests from Dancing with the Stars, Sunset Tan television shows and co-host, Bullets 4 Peace, will present to the show-biz industry a unique opportunity to mingle in-person with established casting directors, actors, models, singers, designers, agents, film producers, and other celebrities. The red carpet will roll out at 9 p.m.

Please reply with your RSVP if you have any questions feel free to call or email.

America's Next Top Model Winner Whitney

Here is a reprint of a really cool modeling article from the modeling blog.

It’s called 7 tips to break into modeling.

7 Tips to help you break into modeling

Before you even start the journey towards your new career, you better do your research and find out all there is to know about the career you want.

Most people are familiar with fashion modeling, but few are familiar with the dozens of other types of models and modeling jobs that make up the majority of paid modeling work.

Do your homework

Learn about the different types of models and try to figure out where you fit in. Be objective and realistic. Know your measurements and figure out what kind of modeling suits you best.

If you are of average height, then focus on work that may be geared towards your height. Many girls dream of being high fashion runway models, but most do not have the height needed to be successful. You may be the most beautiful 5’2” goddess around, but at 5’2”, your gorgeous face will not be enough to land a gig on designer runways during fashion week. Always be honest and realistic about your chances. The last thing you want to do is put a lot of time and effort into something that is non-attainable… So focus on what is attainable and to do that you must do your research.

Find your fit

Once you start researching the modeling field, you will begin to see different modeling opportunities. If you have a very athletic physique, you may be perfect for fitness modeling. If you are very curvy and have a more voluptuous shape, you may want to look into plus size modeling. If you have amazing hands, legs or feet, you may look into parts modeling. Remember, no matter what type of modeling it is, you must match the physical requirements such as height, weight, good skin, good hair, good teeth, being fit, etc..

Get another opinion

Once you find the modeling niche you wish to explore, try to get a second opinion. If you know any experts or agents, ask them for their opinion and what type of modeling they believe you may be well suited for.

Your self image may be skewed. Many girls believe they are a plus size when they are not and vice versa.

Make Sure you are photogenic

This may be a bit obvious but there are many girls who look stunning in person, yet can not translate that to film, just like there are many girls who seem plain, yet take stunning pictures.

Get an Agent

Once you’ve identified the type of modeling you are suited for, you should be able to find an agent that specializes or represents your niche.

Confidence, persistence and thick skin are your keys to success

As you pursue your new career, you will most likely find a great deal of rejection and even some criticism. You need to be able to take rejection without breaking into tears. Keep in mind that there are many models going after the same jobs and you will be rejected many more times than accepted. You must have a good deal of confidence in yourself and the drive and determination to keep going. Be persistent, eventually you will begin getting the jobs you want.

Network

As you begin your career, you will meet other models, agents and photographers. Networking is a great way to find out about upcoming jobs and industry events. People will often choose someone they already know to work with rather than someone new, especially, if you are charming and a pleasure to be around. The more people you meet and talk to, the greater your chances are of getting work.

And never get taken in by a modeling Scam

Every designer loves the top actress seal of approval as she talks about her gown to the reporters, however, sometimes things do not go as planned and the designers may be sorry their name was even associated or mentioned.

Who can forget this fashion disaster, this was Sarah Jessica Parker looking, ahhh… ridiculous on the red carpet in this not-very-lovely plaid red gown. Now I really don’t have anything against plaid, however, it may be a pattern that should be left for fuzzy pj’s and lumberjack shirts.

1960′s print from Verucshka, around 1964

Emilio Pucci in 1966 shows a lot more skin than the previous decade

Verucshka 1966, full of color and very 1960′s

1968 suit by Mila Schoen

Model Susan Murray in a gorgeous blue print dress – 1960′s fashion

Verucshka in 1965

I love the above dresses!