From: BKTalent1

Date: 7/6/06

Jul-4
Should You manage Your Child Actor
 
I get emails all the time from parents asking about  Showbiz for kids. I have worked with parents for years  sharing information. I do this so they can make informed decisions regarding  there own child and acting. Hopefully I will have prevented them from throwing away money and also not wasting a lot of time in moving forward. Today I received a letter from a mom asking about managing her own child.

This letter has been edited to protect the identity of the author.

Dear Shawn

I'm from the board and was reading a discussion you had with a mom regarding managing your childs career.  I went to your site  http://bizkidstg.com/ and have found it a great resource. 
 
First I would like to say thanks for taking the time to do that for those of us that are just getting started, it's greatly appreciated.
 
Secondly, I would like to know if you might be able to give me a little more information as far as the steps to take, business wise, on setting myself up legally as manager of my Childs career.
 
My child recently finished her first class at ____________ and already the staff is talking about my child so I think there is a good possibility opportunities might start opening up and I would like to be prepared. 
 
I have done tons of research, etc. (some of it conflicting) and thought what better way to get the correct info than to ask directly a successful manager.  I know your very busy, but I would appreciate any help you could give me. 
 
First I would like to know if you set up your business as a corporation.  I was thinking along the lines of an LLC.  Did you go through a lawyer to do so or did you use a service such as Bizfilings?  After the formation of your business what was the next step you took?
 
Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks in advance.
 
A MOM

Dear Mom
Thanks for the thoughts of my Mom. I've been away from my blog for a while as I really don't know what to say as we are in waiting game right now.

First off I need to know where you live because if you are in LA I am not the person to talk to. I did not represent my son in LA. I do not recommend it unless you have a law degree or an agency license. (something to think about are you talking about working as a Talent manager or a proactive parent?) Casting directors and agents do not look kindly on mother managers. In addition the market in LA is totally different from any other market and you must have worked in the business for a very long time before you become a manager.

A good manager already has relationships with casting directors and agents. In addition to knowing the producers in the area. I already had worked  in business as a teen and my kids started int he biz at a young age. I didn't manage my child without help until he was well known by local casting directors and producers and that was only in the SF market until he got an agent in LA.

It is much too costly to become a corporation and it isn't recommended unless your child is earning a three figure income. It also is costly to keep it up since a acting career is not consistent.

You only need file a DBA and have it published as a fictitious name statement in your local newspaper
.For me we were first doing workshops for parents so that's how the DBA as Bizkids Talent Group came about..

I would  really think about how your child will benefit from you being there manager. What can you offer that  a  established manager  can't and vice versa.  Do you have the  confidence to Network and  Smooze with  Agents?
If you call will they listen? LA is a tough tough world out there. That's why I went to a well known established manager when my son became a teenager in the LA market. I knew I could not open every door for my son. I did not have the long term established relationships with casting directors in LA.

I do wish you the best of luck and recommend you pick up some  management books at Samuel French if you want to  go forward. Look at what actors want in a manager. The Personal Managers guide by Acting world books is good and also read Bonnies' columns on Showfax.http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/ Or better yet get her book http://cricketfeet.com/smfa/ . You could use her guide that give adult actors the info to manager there career and apply it as a parent.

Just remember as your child gets older it can be difficult to have a mother relationship and a manager relationship. Its easier  for the child to argue  with  Mom that it is with  there manager. When it comes to Teens I belive having a manager is much easier on the mother child relationship.
Best
Shawn


On another note it is very important to be a Proactive Parent who manages there child's finances and deals with contracts, agents, studio teachers and Production Team. You also work as your child's publicity manager sending postcards and updates to casting directors. This means you are very involved in your child's career. However, you leave the majority of the submission process to your representation.  (Note I didn't say all as agents don't submit on everything) It also means that you leave the main decision of what headshots to use with your representation. You can always have your own you submit on other projects the agent doesn't submit to. You also ask for help when things are slow like do you need new headshots, new classes, a new look?

So hopefully I have explained the difference between becoming a full fledged Talent Manager  or being a Proactive Parent  that is managing your childs life.

Do you deserve that 15%? Can a parent really become as child's manager without hurting the relationship with the child and the agent? Can a parent get the child in on every audition in town, go to producers and get generals. That's the difference too. 

As always there are exceptions to the rules and this above is just my opinion.


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