With a good management company behind you, your child could be making quite a nice living in the entertainment world. I would strongly suggest, however, if you have any interest in putting your child on the small or big screen, you learn the business of Hollywood to protect the welfare of your son or daughter. Watch out for those scams which require you to pay hundreds of dollars up front.
Before you get that agent or manager (again watch out for those scammers), your best avenue for your child might be to work as a background actor–an extra, if you will. Here is where you’ll pick up the knowledge, even a little bit of wisdom, and your son or daughter will gain an intense education and appreciation for the art of acting.
So let’s begin this journey, shall we? An average paycheck runs around $126 per day including a gourmet breakfast, an enormous amount of amazing snacks all day, and lunch. Trust me when I say that you seriously need a workout schedule because one could gain ten pounds a day. The food is fabulous and there’s plenty of it. In any case, certain children who have that “special” and unique look can make more than the base pay, and body doubles may add another $50 on top of that.
Then later on, down this path of “almost famous,” if you decide to join the unions, SAG or AFTRA, or SAG and AFTRA, your child’s paycheck will likely double. Both unions, of course, aren’t cheap to join but well worth it–medical insurance and other benefits included. There’s a one-time membership fee of $1300 for AFTRA with a minimum of $63.90 annually, and it will set you back $1600 to join SAG, also with annual dues. The latter will raise its membership fee to $2200 on February 14th, 2007-happy Valentine’s Day.
So how or where should one start? It’s not as hard as you might expect. To begin with, get your child registered with a reputable management company. We have worked with the Burbank-based Kids Background Talent in Southern California. They promise you at least one job per month, though we work at least three times a month with a few call-backs.
Kids Background Talent might have cornered the market as they really know what they are doing. You can join only by invitation so call them to set up an appointment. Here’s an exclusive-their phone number is (661)964-0131. Like most legitimate managers they take 20% off each paycheck. That’s how the world turns.
Nevertheless, before you take off for your meeting with Kids Background Talent, or whichever company you choose, you might want to get a few things together. You will need to set up a Coogan account wherein 15% of your child’s paycheck will automatically be deposited.
A Coogan account can be set up for free or with a small deposit. Credits unions are the best in my experience. They need only $5 in the account to start. Other institutions like Bank of America might want a $300 deposit or more. You will need your child with you and proper identification such as their social security number. Then a photo copy of the information from the bank, confirming that the account was indeed created, must be taken to every job.
The Jackie Coogan story is an interesting but all too common and tragic one. Jackie was the first real child star in the 1920’s. He made his debut in a silent film at the tender age of 18 months. His big break came at age six when Charlie Chaplin discovered him and gave Jackie a part in his movie, The Kid. By 1922 this child actor was earning $22,000 a week and was the highest paid actor in Hollywood.
But the story turns sour when, at age 24, Jackie asked his mother and stepfather (who apparently were his managers) for some of his $4 million he had earned over the past 10 years. Sadly, he discovered that his mother had spent most of it. In the end, after he sued his mother and stepfather, he could collect only $250,000 from them.
His misfortune, however, prompted the California State Legislature to enact the Child Actor Bill which we have come to know as the Coogan Law. This law, nonetheless, needed some changes as children in the film industry were still being taken advantage of-some by their own parents. Thanks to child actors such as Melissa Gilbert, Brook Shields and Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the Coogan Law was revised for the first time since 1939 and went into effect on January 1, 2000.
How does this law protect our children in the business today, you might ask? For one, it makes the earnings the separate property of the child, rather than the community property of the parents. Not to mention that 15% of the gross earnings is set aside and placed in the child’s Coogan account which will need the signatures of both child and parent/trustee for a withdrawal.
Besides opening a Coogan, you are required by law to apply for a work permit for all minors. It’s free but there is a small catch. Any child who wants to be in the acting business must maintain at least a C average in school, and the application for a work permit must be signed by either the Principle or teacher attesting to such.
You can get an application for a work permit at the Department of Industrial Relations office that is closest to where you reside. Information is on their website. Let me see if I can direct you. Go to www.dir.ca.gov and click on Labor Law, then click Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. On the left side of the page, click on Wage, scroll to the bottom of the page where it states, “Where Do I File My Wage Claim?” and click on the link to locate an alphabetical listing of city offices. There it is.
Now you are armed with a little knowledge, hopefully a lot of wisdom, a Coogan account, a work permit and a good management company. By now you should have a good idea if your child is ready for this kind of commitment.
Don’t forget that call time can sometimes be at 7:00 in the morning. Be prepared to fight traffic, and don’t be late or you won’t last long in this business. I might add that your young star should never believe it’s a day off school, as each child is required to complete three hours of school per day. Every studio will have a teacher.
Despite the challenges, acting is quite an extraordinary experience and will teach discipline, for both child and parent. And I can not think of any other career that would bring your child $126 a day. Best wishes and be good to the gift God gave you-your child.
Footnote: Debby Alten’s son, Layne, has worked in movies and on shows such as The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, Cold Case, CSI Miami (body double), HBO’s Sleeper Cell, Vanished, Good Time Max, Everybody Hates Chris, Bernie Mac, Frosted Flakes commercial, a still-untitled Ben Stiller movie, If You Lived Here You’d Be Home By Now, and Without A Trace.
