MYTHS and FACTS about the Biz

So, you're interested in getting you're baby or toddler started in the field of entertainment.
Excellent! It's a wonderful industry offering lots of excitement and we'd love to help you get on your way. First of all, let's backtrack a bit and recap the order of events that may have already occurred for you so: You are a parent of at least one very adorable child. People have told you repeatedly that your child would be the PERFECT "Gerber Baby"; the IDEAL child for Huggies or Baby Gap; or JUST THE RIGHT THING for the big screen! But you already knew that because your child is absolutely beautiful and amazing! So, you began to mull over the idea of putting your child in the entertainment industry and finally decided to check it out. Your first thoughts may have been, "Who do I call?" or "How do I get started?" You may have no family or friends in the business to turn to for advice. You may live in a small town where this type of business just doesn't exist; or you may even live in a large city such as Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Chicago or Miami, and you still have no clue how to get started. So, like many parents looking for information, you turned to the wonderful world-wide-web and asked our dear friend, Mr. Google, for help. From there, you came across many websites that pertain to children, but you were surprised perhaps to discover that there are very few websites that specifically target BABIES & TODDLERS in show business. Finally, you came across GO BABIES & TOTS, through the web or a referral, and at this point, you are eager to find out if we have answers to all those great questions you have. Well, relax and rest assured YOU'RE AT THE RIGHT PLACE!

Not only are you at the RIGHT PLACE, but you are at a SAFE PLACE.
With all the money-hungry scams out there, many parents have been taken advantage of, and unfortunately, you may have already been one of those victims. If such the case, consider this a fresh start. If you are entirely new to the business, consider yourself lucky to be in the hands of people that care! Go Babies & Tots will provide you with reliable, pertinent information that everyone should know BEFORE they invest their valuable time and money.

Okay, so let's get started!
Below are FACTS and MYTHS about the entertainment industry as it pertains to children. This information, coupled with the Parent Questionnaire is intended to educate and empower you with enough knowledge to make an educated decision as to whether or not this business is realistically right for you and your child. After reading this page, some may find that this business is not going to work out for their unique family situation, or that currently, the timing is just not right. To recognize that at this stage is actually a very good thing! It's better to make that very important discovery now, BEFORE you devote anymore time or hard-earned money. On the other hand, for those who conclude that show biz may be a good fit for you and your child, and would like to learn ALL THERE IS TO KNOW before taking a giant leap, a link will be provided at the bottom of this page in the near future with valuable information. Please check back with us soon! But in the meantime ...

... as they say in show business, "LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!" ....

MYTH #1: I see so many babies and toddlers in commercials, TV shows, film, magazines, and even billboards, so there must be TONS of opportunities for children at this age.

FACT: Opportunities are not so abundant as you think. Although we do see babies and toddlers in our media, the number of job opportunities really depends on which city or town you live in. The advertisements that you see are most likely not all produced in the state, or nearby cities, where you live. They are produced in a variety of cities across the United States with Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Chicago to be amongst the busiest. If you reside in a small, remote town, there may not be any opportunities available to you at all; however, commuting may be an option for you to consider if you live near a metropolitan area.

So how do you get opportunities for your child to appear in commercials, print, and other media related projects? Your child needs to get representation via a talent agency or a talent manager. Once accepted, your child will be sent out on auditions. How often will my child go on auditions you ask? Audition opportunities for youngsters at this age, come in spurts and depends on where you live. Babies and toddlers living in Los Angeles may audition once a month, or twice every six months. Some children may not have an audition for many months, and then all of a sudden have three auditions in one week. However, even if your child is placed in the hands of THE TOP agency and/or management company and you live in a major city, audition opportunities are still minimal at best. Why? There just isn't an abundance of baby and toddler projects being produced through out the year. The larger baby product companies are not promoting something new every month. It may be seasonal or bi-annual and depends on the marketing budgets for these large companies.

Another reason opportunities are kept at a minimum is due to the "hit & miss" timing for your child's age and type. For example, at 9 months old, your child may be at his/her peak time for diaper commercials, but unfortunately, it may not be the timing for diaper companies to produce their product campaigns. Four months later, your child's "diaper peak" is gone, and a "miss" when the diaper campaign finally hits. However, when one door closes another ones open, and now you can hope for a "hit" during your child's peak time for the Pull-Up campaigns.

In summary, no matter where you live, no matter which agency or management company is representing your child, and taking into consideration the "timing" aspect for your child's age and type, audition opportunities for babies and toddlers are minimal and intermittent. Auditions are more plentiful for children after 5 years of age.

MYTH #2: Most agencies represent babies and toddlers, so it should be a cinch to get an agent to represent my child.

FACT: Most agencies in Los Angeles DO NOT handle babies and toddlers. Surprised? For one thing, you must remember that THIS IS A BUSINESS. Agents and managers need to justify operating a department for children at this young age. With a minimal number of audition opportunities for projects, it is not quite as lucrative as compared to the amount of projects available for older kids and adults. To boot, many of these ads or commercials you see for babies and toddlers are Non-Union jobs which pay very little, usually less than an adult working on the same project. (And by the way, Parents, YOU will NEVER get paid on a job your child books for your time.) The good news is that every so often National commercial opportunities DO come around for baby products such as Pampers, Gerbers, etc. and/or products that need babies and toddlers which pay very well; however, those opportunities are not in abundance, as explained above. This is why agents and managers are very choosy with the baby's type and the parents they choose to work with.

Another reason why most agencies are deterred from working with children ages 0-5 years of age is because frankly, working with babies and toddlers is challenging! Children in this age-range change frequently in their first five years of life, and it becomes A LOT OF WORK for an agent to stay on top of parents to keep their child's headshots and statistics up-to-date! This is so very important. Why? If a casting director is looking for an 18 month old, male, hispanic, with full head of hair, then that is EXACTLY what they want to see! And agents know, for the most part, that when submitting their clients at this young age, there's going to be a high probability that their clients' profiles will NOT be up-to-date. A parent that shows up to an audition with a baby who looks differently than their picture, who has outgrown the statistic, is sure to waste their time, as well as the casting directors and the agents. Many parents fail to keep statistics current on a regular basis. Agents find that they spend way too much time motivating parents to continuously provide them with their child's updated information so they can submit their clientele appropriately and accurately. With some parents it like pulling teeth! (This is a sure way to be dropped from an agency.) For most agents, it just isn't worth their time, especially when they have a thriving older kids or adult division. With fewer agents handling babies and toddlers, the less opportunities there are in actually getting an agent.

MYTH #3: You should NEVER pay money to an agency or management company, for any reason, to get your child into the business. It should be totally FREE! In fact, everything should be free! Besides, if an agent or manager wants to represent my child, they should pay for all the expenses!

FACT: FALSE! The only FREE part of this industry is when you sign with a legitimate talent agency. Agents are only paid a commission, ONLY AFTER your child books a job. If a company claims to be an AGENCY, then you should never have to pay them a dime. On the other hand, there are legitimate management companies for babies and toddlers that may have some sort of set-up or registration fee, generally around $75 to $250, to get your child up and running. This is due to the age-range of these children. It takes quite a bit of work to get parents properly set up and provide them with all the tools necessary to be successful. They may also provide continuous assistance to parents such as frequently updating information which can be very tedious and time consuming. By paying a reasonable fee on the part of a parent is also perceived as reassurance that a parent is truly committed and will hold up to their responsibilities. However, it is in your child's best interest to work with a management company whose main objective is to provide as much opportunity as possible for your child. Then it becomes a win-win situation because the management company is only paid a commission, ONLY AFTER your child books a job. RED FLAG: If you meet with a management company that will get you started with everything you'll ever need, not to mention that they think "your child was destined to be a star", all for, say, several hundred or thousands of dollars, PLEASE ASK YOURSELF, "What is this management company's main objective if I pay them $1,500? Will they really be seeking opportunities for my child after I've paid them up front?" Well, consider this: your child is most likely not the only "star" that they've seen that month, so multiply $1,500 times one hundred children, for easy numbers, and multiply that by 12 months. It doesn't take rocket-science to figure out where their true interests lie. At this point, you shouldn't walk out their office ... RUN!

As far as your costs are concerned, here are the facts. Just like any other business, there are always start-up costs. Parents MUST be able to make a minimal investment in order to obtain the assistance and tools needed be successful in show business. Agents and Managers are NOT responsible for these costs.

You can expect to pay for these types of expenses:

• Snapshots and/or Professional Headshots. Babies under age three may get away with a snapshot from your own digital camera. This is the least costly approach and generally acceptable for this age group, however, they MUST be pretty darn cute pictures. Agents and managers are VERY PICKY about headshots because photos need to POP OUT in order to be selected for auditions. Your agent or manager may be able to provide you with good photo samples as a guide to what you need to do when photographing your own child. However, if your digital image is not REALLY GOOD, it may not stand out up against professional headshots of the other children. Many parents do invest in professional headshots and get AMAZING pictures for their child. (Price may range from $75-$150). Many PRINT AGENTS require professionally made ZED cards for children after the age of three or four years old. This is more costly, but is necessary for Print Agents to have the proper tools to market your child. It requires a full professional photoshoot with three or four changes of looks. (Price may range from $150-$300). To top it all, because babies and toddlers grow and change so rapidly, you may need to have TWO photo sessions in a given year to keep up with their current look.

• You can also expect to invest in REPRODUCTIONS for hardcopies of some of these pictures and/or ZED CARDS. (Price range from $75-$150).

• There are costs involved to maintain updated pictures on the industry websites, which will allow your child to be submitted for audition opportunities. You can expect to change your child's pictures two or three times a year on these websites. Fees to update photos range from $10-$25 per photo. On average, you will need to have two to four photos per website. The cost for this alone can be anywhere from $100-$250 for the year, depending on the number of photos updated.

• Gas expenses to and from auditions.

• Office supplies such as ink, paper, printer, computer, etc.

• Miscellaneous expenses such as clothing when it calls for your baby to wear or bring something specific that you do not have, marketing tools (optional), etc.

IN SUMMARY, your costs for all of this can range anywhere from $300-$1000 a year.
If that seems a bit out of your financial comfort zone, please DO NOT GET STARTED.

To learn more about babies and toddlers in the show business industry, please check back with us regularly for updates