TalentSoup Chef's Blog

Yummy...Print and TV casting for adults and kids. $2250 / $1200 for booked talent

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:06:00 -0400

Atlanta, GA - Television (non-union) and Print Project #1117 - Pays up to $2250* adults, $1200* minors

A fantastic national shoe retailer is perusing the Soup for some great talent. This upcoming campaign is for Print and Television (non-union). If you are in the Soup, be sure your Physical page is complete (shoe size might be slightly important!). Project is searching on specific physical traits FYI.

Here’s the breakdown - (experienced adult talent, experienced minors helpful but not required):

Men and women, 20-45, all ethnicities
Boys and girls, 1-2 years old, all ethnicities
Boys, 6-8 years old, all ethnicities
Girls, 4-5 years old, all ethnicities

Shoot date: Project will shoot between May 30th and June 6th. An in person go-see, by invitation only, may also be scheduled.

Client: A national shoe retailer

Usage: 12 months usage for all print, web and TV in 5 markets.

Session: 10 hours

*Adult Rates (payment based on existing Entry or Pro account):

Independent talent w/ Pro Webcomp - $1250 (shoot day) + $1000 (broadcast) - 0% = $2250 paid to you
Independent talent w/ Entry Webcomp - $2250-20% = $1800 paid to you
Represented talent (agency is registered with us) w/ Pro Webcomp - $2250 + agency ($450) - 0% = $2700 paid to your agency
Represented talent (agency is registered with us) w/ Entry Webcomp - $2250 + agency ($450) - 10% = $2430 paid to your agency

*Minor Rates (payment based on existing Entry or Pro account):

Independent talent w/ Pro Webcomp - $750 (shoot day) + $450 (broadcast) - 0% = $1200 paid to you (well, your parent)
Independent talent w/ Entry Webcomp - $1200-20% = $960 paid to you
Represented talent (agency is registered with us) w/ Pro Webcomp - $1200 + agency ($240) - 0% = $1440 paid to your agency
Represented talent (agency is registered with us) w/ Entry Webcomp - $1200 + agency ($240) - 10% = $1296 paid to your agency

IF YOU ARE IN THE SOUP- Please ensure your PHYSICAL page is complete!!!

NOT IN THE SOUP? HOW TO GET SUBMITTED

Be sure you upload photos of your entire family. We welcome babies through grandparents so feel free to register everyone! Once you create your portfolio, be sure the Main photo is the whole family photo (this will make sense once you sign up).

Signing up the whole family is easy (every member must have their own Webcomp account). Here’s how to use the same email address to register them all https://talentsoup.com/forums/faq/topics/6#12

Ready to sign up?

If You Are: An Independent, or Unrepresented Talent

All talent must be signed up in TalentSoup (it’s fast and free) to be submitted. Go to TalentSoup’s Sign Up page and get in the mix! Or visit www.talentsoup.com for more information.

If You Are: A Talent Agency, or Agency-Represented Talent:

Agencies must first register (no cost) their Agency with us at https://talentsoup.com/agencies. Then invite your talent to sign up on TalentSoup. Invitations can be sent from within your Dashboard after you register, or your talent can simply enter your agency name in the “How did you hear about us?” box upon signup through TalentSoup’s Sign Up page. Full details and to register your agency are found here https://talentsoup.com/agencies

JUST WHAT IS TALENTSOUP?

Read the blog http://blog.talentsoup.com
See our amazing talent in action http://work.talentsoup.com
Interact with us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/talentsoup
Tweet with us www.twitter.com/talentsoup

NOTE- We are a broker and talent marketplace, not an agency. TalentSoup does not discriminate against anyone, for any reason (age, sex, color, ethnicity, etc). ALL humans are encouraged to register, create a Webcomp portfolio, and volunteer themselves for automatic submission to matching projects. Put simply, we love people. All of them.

Wireless brand casting for an Atlanta-area family. $2000 if booked.

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:06:50 -0400

Atlanta, GA Print Project #1116

A national wireless provider is looking for an actual family to star in a “print” photo shoot for a future advertising campaign. NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED! Ideally, they would like parents and 3 kids but they’ll consider 4 person families too! If you are in the Soup, see instructions below…

Here’s the breakdown- (experience is helpful but not required):

Parents, all ethnicities
6-9 year old (male or female)
10-12 year old (male or female)
15-18 year old (male or female)

Shoot date: Project will shoot Friday, June 14th. An in person go-see, by invitation only, may also be scheduled.
Client: A national wireless provider

Usage: Unlimited use of images, across any advertising channels (print, web, point of sale, etc), forever (in perpetuity).

Session: 8 hours

Paying A Whole Family Rate (payment based on existing parent’s Entry or Pro account):

Independent talent w/ Pro Webcomp - $2000 - 0% = $2000 paid for your whole family
Independent talent w/ Entry Webcomp - $2000-20% = $1600 paid for your whole family
Represented talent (agency is registered with us) w/ Pro Webcomp - $2000 + agency ($400) - 0% = $2400 paid to your agency
Represented talent (agency is registered with us) w/ Entry Webcomp - $2000 + agency ($400) - 10% = $2160 paid to your agency

IF YOU ARE IN THE SOUP- Please upload several whole family photos and move them to the top of your photos page. Be sure one family photo is the Main image!

NOT IN THE SOUP? HOW TO GET SUBMITTED

Signing up the whole family is easy (every member must have their own Webcomp account). Here’s how to use the same email address to register them all https://talentsoup.com/forums/faq/topics/6#12

Ready to sign up?

If You Are: An Independent, or Unrepresented Talent

All talent must be signed up in TalentSoup (it’s fast and free) to be submitted. Go to TalentSoup’s Sign Up page and get in the mix! Or visit www.talentsoup.com for more information.

If You Are: A Talent Agency, or Agency-Represented Talent:

JUST WHAT IS TALENTSOUP?

Read the blog http://blog.talentsoup.com
See our amazing talent in action http://work.talentsoup.com
Interact with us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/talentsoup
Tweet with us www.twitter.com/talentsoup

Monday's Encouragement: Your portfolio should work hard for you! Here's how to avoid a lazy one.

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:38:43 -0400

We want you to kick this week off right so today, it’s time for encouragement and education. If are happy with your level of success as an actor or model, stop reading. If not, then we hope you’ll find value in spending the next few minutes reading, contemplating and acting on this post!

First up, Encouragement.

You are probably the greatest hinderance to your own success. Stop it.

The only formula to being successful in our business is constant effort and exposure.

In other words, the work you put into this business is directly related to the success you get out of the business.

Now, for the Education

If you are willing to put in the work, the next step is how to maximize your return on that labor investment. You want to work smart. We all do. No once wants to waste their effort. So start this week off by making a plan and start putting your Webcomp portfolio out there. This includes active projects where you are submitting the URL to your Webcomp AND inactive marketing, where you’ve blanketed your URL everywhere you can (Facebook, email signature, Twitter account, personal website, IMDb, etc).

Now for some action. Putting your portfolio to work!

Commit to regularly searching for work (ask your friends in the business where to find legitimate castings) and use your Webcomp as the submission manager. The point is commit to regularly searching and submitting.

Now lets walk through some of the powerful features built into your Webcomp (Pro and Entry)-

1. Your Public Webcomp Link: This URL will take a visitor the public version of your Webcomp. That version protects you by stripping out your last name and call contact information. Pro accounts can personalize their URL by visiting #4, the My Account page (more on that below.

2. Stats: Is your Webcomp being looked at? With STATS, you’ll know in an instant! Remember, the harder you work at getting your URL out there, the more traffic you’ll have. So if your STATS are flat, think about how you are marketing yourself. Note- Stats are for all viewers of your Public Webcomp URL, including our clients and anyone that finds your portfolio online.

3. Email My Webcomp (aka, Submission Manager): When you find a project online that requires submission via email, use this powerful feature! Not only does the recipient get a beautifully formatted version of your Webcomp right in their inbox (no links to follow!), but you’ll get to see if it was opened. And you can make notes to yourself about the project for review later. Tracking who, what and where you submit your Webcomp is key! See below for a deeper explanation…

4. My Account: As mentioned, here’s where Pro accounts can get their personalized URL. If you are Entry, you can upgrade your account here too (and downgrade at anytime).

Diving in to the Email My Webcomp, let’s have a look-

When you find a project directing you to submit via email, use this form instead of your email client. We’ll send an email-formatted version of your Webcomp right to their inbox AND you’ll see the recording of your submission below. This way you can easily track your effectiveness.

That’s all from the Chef for now. Make today the start of a new booking strategy. And remember this is an industry that takes time to find success. Never stop trying, never give up!

Communication and call sheets. Keeping our talent informed is important

Thu, 09 May 2013 14:35:41 -0400

We get lots of surprised responses from talent and clients alike from the volume and completeness of our communication. While that’s good for us and the TalentSoup brand, it’s a sad reflection on how many agencies operate. We tend to err on the side of too much information!

Much of today was spent getting booked talent their call sheets, communicating with other talent about active jobs and other bookings, and general emails about Webcomp images and incomplete accounts.

Call Sheets (times, locations, maps, brings, hair and makeup status, phone numbers, etc) are assembled, and sent out to booked talent, copying any agencies whose talent are involved, with a request for reply to confirm receipt. This let’s us close the loop and inform clients when all of their talent are confirmed booked.

Communication is important in our industry and it’s a two way street. We book hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of talent every year. So if we are lucky enough to work with you, please over communicate with us. We don’t mind.

Do you think casting directors want to see this? An obvious answer and a rant from the Chef.

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:17:36 -0400

Yes, this is rhetorical but its really important that our talent consider their Brand, their Package, their Image. You ARE the product folks. So think about what you are presenting to potential “buyers” of your product.

Here is a perfect example from one of the many ripoff sites (more on that below). We get email “submissions” from our free castings that they rip off our site then charge talent to view. The talent respond and apply, which sends an email LINK to us.

Here’s what they send (blurred elements to protect the scam site)-

<sarcasm>WOW!!! I totally want to waste my time trying to figure out which link might take me to their awful website!!! Yes, sign me up!! <close sarcasm>

WHY????

When our talent, using the Email My Webcomp option in their account, send this to castings and job postings requiring an email (outside the Soup of course) -

THAT is good packaging. That’s a fantastic way to sell your brand.

And now a rant from the Chef-

If you, our amazing talent, are paying for a site that does nothing but show you castings, there is a very high probability it’s a scam ripoff site. These sites steal our castings, which are posted freely to the public on this blog, and then charge people to view them!!

We can’t effectively stop all of these scammers, but we can help talent wake up to the ripoff.

Project updates- Hotel chain, wireless company and home improvement clients..busy day in the kitchen!

Tue, 07 May 2013 15:50:43 -0400

Good Tuesday everyone! Sorry for the slow updates here on the blog.

Hotel Chain - project is closed for submissions and final bookings are almost done. That includes Atlanta and Miami talent.
Wireless - also closed to submissions. Waiting on confirmation the client is finished booking before it closes, which is likely later today.
Home Improvement - 29 talent booked in Atlanta. Project is closed.

We’ve got some great stuff cooking so hang in there! And don’t forget to keep looking for work anywhere and everywhere!

Your Webcomp makes it easy, powerful and effective. From stats to track who’s looking at you to beautiful email versions of your Webcomp (not just a link that someone has to follow!), we built incredible tools into your account. So go use them! Check out this short video to get you started.

Boston area engaged couples casting..this is going to be one big party!

Mon, 06 May 2013 14:12:59 -0400

Our friends at Natick Collection (an upscale shopping mall outside of Boston) are back for more Soup fun. We are managing the search for engaged couples to be part of their next marketing campaign.

Given the amazing stores at Natick (that’s who is providing the gifts) I’m guessing this will be an amazing start to one new couple!

If you are in the Soup, and want to be submitted, here’s what to do-

Upload at least 2 shots of you together as a couple. Make your Main photo a tight shot of you both.
Email chef@talentsoup.com with the Subject - Natick Casting and we’ll get you in there!

If you are not in the Soup, please follow this link to the Natick Shopper Search page to signup!

Never a dull moment around here…happy Monday everyone!

Fantastic new baby product promo with Ashley L.

Mon, 06 May 2013 13:22:45 -0400

talentsoupwork:

Great work Ashley L tso.to/mniYIS and @lalabu. Check her out in this video A Day With Lalabu

Project 1112. National wireless company back in the Soup for great talent. $1200 for 5 hours.

Thu, 02 May 2013 15:23:31 -0400

A brand we all know is back (5th or 6th year they’ve been a client) for some great talent. This project will shoot May 9th but a closed, invite-only go see is mandatory for select talent. That happens this Saturday in Atlanta. Project will book 2 principals and 2 extras.

Principals-

Independent Pro accounts are paid $1200
Independent Entry accounts are paid 20% less, or $960
Agency Pro accounts are paid $1200 plus agency to their agent.
Agency Entry accounts are paid 10% less to their agent.

Extras-

Independent Pro accounts are paid $500
Independent Entry accounts are paid 20% less, or $400
Agency Pro accounts are paid $500 plus agency to their agent.
Agency Entry accounts are paid 10% less to their agent.

Project 1110. A yummy food brand is back for more talent from the Soup!

Wed, 01 May 2013 21:38:00 -0400

Can’t give out too much info but project 1110 is another satisfied customer back for more. We’ll be casting kids and adults in Atlanta (150 mile radius I believe). 3 hours on set.

Pro accounts paid $1000, Pro minors paid $750. Entry accounts get 80% and of course, our Agency linked talent will see fees based on their account with us as well.

Project will have a closed, invitation only on May 9th. Then chosen talent will shoot on one day, May 14-16th.

Keep those Webcomp’s fresh folks. You never know when we’ll be submitting you!

Announcing the launch of Commissary: Client-focused talent management

Wed, 01 May 2013 16:20:20 -0400

We’ve got lots cooking here in the Soup. What our talent don’t see is what goes on when we serve you up to a project.

It all happens on Creative Commissary. That’s where our clients shop for, organize, sort, invite, comment and book talent from TalentSoup. Today, we are opening Commissary up to our clients as a beta.

So if you buy talent, head on over and have a look www.getcommissary.com

First live test for our new automated Go See Invitation feature.

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:25:17 -0400

ATL and MIA talent that were chosen for tomorrow’s Go See will be getting emails from us with your invitation. Be sure you follow the link in the email to indicate that you are, or are not, coming!

Project 1106 - National hotel chain shooting in Atlanta and Miami. $2000* full day

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:27:21 -0400

Light on full details but here’s the latest-

Castings will take place in Atlanta and Miami this Friday and will be invitation only. Only talent in the Soup as of this posting will be submitted due to the tight turn around. Here’s the info-

ATLANTA SHOOTS May 13th:

8 Principles

8 -10 Extras

**Non Union

MIAMI SHOOTS TBD, QUANTITY: TBD

TALENT RATE (remember your account and status will change your final rate)

Principle Adults - $2000

Principle Minors - $1200

Adult Extras - $600

Minor Extras - $500

USAGE

Two (2) years, front first time use, North America, non exclusive. Unlimited/unrestricted print & video/broll including but not limited to newspaper, magazine, agency & client promotion OOH,POS,PR,DM,POP,FSI, collateral, trade, industrial.ANy and all electronic media including but not limited to online/internet, websites, apps, QR codes, interactive & social media. No broadcast.

More details to come!

Human shaped cars...that was a fun project

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:08:51 -0400

Good looking talent! Wink wink. RT@StudioBurns: Tom Abraham coaxed contortionists for Ford Motors. Here’s how:vimeo.com/64329224

Who's looking at your Webcomp™ Portfolio? Stats are back! Check it out.

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:19:00 -0400

As you may know, we love helping our talent, regardless if they have a free Entry account or $5 a month Pro account, find work. So we built Stats into every Webcomp. They’ve been down while we updated some other elements of our technology but now they are back!

When you submit your Public Link to castings, in your email signature, on your website etc. we track who’s looking at your Webcomp. You’ll find the link to the right of your name in the header-

You’ll be taken to a page with some great information on who’s checking you out! Just one more way we are empowering our talent to find work inside, and outside, the Soup!

The Chef wants to know: how can TalentSoup help you land more work?

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:18:00 -0400

News flash for talent new to the industry: It’s VERY hard so prepare for a long haul.

Old news for the rest of us: The competitive nature of the industry demands new tools and strategies to land more work.

We believe that TalentSoup™ and our amazing (we think so) Webcomp Portfolio are already powerful tools for talent but we want to make them better. So we are asking you, our talent, to weigh in.

Specifically, how can your Webcomp be improved to help you land work OUTSIDE TalentSoup?

CHEF’S QUESTION

We are going to post this question on our Facebook page and ask you to respond there. Comments tend to build on each other so we hope to start a constructive dialog that will help us make Webcomp even better for you.

Respond To The Question On Facebook

Atlanta Project 1102. Great clients know great talent are in the Soup! Men and women, pays $2000* for 4 hours on set. YUM!

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:08:00 -0400

Project #1102

A southeastern utility company is hunting for some fantastic talent in the Soup and while we’ve got great options already signed up, we’d love to show them even more. So if you fit, get in the mix. And if you aren’t a fit, remember we’re now paying for referrals!

And if you are in the Soup, and refer someone that we book, we’ll pay you a finders fee of $25 (see below)!

Breakdown:

Middle eastern (Indian, Pakistani, etc) men, 38-50
Caucasian ladies, 45-60
African American men, 38-55
Caucasian men, 32-40

Shoot dates: TBD (check the blog for updates!)

Client: Southeastern utility company

Usage: Unlimited domestic use across all channels, excluding out of home and broadcast, in perpetuity (forever).

Session: 4 hours on set.

Half Day Rates (based on your status and Entry or Pro account):

Independent talent w/ Pro Webcomp - $2000 - 0% = $2000 paid to you
Independent talent w/ Entry Webcomp - $2000-20% = $1600 paid to you
Represented talent (agency is registered with us) w/ Pro Webcomp - $2000 + agency ($400) - 0% = $2400 paid to your agency
Represented talent (agency is registered with us) w/ Entry Webcomp - $2000 + agency ($400) - 10% = $2160 paid to your agency
No travel reimbursement for this project.

REFER A FRIEND?

If you invite a friend that fits this project and we book them, we’ll pay you $25. Instruct your friend to list your email and the Project # at the top of this page in the box labeled “How did you hear about TalentSoup?” during signup. If we book them, we’ll send you a check!

HOW TO GET SUBMITTED

Please note this project will cast in our system Sunday, April 14th, at 1 pm EST. All new talent must be registered by then to be submitted!

If You Are: Independent, or Unrepresented Talent

All talent must be signed up in TalentSoup (it’s fast and free) to be submitted. The search is limited to those talent living within 150 miles of San Diego, CA. Go to TalentSoup’s Sign Up page and get in the mix! Or visit www.talentsoup.com for more information.

If You Are: A Talent Agency, or Represented Talent:

JUST WHAT IS TALENTSOUP?

Visit our blog for the latest project updates around the country http://blog.talentsoup.com or see our talent in action in videos and tear sheets at http://work.talentsoup.com

Project #1046. Atlanta ladies, print shoot pays $2000*. Not you? Referrals pay $25

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:29:46 -0400

Project #1046

A consumer financial services company is shopping for the right face for an upcoming Print campaign. They need a very specific young lady for the role so read on!

And if you are in the Soup, and refer someone that we book, we’ll pay you a finders fee of $25 (see below)!

Breakdown (real people and professional models / actors):

Experienced model or actor
All ethnicities welcome
Female, ethnicity must be difficult to visually identify, ages 20-40 years old

Shoot dates: End of April, specifics TBD

Client: Growing consumer financial services brand

Usage: 1 year, national consumer web only, 1 year exclusivity in direct to consumer financial services only.

Session: 8 hours (possible second day which will add additional fees up to $1500)

Full Day Rates (based on your status and Entry or Pro account):

Independent talent w/ Pro Webcomp - $2000 - 0% = $2000 paid to you
Independent talent w/ Entry Webcomp - $2000-20% = $1600 paid to you
Represented talent (agency is registered with us) w/ Pro Webcomp - $2000 + agency ($400) - 0% = $2400 paid to your agency
Represented talent (agency is registered with us) w/ Entry Webcomp - $2000 + agency ($400) - 10% = $2160 paid to your agency
No travel reimbursement for this project.

REFER A FRIEND?

HOW TO GET SUBMITTED

If You Are: Independent, or Unrepresented Talent

If You Are: A Talent Agency, or Represented Talent:

JUST WHAT IS TALENTSOUP?

Visit our blog for the latest project updates around the country http://blog.talentsoup.com or see our talent in action in videos and tear sheets at http://work.talentsoup.com

Remember project 1019 last month? Well closed casting invites just went out!

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:03:25 -0400

Invited talent (and their agencies) will receive an email and phone call (robo call featuring Rad’s lovely voice) with instructions.

Another friendly reminder of why it’s important to keep your Webcomp photos and contact information updated and fresh! The fire department won’t let us use smoke signals anymore!

Creating a talent community: Interview with 2 very busy founders of NE Kids Actors Group on FB

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:40:00 -0400

Sticking with our theme this month of the importance of community for talent, we “interviewed” two busy moms that decided to create a talent community of their own.

They founded the Facebook group NE Kids Actors Group and continue to do a fantastic job of helping, coaching, issuing warnings and most important, sharing castings with their community. TalentSoup is honored to associate with these ladies and the talent and parents they represent!

Meet the founders of a very active talent community on Facebook, Natasha Colonero and Rosemary Pachecho:

About Natasha- Mom of 2 boys, Dante age 11 and Gianni age 8, married to Craig Colonero. Lives in Shrewsbury, MA. Work in finance during the day, and on weekends as a promotions model.

About Rosemary- For Rosemary, her most important role is that of mother to her beautiful 22 year old daughter Alexa Maria. Rosemary is an actor currently starring in Red Circles, the number one crime/supernatural web series right now in the LA Web Series Festival. She is also a film journalist/TV Host for Motif Magazine based in Rhode Island. She is also an entrepreneur who creatively designs weddings, events, and theme parties specializing in silk flowers. She is proud of recently being named one of the “Top 100 Women We Admire” through the Boston Ad Club. For Rosemary, running the NE Kids Actors Group is another way to create - opportunities - for networking, education and the facilitation of the careers of child actors.

What led you to create the NE Kids Actors group on Facebook?

Natasha - My kids have always been involved in dance, and theatre and modeling. It can be work trying to find out about opportunities in your area unless you are really paying attention and searching the web for them or have an agent that is really working for you. Many times I would come across a great opportunity, but it didn’t match my kids description. So then I would forward it on to people that I knew or met from previous gigs that I thought might be interested in it, including my husband sometimes. Sometimes people would return the favor and send me casting notices. I had started a facebook group for my sons dance studio a few years ago, and it really helped bring the competition team moms together and all on the same page for team announcements and last minute notices. Then I came across different acting facebook groups that I had heard about for adult actors in the area. One of which really helped was Hollywood East Actors Group, created by Erica Derrickson. I noticed some castings for kids once and a while, but with all of the postings, they would get lost in the shuffle. Once I jumped on an opportunity that fit one of my sons descriptions I met Rosemary Pachecho. She was so excited to meet me and tell me all about the opportunities there was for kids, but they only had a small group to draw from following that facebook page. She must have stayed on instant messenger with me till midnight that night guiding me on how to intro my kids to the group. Once I started following the group I also posted opportunities that I came across. There was just so much out there that I talked to Rosemary about it and created a group. Right off the bat we had 200 members in a day because of how many great connections we had simply from networking on the facebook group and on set. We are up to almost 500 members and we are all getting to know eachother and looking out for eachother. Another thing that is exciting is that we are attracting casting directors like Talent Soup, and others that are now posting opportunities on our page. It is a win win for everyone. Now all the families on our group are doing searches, so there are opportunities being posted every day from photo shoots, student films, theatre, inde all the way to feature films!

Rosemary - A search for an 8 year old boy who could act! I became involved in a film called “Chum” for Garth Donovan, Writer, Director.I was playing the role of mom in a somewhat disturbing reenactment scene between the mother and a young boy who is the friend of her young son, at a sleep over event. We needed a boy who could understand the material and be able to be okay with the scene itself.

One of New England’s young male veteran actors was already booked and we were running out of time. I put the call out for a young boy on Hollywood East, a site run by Erica Derrickson for actors, directors, film makers, and crew. Natasha saw my post and emailed me on Facebook, and sent me his pictures. I told the director, and she corresponded with him immediately.

He really liked Gianni’s look and without an audition, gave him the role. Gianni was great in the scene, and very professional on set.

After this occurred we said “Where are all the child actors? There must be a lot of them, but how do we collectively see who they are and their talents?” Natasha formed the NE Kids Actors group which started in November of 2012, and brought me on as Group Administrator. Within 4 and half months we have grown to almost 500 members with requests every day to join. It’s a giving, sharing, knowledgeable group which reports casting calls and opportunities for the children - and also, acts a watch dog group against scammers for the less experienced parents. Everyone in the group can post casting calls, share photos and news of their child’s work, give advice, and be supportive of each other - which is very evident upon just spending a few minutes reading the posts. It’s a fantastic forum that has grown considerably and I am very proud to be a part of it.

What advice can you offer to parents who are interested in getting their children into acting and/or modeling?

Natasha - Make sure it is what your child wants. Don’t count on a job just because you auditioned for it, it’s a tough business. Take some acting classes. Do your homework on any agencies that approach you. Join NE Kids Actors Group on facebook! Http://www.facebook.com/groups/newenglandkids/

Rosemary - Make sure you know that this is industry is something your child wants to be a part of. Ask questions, and listen very carefully.

Let this be a source of joy for them, not a source of obligation and resentment. This is a tough industry, and it must be met with a strong sense of self, because there is a lot of rejection - so make absolutely sure this is what you child wants, not what you WANT him or her to want.

And yes, do join our group, if your child is happy in performing and you would like to facilitate his or her career path, and most of all meet other parents who can help you get ahead. Http://www.facebook.com/groups/newenglandkids/

What advice can you offer parents, who are new to the industry, about being on set or preparing their kids for a shoot?

Natasha - Don’t put pressure on them to be perfect. Pack snacks and games to keep them busy because it can make for a long day. Stay out of the way! Let the professionals get their job done unless something seems really off.

Rosemary - Be prepared about how this industry works. Do your homework about the material you are performing and it’s purpose. Is its subject matter something you ( or the child) would rather stay away from? Know that film productions make for long days, and you will wait - a lot. Explain the ins and outs of a film set, and if you don’t know because you are new, then research the industry. Know your lines, and come prepared - always! If it’s a photo shoot, bring whatever wardrobe you were asked to bring, or come prepared by practicing the certain “looks” in the mirror that they may expect of you in the shoot. The more professional you and the child are, the more you will get hired. Simple as that. Make sure you sign releases and bring your own forms for copies of the footage/child’s work. Make sure you know if this film is a union film or an indie film, and know your contract, if it is union.Be sure to be quiet while the camera is rolling, and respect the work of others when they are performing also.

Unrelated to the industry, what are you passionate about?

Natasha - My family, and doing everything I can to give my boys a happy full life and the opportunity to try different things. They are involved in not only acting but baseball, basketball, ice hockey, dance, gymnastics and volunteer work too!

Helping others and making peoples days is something else I am passionate about! It‘s a great feeling! It is especially awesome that our NE England Kids group members also have that in common.

Rosemary - I absolutely love my beautiful daughter Alexa Maria, my reason for being. I’m passionate about my significant other Daniel, who has had the faith in me to transition out of a 9 to 5 job and follow the paths that have always brought the fire to my soul. Acting - which for me is very liberating experience, and allows me to access my own emotions to tell the story of another. Up-cycling! I am a fanatic about taking an old unused container and turning it into a beautiful vessel for my silk florals. Art and culture - which I absolutely could not inhabit this planet without. Bringing people together who can mutually benefit one another! Music, and animals, my pets for sure Oh, and last but not least, all things Italian!