Expert: Kitty Kavey - 9/18/2008

Question
I have submitted my 8 month daughter's photos to some talent agencies in the Atlanta, Ga area and have received two offers for interviews.  Also, I was asked to write a resume.  How should I prepare for the interviews and what can I include in a resume for a baby who has not done anything yet?

Answer
That's an interesting one - since usually talent under age 12 or thereabouts may not even use a professional actor's headshot, and I've not heard of a baby using an actor's headshot/resume, outside of Los Angeles.

I will assume the interview is for the agency to determine that your daughter does look like her photos, and that she can be still enough for someone to get a photograph or film shot, and see how she reacts when exposed to new environments and faces.

Presumably with you they will discuss the percentage they take with you, the area they cover, and make sure you have the time and resources to be able to get your daughter to castings or jobs.

A legit agency should only be making their money by taking a percentage off of the work booked through them (usually 10-20%), not by selling you anything such as photography or marketing services, classes, etc. so watch out for that.

For the resume itself, I suppose you could follow the format for a regular actor's resume, and just leave out all the acting roles.  A few samples of actor's resumes can be seen here:

http://www.actorspages.org/resume.php
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2273669/resume

and you can also do a search for actor's resumes, or sample actor's resumes to help you further.  Basically, you can put your daughter's name, contact info, stats, and probably that's about it - unless she has an unusual skill or talent already.  Keep in mind that you are also interviewing the agencies you visit, to see if they are right for your daughter.

Good luck to you both,
~Kitty