Expert: Phil Nemy - 4/4/2009

Question
I read this answer to a question posted here about where to go to audition for Disney Channel shows:

"There is a lot of competition for shows as good as these [Disney Channel shows], so only the best and best-trained actors really have much chance.
For now, if you love to act, join a club, at school or in the neighborhood, and start playing around with acting. If you still like it when you graduate, you could go to a theatre school, where you'll learn a lot of things that actors need. Then lots of auditions, lots more classes in all sorts of skills, and eventually, who knows, you may make it onto the Disney Channel."

I am interested in how a child between the ages of 1 and 5 get started with shows that are aired on the Disney Channel.  More specifically, is there a talent agency that is "known" in the industry, where casting directors pull a majority of their talent for these particular shows?  

Thank you for your time.

Answer
Joseph,

Thanks for writing. There isn't really only one agency known for representing kids. There are quite a few known for this. When a new program needs a child between the ages of 1 and 5, they usually announce an open call available to anyone with a child in the age range they seek. They do this because kids between the ages of 1 and 5 can't really "act", what they can do is "react" or "respond" to people. So they're looking for charm, comfortability in front of new people, large numbers of people, and how focused they can remain on one thing for a long period of time - something difficult for most kids. These open calls are almost always held in Los Angeles, so you'd need to live here if you want to pursue them. On occasion, if a show is shooting in another city, they'll hold the open call there, but that's an unusual situation.

LACasting.com is one sight that you can register your child, post cute pics of your child and have open call casting announcements emailed to you. It costs a fee, but it's not a lot of money. You might explore using this.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Phil