Expert: Phil Nemy - 9/25/2007

Question
Our son is extremely even tempered and a very happy baby, he is very outgoing and very beautiful. We really can't go anywhere without someone stopping us so they can interact with our son. The constant comment is that he needs to be in commercials which got us thinking. We both have a love for the arts and would like to develop that in our son. My question is can you give me a top 5 list of SAG approved agents that represent babies 10 months or older. Also, what is your experience/advice when it comes to starting children acting at such a young age and what age would you recommend?

Answer
Tiffany,

Thanks for writing. My wife and I faced the same issues as you just recently as we have a daughter almost 2 and we get the same kind of comments. The best resource for finding agents that represent babies is The Hollywood Representation Directory which can be found at www.hcdonline.com. Do a search in the index in the back of the guide for agents who handle children. When a child is a baby, you can't really say which is the top 5 agency. When children are of an age where they speak, then you can begin to look at agencies on a scale.

The way it works essentially is this: when an agent gets a breakdown for a listing for a baby that meets your child's look, age, sex, etc., the agent submits the baby's headshot. If you get called in for a meeting by the casting director, you go. If your baby books the job, the agent handles the deal. Agents don't really "sell" babies in the way that they "sell" child actors.

It's inevitable that when an agent wants to rep your baby, they'll ask you to put pictures of him on www.lacasting.com. You might want to start there.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Phil