Tips For Successfully Obtaining Paid Acting Work For Your Teenager

If your teenager has been staring in school theater performances for years and wants to get started getting paid acting work to help fund their college education, then these tips will help them be successful in this quest:

Tip: Work With a Professional Talent Agent With a Proven Track Record

It is very rare for paid actors to be unrepresented by an agent. Talent agents make it their job to search out the best acting talent, and they are the people contacted to provide actors to audition for projects. Without an agent, your teen will be able to attend open auditions, but their access to paid acting jobs will be severely limited by a lack of access to invitation-only auditions. 

When you are searching for a talent agent, make sure to perform your research into their reputation, and make sure they represent clients who are currently receiving paid acting work similar to what your teen seeks.

Tip: Obtain Additional Acting Skills in a High-Quality Acting Education Program

If your teen wants to work as an actor for the long-term, then they need to be able to play a variety of different roles. The way to accomplish this is by learning many different acting skills taught in high-quality acting programs.

While summer camp programs are fun, paid acting requires more dedication and a lot more schooling. The best acting schools offer both workshops with currently working actors and small, age-appropriate classes.

Tip: Participate in Local Acting Opportunities Whenever Possible

Though your teen is aiming for paid acting work, they should not avoid local acting opportunities, such as school performances, community theater productions, and county fair talent showcases. Agents who are searching for new talent often attend these sorts of events, and your teen never knows where that big break will come from.

The reality is that if you want to be an actor, then you need to do a lot of free work before the money starts to roll in.

Tip: Don't Neglect the Need for Basic Vocal and Dance Instruction

Finally, it is important to note that additional instruction in dance and vocal techniques will always be helpful for future actors. Since speaking and movement are such big parts of acting, teens who have a basic understanding and skills in these areas will work more than those who do not. And when it comes to paid acting work, the more skills and education your teen has, the more likely they are to land the bigger and higher-paying gigs.