The best ones find their own way there without Mums and Dads.
I'm glad you've ruled out Pro-Scout.
Mr Noddy has a grandson who did quite well as a child dancer (Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show). He had a good agent who charged 15% of any money that he made--but didn't charge when he wasn't working.
She kept track of what shows were casting, what the producers were looking for, when tryouts were held.... She earned her money.
The family did have to pay for portfolios of pictures: Professional still shots (and they can be expensive for young kids because features change so quickly) and amateur tapes of dancing performances.
A good, respectable agent will tell you what you need and how much it will cost.
I imagine ProScout does a lot of hand-holding and produces enthusiastic admiration at the drop of a dollar.
I WAS AN INVITED AND PAID AGENT at PROSCOUT
i was an AGENT At PROSCOUT. The place is a scam! All the agents are paid and treated to a nice weekend out of town.
Agents are paid minimum $200 plus hotel and room and the speakers get $1500 plus,
They are all out to make a buck. No one cares about any of the contestants.
The PS staff is a joke, they invite the lowest rung of reps they can find that will keep their mouths shut. None of the agents rep anyone you know about. Brian Marcus will be shouting HANNAH MONTANA as if she had anything to do with PS.
The modeling agents are all there to fuel their own scams.
The whole thing is really sad.
Ask for a PRINTED LIST of what agents will be attending your town. You will never get one. MEL MCFARLANE (totally un-informed about the business) will never invite a reputable agent. Ask which celebs the agents represent. NONE.
They would never invite a reputable shop to ruin or whistle blow their event.
Interesting, thanks for your take, ebay1500.
My daughter has attended four acting camps since I started this thread (three from the same place, one from another) and LOVED them. She seems to have a taste for comic acting -- her favorite thing ever is to make an audience laugh.
Yaya has the performance bug right now. We'll see where it leads her....
