The Hollywood Parents Guide: Your Roadmap to Pursuing Your Child's Dream

Name: The Hollywood Parents Guide: Your Roadmap to Pursuing Your Child's Dream
Rating: 4.8 (86 reviews)

by: Bonnie J. Wallace (0)

Accurate, experience-tested information on every step needed to give your child the best possible opportunity to make it in Hollywood. Inspiration. Resources to help you on your own journey, and even help you decide if this dream is right for you and your family to pursue at all.My daughter Dove and I moved to Los Angeles from an island in Washington State when she was fourteen, armed only with her head shot, resume of community theater roles, and her dream. What I didn’t know about what we were doing would fill a large book.Today, Dove is a grounded, successful young woman with her own show on the Disney Channel, and four films to her credit, as well as numerous other TV and music credits.We have been incredibly fortunate, and this book is my way of sharing what we’ve learned—and what some other parents of young stars have learned—in the hope that more families might save themselves some pain and precious time. Hollywood is filled with tragic stories of people who crashed on the edge of this dream. It doesn’t have to be that way. I can help you navigate this world with your child.Features interviews with industry experts and the parents of other young Hollywood stars, including Olivia Holt, Luke Benward, Cameron Boyce, Ryan McCartan, Jordan Fisher, and more.Visit my website for updated resources and helpful information:http://www.HollywoodParentsGuide.com“If you have a child who is interested in getting into ‘the business’ THE HOLLYWOOD PARENTS GUIDE is an absolute MUST READ. Bonnie writes from the heart and the result is not only warm and funny, but full of useful information. Real stories from real parents of real kids working in the industry - tips and advice from casting directors, agents and other industry professionals. It’s like arming yourself with a mini toolbox full of all the tools that you’ll need to help guide you as you venture along this journey with your child. I should make it required reading for the parents of all of my clients! “Pamela Fisher Vice President Abrams Artists Agency – Head of Youth and Young Adult“From A to Z The Hollywood Parents Guide answers every question I have received as a Casting Director and more. If your child wants to be a professional actor, the first thing you need to realize is that acting is a business and as in any business, there are rules to help guide you. Bonnie Wallace has given parents a How to Guide that is a must read.”Suzanne Goddard-SmytheCasting DirectorNominated for two Artios Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Casting"First let me say that The Hollywood Parents Guide is a fantastic book! Finally there is a guide to help parents steer their kids performing career. Thousands of parents have asked me for just such a book. There are a couple on the market already but they are written by agents or acting coaches. What parents have needed is a book written by one of them! And Bonnie has done a superb job writing it. The information is not only current but from the heart. If you have a little tyke that is driving you crazy to be on TV pick this one up!"Chambers Stevens, Author of the Hollywood 101 Series5-time winner of the Backstage Readers Choice Award"An absolute play by play of how to best help your young, budding artist become a healthy, fully-functioning Hollywood success. Not only is my mother an incredible writing talent, but she also possesses a true depth of experience in parenting a Hollywood hopeful. User-friendly and guided by an open, generous voice with first hand knowledge of the industry, this book is one I can truly call 'masterful'."Dove CameronActor and singerStar of Liv and Maddie, Disney Descendants, and Barely Lethal

The Reviews

I can’t imagine what it would be like to navigate Hollywood and properly support your child’s dream without reading this book! I’m so thankful to the author’s open dedication in writing something so candid and invaluable.Absolutely every topic you could think of is covered! This is the first book I’ve read on this subject with an in depth overall look at the whole picture of the business and the rules of the business, with an explanation to the way things are run that isn’t understood by anyone who only has an idea of what this business entails.Written by the parent of a successful actress, this book includes insight from casting directors and other successful Hollywood parents that is very inspiring. You will read this book with a compelling drive to make sure you correctly go about this journey with your child and family while keeping healthy perspective of the journey, and keeping your family unit and self care intact.

The value of this book to parents of want-to-be and emerging child actors is simply paramount – it should be required reading! The Hollywood Parents Guide is straight, honest, and helpful information drawn from Bonnie’s own experiences along with that of others who have gone through it as well as experts in the industry - often in their own words via the chapters with transcribed interview content. If you haven’t done so already, read this book and also listen to her podcasts! – I wish I had done both earlier. The book covers a vast array of issues, providing guidance through all stages of the journey and the related facets of TV/film auditioning and actual “on set” acting work. Reading it will help parents of actors make more optimal decisions, avoid embarrassing and/or damaging mistakes, and even prevent awkwardly peppering their Agents & Managers with too many basic questions.

If you have not bought this book yet you need to get to it! If you want to be mentored by the best and understand the ins and outs of being an actor you have come to the right place. I have a daughter who is pursing an acting career and lives between Houston and California. There is a lot to learn when you have a 12 year old who is passionate about acting. There is a lot to learn for Mom, daughter and family when getting into this business. You will get valuable information from other families who have gone through this and have given their insights of the business. I knew I had a lot to learn when getting my daughter into the acting business and I feel The Hollywood Parents Guide is the book to help you through the steps. It is definitely worth it and you will be happy you read it!! Bonnie Wallace has done a superb job of covering all the bases in acting.

I have a 21-year old who has one more year in a BFA acting program and who has been lucky enough to have been in four feature films, shot during the summer months in our home state. When he finally moves to Los Angeles after school, he’ll be on his own. So ours is a very different story than Bonnie Wallace’s daughter and those kids who moved to LA and started young, and yet, I found this book both riveting and extremely informative. It shed the spotlight on many things I hadn’t known before, even though my (newly adult) son is already in “the business.” Bonnie’s breezy style and strong voice kept me turning pages - and taking notes - well into the night! I know the target audience is for parents whose kids are drawn to working in the film and television world at an early age, but this is also a must-read for anyone who is starting out, or newly navigating the acting world in Los Angeles!

As a parent of a child actor in our hometown, I've contemplated what's next for our journey and purchased Bonnie's book with much anticipation! "The Hollywood Parent's Guide" is a MUST for families navigating the ins and outs of the talent business. This book includes not only experiences from Bonnie's family, but she also includes interviews with other families to prove not everyone has the same journey. My son had the privilege of meeting Bonnie and Dove at a concert and we've told her how much we've appreciated her book. We especially focused on the chapters concerning 'building a team' and 'pilot season.' This book continues to be a great reference to us while our child attempts his first pilot season this year (2016). Thank you Bonnie, for promoting a healthy example of a mother in this business and we wish you continued success!- Teri Cochran(mother of Jayden Blake Cochran)

This is the book I and so many other parents have been waiting for! It is a no-nonsense, comprehensive guide to "the biz" and will be a go-to reference for years to come. I wish it had been out earlier, when my daughter was younger, but at least it is here now. Wallace's style is readable and straightforward, and she covers pretty much everything I've needed to ask. If every young Hollywood aspirant and their parents had this book, the road to stardom wouldn't be littered with so many sad stories. The section on SCAMS should be mandatory reading for any parents of a cute kid!Though written for parents, it's actually a good guide for anyone at any age thinking of "going pro" and I'd recommend it to any one thinking about it. The stories she shares are also very interesting, a fly-on-the wall look and listen at the back-story.

As a mom of 3 girls that have had a small taste of success in the business, this book has become my go to source for inspiration and validation! This book is easy to read, concise and entertaining. The interviews are a really fun bonus because you're not only hearing one child star/parent journey but SEVERAL accounts from the parents of many big names in the industry! What I really love most about it is the way you can feel Bonnie warmth and positivity in her writing. It is clear that she has high hopes for Hollywoods future!(PS I love that with the digital copy I can turn on the Text-to-Speech feature so that my husband and 4 kids can listen along since we are all in this together! I finished the book in 2 days just listening along as I was driving kids to rehearsal or making dinner!)