My Kid Wants to Be an Actor!? Now What?

8 Steps to Getting Your Child Started on the Path to a Successful Acting Career

By: Makeda Tene´ Ekakitie

Narrated by: Makeda Tene' Ekakitie

Length: 3 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

If your kid has caught the acting bug and you want to help pave their way to stardom, then keep listening.…

Does your child enjoy performing in front of an audience–be it at family gatherings or at friends’ parties?

Have you lost count of the number of school plays or local theater productions your young one has starred in?

Are people constantly amazed when they watch your kid act out scenes from popular movies like a pro?

You could be the proud parent of the next big child star. Naturally, you’d want to support their dreams and help them put their acting prowess to work.

But first, a reality check: Even if your kid has plenty of talent, finding success in the entertainment industry can be quite challenging.

For one, just think about how stiff the competition is out there–after all, your child is not the only one hoping to be thrust into the spotlight.

In fact, according to HBO’s documentary, Showbiz Kids, over 20,000 child actors audition for roles in Hollywood every year…and a whopping 95 percent of them don’t book a single job.

This is a sad reality that Makeda Tene’ Ekakitie, a “momager” of a successful child actor, knows all too well. Her son, Innocent Onanovie Ekakitie, is, fortunately, part of the 5 percent of young talents who have booked projects left and right with no signs of stopping.

However, her son’s success was not exactly a walk in the park–it took years of hard work, patience, and mistakes-turned-to-learnings before they finally found his rightful place in the industry.

The good news is, your child’s journey to fame does not have to be difficult. Makeda–an actress, writer, and musician herself–has created an in-depth guide to help you make your kid’s acting dream a reality.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Makeda Tene' Ekakitie (P)2022 Makeda Tene' Ekakitie

powerful, educating, entertaining, must listen

Wow! This is a lovely, powerful, educating, entertaining, must-listen, even if you have no child(ren) who wants to go to Hollywood. Every single piece of advice is relative to everyday life. One of my favorite parts is checking in on the kid from time to time to be sure it's still okay. No spoilers!!! Though it is hard for me, lol. This book is loaded and quite impressive. There is step-by-step guidance on going about navigating this amazing but tough industry. I love love love the narration. No one else could have done a better job, honestly. If this wasn't Makeda's book, I'd be hiring her and highly recommending her for any and every narration I have. It is full of intonation and action and the highhhh notes, oh my! Thank you for this book and for narrating it yourself.

Fantastic steps to success!

It's a fantastic book that gives advice and navigating a career in the entertainment industry for child actor and parents. It's clear and concise which 8 steps that walk you to the confident and preparing to child to shine in this industry. Preparation and do your homework is part of the success, you won't disappointed with the coaching she shares because it makes a major different to our approach to the entertainment industry!

This is a Bible indeed!

My nephew is interested in becoming a child actor and so this book came at the right time for me. It is written in clear practical terms so that anyone can understand. The advice given is current and doable and I am sure this will be of benefit to my nephew and to anyone out there wanting information and advice on this topic. Good job!

A must-read for parents of child actors.

This is the best book I have ever read on this topic. Having two children who did some acting, I had no clue of all the nuances associated with the industry. This is a fully comprehensive crash course with everything you need to know, from choosing an agent and manager to proper lighting for photos. This is the best book on this subject. I enjoyed this book immensely and learned more than I would ever imagine.

Great For Parents Of Child Actors In The Making!

What if your child expressed to you one day that he or she wanted to be an actor? How would you react? What if you are not an actor (or even if you are) and your child is constantly nagging you about wanting to be on the stage or in in the lime light and you find that terrifying or overwhelming— do not fear. This audiobook has your back! Just listen to this audiobook and you’ll receive a boatload of legal information, tips, guidance, reassurance, and everything you need to know about getting your child started on the path to a successful acting career. You will be getting info from the author who is successful in managing her eight year old son who is a child actor best known for his starring role of "Brian" on Apple TV's hit series, "Little America", and recurring role as "Shine" on ABC-Freeform's "Good Trouble," and is also about to carve out a space for himself in Hollywood as he joins the cast of the NETFLIX film series, Ivy & Bean. Congratulations to the author and her son on their successful journey.

Interesting acting guide!

Woahhh, this book is fantastic. If there's any kid out there searching for a path to polish their skills, my friend this book is for you! It's a great guide for parents who want their kids to be successful in entertainment industry make use of the spark to gain a good name. Very informative, a great guide and lovely book. All the start kids, author is your savior!

Showbiz reality unfolded - The role of a Momager

I grew up watching the Cosby Show, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and many other sitcoms and had aspirations on how good it would appear on TV as a kid, be famous and be talked about. Over time I've realised that there is more than just a defined path to make it to Hollywood and be on screen.

Listening to this audiobook took me back to memory lane. It felt like I was watching another episode of Rev Runs House. Starting with the author's narration, I found it very powerful and engaging, bringing the story to life. Her experience in showbiz shone through her narration which keeps you glued to listen to the end.

The author shares their experience of her childhood, having had a passion for showbiz and doing all it could take to build the skillset required from singing, dancing, professional vocal coaching, drama and performances, you name it. It felt like she had it all. And a few things which stand out for me in her story is the role of her mom or momager (new terminology learnt), played in sacrificing and doing all they could to give her the best chance to succeed. And the equivalent role she is playing in her son's life, Innocent. Also, the confidence of Innocent or an eight-year-old in career-defining moments and where that could take you.

She is very genuine and calls out the important things for showbiz to work for a child, which are personal sacrifices and the wellbeing of the child. Are they still interested, or who are you doing it for? I felt this was an honest appraisal for Makeda sharing her life and family experiences, which could benefit any parent with children with aspirations to go to Hollywood.

I also find the eight steps very practical as they give outsiders a glimpse of what it takes to get to Hollywood, which may not be publicly available. A big congrats on her achievement of having projects which made it to the Grammys, and good luck on her journey with Innocent to get to Hollywood and all the many parents who look to follow this path.

This is a genuinely helpful and authentic guide, written and narrated from the heart in a very engaging and charismatic manner. I would give it ten stars if I could. Very recommended guide for parents looking to coach their kids into showbiz.

Child's Play

I have a young son who wants to get into acting, This book has really helped me map out a path for him. The audiobook itself is well-produced, the narration is perfect and the information contained within is a life-saver if you want your kid to be an actor. I hadn't seen many books in this genre out there and stumbled upon this one by accident.

This book is the full works, right down to how to create better headshots, it's the child actor's bible and I can't thank the author enough for producing it.

Complete guide to building your child's career

Experience is the best teacher. the author is an actress, writer, and musician. She is also the mother to a successful child actor "Brian" on Apple TV's hit series, "Little America", and many other TV shows. From Step one, -The Winning Headshot, to Step eight, -The Casting Team, this book walks us through the eight steps to making your child's acting career a success story. The author gives us a background where she talks about her childhood and how her parents, especially her mom gave her every opportunity to perform and own her skills before she was old enough to make her move to the big city after high school.

She started her showbiz career at an early age except her parents did not move to Los Angeles to make her dream a reality so she made it a duty to make sure she was in Los Angeles in good time to perfect her singing and acting career and also be there in time to raise her child/children if they are talented and wish to pursue a career in the showbiz industry from an early age.

There is a lot of wisdom to take away from this book. Her mom armed her with so much as a child to prepare her for the future ahead. She taught her that "You can make the most of your situation". Her mother instilled in her the importance of blooming wherever you are planted. "Be excellent wherever you are and in whatever you do, don't ever wait for Hollywood to choose you, you choose yourself and create your own projects". The author has gone on to create so many projects, taking her career to great heights.

In Step one, the importance of taking a very good headshot, could not be over-emphasized. - The first impression is the lasting impression. Finding the right photographer who has experience in taking kids' headshots is crucial. She learnt as she went along which is why she has been very generous and has held nothing back in putting this book together to make the journey much easier for new and upcoming momagers. It is crucial to let your child be an active participant in what's going on, they would take more pride in the activities, and you are sure to get a better result as they will be more open to taking directions when they feel respected and validated.

In as much as your relationship with your representatives, and your child's talent is important in the acting industry, having and maintaining the right connections is closely linked to success. It takes a village to achieve success in the acting industry. The hustle and grind parents put in are worth it and will pay off. There is a lot that goes into it like responding to emails, recording and editing self-tapes, following up with representation, putting together wardrobe, helping memorise lines, coaching for auditions, keeping work permit up to date, setting up Coogan account, sending agents and managers periodic holiday and birthday gifts, and even sacrificing some part of your career.

If your child is interested in acting and you want to help them to stardom, whether or not you have prior knowledge of the industry yourself, this is the right book for you as it is very resourceful and packed with everything you need to make your child's dream a reality. A must-have for all momagers/papagers.

Informative and Fun Guide

This book is chock-full of super specific, successful tip from an experienced authority. And not only that, it is an absolute joy to listen to! The energy is full of hope, but it's not blind enthusiasm because the information and techniques provided are designed to help the listener build their path to real success. Tips like what to do on the day of headshots. What makeup to use (and not to use). How to build a solid professional reputation. How to care for your child actor's emotional well-being. And on and on. It's such a great book and I wholeheartedly recommend it.