HighJudy Goss knows all about the world of modeling. A former actress and Ford model and the author of "Break Into Modeling for Under $20," Goss knows just how difficult and competitive it can be. Still, that hasn't stopped her from shepherding her 4-year-old twin daughters, Dara and Danielle, from audition to audition, hoping to get them into the business.
"They're very outgoing and theatrical, and identical twins are rare," says Goss, 40, who lives in a New York City suburb. So she got professional pictures taken of her daughters and has stood in hours-long lines with them, hoping they will land a coveted spot on a commercial, TV show or print ad. (So far, they have shared a bit part on "Law and Order," back when they were babies.)
As the economy falters and unemployment increases, the prospect of putting your kids to work -- in the worlds of acting, modeling or even beauty pageants -- can seem more alluring than ever. But would-be stage moms and dads should take note: Helping your child takes serious investments of both money and time. It usually falls to parents to put together portfolios, schlep kids from audition to audition and make contacts in the modeling world. And it might take years for the family to see any substantial income, if ever.
Goss, who is also a spokeswoman for TheCuteKid.com, a Web portal for children interested in modeling, says that lately she has seen throngs of parents lining up with their offspring just to get a quick meeting with a casting agent. "A commercial could pay enough so that we would never have to worry about college," Goss says. "You get a royalty every time the commercial airs, so you could be set for a long time." Twins, she notes, have even more potential. (Olsens, anyone?)
It's that potential upside that draws parents. Take 12-year-old Ashton Cline of New Orleans, who has been acting for just more than a year and already has three commercials and one small film under his belt. He has had an agent for some time and just signed with Morgit Management in New York. Is he rich? Not yet. "But the potential is amazing," says his mother, Gnanse Nelson.
That's the same way Alan Byrd feels about his daughter Abby. Two years ago, when Abby was 3, she was filmed for a local TV commercial. The director praised her and told Byrd she should get into acting, so her parents signed her up for acting classes, invested in head shots and got her an agent. Since that time, however, not much has come of it. "We've been putting her into local theater, but as of yet, it's been one audition with no paid roles," says Byrd, who lives in Orlando, Fla.
Jennifer Bourgoyne of San Jose, Calif., is trying to get her son Cash into acting. Cash and his brothers "have always made home movies, since he could be 'directed' at 18 months," Bourgoyne says. "Do I want him to be a celebrity his whole life? Goodness, no! I am hoping for a doctor out of this one.