shows at five local malls, urges and eye color, clothing size, par- mended she lose 10 pounds, get
parents to ask themselves if they ents' names, address and phone her hair cut, fix her eyebrows and
have what it takes.
number. (Photos will not be re- learn how to apply make-up."
"Babies are babies; they're all turned.)
On occasion, models are ad-
cute," she says. "Most places are
Do not call the agency to ask vised to get their noses fixed, too.
not going to use a child model be- whether your child will be signed
"That's why you really have to
cause he is the one, the only one as a client. If Affiliated is inter- have a passion for this," Ms. Bassi
for the job. There is a first choice, ested, someone will contact you. says.
but there's also a backup for the But be patient. It can take up to
Of course, the money is good.
job.
six weeks for an agent to get back
Stars, both adults and chil-
"What will count and what will with you.
dren, can garner thousands for a
help you get ahead are things like
If that glorious moment does single day's work in New York or
being on time, taking direction come, you may be asked to have Los Angeles. Earnings in Detroit
well, being easy to work with and your child professionally pho- aren't meager, either.
perseverance."
tographed, which can cost any-
Affiliated Models' child clients
It also helps to know industry where from $200 to $700.
make anywhere from $65 to $80
lingo, which Ms. Howard teach-
If you plan to get your children hourly, depending on any num-
es in her workshops. Are you go- in television commercials or in- ber of factors: how long the chil-
ing to agree to a "day rate" when dustrial films, there's a step you dren have worked professionally,
you don't even know what a "day should take even before the pro- how long they have been with Af-
rate" is? What about a "non-ex- fessional photos.
filiated, how easy they are to
clusive" contract?
"Teach them to read," Ms. work with.
Ms. Howard describes the en- Bassi says.
The big money comes with na-
tertainment/modeling industry
The issue is scripts. TV com- tional TV commercials, which run
as fascinating and glamorous — mercials — no matter how spon- again and again (therefore pro-
"I worked on a commercial all taneous they appear, are all ducing residuals). Ms. Bassi has
night at Kmart; in what other carefully crafted scripts. You can't child clientswho have appeared
business could you do something read a script in an audition if you in several commercials and earn
like that?" — but also a lot of can't read, period.
more than $25,000 a year.
work.
And don't forget that if your
hanks to a keen talent for
"It means constantly updating child is hired to appear in com-
mixing, Jacob Stein has
your photos, always looking good, mercials, he will be expected to
made it big. The West
having confidence, training, memorize scripts.
Bloomfield native and stu-
sometimes getting to work very
If Affiliated agrees to represent dent at Detroit Country Day
early and in poor conditions," she a child, the agency and parents School is the "Campbell's Soup
says.
will sign a written Affiliated Kid," a national contest he won
Ms. Howard also points out agreement. Either can cancel at thanks not only to his looks and
that until you reach the major any time. The contract contains
leagues, which few do, modeling no time limits, no guarantees.
Vicki Howard says the
and acting offer few benefits —
The greatest demand for
business is great, but a lot
no health care, no paid vacations, younger children is for those aged
of hard work.
no pension and no certainty.
3-5, when they've passed the "I
The best place for children to must move every second" toddler
Jacob Stein gets to wear
get a start is in print ads, Ms. stage but have yet to deal with
"cool clothes."
Howard says. First, because it of- teeth falling out or limbs growing
fers the most opportunities. "Sec- seemingly overnight, both of
Jacob got an early
ond, it gives children the chance which often are part of the awk-
start
in the business.
to project and develop in front of ward years between 6 and 10.
His mother, Lisa Fisco-
the camera, but even more im-
There's some work for babies,
Stein, was for many
portant it builds self-esteem but twins — or at least two in-
years
producer of "Kel-
through having the chance to au- ants who happen to look a great
ly and Co."
dition and meet new people, and deal alike — have the definite
Because of his moth-
also learn how to handle rejec- edge. Ms. Bassi recently arranged
er's connections, Jacob
tion."
or models in a car-seat adver-
appeared on several lo-
From there, anything goes.
tisement; two babies did the pos-
cal
programs by the
"When it comes to Hollywood, i ng. With two infants, one can
time he was 3. But it
anyone has as good a chance as q uickly move in if the first be-
wasn't until Campbell's
anyone else," she says. "And a lot c omes, well, indisposed.
Soup
that he got his big
of it doesn't even have anything
It's the rare child who is "dis-
break.
to do with you. It has to do with c overed" any more, though both
"My mother heard
your agent and agency."
Ms. Howard and Ms. Bassi say
on
the radio about the
he first step is snapshots. t hey have approached people on personality, but because of the
contest," Ms. Fisco-Stein says.
Ms. Bassi at Affiliated the street, or other seemingly or- way he poured Campbell's soup
"The deadline was something like
Models asks interested par- d inary spots.
in a bowl and stirred it up.
the next day."
ents to send her about four
"I was at the pet store buying
Last August, Jacob turned 6.
Ms. Fisco-Stein already had
five
ve photographs — nothing f ood for all my cats and dogs He is a member of the Screen Ac-
pictures
on hand, taken by local
professional, simply pictures tak- w hen I saw a girl — she was tors Guild (SAG) and the Amer-
en by family members. The pho- a bout 5-feet-10-inches — with her ican Federation of Television and photographer Kendra Dew.
She sent these with an essay,
tos should show the child alone, m other. I don't know what it was Radio Artists (AFTRA), and has
written in the form of a poem,
engaging in everyday activities a bout her, something striking.
appeared in TV programs, on cal- telling why her son should be the
like playing in the park or with
But even in this case, the endars, in print advertisements Campbell's Boy.
toys.
oung woman was hardly ready and on television commercials.
Jacob was one of three male fi-
Include with photos a brief "re- fo r the cover of Vogue. At a con- He earns a salary many adults
nalists
(a girl also was selected).
sume" listing the child's age, hair s ultation, Ms. Bassi recom- would envy.
What he remembers best about

T

LLI

>-
CO

winning: "You got a big hat."
It didn't take long for the calls,
from agents in cities as close as
Chicago and as far as Los Ange-
les. Next were national commer-
cials (including American Airlines
and Dean Witter) and TV
("America's Most Wanted").
Jacob's latest goal is to secure
a role on a weekly television pro-
gram, which may mean moving
for a year to Los Angeles, just to
test for parts. Ms. Fisco-Stein is
ready.
"My husband (Dr. Jeffrey
Stein) is prepared to commute,"
she says.
The family always balances
work and last-minute assign-
ments (at least several a week,
these days) with play.
Virtually no assignments are
scheduled on the weekend, which
is saved for family activities, and
Jeffrey still has plenty of time for
hobbies like playing piano and
soccer.
Still, it might be a tight
squeeze when it comes to adding
classes about root canals and
crowns.
That's right. This budding
star's real dream is to follow in
his father's footsteps.
"When I grow up," Jacob says,
"I want to be a dentist." ❑

