If you have a budding talent in your home, you might be inclined to join KidsCasting.com, an epicenter of casting calls and auditions for kid-sized acting roles.
Judging by the home page, there’s not a lot of information here other than what they do.
To learn more, you’ll have to join the platform – but should you?
Here’s an inside look at Kidscasting.com, what to know before you join, but more importantly whether or not it lives up to the hype.
What is KidsCasting.com?
Kidscasting.com is a platform dedicated solely to audition opportunities for kids.
Babies all the way up to 17-year olds can use the platform to find modeling jobs and acting roles in movies, television shows, and commercials, hundreds of which are posted to the site every day.
Is KidsCasting an Agency?
To be clear, Kidscasting.com is not a talent agency, talent scout, or employer of any kind.
They don’t directly contract with actors or even guarantee your child will find work.
Depending on where you live or where you’re able to travel for a gig, you may find hundreds of job opportunities or none at all.
They’re simply a venue for companies to post casting calls, auditions, and acting jobs for children.
If you join, you need to have the right expectations in mind. Kids Casting is just like searching and applying for other jobs.
Sometimes you get a call back. Sometimes you have to search for weeks before finding something that sounds viable.
How Does KidsCasting.com Work?
If you’re familiar with job hunting websites like CareerBuilder, Craigslist, and Indeed, you’ll find that KidsCasting.com shares a lot of similar characteristics.
You can search for jobs by applying filters, such as job type, age range, gender, and location.
When you find one you’re interested in, you can apply directly through the site and wait to see if you’re invited to the audition.
Modeling agencies, filmmakers, recruiters, talent agencies, and even independent artists use the platform to post job opportunities.
They supply all the details you need in the job posting, and you respond directly to the postings you’re interested in.
When you sign up your child for KidsCasting.com, you’ll create a profile with a headshot and your child’s resume.
If they’re brand new to acting or modeling, you can include information like special talents or extracurricular activities (e.g. sports, cheerleading, dance class, etc.).
As they gain acting or modeling experience, you should update their profile to include this.
You will receive notifications new projects that are posted to the platform and can apply as you desire. Once you apply, the casting director for that project will review the applicants and respond to those who they want to invite to an audition.
Is Kid’s Casting Safe?
The good news for parents is that Kids Casting manually reviews all job postings before they go live. This way, parents know they’re responding to a credible, appropriate job opportunity and avoid potential scams.
How Much Does KidsCasting.com Cost?
Unlike many job posting websites, applying for work via KidsCasting.com isn’t free.
Parents can sign up for a free account, but to apply for jobs, you will need to pay for a membership.
The tricky part is that Kids Casting doesn’t reveal pricing or subscription options until after you initiate the sign-up process. It looks like a membership is anywhere from $49 to $149.
To start, you’ll enter basic details like your name, email address, and ZIP code, then you’ll set up your child’s profile. Once you’re ready to start applying for auditions, you can choose a subscription option.
This pay-to-play model can actually be a good thing, because it helps to cut out some of the casual competition and cater only to those who are serious about getting their kids into acting or modeling.
Kids Casting Benefits
There are a few other sites like Kids Casting, but this platform is head and shoulders above others in terms of the quality and number of jobs being posted every day and the other features it offers.
The pros more than outweigh any cons, but it’s worth exploring both sides to get an idea on what to expect.
On the plus side, the platform is first and foremost a site for job opportunities. But there are a lot of features that come with it to help you learn more about the acting and modeling industry, finding work, and getting the best experience from the platform.
For starters, it’s a valuable networking platform where you can reach out to industry professionals and ask for advice, guidance, and insight that will help you develop your child’s career or hobby. And even if it doesn’t turn into a full-fledged career, going on casting calls is a great way to boost your kid’s confidence and social skills, and even make some friends along the way.
If your child does land a few acting or modeling gigs, the financial benefits will pay off long term. Their income could easily be put away for college, a car, a first home, or other expenses as they get older. While Kids Casting never guarantees they’ll land a job, it does give them a good chance of finding one.
Most importantly for parents and kids alike is the quality of the jobs posted. It’s easy to get taken advantage of in the acting industry, especially if you’re a newcomer and have no previous experience. Acting scams are common, but Kids Casting takes their role seriously and reviews every job posting for legitimacy. You can apply to these jobs with confidence that they’ll valid and appropriate for your child.
What Can Kid’s Casting Improve?
The biggest complaint that most people seem to have is not knowing exactly what they’re signing up for in the beginning or how much it will cost them.
There’s a lot of mystery here when you first get started, and some people just can’t wrap their minds around it. But as I mentioned earlier, this is one way the company maintains the integrity of the platform and ensures that only serious opportunists are using their platform.
The other downside is that you may not find work.
There’s not a guarantee that there will be any jobs in your area, and even if you apply to 100 jobs, you may never hear back. It’s a risk since you have to pay for a membership to apply, but the fact that thousands of kids do find work through the platform at least makes it a risk worth taking.
Bottom Line: Is It Worth Your Time, Money, and Effort?
Overall, Kids Casting has garnered a lot of positive ratings and publicity, and there’s a reason for that. There are other websites that offer similar casting services for kids, but Kids Casting is best in class when it comes to job quality and support.
It’s easy for parents to use, especially when it comes to updating your child’s profile as they earn work. And since it caters to a wide variety of job types and ages, it undoubtedly gives you the biggest advantage when trying to break into this competitive industry.
The only way to truly know is to sign up for yourself. If your child doesn’t land any gigs, you may lose a little money. But if they do manage to get a callback or land a role, it could be the beginning of a bright future.
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