The young clients of London acting and modelling agency Alphabet Kidz include BAFTA winners. Monthly workshops monitor and maintain their clients’ skills.
Who Do Alphabet Kidz Represent?
The Alphabet Kidz talent, acting, and model agency represents babies, children, and teenagers.
Members of The Agency division will be submitted for a range of work. These include commercials, theatre and voiceover work in animations, radio, and commercials.
The Model division manages children and teens for photographic shoots, fashion shows, and catwalk events.
Alphabet Management is the Talent Management division which co-ordinates the TV and Film side of the business. The representation of their actors extends to key artist management, press and publicity support, personal management and artist endorsements.
The agency’s team specialise in their own division. Consequently, there is greater precision when submitting clients for a brief. Personality, temperament, and experience are usually as important as the client’s looks.
When Lisa Balcome established the agency in 2003, she wanted to pull together a portfolio of diverse young talent. Today’s working clients suggests she has achieved that. Positive feedback on the forum “Not a Pushy Mum” as well as the agency’s own record means it was included in our list of 20 reputable UK agencies for child actors.
Assessments, Workshops, and Masterclasses Provided By Alphabet Kidz
The team at Alphabet Kidz provide monthly assessments and workshops for clients over the age of 7. As a result, the Bookers know the suitability of their clients for the briefs that come in.
The workshops last for two hours. They are led by Cindy O’Callaghan, who has a lifetime of experience as a child and adult actor, as well as professional qualifications.
The Alphabet Youth Academy provides TV acting masterclasses both to clients and to interested young people not represented by the agency. They cover self-confidence, on-screen experience, script reading, presenting skills, audition techniques, naturalistic acting and the introduction of the actor’s toolbox.
Can I Follow Alphabet Kidz On Social Media?
Since 2017 Alphabet Kidz has had an active Twitter account. It provides updates on their busy working clients. They also share open castings.
How Do I Apply To Alphabet Kidz?
At the moment, Alphabet Kidz will only take on new clients who live within an hour’s travel of central London. This may change in the future.
Ideally, your child or teenager will be enthusiastic, energetic, friendly, happy and chatty; success in the casting room has a great deal to do with personality. The child must themselves be eager to perform. This is a difficult industry full of rejection. Therefore, children should not be submitted to fulfil a parent’s dreams.
Registrations for children and teens take place several times a year. Applications on behalf of babies will be accepted throughout the year.
To apply to the Agency division, go to the Alphabet Kidz website and click on the ‘Join Now’ button. Complete the application carefully. Finally, only include photos which meet the specification. If the file sizes are too large, the email will probably fail to arrive in the agency inbox.
If you are applying to the Talent Management division, you should post your CV and current headshot to the agency’s premises. Include a DVD of the applicant’s showreel if you have one. If you want these items returned, you must enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope.
What Happens After I Apply To Alphabet Kidz?
If you have applied online to the Agency division, you should receive an automatic response confirming receipt.
The New Registrations division assesses each application and you will normally receive a response within two weeks.
If your child is under the age of 7 and of interest to the agency, you will be invited in. There will be an optional easy going meeting with a Booker. This is an opportunity for the Booker to see whether your child has the personality needed to cope with castings. There may be some direction practice and audition techniques. Furthermore, the Booker can discuss with parents the commitments and expectations that they will be taking on for their child.
Older children will attend an Assessment Workshop.
What Happens Once Alphabet Kidz Offers Representation?
The parents of children under the age of three must submit new photographs on the first day of every month. You can submit photographs taken at home, but a plain white background is essential. The file size must be below 300kb, for both headshots and body shots. Furthermore, you must update the measurements sheet at the same time. There is a one-off fee of £120 for use of the online portfolio until the age of three.
All clients over the age of three must have their photographs taken by an agency photographer. These will be used for their online profile and used for submissions. An annual fee of £150 is charged to cover the costs of photography and the online portfolio.
As the year’s contract is coming to an end, you will be notified whether your child will be offered representation for the following year. In addition, update headshots will be taken and agency staff will have a catch up with your child.
What About Child Licensing?
Production companies require a quick turnaround of Child Performance Licenses. Local Authorities demand 21 days notice to issue licences; but production teams usually ignore this. Children cannot legally work without receiving their license. Therefore, Alphabet Kidz will hold a copy of your child’s birth certificate in their files. In addition, you must send in four passport photos of your child each year.
As a parent, you are asked to keep a log of all your bookings. When your child books work you will need to download Part II of the License Application from the agency’s website; use your log to complete the form as a matter of urgency.
