Bruce Edwin is CEO of the A-list model and talent firm Starpower Management, and publisher of Hollywood Sentinel, and founder of Hollywood Sentinel Public Relations. His charitable work includes helping to fight the sexual abuse of children in Hollywood and throughout the world.
The following is a brief, yet in no way comprehensive list of things parents should do in order to keep their children save in Hollywood.
1, Never sign an exclusive contract for any child under 18 unless they are famous and you are signing with one of the top agencies in the world.
2, Never pay for pictures for a child under 8 or even 12 years of age. They will go so quickly, that the pictures will be outdated every few months. A legit agent can work off of decent snapshots.
3, Never leave your child under 18 unattended out of your sight for anything, including but not limited to an acting class, acting coach, audition, casting, open call, go see, acting or modeling job, etc. Even at a major film studio or with an agent, manager, producer, casting director, or casting agent or star or someone famous or that you know and trust–do NOT do it. If they get mad and insist you leave your child alone, walk out with your child, and call me and I will deal with them for you. (tel: 310-226-7176). Obviously, if your child is shooting, you need to be off screen and quiet, but still, keep them in your sight at ALL times.
4, Don’t ever let your child be portrayed in a sexual way or do anything you or they are uncomfortable with, no matter how big or important you think it will be to their career. Stick to your morals and values.
5, Don’t let anyone insult or disparage your child. Demand that they be treated with respect.
6, Don’t push you child in to acting or modeling. Make sure that it is what they want, and not just what you want.
7, Don’t bully your child and bribe or blackmail them with doing things or not doing things and threatening to take away their career if they do not behave a certain way. Put yourself in their position, and let it be a positive experience for them.
8, Don’t manipulate your child with money or other things. Teach them that money and fame can be nice, but that happiness is found on the inside, and comes from being a good person both to ourselves and to others.
9, Remember that any legit agent or manager will require that your child have good grades, at least a B average, have a good clean bill of health, and have a Coogan Bank account that you open, as well as a work permit that they have a copy of. If your agent or manager does not discuss and require all of these things about your child, do not deal with them, as they do not know what they are doing.
10, Don’t let your children dress inappropriately. Make sure that you daughters do not wear dresses or skirts that are too short, or reveal their chest. Make sure that they always wear underwear and girls–a bra when they are old enough.
11, Do not encourage your children to dress up as the opposite sex! I fully defend a person’s right to do whatever they want to their own body once they are a legal adult. However, children’s brains, bodies, and morals are still developing. You need to not only protect them from others, but also from the media, and themselves. It is NOT OK to encourage or even allow a child to have surgery to change their sex. This is child abuse.
12, Teach your children about child sex abuse, and about pedophilia and child rapists. Teach them how this is wrong, and teach them how to avoid these predators.
If you have any specific questions, you may call my office for further free advice, or write me on the front page of this site.
www.BruceEdwin.com
Tel: 310-226-7176 (Los Angeles, California)
CEO, Starpower Management
This content is (c). 2018, Bruce Edwin, Hollywood Sentinel, all rights reserved.
