Stardom Happens

Candy Bennici has been a manager of two children in the entertainment business for a total of eighteen years. Her daughter, Aria Smith, was an international model and her son, Taran Noah Smith, played “Mark,” the youngest son on the hit show Home Improvement, for the eight-year run of the show. Since the show ended, in addition to being a script supervisor for feature films and an elementary school teacher, Candy has devoted time to helping parents keep their child happy and safe while acting. She has been on several talk shows including The Donny and Marie Show, Jim Jay and Ann, Christina, and The Carol and Marilyn Show. Candy grew up in West Los Angeles and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1968. Now, when she is not writing, she loves being “Grami” to her two wonderful grandsons. She currently lives on a sailboat in San Rafael, California, with her husband, David, and her dog Sprite.

Foreword
Preface
Taran’s Preface
Part One: Getting Started
Experience
Finding an Agent
Photos
Creating a Resume
Casting Services
Work Permit
Adding a Manager
To Move or Not to Move
Surviving Auditions
Part Two: Working on the Job
Negotiating Contracts
“Coogan Trust Accounts”
Expectations on the Set
SAG-AFTRA and Other Unions
Child Labor Laws
School on the Set
Part Three: Staying Positive and Avoiding Problems
Producers
Fellow Actors and Parents
Health and Safety on the Set
Schooling and Emancipation
Fans, Good and Bad
Publicists and Appearances
Requests From Charities
Living in an Adult World
Financial Matters
Keeping Your Child Grounded
Acting and the Family
The Aftermath
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Resources
About the Authors