News | Frederick Levy

Excerpt

Oct 29, 2009 in News

Backstage Magazine posted an excerpt from my book ACTING IN YOUNG HOLLYWOOD. You can check it out here.

What Goes Into Making A Lasting Career For Young Performers? by Frank Swertlow for The Hollywood Reporter

Oct 27, 2009 in News

When Miley Cyrus wanted to shift away from the tween roles that have defined her career, Tish Cyrus, her mother and co-manager, started at the top.
Rather than look for a pre-existing script, she contacted bestselling author Nicholas Sparks ("The Notebook") and asked him to write something specifically for her daughter.
"Sparks is an amazing, faith-based writer and a Christian and he writes about relationships with a family and there is nothing about sex or things I felt were wrong for her," she explains.
Cyrus, 16, met with the writer to flesh out her character; she disclosed elements from her own life -- like her love for animals -- that Sparks incorporated in his work, which started as a screenplay and only later became "The Last Song," a best-selling novel. The movie version, with Cyrus, opens in April.
"This film is like taking that first baby step away from 'Hannah Montana,' " Tish Cyrus notes. "It's just a baby step, but she's doing something different."
Doing something different is one of many perfect moves the Cyrus team has made in building her career. Taken together, they're a textbook case on how to develop a young performer.
While few young actors can hope to emulate Cyrus' success, the 5,000 members of SAG who are younger than 18 will face many of the same decisions that affect whether they succeed or fail.
Speak to agents, managers, producers and studio executives and they will tell you several key elements go into crafting a young actor's career: picking the right team; handling money astutely; maintaining an ongoing education trajectory; and diversifying away from roles that too narrowly define the performer.
The first step in building a career, of course, is finding the right management.
"It's important to choose a representative who knows how to make career decisions slowly," says Cyrus' co-manager, Jason Morey.
"You have to have someone who has a plan," adds Frederick Levy, the owner of a talent firm, Management 101, and the author of "Acting in Young Hollywood."
Cyrus was lucky to have a father, singer-actor Billy Ray Cyrus, involved in show business and a mother immersed in her work. But parents can be a two-edged sword: If parents become what Levy calls "the momagers and popagers," trouble looms.
"I like the parents most who look at acting as if they have a kid on a soccer team or baseball team," says producer Matt Dearborn, who has had shows on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, including the new "Zeke and Luther" on Disney XD. "It gets problematic when they start reading scripts or complain about parking spaces."
Others with prominent stage parents -- like Katherine Heigl, who started out as a child performer and whose mother has continued to work closely with her -- have proved mixed blessings. Indeed, sources say that in Heigl's case, one management company told her to choose between the firm and her mother.
When Cyrus' career began to blossom, her mother got the best advice she could on who should rep her daughter. Dolly Parton suggested Morey Management Group and its patriarch, Jim Morey; his son, Jason, began managing Cyrus' career, along with her mother.
"Dolly said the Moreys are people you can trust around your daughter," Tish Cyrus recalls, "and she said they have good morals, which is not always the case in this business."
Choosing the right team isn't as simple as it sounds: This year, Cyrus' family made a controversial move when they took her away from her longtime agent, Mitchell Gossett, and went to CAA. Gossett had left his previous agency to join UTA in the hope of giving Cyrus the major-agency backing that would support a widening career; but that wasn't enough to keep her with him. (Both sides declined to discuss the matter.)
Other actors have made mistakes, either sticking with the right reps too long or abandoning those who have nurtured them. Insiders cite the ongoing image problems of Britney Spears, whose transition to adulthood has been marked by a wholesale change of representation. (Curiously, under her father's conservatorship, she has made something of a comeback.)
In Cyrus' case, in addition to hiring the right reps, Tish Cyrus hired her husband's business manager to handle her finances -- another crucial element as a career expands.
"It's kind of scary to think what can happen to a child's money," she notes. "Parents quit their jobs, and to support their family they have to use a child's money to survive."
At least 15% of any earnings by law must now be set aside in a blocked account that no one can touch until a young performer reaches the age of 18. But unscrupulous parents or managers can sometimes siphon that away and there have been famous instances of lawsuits wielding accusations on all sides -- as with Macaulay Culkin, the "Home Alone" star who failed to build on that franchise's momentum.
"So many kids have worked and, when they look back, there's nothing left," Tish Cyrus adds. "That's why we hired someone we can trust."
Having money somewhere safe is essential as kids grow older and want to diversify, the next important step in building a long-term career.
While Cyrus has done this notably by moving into movies and concert tours (following her former agent Gossett's advice to "continue to grow"), few have created as many opportunities for themselves as Mario Lopez, best known for his hosting work on "Extra."
About 25 years after he got a tiny role on a failing ABC sitcom, "A.K.A. Pablo," Lopez is building on a resume that includes his work on NBC's teen sitcom, "Saved by the Bell," and his co-starring role in the syndicated Santa Monica beach cop drama "Pacific Blue," which helped him transition into adulthood. The peripatetic performer is thinking about a political career.

Mark Indelicato, who co-stars on ABC's "Ugly Betty," is one performer who is dealing with diversification right now. He says he's considering a musical career and wants to write and produce.
"I don't want to do Justin types," he says, referring to the character he plays.
Even at 16, Indelicato recognizes the risks of stereotyping him in one role, and of shifting away from the role that has made him famous. If that strategy fails, he says, "I'll move back to Pennsylvania and get a regular life."
To do so, he'll need the kind of solid education that has become increasingly important to child performers and gives them the intellectual and emotional foundation that allows them to move into adulthood. Those who have succeeded best in crafting long careers -- like Jodie Foster, Brooke Shields and Natalie Portman -- have made sure to take time off for college and used their earnings to pay for it.
Today, the industry is more vigilant than ever with regard to education.
Any producer who hires a minor and guarantees three or more days of consecutive employment must also employ a teacher during regularly scheduled high school or grammar school periods. Producers who are signatories to SAG contracts must provide similar education for a minor working overseas -- though local situations create far less protection than in the U.S., as the controversy surrounding the "Slumdog Millionaire" stars recently made clear.
Cyrus' teacher takes her on educational field trips when she's on location. She also "knows the child labor laws and won't let her work one minute over the rules," Cyrus' mother says. "If they take Miley on a photo shoot and they want 15 more minutes, she won't let them."
When it comes to her concert tours, Tish Cyrus goes on the road with the young singer. During Cyrus' current tour, her mother insisted the promoters reschedule three engagements after her daughter became ill with a throat infection, which surfaced during a Sept. 29 performance in Salt Lake City.
"She had a 103-degree fever," Tish says. "This was major strep throat."
Aware of how challenging it is to build a career, many studios and networks are now stepping in -- like Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, which
have set up their own professional guidance programs for new talent, Nick 101 and Talent 101 at Disney.
Disney Channel recently opened a session of Talent 101 in a conference room at the studio's Burbank lot. About 20 cast members from various shows including "Zeke and Luther" attended.
"For some, this is their first time in the business and this is a snapshot about what changes will be in their lives," says Judy Taylor, Disney Channel's executive vp, casting and talent relations. "They're told what it will be like to be a public figure."
Seven young performers and their parents recently showed up for similar coaching in Nickelodeon's green room before shooting "Victorious," a new sitcom starring Victoria Justice. There, agents, producers and members of the network's press department and cable channel executives tutored them on such fundamentals as how to dress for media interviews and how to deal with fans. Learning how to operate in the business is becoming more essential. The business opportunities are growing, which means that kids have to learn to deal with hard business issues more than ever before. They also need to learn about money.
"This is a kids' network," says Paula Kaplan, Nickelodeon's executive vp for talent, "and this is a show for kids. We give them the nuts and bolts. We tell them this is what we expect from them as professionals. We expect you to be on time and be prepared. This isn't like school where your mom writes a letter. This is a business."
Abigail Breslin, 13, an Oscar nominee for "Little Miss Sunshine" who co-stars in "Zombieland," earned $2 million for her work in "Nim's Island" and again in "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl," sources say. (Unlike Cyrus, she has allowed her longtime agent, Meredith Fine of Coast to Coast Talent Group, to continue to rep her.)
Dakota Fanning, 15, who started her career at age 5 when she landed a Tide commercial and has worked with such major stars as Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington and Sean Penn, now earns $4 million per movie.
The Jonas Brothers made a reported $25 million last year, while Angus T. Jones, 16, pulls in $1.2 million a season for CBS' "Two and a Half Men" and Indelicato makes $460,000 on "Ugly Betty," sources say.
After making an estimated $25 million last year, insiders expect Cyrus to make about $60 million this year.
Ultimately, however, money matters less than material, and teaching young performers good judgment may matter more than anything.
Cyrus may have made a misstep when she allowed herself to be photographed provocatively for Vanity Fair last year; she's being hyper-careful not to do that again. She's sticking with her base: There will be two more seasons of "Hannah Montana." Meanwhile, her current single, "Party in the U.S.A," is No. 1 on the Billboard chart.
And, of course, she's turning to Sparks.
" 'The Last Song' was strategic," her mother says. "It was the start of her transition into adulthood."
Still, pitfalls loom -- even for a Miley Cyrus. "Most of the time, people don't get it right," her mother acknowledges. "Most people get it wrong."

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Making New Mileys: Disney's Teen-Star Factory by Belinda Luscombe for Time Magazine

Oct 26, 2009 in News

Bridgit Mendler is a willowy, blond teen with a sweet singing voice and decent comic timing. She's also the show-biz equivalent of the next iPhone — a young Disney star-in-waiting. Mendler, 16, is getting the full Disney Channel rollout. Introduced with recurring guest spots on two of its hit shows, Jonas and Wizards of Waverly Place, she will star in her own series, Good Luck Charlie, in 2010. "I've been told to brace myself," says Mendler. "If we have the success I hope we have with the show, everything will change."

Mendler is following a path to fame the channel has mapped over the past three years as it has launched serial stars into orbit: the supernova Miley Cyrus in 2006, Selena Gomez in 2007, the Jonas Brothers in 2008 and Demi Lovato this year.

Each of these youngsters was given a TV show — the so-called zitcom — followed usually by a recording contract with Disney-owned Hollywood Records, songs in heavy rotation on Radio Disney and on Disney-movie sound tracks, a concert tour with Disney-owned Buena Vista Concerts and tie-in merchandise throughout the Disney stores. Miley & Co. are like modern Mouseketeers, but instead of M-I-C-K-E-Y, they spell C-A-S-H.

The Disney Teen Machine has become a finely tuned profit pump in an industry rife with unpredictability. The result is that Disney's cable networks represent the one slightly solid piece of earth among the entertainment giant's sinking properties. ABC is struggling, sales are way down at Disney's theme parks and stores, most of its non-Pixar movies have been wan performers, and revenue from DVDs is shriveling. The cable networks, which in addition to the Disney Channel include ESPN, ABC Family, Soapnet and Disney XD, brought in 26% of the company's $26.3 billion in revenue and 58% of its $4.8 billion in operating income during the nine months ending June 27. In the past three years, they have represented 80% of Disney's revenue growth.

ESPN does rule sports with ever higher-priced program rights, but as an incubator, Disney Channel is more important, a fact amply displayed by its High School Musical franchise. The channel made the original TV movie for about $5 million. It took off, leading to a sequel, a sound-track album, a motion picture, books and video games. "So far, the franchise has generated $150 million to $200 million in operating income," estimates Barclays Capital analyst Anthony DiClemente. If the company leverages all aspects of the brand, he says, the teen franchises are a formidable force.

Disney's much admired ability to maximize profit from every pop-culture nugget it creates — this is a company that made billions of dollars from movies based on Pirates of the Caribbean, a cheesy 10-minute boat ride — works only if it continues to create appealing characters and stories that it can cross-promote. When Gomez released her new album, Kiss & Tell, on Sept. 29, she celebrated with an appearance on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. She has a song that plays during the end credits of the first Tinkerbell DVD. While on hiatus from her show, Wizards of Waverly Place, she made a TV movie with Lovato, Princess Protection Program, that got decent ratings. Mike Tirico just can't pull off that stuff.

That's why the Disney Channel's ability to mint teen stars is so central to the company's future and why Rich Ross, former head of the Disney Channel, was recently tapped to replace longtime studio chief Dick Cook. In many ways, Ross ran his outfit like an old-school movie studio. The channel has always found young stars. Shia LaBeouf got his first break there, as did Hilary Duff and — way back in 1993 — Britney Spears. But only in the past few years has Disney mastered how to hang on to them, to keep them from getting away like LaBeouf, tiring of Disney like Duff or being churned into tabloid chum like Spears. And only since High School Musical and Hannah Montana has it learned how to supersize them.

"As we've gotten smarter about how to build talent, we've created more opportunities for them within the company," says Gary Marsh, president of entertainment for Disney Channels Worldwide, who remembers walking Duff over to the music division and introducing her to Bob Cavallo, head of Hollywood Records. "For many people, TV is an endgame. For us, TV has simply become a launchpad to opportunities elsewhere in the company. By creating these opportunities, [we make sure] the talent is more interested in engaging longer with the company."

As launchpads go, a half-hour comedy is pretty economical. By the end of the first season of Hannah Montana, Cyrus was a star. Assuming the company spent about $600,000 for each of the 26 episodes, it cost Disney about $15.6 million to set her up. Three seasons, more than 8 million CDs, $225 million worth of movie tickets, two concert tours, a best-selling memoir and 15 million Hannah Montanabooks later, says Disney, she's worth billions of dollars to the company. Of course, the channel reduced its risk considerably by casting the girl it wanted to develop into a famous pop singer in — um — a show about a girl who's a famous pop singer. Jonas, starring three real-life musical brothers, is about brothers who are rock stars. On Lovato's show, Sonny with a Chance, she's a Midwestern girl who gets to be on a TV show.

If that seems like a no-lose formula, it's worth remembering that one of the biggest entertainment corporations in the U.S. (2008 revenues: $37.8 billion) is relying on teenagers for a major source of revenue. Even worse, on celebrity teenagers. They grow up, change their minds, get less cute, rebel, make choices their fans' parents don't approve of. (Seminaked Vanity Fair shoot, anyone?) They're on Twitter and Facebook. The opportunities for doing something irresponsible are legion.

Disney Channel is taking extraordinary steps to make its modern Mouseketeers' stay at the Mouse House as long — and mutually enriching — as possible. Most recently, this includes instituting a Talent 101 seminar. Young actors whose shows have been filmed but not yet aired are required to attend Talent 101 with a parent. It includes instruction from security experts, media-relations consultants and psychologists. Mendler is one of its first graduates. "We learned how to answer questions from the media and how your family has to be your support," she says. "I was surprised at the amount of security some people recommend — to the degree where you don't even have a mailbox at your home."

Marsh says it's not deliberate, but the company also seems to minimize its exposure by casting the most gosh-darn wholesome teens it can find. The Jonases, Cyrus, Gomez and Lovato wear purity rings and talk about their Christian faith. "I don't know if they find them wearing the rings or if that becomes part of the image," says Frederick Levy, a manager of child actors and the author of the new book Acting in Young Hollywood. He notes that generally, children who are less jaded make better TV stars.

Not every young actor wants to be a cog in the Disney machine. It pays considerably less than the networks do and typically expects to monopolize an actor's time and talent for at least four TV seasons — 14 to 18 years old seems to be the sweet spot. Still, the line of hopefuls shows no sign of dwindling. "Disney's an amazing cross-promoter. You will become a teen star," says Levy. "Then you'll have to work twice as hard to prove you are more."

In fact, Disney's successful moves, along with similar ones by Nickelodeon, which is in the teen-star business too, have created something of a boomlet in the child-talent business. Big agencies such as CAA and William Morris Endeavor now have dedicated youth departments. "What used to happen is that we would find the talent, and there would be a feeding frenzy," says Marsh. "Now that we've shown these are potentially viable clients for them in the long term, talent agencies have become more aggressive in finding their talent before we do." And locating them, he says, is by far the hardest part. When Disney was looking for a young Latina star, Marsh says, he looked at thousands of kids and found one he wanted to pursue: Gomez.

Executives at Disney must know that its streak of luck with fresh faces can't last. For a start, there are not many genuine teen stars out there. Second, even tween girls — Disney Channel's main consumers — can generate ardor for only so many other humans. The company has recently made moves to find story lines and characters elsewhere, paying $4 billion to buy Marvel Entertainment merely to get access to some of its lesser superheroes. (The big ones, like Spider-Man, are already spoken for.) Comic-book characters can't give concerts or go to a meet-and-greet or record songs for Disney end credits. But at least Thor and Captain America won't be caught in compromising situations by a camera phone.

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Your Questions Answered

Oct 20, 2009 in News

I've been getting asked great questions while on book tour and I always say, if someone is asking it, others are thinking the same thing. So I've decided to share some of the Q&A I've been engaging in on the road. I'll be adding a new video every week for the next several weeks.

In the meantime, you can always check out my previous vlogs and videos here. Or subscribe to my YouTube channel here.