About

Hi and Welcome to YourYoungActor.com!

I am Debbie, and I am the mother of two children, one of whom is a young actor in the Los Angeles area. We lived in the Southeast until my daughter was almost 7. She had an agent in Charleston, SC, first and then one in Atlanta, which was a very long drive from Charleston.

We visited New York and Los Angeles to talk with talent agents, managers, and casting directors. Though we also really wanted to work with talent manager Shirley Grant in New York, at the coaxing of Craig Wargo, with Talent Management Associates, we decided to come to Los Angeles to launch Brooke’s show business career.

My daughter and I first moved to Los Angeles alone. We drove all the way from South Carolina to Los Angeles with some friends, enjoying the sights along the way. We stopped to see the Grand Canyon and visited Las Vegas. Her father and brother joined us here 17 months later where we’ve all been living ever since.

We’ve learned so much during this journey into acting, and there are so many things I wish I’d known sooner. I want to share our experiences with others so that they can learn from our mistakes and our successes.

Sincerely,

Debbie Sikkema

http://wwww.youryoungactor.com

DDMS Ventures, LLC

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Share and Enjoy:

Debbie Sikkema | October 29, 2008 10:34 am

36 Comments

By Rosemary Rhinehardt, March 10, 2009 @ 4:06 pm

Pretty cool “blog”. I barely know what that means. I hope this will be profitable for you!
Love!
By Shaine, June 11, 2009 @ 9:38 am

Great blog Deb.

Shaine
By Brandie, August 20, 2009 @ 1:41 pm

Could you share some info with regards to “pay to work” projects?
By deborah, January 6, 2010 @ 2:39 pm

Hi Deb, this is a great website but I’m on the other end of the young actors career. My daughter had an agent etc a few years back but didn’t get any work. She is now 15 and no longer interested in acting. I was wondering if you or someone else may know how to close a coogan account. We originally got the account at Downey savings like 4 years ago and my daughter has never got a paycheck for any of her work. Now US Bank owns the bank and has started charging a monthly fee. They said they need a ‘court order’ to close the account. It was no problem when there was no monthly fee, but now, with the fee, that account is actually in the red with neg balance. Any advise you could give me would be great… I can’t find the info on how to close one of these accounts anywhere. I wouldn’t even know how to get a ‘court order’ to close it.
thanks so much in advance for any advice or help with this.
~Deborah
By Susanne from facts about ferrets, January 13, 2010 @ 12:35 pm

nice site! I used to be a young actor and my mother probably could have used a wonderful resource such as this
By Burton Haynes, January 21, 2010 @ 2:13 am

Great website! Love the content you have on here. Please keep up the good work and I will be sure to visit quite often. Thanks much!
By Download, January 28, 2010 @ 3:41 am

I like your post, the fact that your site is a little bit different makes it so interesting, I get fed up of seeing the same old boring recycled stuff all of the time.
By Richard from MonaVie Scam, February 12, 2010 @ 11:26 pm

I’ve noticed a lot of great information on this site. I know my life will love it as she was into acting as a child.
By Debbie Sikkema, February 17, 2010 @ 8:29 am

Hi Deborah,
I am quite concerned about what you told me about your daughter’s Coogan account. As I understand it, no fees can be charged on a Coogan account. US Bank should not take fees out. If they don’t have Coogan accounts, they should have notified you as such rather than converting it. We had a similar problem when our daughter’s account was moved from Jackson Savings and Loan to Union Bank. I had to work closely with them on this problem to get it worked out. Was your daughter in SAG or AFTRA? I am assuming that she is no longer in a union. I am going to do a little investigation on this myself. That is just wrong in every way! How many dollars in fees have they taken? I will also reply to you by email. –Debbie
Note : I spoke with a SAG representative several weeks ago and was told that it is legal for banks to charge fees (as just plain wrong as that seems to me), so it truly is up to you to monitor the account, and if fees are being charged, move the account to another bank. So for those looking for a bank, ask up front about any and all fees. Run the other way if there are a lot of fees, and if deposits have to be made every so often, make a small deposit to avoid any fees.
By Abie Jones, February 17, 2010 @ 12:17 pm

Hello. This is kind of an “unconventional” question , but have other visitors asked you how get the menu bar to look like you’ve got it? I also have a blog and am really looking to alter around the theme, however am scared to death to mess with it for fear of the search engines punishing me. I am very new to all of this …so i am just not positive exactly how to try to to it all yet. I’ll just keep working on it one day at a time Thanks for any help you can offer here
By priya from indian dancer, February 22, 2010 @ 8:25 am

great job Debbie and i think it may very good experience for both of you. and i wish for your bright career in this field of acting where people have to do lots of struggle. thanks for sharing keep it up
By Susan Hulme, February 24, 2010 @ 11:35 am

Very nice website.
By Sara, March 8, 2010 @ 8:38 am

Thought you might be interested in letting your child actors know about a new charity auction [edited out because misleading]

http://www.charitybuzz.com/categories/1/catalog_items/201401

Ever since the Spy Kids series of films started in 2001, millions of kids have been dreaming of action, adventure and espionage in hopes that their super spy powers will someday develop. A fourth film in the works is once again expected to capture youngsters’ active imaginations…. but for one family, the film will be much more than a trip to the movies. The Weinstein Company is auctioning off a walk-on role for one lucky kid in the upcoming feature Spy Kids 4 on Charitybuzz.com!

The auction benefits the Center for the Advancement of Women, a nonprofit institution dedicated to research-based education and advocacy for women. The walk-on role is limited to kids 6 – 10 years old and will be filmed in July 2010. The winning bidder will also receive 4 VIP tickets to the film’s 2011 premiere.

Spy Kids 4 is a joint venture between Walt Disney Pictures and The Weinstein Company. Featuring new kids and an exciting plot full of twists and turns, it’s one movie any child would be thrilled to be a part of.
By Easy Guitar Lessons For Beginners, March 9, 2010 @ 7:39 pm

Debbie,

Your ezinearticles content at http://ezinearticles.com/?Beginner-Guitar-Chords—Play-Songs-With-Two-Or-Three-Simple-Chords&id=3814880

is being plagiarized by: www(dot)goguitarnbits(dot)com/articles/?p=124.

I’ve been trying to get this person to stop doing this, but to no avail. Join me in getting this to stop!

Best,
Charlemagne
By saffron, March 13, 2010 @ 6:01 am

Hello debbie,
I would really want to become an actress its my dream ambition please can you help me by getting me into a show, Also i live in england anyway to help me get over to america?
saffron
By Peter from Poker, March 19, 2010 @ 2:46 am

Very Nice Website! I just found it on Google! Thanks for Sharing!
By Mike, March 20, 2010 @ 5:26 am

I enjoyed reading this post about About | Your Young Actor. Really interesting. I will come back to visit this blog again.
By Debbie Sikkema, March 30, 2010 @ 6:48 am

Thanks for letting me know this. It is considered OK to post someone’s article provided you include the whole article as is and credit where it came from and who wrote it appropriately. I am not sure one of my links is still active, though. It is also in good form for the person to ask or let you know, but not everyone does. Thanks for telling me about it, though. –Debbie
By Poker, April 19, 2010 @ 4:48 am

My son is 5 and has made a few ads. He also wants to act !
By vangie, April 29, 2010 @ 10:29 am

What a great website! As a kids headshot photographer, I like to pass on information about the industry to my clients. This site is a very useful resource and I often post links to it. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise!
By Ruth from Hello Kitty Costume, May 5, 2010 @ 4:33 am

What a great idea Debbie. It can be so difficult for young actors to get on the circuit and you offering information on your experiences is fantastic. The Entertainment Work link is well worth reading. Thanks.
By Jake from Mime Costume, May 6, 2010 @ 7:06 am

I have found that mime really helps kids with their acting skills. If they start early enough they really do develop quickly. Miming is such an expressive art that is goes hand in hand with acting.
By Elisabeth Abbott, May 6, 2010 @ 9:28 am

Hi Debbie (and readers):
I am a therapist in Los Angeles who has a background as a SAG/AFTRA actress — I love working with kids, teens, and parents. If parents or young actors in the LA area need some extra support in what is a pretty tough (but amazing) business, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you!
By name, May 11, 2010 @ 8:38 am

It’s not common these days to find this type of information. I’m glad I stumbled upon your website. Keep up the good work!
By graphite golf clubs, May 11, 2010 @ 2:17 pm

Awesome Blog. I add this Blog to my bookmarks.
By Debbie Sikkema, May 12, 2010 @ 9:57 am

Hi Elisabeth,
Thanks for reading and commenting. I’d like to look a little more into what you do so I’ll be checking out your site.
–Debbie
By Kellye Nethercutt, June 25, 2010 @ 2:40 am

I have attempted to post a comment here but every time I submit the form refreshes the comment or gives an error. Can someone could possibly look into why there is a problem?
By Tennant, July 10, 2010 @ 11:18 pm

Congratulations, I think you have invested some time and nerves in it and thanks! even now I will return on this blog.
I stick to see some movies now luck.
By Sam, July 15, 2010 @ 3:39 pm

hey! my mom and i are planning on moving out to LA and then if anything happens, the rest of my family would join us. We were wondering where a good place to start out would be. In other words, where exactly in LA did you move to when it was just you and your daughter? please e-mail me and let me know. thanks! ~Sam
By Debbie Sikkema, July 17, 2010 @ 7:48 am

Hi Sam,
My daughter and I stayed in Burbank when it was just the 2 of us. The schools there are good, and there are some good places to live. There are some other options that are good depending on exactly what you are looking for, how long you plan to stay, etc. I am in South Carolina visiting family right now, but I’ll send you an email after I get home. When are you planning to go to LA and how old are you? Let me know… Debbie
By Dave from buy tent, July 22, 2010 @ 5:54 pm

Hi really enjoyed reading your article and was wondering As an actor for drama – What is the difference between showing an audience and beleving for yourself?
By Arthur Solomon, August 3, 2010 @ 3:13 pm

Debbie,
My wife just got a call back from AMTC, we are excited and I am skeptical about it as a scam at the same time. I read your story which relieves my concern but I am trying to find out if you know how the convention was conducted for the adults when you attended with your daughter? Also, in case you were not present for the adult competition, do you know someone who attended, made it or not? I am trying to make a very informative decision to support this with my spouse or not?
I will really appreciate your reply to my email address on any information, links, articles, contacts, etc, and advises that could help me to come to a decision on this. I love my spouse and support her but I need to be very sure of what I am doing since $$$$ is involved. I cannot afford a scam – you know how that is.
Thanking you in advance for your reply.
By Rya from Mobilabonnement | Mobiltelefoni, August 12, 2010 @ 5:36 am

I wish you all the best of luck in your career.
By heather, August 22, 2010 @ 7:40 pm

Hi Deb,

I came across your website and I wanted to touch base with you. I run a website called childreninfilm.com – it’s dedicated to the positive employment of child actors. We provide access to a lot of information, as you are doing, along with the social networking capability to allow parents to locate, research and actually contact agents, managers, etc. It sounds like you began your journey when it was quite complicated – mailing out headshots, traveling to new cities, etc., etc. I think your readers would love to know that there are now ways to make all this a whole lot easier, and it can start from their home town. Anyway, well done with your website here- I was hoping we could talk and maybe do some things together.

To your success,
Heather Broeker
childreninfilm.com