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

email: Debbie@youryoungactor.com

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76 comments

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michaelb from guitars guitars guitars says:

May 24, 2011 at 7:01 pm (UTC -8)

Acting can be an extremely rewarding career, good choice i hope all goes very well for you and your daughter. Im a musician and, being in the arts, I wouldnt have it any other way good luck
Debbie Sikkema says:

May 28, 2011 at 9:20 am (UTC -8)

Thanks, Michael for your comments and well wishes. Being in the arts is indeed rewarding — though difficult! –Debbie
Rick from Auto Detailing Clearwater says:

June 16, 2011 at 6:15 am (UTC -8)

This is a great website. We are trying to get our children involved in acting as well, but have no idea where to start.
Debbie Sikkema says:

June 21, 2011 at 2:47 pm (UTC -8)

Hi Rick,
Thanks for commenting! I hope my website and my newsletter and other information you get from my site will be helpful to you. Let me know if there is something I can do to help!
Good luck! –Debbie
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July 6, 2011 at 3:48 am (UTC -8)

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Lee says:

July 23, 2011 at 4:24 pm (UTC -8)

As a Former Dance instructor think this is a good way of getting the best out of your kids…
anniversary says:

July 26, 2011 at 8:04 am (UTC -8)

Thanks for another excellent post. The place else may just anybody get that kind of info in such an ideal method of writing? I have a presentation subsequent week, and I’m at the search for such information.
Iwashiro from Pink Itchy Eye says:

August 3, 2011 at 12:37 am (UTC -8)

Thank you for wonderful info I used to be looking for this info for my mission.
ann from purple calla lilies says:

August 3, 2011 at 8:10 am (UTC -8)

nice blog deb! keep it up!
mark from Costa Mesa Chiropractor says:

August 4, 2011 at 11:34 am (UTC -8)

I failed to leave comments.
I hope you worry, as I do, that the futures of child actors seems awfully bleak. Still, we want them to have days in the sun. Parents must step up.
Sam says:

August 8, 2011 at 9:21 am (UTC -8)

Thanks for posting up, Deb! I wish there was more info out there like this when I was younger and looking at getting into acting… maybe if my kids are interested in it this’ll help out.

Thanks again!
James from Part time jobs in London says:

August 12, 2011 at 4:51 am (UTC -8)

I am really impressed that you dedicate so much time to your daughters future career- I really respect the amount of time you spent and hope I will do the same for my kids if they ever want to go into acting. Best of luck with your daughters career!
Shawn from graco high chair says:

August 12, 2011 at 12:03 pm (UTC -8)

Just watched a show the other night about child actors. Very intriguing program with huge insight into the industry. Never knew what some of these child stars endured while on shoots and off. It isn’t all about the money sometimes.
Sam from Steam Cleaner Reviews says:

August 14, 2011 at 8:14 pm (UTC -8)

Very interesting story about how you guys ended up in Los Angeles. I loved Los Angeles when we traveled there in 1996 and cannot wait to go back.
Victoria Taylor says:

August 19, 2011 at 12:39 am (UTC -8)

Hello Debbie, and thank for this awesome blog. I am going to be honest I’m terrified of the whole show biz world. I don’t want for my kids to get swallowed up in all this. My children are beautiful, they are full of life, and loves to entertain, but I feel as tough they will freeze up when they say action, or say cheese!!!! I’m praying that God will send us to the right people…Thanks!
John from build links says:

September 27, 2011 at 1:06 pm (UTC -8)

Is that your daughter in the top banner? She is so cute. I hope I can see her soon in a movie, then I’ll tell my wife “I posted a message on her mom’s blog” lol.
Debbie Sikkema says:

September 27, 2011 at 8:14 pm (UTC -8)

Yes, that is my daughter on the set of a movie called “Beautiful Dreamer.” Thank you for the compliment! She filmed it when she was 8. She is taking a little break from acting right now (at least from tv and film acting). She is 14 and has braces! That is a tough age/time for girls in acting. Thanks for your very cute comment! And thanks for reading and posting on my blog.
Best regards,
Debbie
klea says:

October 7, 2011 at 9:43 am (UTC -8)

to do into succes is not easy ….of course that to get the best cost a lot of sacrifices…the way you achived to be successful i hope you go higher and higher,and help other youngers to catch their dream
Debbie Sikkema says:

October 12, 2011 at 10:58 am (UTC -8)

Hi Klea,
Thanks so much for reading my blog and for your kind comments.
Warm regards,
Debbie
Debbie Sikkema says:

October 12, 2011 at 6:13 pm (UTC -8)

Hi Victoria,
I’m glad you like my blog. I can understand very well your fears. The world of show business is scary, and you must always be involved and know when to keep moving forward and when it might be best for your kids to take a break. Never push them but let them stay with it as long as they are happy with it. Good luck with this. Trusting in God and seeking his guidance certainly is a good way to go forward.
To your success,
Debbie
Loft Beds for Girls says:

October 28, 2011 at 8:58 am (UTC -8)

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Blythe says:

December 10, 2011 at 10:11 am (UTC -8)

is your daughter now a good actress, has she been in any films? and how old is she now?
seo says:

January 31, 2012 at 9:51 am (UTC -8)

I’m really impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Either way keep up the excellent quality writing, it’s rare to see a nice blog like this one these days..
Don from How To Improve Writing Skills says:

April 24, 2012 at 2:32 am (UTC -8)

I’d be interested to know what those things you learned that you had wished you had known earlier are.
Debbie Sikkema says:

April 30, 2012 at 4:24 pm (UTC -8)

Hi Don,
I think I replied to you already in email, but I’ll reply here, too. I wished I had had someone to ask questions of so I knew how this industry worked, that I had known more about the unions, what talent managers and agents do, what to expect in auditions, how the whole process of auditioning works, all about the work permit office and Coogan accounts and driving around L.A. Just about everything really — it was a slow process of learning for us! Thanks for reading and commenting here on my blog.
Sincerely,
Debbie