How Much Money Must Be Deposited Into a Coogan Account from a Child’s Earnings?

Image via Wikipedia, Coogan Account or Piggy Bank?

It is required by law in California and New York  that a percentage of a child’s entertainment industry earnings be deposited into a Coogan Account, a.k.a. a Coogan Blocked Trust Account. In California, only 10 days after getting an entertainment work permit, you must have also opened this special Coogan account specifically for that purpose.

The California Child Actor’s Bill (a.k.a. the Coogan Bill, the Coogan Law, and the Coogan Act) came into being after all the money of child actor, Jackie Coogan, was spent by his parents.  He was left with nothing from all his hard work as a child actor. As a young adult, he filed a lawsuit, but was only able to get back a very small amount of all the money he made.  For more details on this topic, see “What Is a Coogan Account?”

A question many parents ask is “Exactly how much of the child’s earnings must be deposited into this Coogan Account?”

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Can a Bank Deduct Fees from a Coogan Blocked Trust Account?

Don't Let Bank Fees Deplete Your Child's Coogan Account, Image via Wikipedia

Understanding exactly what a Coogan blocked trust account is and how it works is no easy feat for a parent of a child actor or model.  Many  employees at banks are just about as clueless about Coogan accounts as you probably are, and some are even more so.

In fact, finding the information you need related to Coogan blocked trust accounts can be next to impossible. Some additional information about Coogan accounts can be found in “What Is a Coogan Account?” and “What Is a Coogan Blocked Trust Account?”

Not long after we opened my daughter’s Coogan blocked trust account, the financial institution hosting it was taken over by another financial institution. They assured me that the transfer of her account would be handled seamlessly.

Trustee’s Statement

I had to have a new trustee’s letter/statement of account (see “What Is a Coogan Account?” for details on the Trustee’s Letter/Statement)  prepared to show all the new information for her Coogan account. The representative wanted to charge me $5.00 since they had previously prepared a statement for me. I asked to speak to the supervisor and got the $5.00 charge waived since it was not my fault. So at this point, I would definitely not have called it seamless, even though everything seemed to be going okay.

Fees Being Deducted From a Coogan Account

When I received my daughter’s first quarterly statement after her Coogan account had been inherited by the new bank, I noticed that fees were being deducted from her account.  I certainly was not happy about the changes to her account that was supposed to remain the same after the transfer.

I proceeded to make phone calls to investigate what was going on with her account at this point.  Why were fees being withheld from her Coogan account?   After talking to three different bank representatives and spending over an hour on the phone, one of the representatives assured me that it was just set up incorrectly and that it would be fixed immediately.

But when her next statement came, I noticed fees were still being deducted each month from her account! I thought the idea of the account being a blocked trust was that no money, fees included, would be deducted from her account. It took another hour of phone calls and finally a visit to the bank to get this problem fixed.

So, “Can a Bank Deduct Fees from a Coogan Blocked Trust Account?”

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What Is a Coogan Blocked Trust Account? (Showbiz Term of the Day)

Coogan Blocked Trust Account Image via Wikipedia

What Is a Coogan Blocked Trust Account?

For those with children interested in the entertainment industry, it is very important to understand what a Coogan Blocked Trust Account is.

As soon as you get a California entertainment work permit (see “Do You Need an Entertainment Work Permit for Your Child Actor?“) for your child, you also need to open a Coogan Account (see “What is a Coogan Account?” for more details) for that same child.

When I was trying to open a Coogan account for my daughter, I was confused and frustrated. I did not even know how to spell Coogan. All I knew was the name Coogan account. I did not really know what it was.

Many of the bank representatives I talked to had never even heard of a Coogan account.  So I went and researched the topic so I had more information to use to communicate with the bank employees.

So, “What is a Coogan Blocked Trust Account?”

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When You Become a Child Actor, How Do You Keep Up With Schoolwork?

If You Become a Child Actor, You Must Keep Up with Schoolwork, Image via Wikipedia

When you become a child actor, one of the hardest things to do is keep up with your schoolwork. If you (or your child) wants to become a child actor, you need to continuously train in acting and other related activities such as dancing and voice.

Often, there seems to be little time left for doing schoolwork.

When my daughter was young, missing a little school to go to auditions or coaching was seldom a big deal. Some teachers were more understanding than others. But still, making up the work was not much of a challenge, and the teachers/administrators rarely got upset about it.

But as my daughter has gotten older, it has become more difficult for her to miss class without sacrificing her grades and the respect of her teachers.  The teachers and administrators are less tolerant. They even make it more difficult to get work permit applications signed, even for children who are good students.

Also, the amount of homework assigned has increased significantly, making it more difficult to go to auditions.

My daughter is a good student, and she chooses schoolwork over acting on a regular basis. She is still involved in acting, but when she has to sacrifice one or the other, it is most often her acting career that takes a back seat to her academics. However, she does honor any commitments she makes related to her acting, music, and other activities.

As a parent, I am proud of her for this. How she does in school is likely to affect her for the rest of her life. And if she chooses not to continue acting as an adult, I want her to have other good options. I want her to be able to get into a good university. I also believe that following through with the commitments you make is important in becoming a responsible person.

We know many other young actors who have chosen to become homeschoolers or enroll in schools other than regular public schools in order to more easily pursue their show business careers.  This is a choice that parents and children will have to make together based on what works best for them and what best matches their goals and dreams in life.

This schoolwork vs. acting issue is a dilemma that every child (and the parents) face when considering what it takes to become a child actor.

So, “When You Become a Child Actor, How Do You Keep Up With Schoolwork?”

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Where is the California Entertainment Work Permit Office in Van Nuys?

The very first time I went to the California entertainment work permit office in Van Nuys, I remember wishing I had more information. I wished I knew what the building hosting the entertainment work permit office looked like and exactly where it was.

I also wished I knew where to park. And I wished I knew where to find the entertainment work permit office once I got to the building.

Entertainment Work Permit Office in Van Nuys

I take a journey to the entertainment work permit office about every 6 months to get my daughter’s work permit renewed. The last time I went, I decided to take a few pictures to share with visitors to my site.

Now, when you go to get your child a California work permit you’ll know exactly what the building looks like and where to go when you get there.

You can read all about who needs to get an entertainment work permit and how to get one in my previous posts on this topic (see “How Do You Get a Child Entertainment Work Permit in Southern California?,”  “How Do You Renew Your Child’s Entertainment Work Permit?, and “Do You Need an Entertainment Work Permit for Your Child Actor?” )

So, are you wondering exactly “Where Is the California Entertainment Work Permit Office in Van Nuys?”

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What Does a Child Give Up to Become a Child Actor?

Image by respres/Flickr, Spend Hours in Traffic to Become a Child Actor

When we decided to help our daughter become a child actor, we did not think much about the cons of acting — instead we were focused on giving our daughter the opportunity to do what she seemed to enjoy most — entertaining others.

At the same time, helping her become a child actor seemed like an exciting and fun thing to do. And Los Angeles seemed like a cool place to be. (See “What Should You Do If Your Child Wants to Become a Child Actor?” and “Should You Move to Los Angeles for Your Child to Become a Child Actor?”  for more on this topic.)

As we started our journey into show business, we knew there would be some sacrifices, but it was not until we moved to L.A. and began auditioning that we started to really understand the sacrifices.

A Birthday Party

I remember one particular time when my daughter was 7, and she was invited to the birthday party of one of her best friends at school.  It was a pool party, and all of her friends were planning to be there. She was so excited that she could hardly think or talk about anything else.

An Audition

When the phone rang the day before the party, and it was her talent manager, my heart sank. As I feared, my daughter’s manager informed me of an audition scheduled at the same time as the birthday party.

It had been a while since my daughter’s last audition, and I knew I really needed to agree to it.

Perhaps I should have turned it down, but instead I asked if we could change to a later time.  I was able to postpone it for two hours, but it still meant she’d have to leave the party early.

I dreaded telling my daughter about the audition and wondered how I could get her to rehearse her lines, much less be cheerful and happy in the audition.

Changing Plans

When I told her, first she said “No, I am not going!”   She was very upset, but after a few minutes of thinking, she seemed to understand that it was something she needed to do. She immediately began working on learning the lines for the audition.

I still remember having to tell the mother of the birthday girl that we’d be leaving early for an audition. I also remember how she looked at me when I told her.  Most people really don’t understand about this sort of thing.

Doing What You Have to Do

When I arrived back at the party to pick up my daughter, she was in the pool laughing and playing with her friends, and I hated having to take her away from this.

I still remember how sad she looked when she saw me there. But she got out willingly, and then, amazingly, cheerfully left with me.

Making Plans is Difficult

This was only one of so many occasions when plans were made with friends and then had to be canceled due to auditions.  Sometimes I was almost afraid to make any plans for my daughter for fear of an audition resulting in us having to cancel.  I even started warning the parents whenever plans were made that if an audition came up we’d have to cancel.

Some of the other parents and I joked about it saying we needed to make plans to go somewhere if we wanted our child to get an audition.

Interference with plans made is just one of a number of things that a child has to deal with when they become a child actor.

Have you thought about what your child will give up to become a child actor?

“What does a child give up to become a child actor?”

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Will You Miss Your Family If You Move to L.A. for Your Child to Become a Child Actor?

Chau-Ram Park, (via turbojoe/Flickr), Leave Family to Become a Child Actor?

My two kids and I just returned from a two-week trip to South Carolina to visit our family.  We travel to South Carolina twice each year to visit family ever since we moved to L.A. for our daughter to become a child actor.

The thing I’ve struggled with most after moving to L.A. for my daughter to become a child actor was leaving all our family behind.

I know people leave their families all the time, but I’ve always been close to my family and spent a lot of time with them. And I really miss that.

And my kids really miss doing things with our relatives.

While we were in SC visiting, we did all sorts of things with family. We went on boat rides, went swimming in the lake, and went tubing on the Chauga River.  We went blueberry picking at a nearby blueberry farm.  We went to a cousin’s birthday party, too. And we just hung out with family–watching tv, playing video games or other games, and just talking.

We spent a lot of our time visiting my mother who is not in the greatest health. She misses having us around.  We try to cram a year’s worth of visits with her into the 3 or 4 weeks we are in the area each year. She hates it most of all that we moved so far away.

For us, being far away has meant that we’ve missed weddings, funerals, birthdays, family reunions, holidays, and many other events.

Sure, we have friends in L.A. But friends, no matter how good they are, typically come and go.  With family it is different — at least for us it is.

At times, I really just want to drop everything, and just take off to return to the Southeast.

If you are considering moving to L.A. or New York for your child to become a child actor, have you considered how you’ll feel when your family is so far away?

How much will you miss your family if you move to L.A. or New York for your child to become a child actor?

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What Can You Learn from the Michael Jackson Life Story?

Wikipedia, Michael Jackson Life Story

Someone put a comment on my blog asking if I was going to post about Michael Jackson’s death. I hadn’t planned to, but my husband and I just watched a show about the Michael Jackson life story with an in-depth interview of Michael Jackson.

As I watched Michael Jackson being interviewed about his early life and the Jackson 5, I thought about how so much fame at an early age must have affected his life.  The more I listened to the Michael Jackson life story, the sadder I felt about all the tragedy and difficulties in his life, and his premature death.

Born in 1958, Michael was only 6 or 7 when he started performing with the Jackson Five.  They released their first single, “Big Boy,” in January 1968 when he was only 9. This little-known single was released under the label Steeltown Records before the Jackson 5 signed with Motown.

For those who have not heard it, I found “Big Boy” on YouTube. I have included it here for you to hear — not a big hit, but a good song.

(Sorry, I had a link to “Big Boy” on YouTube but had to remove it since the video was removed from YouTube for incorrect usage.)

Not too long after that came the release of their first number one hit song, “I Want You Back,” in 1969, when Michael was 10. Three more number one hit singles soon followed:   “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There.”

Michael was instantly put into the limelight as the whole world witnessed his amazing talent in singing, dancing, and performing. I know I was in awe as I watched him perform.

Of course, many other hits came after that, including one of my favorites,”Thriller,” with the great music video that I still enjoy watching.

What can you learn from the Michael Jackson life story?

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