Celebrity Acting Coach Denise Simon & Director Walid Chaya Chat With Parents of Actors Connection Campers

Director Walid Chaya invited celebrity child acting coach Denise Simon to join him for a chat with parents of Actors Connection's latest Kids & Teens camp. Together they discussed hot topics for parents including self-submitting for Broadway and film/TV auditions, the differences between an agent and manager and how to keep in touch with these pros and grow your network.

Parents also screened Simon's latest teaser for her new book, Parenting in the Spotlight: How to Raise a Child Star Without Screwing Them Up, now available on Amazon. The book discusses topics from the seminar in depth and much more as Simon writes about her 30+ years of experience.

"Most parents are new to the entertainment industry and it's important they know how to keep the momentum up after our week together, especially as their kid or teen continues to audition and work," says Director Chaya.

Walid created the program to jump-start the careers of young performers and this past week 24 Kids & Teens at Actors Connection Performing Arts Camp worked with over a dozen New York theatre, film, TV and commercial pros including Broadway Stars, Casting Directors and Talent Agents.

Kids & Teens ages 7-14 leave camp with important actor "tools", including a weeklong of intensive on-camera training, a high-quality scene filmed for their demo reel by Reproductions NY and a complimentary headshot by NY Photographer Maria Wilson.

Simon and Chaya also answered questions from parents like "When should my child join the union?" and "How often does my child need new headshots?"

While this seminar was exclusive to parents of campers, Chaya usually leads this event monthly, part of Actors Connection's free seminar resources available to ages 7-16 and their parents. The next free event will be on Tuesday, August 1 at Actors Connection; for more information and additional dates click here.

Denise will be visiting NYC for a book talk and signing of Parenting in the Spotlight: How to Raise a Child Star Without Screwing Them Up (https://tinyurl.com/ybjwfodd). Monday, August 7th @ 5:00pm-6:00pm, Drama Book Shop, 250 West 40th St., NYC.

Denise Simon is a renowned child acting coach, who is recommended by New York's top agents, managers and casting directors for her ability to coach young actors without them looking coached. A veteran of the industry as an actress, teacher, director, casting director and personal talent manager, Denise has coached hundreds of children and young adults, privately and on-set, who appear regularly on Broadway, TV and film. Denise is a columnist for Backstage.com and is a member of the New York SAG-AFTRA Young Performers Committee. Learn more at DeniseSimonCoaching.com.

Walid Chaya is an Associate Member of the Stage Directors Choreographer Society and an alumni of The American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony® Awards, SpringBoardNYC directors program. Chaya is also the Artistic Director of Moonlit Wings Productions, providing full production services and award-winning performing arts classes and camps in NYC and DC. Learn more at walidchaya.com.

A final session of Performing Arts Camp will happen August 14-18, 2017 at Actors Connection New York featuring a fresh line-up of industry movers and shakers. Learn more about Actors Connection and get in the spotlight at actorsconnection.com/kids or call (212) 776-4900.

See what kids think about Actor's Connection below: