On Location Education has worked on behalf of young performers for over 25 years. We have extensive knowledge of the requirements surrounding minors working in entertainment and provide various related services to production companies, schools, parents and child actors. Below, we outline our core services. Given our 25 years in the industry, our clients have also requested special services, often in a pinch, such as recruiting a German accent language coach. Should you have a need for young performer related services not outlined here, or for more information on any of our core services, please contact us at 800.800.3378.

EDUCATION

Young Performers

On Location Education is the premier provider of on-set education for young performers in all areas of the entertainment industry. We provide teachers who continue the education of young performers while they are away from school working on film, television, commercial, theatre, tour, and music concert productions. Our staff works closely with parents and school teachers to ensure young performers (those with speaking parts as well as extras) complete homework assignments and receive extra help in subject areas where needed. Our teachers work with production company staff to create appropriate learning environments and ensure that young performers receive the mandated number of schooling hours during down times when, as performers, they are not directly required on set or on stage.

Private Clients

OLE understands the need for adaptable education, which is why we offer educational services to private clients. Just as Plato and George Washington were schooled by private tutors, we provide teachers who educate students one-on-one in their home, workplace or wherever they may require it. This model of education outside the traditional classroom is ideal for families with various lifestyles or with unique situations such as:

• Children of celebrities
• Children of high profile executives
• Business people who temporarily move outside their home country for work but wish their children to receive education in the style and curriculum of their own country
• Parents who are away from home much of the time and want their children with them
• Parents who choose to take the family on long term vacations
• Parents who want a customized educational curriculum for their children
• Professional children who are young entrepreneurs or are pursuing or have careers in entertainment and/or sports
• Children with chronic illnesses
• Children with learning differences

For private client educational programs, OLE hires teachers to match the student’s educational needs and learning style. We work around the family’s schedule providing educational arrangements for finite time periods or on an ongoing basis; we offer complete flexibility in scheduling. In essence, school travels to and with the student rather than the other way around. The educational program provides targeted academic attention with a specific focus on the needs of that one child, as opposed to traditional school systems where teachers must adapt their curriculum for an entire classroom of children with differing learning styles. Parents of students in private educational programs receive weekly progress reports, semester report cards and periodic visits from a dean of students who is intricately involved in each student’s curriculum.

Family of Companies

OLE is not simply a sole entity but rather, is composed of a family of educational companies including The School for Young Performers and Denise Simon’s Actors Workshop. The School for Young Performers (SYP) is a New York State registered K-12 private school without walls. SYP is designed to meet the needs of students balancing their education with careers in the performing arts or athletics, as well as students who prefer a more personalized and flexible education at home or while traveling. Denise Simon’s Actors Workshop is a place where aspiring young performers can begin to master the craft of acting. In small class sessions, kids are encouraged to learn and grow within a non-competitive atmosphere.

WORK PERMITS

On Location Education has extensive knowledge of each State Law regarding child labor and work permits for the employment of minors and also understands how to apply SAG and Equity regulations to a young performer’s work situation. We take care of all the permit paperwork so parents and producers don’t have to take precious time away from their duties to deal with this time intensive process. In certain cases, we can work with state officials to expedite the application process when extenuating circumstances exist.

SEMINARS

OLE President Alan Simon is a member of the Education Committee of The Broadway League (formerly The League of American Theatres and Producers). In that capacity, he helps conduct the seminar series The Broadway Speakers Bureau, which is targeted to college and university students and provides information on alternative careers in the entertainment industry, i.e., non-acting careers in the business side of the theatre. In past seasons, Broadway Speakers Bureau seminars were presented at schools including Long Island University, New York University, Muhlenberg College, Rutgers University, Brooklyn College, Juilliard, and Borough of Manhattan Community College.

CONSULTING

OLE provides pre-production consulting services to production companies with projects involving minors. With knowledge of the intricacies of labor law and union requirements relating to minors, we have helped save numerous production dollars and staff time hours advising and solving challenges prior to their arising during filming/taping/stage rehearsal. Our consult helps production companies put out fires long before the fire sparks, thereby side stepping costly production delays and subsequent management and cast frustration.

SPECIAL SERVICES

Given our industry experience spanning over a quarter century, our clients have also requested special services, often in a pinch because our abundance of resources affords us the ability to extend beyond our core services and jump in to help producers and directors solve their pressing issues. Some of the services we have provided include:

• Obtaining an American Sign Language coach for Tatum O'Neal and Denis Leary for their work on an episode of Rescue Me;
• Hiring a child wrangler for Cheetah & Gazelle companies for The Lion King;
• Teaching a French dialect to David Duchovny on the set of his directorial debut film House of D;
• Assisting Radio City Music Hall with the identification of a pool of local talent for their touring production of The Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

PUBLICATIONS

Our Website

Our website is a public hub of information for and about the business and academic education of young performers in the entertainment industry. We have and continue to compile facts and figures, articles, links and other resources useful to child actors, their parents, schools, production companies and the press. We welcome suggestions for further content.

Parents, Teachers and Production Companies can click on same name categories in our Quick Reference section to access specific content relevant to their needs. Young performers and their families, as well as general visitors, should find our comprehensive performance Glossaries both educational and informative. Our extensive Links section is a rich resource with categories including Getting Your Child’s Career Started, Unions and Guilds, Non-Profit Organizations and/or Services, Professional Organizations and Associations, Publications and Websites, and Resources for Books. And our News section not only cites press coverage of our company but also provides visitors with a vast array of industry related articles and book titles.

The Book

The book, The Young Performers Guide: How to Break Into Show Business co-written by Brian Padol and Alan Simon, OLE founder, is an invaluable guide for every child or teenager (and his/her parents) who has dreams of becoming a star. This is a comprehensive resource containing short articles, personal anecdotes, and advice by well-known young performers including Anthony Michael Hall, Allison Smith, and Josh Saviano. Articles cover topics such as overcoming stage fright, eating well, legal issues, how to get an effective headshot, parent managers, and scene study.