August 2016 – Page 2 – Urban Suburban Mommy

10 questions with a casting director

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in 10 Questions With .

Every one wants to be a star! My little guy has asked me to be on TV and of course I really have to think about this one. My brother was a child actor and yes, at times it was exciting and glamorous, but, believe it or not it is a lot of hard work and a bigtime commitment. So many parents are curious about how to get their kids started in showbiz, we spoke to Julie J. Fitzsimmons, principle of Jules Casting, who some shed light on the audition process. We think you’ll find it enlightening!

1. Does a child need an agent before auditioning in front of a casting director?

Having an agent is a huge advantage, but there are other open call avenues that some Casting Directors use. For example, I have an online form where anyone can sign up to receive E-blasts for Jules Casting Open Call notifications signup.julescasting.com. I also make announcements using social media like twitter @JulesCasting

*NOTE* there are MANY scams out there so it’s extremely important to do your due diligence and research before you decide to submit your child to something. I can’t stress it enough. NEVER give money up front. That’s why it really is in your best interest to have an agent who can submit your child to all the castings in the city. They will be more familiar with who the industry professionals are.

2. What special talents or personality traits does a casting director look for when auditioning children?

I look for children who are confident, listen well and take our direction. Often kids are very confident but there are many that come into the casting room who get shy. It’s an intimidating experience but some children come in with absolutely no fear! It’s amazing to see!

3. Are there certain desired looks or trends these days in casting for TV/Films?

No, every casting is different so it would pertain to the specific job I’m working on.

4. Is a parent allowed in the room when a child is auditioning?

I can’t speak for other Casting Directors but I don’t allow parents in the room. Children often look to their parent for support or approval and most times it’s to the detriment of the child’s performance. I run a fun show, so the Jules Casting team will always make sure it’s an enjoyable experience for the kids.

5. Should a child dress the part when auditioning? For example, if you are casting for a period film, should a child dress appropriately?

This is another question that is specific to each Casting Director or even client. I like people to dress the role, so it adds to my visual of seeing them in the scene. This doesn’t mean they have to go purchase a costume/wardrobe for every audition. For example, if you’re auditioning for a role as an elf in a Christmas movie, wear red and green. If the part is for a private school student, perhaps dress in white shirt, grey or black bottoms similar to a uniform. Though I have heard that some Casting Directors do not like this, when we schedule auditions we’ll include wardrobe details in the prep notes so you would know ahead of time.

6. How important are good head shots to a casting director?

They’re important, but what’s more important is to keep them REAL. Do not jazz your child up in hair and make-up. It’s beneficial to have a couple of options, perhaps one casual and one dressed up. Also, children grow quickly so it’s important to get head shots updated.

7. What are some tips to help parents/children prepare for an audition?

Memorize the lines as best as they can, do some improvisation with them for the scene and just remind them it’s about being creative and having fun.

8. How long does an audition usually last?

Usually parents should be prepared to stay between 20 – 30 minutes at the Casting Studio. You’ll often be asked to fill in forms, then wait until it’s time for the child to come in the room. The audition itself could be 5-15 minutes, but it all depends on the project.

9. What can a child performer expect for a rate of pay for one day’s work?

Rates really vary from job to job, but I always tell actors in the beginning of their career to get out and volunteer for as many shoots (low budget/short films/school projects) as possible to gain more confidence and experience.

10. Any tips on how to wow a casting director or leave a lasting impression?

Be polite, do the best job you can and have fun!

About Jules Casting

Julie J. Fitzsimmons founder of Jules Casting has been working as an independent Casting Director in Toronto since 2004. Casting TV Hosts, Commercials, Reality Shows, Series, Feature Films, Live Events and voice with a long list of production clients. For over 10 years Jules has been casting and collaborating with many of the major networks including: MuchMusic, Comedy, E!, Oprah’s Network ‘OWN’, CTV, MTV, Slice, OLN, The Score, Sportnet, Rogers, CityTV, M3, Cosmo, Space, WNetwork, CMT, Bell Media, Discovery and TMN.

Jules is a Canadian Screen Award Member and has been invited to sit on the jury for the last four years. Her work has played an important role in over 30 award-winning promos, including multiple Promax Awards, a Gemini nomination for guest-hosting with Daily Planet, a Gemini Nomination, as well as a Gold Remi for On-Screen Talent and Television Series/Comedy for Ed’s Up.

www.julescasting.com

@JulesCasting

Fertility issues

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Sponsored Post, The Struggle is Real .

Growing up, most of us thought about having babies. We wondered whether we’d have a boy or a girl – or maybe even twins! We thought about how many we’d like and what it would be like to play house.

It was all very exciting.

Those childhood daydreams never involved wondering whether fertility would be an issue.

Fertility issues are difficult. For those that suffer through fertility issues, it’s painful and personal, and most don’t feel comfortable openly discussing it.

Because it’s not discussed, or even given much consideration until it becomes an issue, there is a lot of misinformation and a lot of myth surrounding fertility.

Fertility issues affect 16% of Canadians, that’s about 1 in 6 couples.

What do you really know about fertility issues? We teamed up with OvaScience who have recently launched the AUGMENT treatment in Canada to assist women who are struggling with fertility due to egg health to figure out fact from fiction and provide some insight into the subject.

Myth 1: Fertility issues usually stem from the woman

Actually… Fertility issues can lie with either partner. In men some of the factors that can lead to fertility issues are:

Varicoceles – an enlarged vein in the testicles that may affect sperm count and shape
Medical conditions such as diabetes, cystic fibrosis, infections, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy
Unhealthy lifestyle issues such as excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, use of anabolic steroids or other illegal drugs
Environmental toxins such as pesticides and lead

Myth 2: It’s just stress. When you stop trying, it will happen

Actually… Stress doesn’t cause infertility, but infertility will definitely cause a lot of stress.

Myth 3: There has to be a reason.

Actually… While there is a reason, sometimes science doesn’t have all of the answers. Both couples may be in perfect health and seem to be reproductively fit, yet there’s just no success. Unexplained fertility is the diagnosis for between 15 to 30% of couples who have undergone fertility investigation.

Myth 4: It’s easy for most women to get pregnant

Actually… Though it may seem like pregnancy is easy and immediate for most women, it’s actually not as easy as you think. Despite the fact that it might sometimes feel like you’re constantly hearing announcements of a surprise, or that someone got pregnant even though they were on birth control, it takes a very specific set of ideal circumstances to make the magic happen. The timing has to be just right – there are only a few days a month that a woman can conceive. The egg has to be healthy. The uterus has to be in balance. The ejaculate has to have quality sperm that reach the egg. Fertilization needs to occur. The cell division has to happen correctly. Implantation needs to be successful. And even then, there are numerous reasons why a pregnancy doesn’t succeed.

Myth 5: Young women don’t struggle with infertility

Actually… The rate of infertility for women between 40 to 44 is over 14.3% to 20.7%, but the infertility rate of 18 to 29 year old women is 7 to 13.7%. Infertility in women definitely has a correlation to age – fertility is at its peak in a woman’s early 20s. Eggs are healthiest, rate of miscarriage is lowest. Still, the odds of successfully getting pregnant within a cycle is about 33%. Fertility starts to decrease more quickly for a woman through her 30s. By 30, the odds of getting pregnant each cycle are about 20%. These odds decrease steadily by the years until early 40s, when the likelihood of infertility is much higher. 91% of women can get pregnant at age 30; 77% by age 35; 53% by age 40.

Myth 6: Infertile couples will never have children

Actually… Never say never. For some it may never happen, for others, circumstances may change. For many, the odds may be slim, but they’re just odds and it may just naturally happen. While fertility issues can occur because of a wide variety of factors, each case needs to be investigated because individual issues can vary so widely and even change over time.

With scientific development and a better understanding of reproductive health, new strategies for treatment may eventually help more couples experiencing fertility issues. OvaScience has recently introduced the AUGMENT treatment across Canada to help women who are struggling with their fertility due to poor egg health. While many factors contribute to egg health, having adequate levels of mitochondria, or energy inside of the egg is essential for healthy fertilization and embryo development. The AUGMENT treatment uses the energy-producing mitochondria from a patient’s own egg precursor cell, an immature egg cell found in the protective lining of her ovaries – to supplement the existing mitochondria in her egg.

If you are experiencing infertility, or just want to learn more about this new technology, you can visit http://www.augmenttreatment.com or talk to your doctor.

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When my summer went up in smoke

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in The Struggle is Real .

I’ve agonized over writing this. I promised the editors that I was going to submit an article about my favourite “staycation” moments. I had an outline about ice cream hunts, day trips and movie nights. There would be a humorous twist, of course, a sardonic angle ending in an inclusive, collective sigh of “ahhh, parenting, amiright?”

And then there was a fire.

We were spending the week with my parents at a cottage in Haliburton. About three days in, we got a voicemail from the fire department, saying there was a fire and our front door was compromised. It turns out that our neighbours two houses down caught fire, and the house beside them – which attaches to us – caught fire as well.

We’ve incurred a lot of smoke and smoulder and the house is unlivable right now, but we are safe and I thank god we weren’t there. Living out of suitcases and temporary apartments can put a cramp in anyone’s summer. Here’s how I managed to salvage it:

I became my own portable office: I’ve dealt with insurance companies before, and the one thing I know is that I am my own best advocate. While our adjustor initially took the reigns and made sure that we had the bare necessities, insurance companies have many moving parts and are sometimes short on details. Armed with a tiny notebook, a binder clip of business cards and my cell phone, I have spent hours followingupfollowingupfollowingup with cleaning crews, relocation companies and engineers. Staying on top of business allowed me to carve out some quality time with my kids.

I started accepting help. People are awesome. I have an incredible village of family and friends. As soon as word got out about our situation, we were been invited to sleepovers, pool days, meals, you name it. When we were in between residences my parents let us all sleep over at their place. I don’t accept help very often, but this time I allowed myself to say yes because it’s not just about me anymore.

I didn’t let our situation affect the kids’ summer. I haven’t told our oldest about the fire specifically. I’ve positioned the rest of the summer as a great “adventure”. We did the ice cream crawl (Ed’s Real Scoop, Hollywood Gelato and Sweet Jesus, anyone?), a trip to Centre Island, movies and so many pool days my boys resemble prunes. Of course, I’m tempering all of this with the knowledge that my kids are smart and can tell when I’m being insincere.

When my boy asks me why he can’t go home and get his treasure box I tell him (after dying inside) that there are people fixing up our house so it will be fresh and new and clean. It’s all I can do right now.

I’ve found silver linings everywhere. We’ve been inconvenienced, but our neighbours literally lost everything. We didn’t have to experience firemen kicking our door down in the middle of the night. Our house is secure and has a million people cleaning and fixing it.

Most importantly, we are safe and my kids are having a kick-ass summer.

Cocoa snack balls

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

photo: Elin B

My friend Ali, the beauty and the brains behind those sensation Au Naturel Artisan beauty and edible products (goingaunaturel.com) showed me this one. Rather, she got my husband hooked on these little pretty-good-for-you treats and I can’t make them fast enough to keep up!

There’s no set recipe, it’s kind of nice that way, you just need to follow the technique and include anything you’ve got a craving for or have on hand. You can make them into balls or bars. You can eat them while they’re still warm or you can wait for them to cool – sometimes it’s hard to wait! Once you try these you’ll see how easy and quick these are and you’ll be making your own versions all the time.

What you need:

– 1/2 cup coconut oil
– 1/4 cup agave or 4 tablespoons maple syrup
– dash of vanilla
– 1 heaping tablespoon cocoa powder

These are approximate, I like to toss the ingredients from the container right into the sweetened coconut oil mixture:
– 1/2 cup steel cut quick oats
– 1/2 cup chia seeds
– 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (shelled)
– 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (shelled)
– 1/4 cup raw almonds, slivered or crushed
– 2 pinches sea salt

You can add any seeds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans (crush nuts before adding), shaved coconut – even popcorn if you want. You can pack them with protein and make energy bars. You can make them with dried blueberries, goji berries and other superfoods for a power packed pick-up. You can really play with the flavours once you see how the sweetened coconut oil binds the ingredients together.

What you do:

On medium-low melt the coconut oil and then stir in the agave or maple syrup. Stir in the vanilla and cocoa.

Remove the pot from the heat and start tossing in pinches and small handfuls of ingredients. The oats make the balls bigger, helping the nuts and seeds to bind. You can keep adding ingredients until the mixture is thick and starts binding together. If it gets too dry, just return to heat and add a bit more coconut oil to melt – just very briefly. Keep tasting along the way. You can add a dash more sweet or more cocoa – bump up any flavour that you like.

When the mixture is nice and thick and starting to clump, you can either pour out onto a piece of wax paper on a tray or roll into balls and place on a tray.

Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

Put the tray in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes to set.

You can eat this warm or cold. You can leave them in the freezer and the cocoa flavoured and sweetened coconut oil is chilled and hard – it’s kind of perfect for the summer heat!

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