Secrets to Thriving in Youth Entertainment

She and her husband kind of tag team on the company and well , actually it's a whole family thing .

It's a whole family thing and today we want to address you know , we don't talk to parents , we don't talk to anyone who have children and you're thinking about like , hey , you know , I want to put my child in show business , I want them to be an actor , you know , and they want to be an actor and they should be an actor because they're always acting , and

an actor and they should be an actor because they're always acting , and so I want to get them out there . So we have the perfect person for you to talk to today and her name is Natasha Garcia . Hello , natasha , thank you for joining us today . Hey , thank you for having me .

You know , I would say that we're here in the studio , but we're all in our homes during this time , which is actually just great . You know we can work with that too . You have been in the business of entertainment and working with children and adults for about 20 years .

You know , over 20 years in this business , including being a performer yourself , and I want to jump right into it and I know that you have parents probably stop you on the street . Everybody wants to be an actor , especially here in Atlanta . That the film industry has just really blown up . What's your first response to that ?

I think the performing arts just gives so much wealth of knowledge and personality and confidence to any human being , right ? So I always tell parents hey , get them in training . That's the first step . Don't already see yourself your kid on TV , or you know how fast it's going to be , or I want my kid to be a star right now .

No , it starts at the ground level of training and understanding . Even if they're talented , even if they have something , they still need to know how to use that something .

And but you and I with me being in the film industry and working as a producer , director , and we know how important that technique is Natural talent , but you have to learn the basics the basics .

And just because you have natural talent , again , without training and a coach , it won't last long , you won't be competitive , you won't be able to compete with other people that are training . So that raw talent thing is out the door . It's good to start with , but you have to be coached and trained to understand how to use it .

And I can even say that for myself . I grew up singing . You know , 10 years old , I was singing and performing . I didn't have training , formal training , until I was like 18 years old .

But by the time I turned 18 , I had already damaged my voice some , because I was singing without coaching , I didn't know how to breathe from my diaphragm , I didn't know how to maintain my vocals , I didn't know how to take care of my vocals .

So , again , I was singing and performing and doing what I love , but I was damaging my instrument because of lack of training that's so important .

And I remember coming to your school once and you have this , you had this thing of hey , cause I'm like'm like Natasha , I don't think I could really sing , and you're like , oh , I can teach you to sing , everybody can sing . You need to let them build that confidence and I'm like you know what ?

I never thought of that perspective , although you know I've never sat down with you for you to train me . I'm looking forward to that . I keep telling my husband I need a record deal and he kind of like goes , uh , I don't know , keep writing . But I believe , if you believe in me , natasha , that I believe in me . So , but you train in all three areas .

How important is that ? To , um , not just act , but you know entertainment in general , to have that knowledge .

Even if you're thinking about being a series regular in a TV show , that actor , that character is going to have an arc of a life and in that arc of a life they may end up going to dance school , they may end up taking vocal lessons , they may end up going to dance school , they may end up taking vocal lessons , they may end up doing whatever on that show

. And if you're not comfortable in your own skin and you're not at least okay with people hearing , you maybe not even sound good , because so many people get so nervous when you say , hey , sing something for me . If they can't sing , they're like , oh my God , I can't sing , and they may start crying and get really upset .

I just want people to be comfortable in their own skin . I want them to be okay , fearless , in whatever you ask me to do . You don't have to be great at all of it , but you want to bring as much to the table . So I have this triple threat philosophy that everyone does everything . I don't care who you are , we're going to do triple threat .

And I again just want you , if you had to stand up in front of a group of 200 people and sound a hot mess and you don't sound great , but you have the confidence to stand up and sing a song without folding , without being afraid , without crying , then I'm like okay , we're ready , because you don't know what you're going to be asked to do on a set or what

your character's life is going to be in that movie or that tv show yeah , yeah , yeah , you are so right , Because I've had people to say , hey , I have someone you know , my cousin , my friend , you know they can act and they want .

That's not a time to bring out shyness to overcome fear , because we know that . You know , actors may be a little nervous sometimes anyway , but if you have someone who's totally shy , so you're right and training is definitely necessary . Make sure you're skin . Totally shy , so you're right , Training is definitely necessary . Make comfortable your own skin .

I love your philosophy . When I actually witnessed and saw you training and you have this thing , you'll say OK , the kids have to go out behind the curtain . They come out running and say I'm ready to work .

We should light up the room when we walk in the room and I teach my little kids , like four to six years old , that we flip the switch . So when we flip the switch , it's time for you to be on . When we turn the switch off , then you can be off .

So if mommy says , hey , we're going on an audition with an agent , we don't want to know how you feel about that when we get there and I don't feel like doing it . No , when we flip the switch on , your personality comes out out .

So one of the things that I do at AGI is that we tell them okay , no , you can't come in here looking sad , looking tired , looking like you don't want to be here . No , when you come in , I'm here and I'm ready to work . And if we don't believe you , you go right back outside until we believe it . Right , because again , it's not about you .

It's what you bring to the table and you want to bring your energy , your personality . Some people have , like mean , resting faces and they don't know it . Like , for me , if I'm not smiling or if my lips are not parted open and I take a picture with my mouth closed , I look really mean .

Well , if I'm going to look mean and I'm coming on a casting with you , tammy , and you're thinking , hey , I need to cast a mom who's just a sweetheart , loves people , and I come in with my face looking mean , I may be perfect for the role , but you're thinking I don't really like her energy , right , and so I'm trying to help people understand that you have

to bring the energy in the room . It's not , oh , this is just who I am .

No , if you want to work in this business , you need to be able to show people that you're easy to work with , you're a team player , you're going to bring energy on the set , especially if it's a show that continues for seven years I've got to look at you for seven years and if you walk in there looking mean every day .

It's like , yeah , they're talented , but their , their disposition is not good . You know , they're not responsible . All those things that you , you have to weigh out when you're bringing someone on set and you have to ask yourself , yeah , do , do I want to go through all this , in addition to having to move , you know , production along ? Yeah , yeah , the most .

They light up the room . I'm going to cast them first .

So , yeah , you did , and you know , and it's been really great . I can definitely say that everyone that you've sent our way has been just the best . As you know , not only they're talented , but just great people . They know what to do and they're very flexible . You know when things have to be changed , and I can't say enough from that .

And they've all come . You know , they've come from your place . So kudos to you and your whole AGI team . Now we also know that you are everywhere . Your students are cropping up all over television and that is so exciting to see . You know the voice . You know Hello .

Sunday , when those girls were singing on the voice , I'm like and they were talking about , well , we're from a company you know in atlanta , I was like , I know exactly where you're from . Look at that . I told my husband come and look , come and look , it came from natasha . This is yes and um to see them go into , I think , the top 10 .

That made it through the top 10 , like the top five .

Brandon is their creative director , so he was helping them with the vocal stuff and it was just amazing to see how everybody was responding to the type of people that we produce , which was great .

I'm so proud to have a series regular on Young Dylan . Selena Smith she's 11 years old , living her dream , working with Tyler Perry and Nickelodeon . Jalen Hall is a series regular on All American . He also came from AGI . He's in his third season now he's 14 . He started with me when he was nine .

I got him as agent in Atlanta , his agent in LA , and the rest is history . Zoe Renee she started with me when she was probably 13 . She's 21 now . She was a series regular on the quad , but also the last thing that she did was the nancy drew movie , which she did a great job . So proud of her , and the list goes on and on .

I had selena smith was on lion king . Um , she actually did a year and a half tour at like nine years old , on the road with her mom doing lion king , which is incredible . Myesha McQueen , the waitress . I booked her on a Broadway tour . Oh my God , like an adult , which was great .

I think , being an entertainer myself , starting at 10 , um , and not really knowing everything about the business , when I decided , my husband and I decided to start AGI , which was 20 years ago , we wanted to right the wrongs , if you will . We wanted to be a place that was safe , that people could come , learn , develop , grow .

Parents didn't have to worry about what was going to happen with their kids , who was going to be with their kids , or the Hollywood thing . Oh , I don't want my kids to get Hollywood .

You know , being able to teach them character , integrity , work , ethic all of that stuff , along with talent , and hearing people tell me how amazing my kids are and adults on the set , makes me like , feel like wow , job well done .

So after 20 years of doing this , this , I just released my own single , which I'm so excited about and I'm excited because I'm like , please sing , please sing .

So , after 20 years and God bringing it back around and my son writing me a song say , hey , mom , we need to get in the studio and do the song . And I'm now 50 and I recorded this song , I put it out and now I have someone who just did a remix for it and he's telling me , oh my god , this song's gonna be a hit .

And I'm just like , wow , if that happens , or when that happens , I know that it's God literally saying , okay , you've sown 20 years . Yes , given all you have to all these people , now I'm gonna bring my promise back to you and make your dream happen , which was always my dream to sing . I love singing , so yeah , yeah .

So let's give , let's give parents some tips . What would be your top three things you would tell parents on ? Or even , if you have more of the do's and don'ts of entertainment . Well , it's .

Yes , because a lot of times here's the way this happens Parents will be out and about or kids or whatever , and people will come to you and say , hey , you know your kid should be on TV . Oh , my God , your kid has great personality . And as a parent you really don't know . God is funny like that .

Most times parents that have really talented kids are like accountants and doctors and they don't really have that performing thing . So they're like what do I do with that ? So I would say first step again is training . And just like you can find a church on any corner , you can find a training school on any corner too .

But you want to go to the right place , right . You want to go to the place that's going to develop your kid , that's going to nourish your kid , that's going to take care of your kid , but then also can help your kid . Right , because a lot of places will train you but they don't really connect you .

One of the reasons that we connect people is because , again , being an entertainer myself , no one connected me . So it's like , okay , am I going to just train forever and no one's going to help me ? So I want to help people . So that's a part of our school that most people don't do . Um , so , number one going somewhere to get training .

Um , number two never coaching your kids . I tell parents all the time do not coach your kids . Even if you've been in the business , you don't want to coach your kids . You want to be the mom , you want to be the dad . This industry is hard enough than to have an overbearing parent trying to tell you how to act , and they've never very good .

Very trying to tell you how to sing , and they've never said before . You know when I learned that lesson early on with my son , yes I think when he was 16 and I was an entertainer . But he said to me you know , mom , I just kind of need a mom like wow with me about my auditions like .

I'm already going off about clean your room so if you want to hear , clean your room and did you do so ? I learned that yes , mom , so that's another thing , um , and you know what ?

And I was like , and he stepped to the side and I started directing his child and she just kind of flourished and he was like it's like , well , you're the dad , and you're dad and you're and you're .

You know you can direct other people but you can't direct your own child right now she's frustrated and you're frustrated and nothing's getting done so , yeah , yeah .

I always tell my kids , my parents , to bring a book , bring something you can do , because you want to sit in the corner , tuck in the corner . You want to be an eyesight and earshot of your kid to make sure you can see them , but you don't want to say anything because you want to be easy to work with . Here's the thing .

Here's a secret no matter how talented your kid is , yes , I don't like you as a parent . I will not work with your kid , you know . Period , point blank .

Exactly because that's one of those things that if the parent is hard to deal with , no matter how talented and beautiful that child is , and again you have to weigh out the whole thing and you're like no , I gotta find somebody who's yeah , the , the parent knows how to flow the children , the child knows how to flow . You're right , management can kill .

A performance can kill a child's career .

In my program we do workshops for parents all the time because I've learned that if I have a trained parent that understands it , it's going to be easier for the kid .

what . One thing about . Another thing about working in the business . You know and this is Naturally Brown Woman we talk about everything , including our natural hair , and I know that you had a whole natural hair journey . But also in the business , when parents have , you know , little girls and you're talking about hairstyles and wigs and all those type of things .

As we talk about hair , what is some of the tips you may give on what parents can expect as far as hair and what to do ?

I always say , if you look at the tv shows and you look at the kids that are working and you look at the hairstyles , you can pretty much say , okay , I can tell what's in right .

So braids are not always the best thing to do because it kind of limits you , but the big natural hair where you twist your hair out and then pull it out , it's like my God , people just love that when they see a kid walk in the room with confidence and their hair is all over the place , which is why I normally wear my hair really big and just messy and

I love it . Right Now the stage has changed where , you know , before African-American women felt like they had to have perms , they had to have , you know , weaves down their back or whatever , just to work in the business . But now our authentic , beautiful , brown selves are being accepted in the industry for who we are , which is really good .

So I would say , the more natural you can go . You know no color and you know , don't you want to be a blank canvas , basically .

But when you do your headshots , if your kid is able to wear their hair big and curly , do that , and then maybe you can press it out as well , or maybe put it in a ponytail and that's another look , but you don't have to worry about someone trying to change your kid's hair .

If they want them to look different , then they can always put a wig or you know whatever , a ponytail or whatever they need to do .

We're on Facebook I am Natasha Garcia and then there's another AGI Entertainment on Facebook and then we're on YouTube as well , so you can just put in AGI entertainment and see what comes up , watch some of our videos and all of that cool stuff .

You're so welcome , you , you , you .