How to Find Your Child Background Work With Central Casting
Onboarding your minor with Central Casting is the first step to getting them on the sets of movies and TV shows, but there are other steps you may need to take before your child is eligible to be booked. Here’s everything you need to know to find your child background work and ensure they stay active with Central Casting.
Work permits
While minors don’t need work permits to register with Central Casting, they will need a valid work permit in order to be booked. Work permit laws and processes vary by state, choose your local office below for more information.
Los Angeles
In California, entertainment work permits are valid for six months, then must be renewed for your minor to remain active and eligible to work. To renew a work permit, visit the California Department of Industrial Relations website and follow the instructions. Keep in mind that once submitted, it can take weeks to receive the approved permit from the state. When you receive your minor’s updated permit, submit a copy on our Minor’s Permit Update page.
New York
To work in New York, your minor needs a child performer permit, which is valid for 12 months. You can obtain a child performer permit by applying and filling out the necessary forms on the New York Department of Labor (DOL) website. If you need to receive your permit by a certain date, the DOL says to allow 15 days for processing.
Per New York law, minors must also have a Child Performer Trust account. You can learn more about trust accounts on the DOL’s Child Performer Trust Accounts page.
Once you’ve received your minor’s permit, send a copy to regccny@centralcasting.com.
Georgia
For your child to be booked in Georgia, they must have a minor’s certification number issued by the state on file. It’s easy to obtain a certification number, just visit the Georgia Department of Labor (DOL) website and fill out the application. After submitting, you will receive an email from the DOL within one business day with your minor’s certification number. Central Casting uses this number to secure a work permit for your child; we cannot book them without it.
Louisiana
Central Casting Louisiana must acquire a minor work permit from the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) in order to hire your child. Once booked, a Casting Director will reach out with instructions on what we need from you to complete this process. This can include sending a completed consent form from the LWC, proof of age document, and other documentation. When you receive this message, please read the instructions carefully and respond promptly so we can obtain the work permit before your child’s work date. You will be required to fill out this information each time your minor is booked on a production.
Required training (California and New York only)
California and New York have laws aimed at preventing harassment. Part of these laws require employers to provide anti-harassment training to their employees. For more information on minors’ requirements and how to take the training, please choose your location:
How to find work
If your child fits the description a Casting Director is looking for, they will often reach out via our casting platform. When sending avail checks, first avail, details, and other messages, you’ll receive an email to the address associated with your minor’s profile and in some cases, a text message. You can also review and respond to all messages in the inbox of their online profile.
Don’t forget to check the Jobs page to find your child background work. Please read each post carefully to make sure your minor fits the description, then submit according to the Casting Directors instructions.
For information on what to do once your minor has booked a job, read through our articles Getting Your Minor Prepped for Set and How to Help Your Minor Be Successful on Set.
