One day last summer, my son, Ryan Rivera was going about his business eyeing the latest video games in our local retail store when a talent scout approached him looking for his parent. At first I thought she had a grievance of a sort. But to my surprise she approached me and said, "I think your son is adorable"! Life has never been the same since that afternoon. We signed up with The Hollywood Group through Marla Alexander. She provided a slew of information and encouraged us to get Ryan started in the program.
It took a few months to complete all the classes because Ryan was playing football. With school, football practice five days a week, and games on Saturdays, he hardly had any spare time. But, he was determined and committed! Soon, he started taking classes every weekend until he completed each one. He began doing background work through Kids Management. He did a couple of commercials, one for Disneyland and one for Magic Mountain. Ryan particularly enjoys working on TV shows like: Sons of Tucson, where he says the food was awesome. Another memorable moment he had was meeting Jennifer Love Hewitt on Ghost Whisperer. She is truly lovely and took time out of her busy schedule to have her picture taken with Ryan.
Ryan was amazed when he worked on the series finale of Saving Grace where the show literally took over an entire Latino shopping center for a week and he got to meet Holly Hunter.
I don't know who was more star struck on the set of Parks and Recreation where we both worked just a few yards away from Rob Lowe and Amy Poehler. Ryan got to work on that show twice. The second time, he got paid to play basketball…how cool is that?!
Ryan has been having a blast! He can't believe he actually gets paid to do this kind of work. But, it's not just the money that interests him. He actually wanted to gain experience on a movie set, so he accepted non-paying work on the film Audrey. It's always so exciting going out on work. Everyone at Kids Management and the Hollywood Group has been very nice and helpful. Ryan enjoys attending ongoing classes, especially when they focus on Improv. He has been working hard on his showcase material and hopes to get an agent soon. His father and I are very proud of his accomplishments.
Thank you Hollywood Group for this amazing experience and opportunity!
Mary and Jorge Rivera
