A star was born ♥

Trent's winning pic, published in SP Mag (Nov 2011 issue)

Most of the people who saw Trent thought they saw him in a commercial of baby products. As a proud Nanay, it was a big compliment knowing that these people appreciate his looks. Most of the time, people would ask me this, "Foreigner ang tatay? Anong lahi?", and I would say, "No. Pinoy po."

These compliments encouraged me to send his pictures to a known casting studio in Makati hoping that he'll get a spot in any baby commercials as early as six months. Lucky enough, the casting studio emailed me back a day after, asking for my son to undergo a VTR.

Always remember that prior to sending your child's photos online, make sure that you have done research, and that it is a reputable modeling and talent agency. Check for any negative feedback on them, or if they collect up-front fees. Reputable agencies usually won't charge a fee when you sign your baby with them.*

My sister Lirio, Trent, and I traveled 55 km from our town to Makati City to undergo a VTR. Good thing, he just slept the entire travel, and just woke up on our way to Chino Roces Avenue. We came to the office at lunch time, when there was no one waiting for his name to be called as what the officer mentioned is a common scene during their business hours. Aspiring commercial models need to wait for a couple of hours to do a 2-minute show-your-personality-face-to-the-left-and-right photo shoot. 

This is what's good about bringing a baby along, we always get prioritized. Even if that was lunch time, the lady in red advised us to have Trent undergone the VTR.

 "Mommy, harap sa kanan. Sa kaliwa naman po, mommy." Parang ako yung kinukunan.

They have taken pictures and video of Trent wearing just his nappy. It was a fun experience as I didn't know what's in store for him. The agency emailed the following day, but unfortunately, I was able to read it two weeks after since I am always busy at work. I realized that it was not easy to be a stage mom. Taking your baby to casting calls and auditions will require effort, time, and patience for him to get chances of  being seen on mags, billboards, and TVCs. 

I finally decided to leave it without trying much too hard in taking him to these VTRs. After all, he was so young then, and I could not afford seeing him enduring the two to three hours of travel to the city for a 3-minute shoot, and same time going back to our crib. I do not want to torture him with these scenarios every time he'll be asked to do these things.

Anyway, a local magazine have this monthly promo for kids who are celebrating their birthdays. I  tried and sent Trent's pictures as advised by my kumare, who believed he will win in the said promo. His face first landed in Smart Parenting Magazine's November 2011 issue. He won in their Kiddie Greets section, vied against a number of kids who are equally cute and charming, not to mention those who sent their child's pictures but did not make it to the final 30.

It was such a wonderful feeling seeing him in one of the pages of SP Magazine, making me more proud of him. I  hope I would not become obsessed with the idea of my baby being a star. Maybe I can deal with it later once he knows  the pros and cons of doing tv commercials. As a mom, we should always respect what our baby wants. We do not have to force them do these things (casting and modeling) if they are not ready for it. Otherwise, we might become selfish of not giving our kids their right to choose what they wanted to do.

Read more: * How to Get a Baby on a TV Commercial | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2221648_get-baby-tv-commercial.html#ixzz1k9Ia3N3W