By Keysha Drexel
Journal editor
While Tucker Meek of Vestavia Hills is excited about signing with a talent agent and attracting the interest of casting professionals from around the world, what most pleased the 7-year-old about his recent performance at an international talent event was the trophies he got to bring home.
“I got two trophies while I was there. Here, look at how they shine when you hold them in the light,” the Vestavia Hills West Elementary student said.
And just like the trophies he brought home from the Actors, Models and Talent for Christ Shine convention in Orlando, Fla., the pint-sized thespian seemed to shine even more in the spotlight at the event.
“He seemed really comfortable onstage, and it was great to see him have that confidence,” Lani, Tucker’s mother, said.
Tucker won the Overall Male Child Actor award and received 15 callbacks from agents like Lesley Collins from Mattel Casting, Crystal Bennett at Premier Models and Talent and David Doan from Generation TV. The event was scouted by top agents, managers, casting directors and music professionals.
Tucker has always been an expressive child, his mother said, so when a friend told her about the AMTC program, she decided to take Tucker for an audition.
“He always seems to be entertaining the people around him, and he says he wants to be an actor. I knew that the mission of AMTC was to get more Christians involved in the entertainment industry so that they can be a positive influence on the industry, and so I felt comfortable with Tucker getting involved,” Lani said.
After wowing the judges at the Birmingham audition, Tucker went on to another audition in Atlanta and was accepted into the Bridge Training Program offered by AMTC. The program aims to prepare performers to work in the entertainment industry.
Through the program, Tucker took several acting technique classes and learned how to do cold readings and improv, work with a teleprompter, rehearse scenes with a partner and act on-camera.
The on-camera classes were Tucker’s favorite, he said.
“I would like to have my own TV show. It would be like ‘Tom and Jerry’ except it would be called ‘Tucker and Tom’ instead,” he said.
After completing the Bridge Training Program, Tucker was selected to attend the convention. He was one of nearly 500 performers chosen from auditions held all over the world.
The convention in Orlando had two components, Lani said. There was a showcase where Tucker performed acts he had prepared for the convention in front of an audience of about 1,300 people. The second part of the event gave Tucker one-on-one time with industry professionals who offered him feedback on his showcase performance and advice for moving ahead with his acting goals.
The Meeks also attended seminars for parents of children in the entertainment industry while at the convention, Lani said.
Tucker’s parents said they are supporting his acting aspirations and know that even if he isn’t the next big child star, the lessons he is learning now will help him throughout his life.
“As long as it’s fun to Tucker, we’ll support him. He is learning things like poise, confidence and how to get up and talk in front of a crowd. These are things he will use no matter what he does in the future,” his father, Derek, said.
The experience allowed Tucker to make important connections to those in the entertainment industry, Lani said, but meant so much more.
“If you ask Tucker, he’ll tell you he had a lot of fun and made some new friends,” Lani said. “However, we feel like this experience was much more than about learning how to deliver a monologue. He learned to be Christ-like: an encourager of others, the importance of being kind and using nice manners and that hard work is necessary to succeed.”
Now that he has signed with a talent agent, Tucker will be busy with auditions for the next few months, his parents said.
“Our goal is to keep him grounded and to support his dreams. We’ll start auditioning and see what happens,” Lani said.
With photo special to the Journal
