Helping kids to reach for the stars
Eilidh McCole went to London with a dream of making it in showbiz. But the Scot discovered she has a real eye for spotting talent and is helping kids fulfil their own dreams of stardom
EILIDH McCole headed to London to follow her acting career – and found success as a junior star-maker.
Working as a senior talent agent, she is helping children to land jobs in TV and film, including one little boy who will appear in a Ridley Scott film.
Eilidh, of East Kilbride, said: “I would love to be known as a star-maker – we’re getting there.”
It’s not the original route the 23-year-old thought her career would take but she’s loving it. Eilidh became a talent agent at Make Believe 18 months ago.
The company, who also run performing arts classes, were founded in 2004 by Joel Kern. He was just 15 and started out teaching five students to sing, dance and act.
There are now about 3500 children aged three to 18 attending Make Believe classes at 50 schools in and around London, Manchester and even in Australia.
Eilidh enjoys spotting budding young stars on her visits to the classes. She said: “I have always had a love for the performing arts since I was a little girl. I would be singing in my living room and putting on shows for my mum and dad.
“I didn’t have pushy parents – they just left me to do my own thing. When I said I wanted to learn more about singing, acting and dancing, they signed me up to performing arts company GAMTA in Glasgow.
“I went there for about five years or so and loved it.”
Eilidh studied at the former RSAMD, which is now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, for two years before completing an honours degree in musical theatre.
She appeared on Waterloo Road and River City as well as CBBC programme MI High.
And at 18, she landed an advert for Cadbury’s Dairy Milk.
She said: “In our third year at college, we went to London to do a showcase and agents and casting directors came along. That was an amazing experience to get to perform on a West End stage.
“I was lucky enough to get picked up and signed by a London agent so after I graduated I went straight down to London.”
Eilidh landed a job as a singer in a cocktail bar in Soho. She’d perform but also sing duets with visitors to the bar, including celebrities.
“I sang a duet of Summer of 69 with footballer Andy Carroll,” Eilidh said. “We would jump up on the tables to sing. It was like a posh Coyote Ugly – it was such fun.”
But Eilidh couldn’t find time to audition for acting roles and after a year she decided to leave.
She explained: “I was auditioning for little bits and bobs and it wasn’t happening for me.
“I was doing some promotional work and I saw a job post on Facebook for performing arts company Make Believe looking for a promoter. I got offered the job just temporarily for a week. Joel Kern came to train me up.
“A couple of weeks later, he gave me a call and said they were looking for a new talent agent and he thought I’d be good at it.
“He knew I was passionate about the performing arts and I’d also done some teaching before and directed bits and pieces. And here we are 18 months later and it’s going really, really well.”
Eilidh continued: “It’s all about fun and confidence building for kids to learn how to sing, dance and act to bring out their personalities.
“The agency run alongside that. We have video submissions and I go into schools to select the kids who would do well in the professional industry, in TV adverts and in the West End and things like that.
“Since I’ve been there I’ve managed to get a kid in an Ikea advert, a Kinder Surprise ad, ads for Marks & Spencer and American company JC Penney. And then some have done bits for the BBC, CBBC, ITV and Sky. Kids have gone up for roles in the West End for Matilda, School of Rock and Thriller.”
She helped Kit Cranston, an eight-year-old from Kent, land a role in upcoming Ridley Scott movie All The Money in The World.
It’s the story of the real-life kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III in Rome in 1973. Kit plays young brother Mark Getty and filmed alongside the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams and
I do miss performing but I’m happy to be pushing the kids as it’s their time to shine
Kevin Spacey. Eilidh first spotted Kit in an acting lesson. She said: “I saw this little blonde boy who was super-cute and tiny and so confident. I thought he is going to be a little star one day.” She approached his parents to ask if he could join the agency. He did some adverts and then was asked to audition for the film. “He did an audition and we didn’t hear for three weeks so we didn’t think anything of it – and then they offered him the role,” Eilidh said. “He was in Italy filming in the summer and loved it. The film is due out in December. That’s such an achievement, we’re really proud.” Eilidh has enjoyed learning about another side to the showbiz industry. “I’ve learned so much about being behind the scenes rather than just being the performer,” she said. “I know what that feeling is like for the kids when they get that job. Bringing that positive news to them is just amazing. “I do miss the performing but I’m happy to be pushing the kids as it’s their time to shine. “Never say never for me – I might get back into it. But my time is pretty consumed with this at the moment. For now, I’m pushing the kids in the right direction.”