WORTHINGTON -- When Branden Roth headed to Florida in early January to attend the Millie Lewis Actors, Models and Talent Competition, he didn't know what to expect but had high hopes that it would help him pursue a career in show business.
Those hopes were realized when he finalized in two competitions -- scene study and spokesmodel -- and was broached by Blake Everett, an agency with the Wallis Agency in Los Angeles. When Branden, the son of Darwin and Lindia Roth of Worthington and a senior at Worthington High School, turns 18 in May, he will sign a contract with the agency.
"That's what we wanted, plus we learned a lot about the industry," Branden reported. "Getting an agent is the next step. They didn't want me to sign a contract until I was an adult, because otherwise we would have had to go through it twice. I'll probably leave for L.A. in mid- to late June."
"That's a slow time out there, so they'll put him in improv classes, since they thought he had a talent for comedy," added Lindia, who accompanied her son to the competition. "This agency represents commercial TV, film actors and voice-over talent. When we went to their Web site, they had only four male teens in his age category, and he was the only blond."
Branden has aspired to be an actor since a young age, appearing in many local theater productions as well as related school activities. He learned about the AMTC competition and auditioned successfully for it in Sioux Falls, S.D., then took various workshops and classes to prepare for the main competition in Orlando, Fla.
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In Orlando, he participated in eight events, but also spent a lot of time networking and establishing contacts among the show business professionals that were there. Through those opportunities, Branden was offered a $5,000 scholarship to the New York Film Academy, which he hopes to be able to accept sometime in the future.
"I can't take it right away," Branden explained, "not until I get my cash flow going. But I went and did a private audition and was offered the scholarship, and he said they'd hold it for me."
While Branden is excited about the adventures that lie ahead as he pursues an acting career, he's currently too busy to dwell on the future. He's rehearsing for the high school musical, "Oklahoma," playing the support male lead, Will, and is also involved in speech, preparing for all-state choir and auditioning for the school district talent show and the "Gone Country" variety show at Memorial Auditorium. He knows graduation will be here soon enough, and he'll be heading for California.
"Before, I was really leaning toward New York, but obviously, now I'm going to LA.," he said. "But New York was what I knew -- the stage -- and this is a whole new genre for me. They want to bring me out there and get me going."
