Film Industry Veterans Gloria and Olivia Kate Iatridis Help Parents To Support Child Actors To Get Booked for Success And Stay Safe

The journey into the film industry can be challenging, confusing, and overwhelming, especially for child actors (especially those coming from Indigenous backgrounds). But with the right guidance, information, and, in the case of Olivia Kate Iatridis, a mother’s love and support, it can be incredibly rewarding.

Olivia co-authored a book with her mother, Gloria, titled “Booked: A Strong Start For Your Child Actor,” to share not only personal stories and experiences in the film industry but also advice, insights, inspiration, insider knowledge, and tips for child actors and their parents in navigating the industry. The book is based on their experiences over the first eight years of Olivia’s acting career.

Olivia began acting at the age of thirteen when she moved to Alberta and laid out plans to leave home at 18 and move to Vancouver, British Columbia to pursue acting. Her acting credits include roles in Netflix’s Avatar, The Last Airbender, NBC’s The Irrational, the feature film Abducted, and various TV, short films, feature films, and promotional videos. And to date, she has won three Joey Awards (Canada’s most prestigious awards for young performers), including one for Best Supporting Actress in a Short Film.

Gloria, for her part, played the role of Olivia’s manager (or mom-a-ger). Both mother and daughter quickly learned that the film industry can be a treacherous place for young actors. They encountered everything from complex contracts to questionable working conditions and were forced to deal with challenges they faced without any guidance or prior experience.

“There’s so many unwritten rules in the acting industry and the film industry,” Gloria told NNSL Media. “There’s all kinds of rules around things like contracts and how much you get paid and how long you’re supposed to be on set, especially if you’re a minor.”

Gloria and Olivia Kate lamented that a lot of those rules, especially on child actors’ safety and diversity, are not compiled together. So, to help aspiring actors, particularly other Indigenous people, overcome obstacles and, above all, feel safe in the film industry, they wrote “Booked.”

In an interview with ReadersMagnet, Olivia shared the reason for writing “Booked.” While Gloria had wanted to write the book, Olivia was initially hesitant, but the more they talked about it, the more they felt like it was something they needed to do.

“It was important to share knowledge, especially right now, the way the industry is, and one of the things coming to light is safety,” said Olivia. “I thought it was the right time.

‘People often asked us, ‘How did we get into it?’ ‘How did you get your child involved?’ and ‘How did you become successful?’’ said Olivia. ‘So, we really thought it was necessary to just put it all into an easy-to-read, easy-to-consume, accessible pocket guide.’

“You could bring it to the set with you. It’s like your on-the-go mom-a-ger.”

“Booked,” according to Gloria, is a two-fold resource. As a guidebook written in very plain language at a grade seven level, it can be read in the school system, providing students with the opportunity to learn about the film industry. It is also a memoir that covers actual events and experiences that they encountered when Olivia was pursuing her teenage acting career.

“It was so good to finally have a book that we could share with other parents that provides them with information that we wished we had when Olivia was working,” said Gloria.

“Booked” will be exhibited by ReadersMagnet at the upcoming Guadalajara International Book Fair 2025 at their exhibit at booth GG40 from November 29 to December 3, 2025. However, the book fair will run until December 7, 2025, at Expo Guadalajara, Av. Mariano Otero 1499, Colonia Verde Valle, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México.

“Booked: A Strong Start For Your Child Actor” is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Learn more about Gloria and Olivia Kate Iatridis and their work at https://booked-it.ca/.

“Booked: A Strong Start For Your Child Actor”
Authors: Gloria and Olivia Kate Iatridis
Published date: February 20, 2024
Publisher: FriesenPress
Genre: Parenting and Performing Arts

Author’s Bio
Gloria is Inuvialuk, a member of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Western Arctic. She was born and raised in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories. Over her thirty-year career, Gloria has worked in a variety of capacities for the public services sector of the governments of the Northwest Territories, Alberta, and the federal government. Gloria considers her most successful endeavour to be her role as a supportive mother and champion to her children, Olivia and Michael.

Gloria loves being a mother and decided early on that she would nurture and support whatever passions her children had. She believes that any child can do whatever they set their mind to and that parents should be there to support them and guide them to success. Gloria is one of Olivia’s greatest fans and will continue to support her throughout her acting career.

Olivia Kate is Inuvialuk, a member of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Western Arctic. She was born and raised in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. In her teen years, she lived in Alberta, where she began her acting career. Olivia has played roles in demonstration videos, short and feature films, commercials, and television series, and is a main presenter in a massive open online course on the Arctic offered by the Universities of the Arctic. Most recently, Olivia starred as Umi in Netflix’s Avatar, The Last Airbender. Olivia also played the role of Kat Schmitt in NBC’s The Irrational. She also co-starred in a lead role of the feature film Abducted, in which she played Lakota Sampson. Olivia starred in the ABC Television Series Alaska Daily as Liza Peters. She also played the role of Sadie in the Hallmark film Sweeter Than Chocolate.

Olivia has won three Joey Awards (Canada’s original and most prestigious awards for young performers): Best Supporting Actress in a Short Film (Indra’s Awakening), Best Actress in a Commercial (Mattress Mattress), and Outstanding Indigenous Performer.

Olivia is also an avid artist who uses a variety of media to draw and paint.

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