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Hollywood South has a new generation of stars to look forward to, as several New Orleans child actors performed for an audience at Jaq’s Acting Studio in Metairie during a recent event designed to benefit the West Bank Boys and Girls Club and Children’s Hospital, and showcase local talent to professionals in the film industry.

Free and open to the public, the event took place on March 2 and attracted dozens of people, including a handful of local business owners, film producers, booking agents and other professionals in the entertainment industry. Donations were accepted for the Boys and Girls Club and the Hospital.

“These kids here have never even met me, and they put on an event for an organization that helps other kids. That speaks volumes for what they’re trying to do here today,” said Tim Joyce, unit director of the Boys and Girls Club in Gretna.

The cast consisted of 12 children, ages 5 to 10, who also wrote, produced and directed the approximately 45-minute long show. Each scene carried its own plot and demonstrated the actors’ abilities to perform in a variety of genres ranging from comedy to drama.

Many professionals in the film industry took notice of the talent, including University of New Orleans alumna Mel Caudle, a producer and screenwriter who operates LACA NOLA Talent Group, an agency that began in Los Angeles and expanded into Hollywood South.

“One of the reasons I came was to scout talent for the agency, and I actually signed four kids today,” Caudle said.

The children, each of whom is booked for either a film or television production, train at Jaq’s Acting Studio, located at 3121 Metairie Road and owned by actress Jaqueline “Jaq” Fleming, a Kenner resident who moved from Los Angeles to Hollywood South several years ago. Fleming holds credits in dozens of feature productions, such as “Contraband,” “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” and HBO’s hit series “Treme.”

“Hollywood South and its citizens offer an unparalleled friendship to the film industry, and I think if the industry wants to keep that relationship, it has to find additional ways to give back,” Fleming said. “So that was part of our goal today.”

Fleming said that one way Louisiana might secure its dominance in the film industry is by cultivating local talent.

“Hollywood South has everything the industry needs, including very talented actors from inner-city New Orleans,” Fleming said. “With celebrities like Brad Pitt and John Goodman living and working down here, we have the abilities to groom the local talent into the future leaders of show business.”

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West Bank Boys & Girls Club benefits from children’s talent showcase in Metairie