Commercial Breaks Series by P.G. Kain

Brittany Rush is the face of Gotta Have It candy bars, the hands of Write On pencils, the hair of Knot Me Not detangle spray and the voice of Mom, It’s Delicious! soups. Brittany has been appearing in commercials and print ads since her backside was the official derriere of Simply Dry Diapers. When Brittany showed up at a callback some girls would actually just get up and go home since they knew it was almost impossible to compete with her... moreBrittany Rush is the face of Gotta Have It candy bars, the hands of Write On pencils, the hair of Knot Me Not detangle spray and the voice of Mom, It’s Delicious! soups. Brittany has been appearing in commercials and print ads since her backside was the official derriere of Simply Dry Diapers. When Brittany showed up at a callback some girls would actually just get up and go home since they knew it was almost impossible to compete with her. However, a month after her twelfth birthday, Brittany’s mother tells her that the entire family is moving to Hong Kong for a year. Brittany is forced to take a brief but agonizing break from her commercial career. After a year of being just an anonymous kid in a foreign country, Brittany is more than ready to return stateside to her steady diet of go-see’s, auditions, callbacks and bookings in NYC. Within 48 hours of landing at JFK Brittany’s agent Judith Lister of the A Lister’s Agency has three go-see’s for Brittany. When she shows up to the first go-see, she expects the spotlight to start shining on her again but instead she finds that, in the year that she has been gone, she has changed from being the cute kid to watch out for to just one of the many pretty girls waiting her turn. Will Brittany be able to steal back her spotlight? Or will she discover there's more to life than being a commercial success? less

A teen actress has to wonder: In the cutthroat world of commercial modeling and acting, can a happy family be reality?On camera, it’s easy to be part of a perfect family: A director has hand-picked your parents after a week of callbacks, and the right things to say are printed on cue cards. Off camera, reality is a bit more complicated.     Cassie Herold knows her parents are having problems. Her dad basically lives on the road and sees her more on TV than he does in real life... moreA teen actress has to wonder: In the cutthroat world of commercial modeling and acting, can a happy family be reality?On camera, it’s easy to be part of a perfect family: A director has hand-picked your parents after a week of callbacks, and the right things to say are printed on cue cards. Off camera, reality is a bit more complicated.     Cassie Herold knows her parents are having problems. Her dad basically lives on the road and sees her more on TV than he does in real life. Her mom, a math professor who would rather balance an equation than get a manicure, is nothing like the energetic, perfectly groomed f.m.’s (fake moms) she sees at auditions for everything from snack cakes to energy water. If only Cassie could get her real life to be a bit more like her commercial life, then maybe she could get a date with Rory Roberts—the cutest boy in both the commercial and the real world. But will her family ever get back on track and be picture perfect? less

Will commercial fame crush a tween’s hopes of serious stardom?Isabel Marak Flores has appeared in dozens of independent films and recently received glowing reviews for her role in a small Off-Broadway show. When an agent sees her on stage and suggests she go out for some commercial work, Isabel declines... moreWill commercial fame crush a tween’s hopes of serious stardom?Isabel Marak Flores has appeared in dozens of independent films and recently received glowing reviews for her role in a small Off-Broadway show. When an agent sees her on stage and suggests she go out for some commercial work, Isabel declines. How can a serious actress appear in television commercials for cupcake-scented deodorant and other silly products? However, when Isabel’s parents tell her that they can’t afford the tuition for the world-famous dramatic academy she has her heart set on, a few commercial auditions don’t seem so bad. She just has to make sure her new crush, the adorable but slightly smug, Preston Banner III, doesn’t find out about any of it. If he does, he might not be waiting for her in the wings after they play their scene from Romeo and Juliet for the Actor’s Studio benefit.Isabel books a spot for a new energy drink which will only air in Japan. Seems perfect, but then she learns that the energy drink, HappyWow, is coming to America—and her face is about to be plastered on billboards, displayed in magazines, and looped endlessly on television.Can this serious actress learn how to enjoy life and not take everything quite so seriously during her brief dramatic pause? less