Hollywood is rich with stories of wannabe child actors whose parents dropped everything and relocated so their kid(s) could break into the field of acting. Of the many who make the arduous move, only one of maybe 50 to 100 accomplish their goal. Those that don't succeed, often lose everything, including the home they left, their jobs and savings. Then despair and disillusionment, bitterness and resentment set in.
The Noyd family is one of the success stories. They beat the odds and made it. What convinced the Noyds to move from the home they knew in search of fame; maybe fortune?
Scott Noyd Sr. says it was the persistence of his eldest daughter who he says had a strong desire to be on TV. So after a couple trips to Los Angeles with his wife Katrina, who at the time worked for an airline company and was able to get reduced tickets, they decided to move their five children from their home in Inkster, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit), to San Diego.
"We came out a couple times and I looked at my wife and said, for us to do this we have to make a sacrifice and …move out this way."
A lot of parents probably would not have thought to make the move, especially because most parents from the baby boomer generation are often more focused on getting an education, leading to the security of a good job. But, according to Scott Sr., he wanted to be different from his parents.
"My dad wouldn't have done it either. All my friends called me stupid. They laughed when we left and said: 'You're leaving a house and a good job, what's wrong with you, man?'
"But it was something that we really wanted to do. We had our children at a young age. We are a pretty close family so when one wants to do something, we all talk and we all back each other up."
Although this worked out for the Noyd family, this doesn't necessarily mean it's the right move for everyone, so beware. The Noyds paid a hefty price to be one of the 100 who succeeded.
"We went for the quick scams and all the classes that really don't amount to nothing and finally we just sat down and got some literature and books and read up on our own. Then we decided to get an agent," said Scott Sr.
After three years of running back and forth from Detroit to San Diego and L.A. the Noyd family finally settled in L.A. Through the process there were a lot of personal and financial sacrifices. However, and thankfully, Scott Sr. landed a job in L.A.
After finally securing an agent and going through the necessary training, the children Eric, 18; Cherrelle, 16; Erin, 13; Sadé, 12 and Scotty Jr., 6, began to book jobs.
While his siblings got their feet wet in commercials, Scotty Jr. booked a feature film his first time out called "Fore Arm Shiver," co-starring Harry McCormick of The West Wing and Rory Cockern from CSI Miami.
The oldest, Eric Noyd, has done commercials for Fox Fuel and Phil of The Future. Still keeping education a priority, Eric will be putting his acting career on hold while he attends college this fall.
The second eldest, Cherrelle, who began the family's quest for stardom, began modelling at age six in the Detroit area. She recently guest starred on an episode of CBS' Judging Amy and shot a commercial for Disney's new show Phil of The Future.
Erin Noyd has shot commercials for the Disney and Sundance Channels in addition to a Sony Play Station commercial. He has also completed a pilot for ABC, called Balancing Act. He plays the role of Reef.
The only non-actor of the Noyd clan is Sadé. She is currently a track star at her school setting records in the long jump and running the 50-meter dash.
Despite the sacrifices the Noyd family has made, it seems the struggles they endured were well worth it considering what they have achieved so far.
I'm sure we will be seeing them on television and in movies in the future.