Drive lands Manalapan native in exciting world
Pamela Roth represents young performers at New York talent agency
BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Gabriella Sanchez, 18, of Manalapan (above), sings during an open casting call that was held at the Freehold Gardens Hotel, Freehold Township, on July 20. At right, Pamela Roth, formerly of Manalapan and now an agent with Don Buchwald and Associates, New York, listens to a youngster perform. Roth auditioned children and young adults between the ages of 4 and 20 as she sought talented individuals for a variety of projects.

From the minute you meet her, you peg Manalapan native Pamela Roth as a personable people person. Perky enough to let you know she is awake and on top of it, but not so much that you can't wait for it to stop.

It was likely that blend of likeability combined with sharp people-skills that took Roth, 25, from smalltown girl in Manalapan to New York City mover and shaker heading up a division at a major entertainment agency.

Roth, who graduated from the Free-hold Regional High School District's Scholars Center for the Humanities at Howell High School, said she knew she always wanted to be a writer or involved in some form of entertainment media. She said she believes her absolute "dream job" would be as a writer for Entertainment Weekly magazine.

Roth said her father, Gary, who is a lawyer by vocation and a writer by avocation, had a great influence on her love for writing. Her mother, Vivienne, is sales manager at the Freehold Gardens Hotel, Freehold Township, and her brother, Elliot, holds a marketing and business degree.

While attending Lafayette College, Easton, Pa., Roth worked as a production assistant at The Learning Channel cable television network and interned for a time at Greater Media Newspapers while also penning her own column in a local daily newspaper.

She said she remembers both fondly, particularly having her own newspaper forum called "Pam's Corner," in which she gave advice about getting into college.

It was while she was attending Lafayette that her life path took a turn that turns out to have been the road to opportunity for this natural born dynamo. As part of her degree requirements as an English major, Roth had to complete an internship related to the entertainment industry.

In order to satisfy that requirement she took a position where she shadowed a Lafayette alumnae who happened to be an agent in the youth department at Don Buchwald and Associates, New York City. Buchwald's client list includes radio superstar Howard Stern.

So between February and April 2004, Roth began a two-hour commute between Easton and New York City, all the while finding the time to edit the school newspaper and complete all of her course requirements.

In addition to being a fast-paced position with a major entertainment mover-and-shaker, the internship had Roth interacting directly with youngsters, something she knew would make the position more enjoyable.

"The more I was there, the more I knew this was what I wanted to do. I got to negotiate deals while at the same time getting to work directly with kids, which I love doing," she said.

On what was supposed to be her last day at the agency under the terms of her internship, Roth was offered the job of the woman she had shadowed after the woman decided she did not want to return to work after having a baby.

According to Roth, she is, at 25, "by at least 10 years," the youngest agent working for Don Buchwald and Associates.

Never one to let an opportunity slip away, Roth made her mark at the agency by taking it upon herself to establish a department that she now heads once she was officially promoted to agent status in January. Her Youth Commercial Division works to develop young talent to appear in advertising commercials.

Pursuing that goal found Roth at the Freehold Gardens Hotel in Freehold Township on July 20 to hold an open audition for local youngsters.

Aided by her assistant, Bill Karesh, her brother, Elliot, and mother, Vivienne, Roth auditioned aspiring local performers. She said she loves working with children because there is nothing like the sound of the squeals of delight she hears when she telephones a parent to tell them - "we got it!"

Roth admitted that the "pain of rejection" is always ready to strike and said she does what she can to make sure she is working to advance the career of a child who wants it for himself or herself rather than working to satisfy the needs of the proverbial stage mother.

She said she sees a lot of stage mothers and can spot them easier by talking with the child rather than the parent. Roth said she can see when a child is having fun with the process along with the other activities that make for a well-rounded childhood.

She said she eschews working with youngsters who have nothing else going on in their lives like school or sports activities because this generally means they are likely to be more hurt by the overwhelming odds of them being rejected for more jobs than they are likely to get.

"I tell them people are going to tell them no a lot more than they are going to say yes," she said, adding that if she can satisfy herself that the child is in it for the experience and fun, then she goes to work as hard for them as if she were selling herself for the job.

She admits her 10 percent commission is a great incentive, but is believable when she says that the joy of hearing a delighted "I got it?!" never gets old and renews her commitment to new clients every time.

Roth said that of the 200 or so people between the ages of 4 and 20 who turned out to audition on July 20 in Freehold Township, she saw more girls than boys, many under age 13. She said children under 13 are the best to sign on because if they have that special something, they are easier to work with because they are also at an age where they can take direction.

Roth said what youth entertainment agents look for is not so much talent, but the spirit, poise and adaptability of a child. Also important is a youngster's ability to memorize lines quickly, keep a positive attitude and be open to last-minute circumstances and changes.

She said she thinks she might have come across a few potential prospects at the Freehold Gardens Hotel and so, for her and her clients, the fun continues.