In many ways, Jet Jurgensmeyer is a typical pre-teen. He plays basketball and soccer and loves riding horses and four-wheelers at his grandparents' farm in Tipton. He's also six years into a career as an Hollywood actor.
While he's appeared in major feature films like "American Sniper," the Oscar-nominated film directed by Clint Eastwood, most adults won't recognize the handsome 11-year-old. But for preschoolers across the country, he's the voice of Nonny on Nickelodeon's "Bubble Guppies" and Kaz, a new genie on "Shimmer and Shine," back for a second season on the cable network on Wednesday.
"Doing different voices, finding someone through your voice is fun and interesting,k and you have to make the right impression," said Jet by telephone from Nashville, where he lives with his parents, Scott and Babete "Babs" Jurgensmeyer. "Nonny was really fun to play, he was a very serious and smart kid and used big words and wore glasses."
"Kaz has an excited voice, and he's really curious and interested in everything. And he can grant wishes, but he is still not that much of an adventurer," he said.
Jet's life, on the other hand, is full of new experiences - auditions, meeting with casting directors and travel. Several agents and a manager help guide his career, but his parents, who are also actors and in the entertainment business, oversee everything for their only child and home school him, too. Despite the glamour of Hollywood, they make sure his life is as normal as possible.
The family divides its time between Nashville, Los Angeles and Missouri. At the end of May, Jet enjoyed playing with his 11 cousins at the family farm in Tipton owned by his grandparents, Joe and Millie. Then he spent a week at basketball camp in Nashville, before heading back to Southern California to continue his work for Nickelodeon.
"Jet likes to get back to the farm just like almost every other Midwestern kid," Scott said. "He also likes spending time at our place at the Lake of the Ozarks."
Born and raised in Tipton, along with three other siblings, Scott attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. He then worked with his dad in the family business, once one of the largest independent turkey and cattle operations in the country.
He then was involved in a music publishing deal that required him to travel back and forth to Nashville, where he met his wife of 17 years, "Babs," a songwriter.
They started Simba Entertainment, a music publishing company and film-making enterprise and have executive produced or produced several films, including "A Belle for Christmas," starring Dean Cain, Haylie Duff and Jet.
At one time, Scott and his wife owned a restaurant with a live dinner show. Then 4-year-old Jet sang and played guitar to entertain their guests.
"Jet would also greet the guests and thank them for coming when they left, and many of them told us that he should pursue acting," Scott said.
One of those people was Mary Ellen Mandrell, mother of country singer Barbara Mandrell and sisters Louise and Irlene. Scott and Babs knew Irelene well as she acted in their dinner show.
"Mary had seen the spark in her daughters when they were young and also saw it in Jet," Scott said.
Jet landed a local commercial and appeared in a music video and never looked back. His agent in Nashville helped him make connections and auditions in Los Angeles.
He made his television debut six years ago on CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," and his feature film debut that same year on "Redemption Road" opposite Michael Clarke Duncan and Taryn Manning. Jet's work on The Disney Channel's animated cartoon "Special Agent Oso" earned him a nomination from the Young Artists Awards for Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role and in 2015 for Best Performance in a Film for the DVD for his lead role of Spanky in "The Little Rascals Save the Day."
Whether he's behind or in front of the camera, Jet loves acting and even the audition process. Sometimes Jet auditions via Skype or video tapes his reading of a part and sends it in an email to casting directors.
In April, he finished filming "Legends of the Hidden Temple," in Canada for Nickelodeon. Scott describes it as an "Indiana Jones" for kids about three siblings trapped in a Mayan temple.
He also co-starred in the Disney Channel movie "Adventures in Babysitting," with Sabrina Carpenter; it premieres June 24.
"Voice over work is easier in terms of scheduling, but for film work, he can be there all day, so he works on his school work while waiting for his scenes. In Temple, he was really busy all day long," Scott said.
While it can be hectic, the family has adjusted.
"My wife and I are always with Jet ,and our life isn't that different than parents who travel with their kids who play baseball. We're always together, and we've learned a lot through this process."
The summer tends to be less busy than the spring, so when he's in Nashville, he's involved in Kempo Karate, where he holds a purple belt. The family will head back to Tipton and their home at the Lake of the Ozarks several times this summer.
"It's always good to go back home," Scott said.