The shadows and the spotlight of child phenoms
A photojournalist uncovers the inner workings of the media hype machine


last updated

(Image credit: (Eve Edelheit/Tampa Bay Times)In 2013, 11-year-old Julian Newman was everywhere. As a starter for his high school varsity basketball team, the diminutive fifth grader first caught the attenti)

(Image credit: (Eve Edelheit/Tampa Bay Times)Edelheit and writer Michael Kruse, who has a background in scouting high school basketball players (he watched LeBron James play as a high school sophomore), tra)

(Image credit: (Eve Edelheit/Tampa Bay Times)The Julian Newman phenomenon started after his father Jamie Newman — who is also his basketball coach — pitched his son's talent to a sports website. The story w)

(Image credit: (Eve Edelheit/Tampa Bay Times))

(Image credit: (Eve Edelheit/Tampa Bay Times)Edelheit's photos for the Tampa Bay Times story delicately reveal the often heartbreaking shadows that can lurk behind the spotlight of child stars — the grind o)

(Image credit: (Eve Edelheit/Tampa Bay Times))

(Image credit: (Eve Edelheit/Tampa Bay Times))
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.