Helping children establish acting careers is something Robert Rossi has been doing for a while—teen sensation Daniel DiMaggio, one of the “it” teens in the industry and currently playing the role of Oliver Otto in ABC’s American Housewife, has been his client since he was just 3. Dickie Hearts of Tales of the City is another client, as is Ireland Richards, Reese Ganley, and Addy Thompson—and the list goes on.

For Rossi, helping people succeed is second nature. He has a magnetism about him that’s contagious. And, even though he’s worked with and hobnobbed with some of the biggest movie and television stars, he’s the most down-to-earth, go-out-of-his-way-to-help-you type of person. It doesn’t matter who you are—helping others is just his nature and mission.

Rossi originally began as a performer himself, first as a varsity cheerleader, then co-caption of the Moon Valley Cheer Squad with Lisa Kerker. Rossi also taught cheer camps for high schools as staff for NCA (National Cheerleader Association), then University of Arizona. He was also a competitive Latin ballroom dancer. After switching career paths, his roles including being a personal publicist for a variety of celebrities, working with major clients handling their celebrity marketing, and more.

Then, one day in 2008, Rossi went to a U2 concert, where he was part of the team that was filming Bono onstage. From where he was seated, he could see the interpreter for the deaf—and he was mesmerized. That Monday, he quit his job, and went back to college to learn sign language, feeling that it was a calling.

Of course everything comes full circle, and today, several of Rossi’s clients are deaf actors. He pushes for inclusion in Hollywood, and it has become one of the things for which he’s known. Rossi just enjoys helping people realize their dreams, no matter whether they face challenges hearing or aren’t local to Hollywood.

As a talent manager, Rossi helps guides his clients’ careers. He isn’t an agent, and won’t be looking to book work for his clients locally, either.

“This is about making a difference in a kids’ life and a family’s life,” he says. “Why should a kid have to wait until they’re 18 to do what they want just because they’re 9 or 10? Let’s give it a shot. This is about giving kids options.”

“At the end of the day,” he explains, “you, me, and everyone I know, we all want the same thing—we want to be healthy, happy, and raise kind children, and I think that’s my bigger calling of why I’m in town. I don’t have children, but I’m going to work with these children to help them follow their dreams. That will be my legacy.”