How to spot and separate a child acting / modeling scam from real opportunities.
The showbiz industry is filled with unscrupulous companies that pray on unsuspecting parents. The scammers know their targets well. They know that ALL parents think their children are talented, beautiful and smart. They know that proud parents want their children to be happy and succeed. They also know that all parents think their child has that “something special” quality to be the next big child star.
The truth is… we all have kids. They are all great and cute. There are millions of them and millions of parents who can be taken by sales pitches that feed the need to hear “Your kid should be a star”.
Here is how the scam works…
You answer a casting notice, get approached in a mall, or even get a phone call after filling something out online. The sales person pretending to be in the industry and posing as a casting director, agent or some other title tells you your child is “perfect” and would like you to audition for some part.
Excited you go to the audition with your kid in tow. Once there you realize that there are 100’s of others there and that it is not a “real” audition. There is no part to fill, script to memorize or production company there. It is a sales meeting and you are in the audience. Someone goes up and reads a pitch to all the excited kids and parents. They tell you your kids were chosen to be a part of the showbiz industry. They go into how much fame and fortune the kids will achieve. Every word spoken is meant to excite your child to a point where it would break their heart if you said “no” at the end.
Sometimes, they pull you and your child into a room and make your child read a couple lines for them. They do this to make the entire experience seem more legit. The reading is meaningless because there is no real part you are reading for…. it’s all an act.
Now comes the end… What do you need to do to make your child’s dreams come true? Pay up. What else. This entire sales session was meant to pump you guys up to pay for expensive, inferior classes, worthless acting workshops and poor quality portfolios. They have now convinced your child that “if only” their parents would cough up the 1000’s, they would be stars. They tell you that there are tons of companies who need “new faces”… and miraculously, can’t find them in the sea of over population outside. “New faces” and cute kids are hard to come by and companies will pay fortunes, they stop short of trying to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge. You and your child MUST buy their services or their dreams of stardom can never be.
At this point, the scammers expect proud parents to fold into the pressures of “mom, please” and pay the cash. And, luckily for them, many do.
How to protect yourself and your child
Do not believe anyone who approaches you out of the blue. The scammers pay people to hang out at malls and shopping centers to sign up kids for these things… It’s all fake.
Be very careful when answering open call and auditions. When a real production company needs someone, they need someone specific, as in 8-9 year old Indian girl who can ride a horse. If you go to a casting and see tons of kids with nothing in common of different age groups, then it’s most likely a scam and be very skeptical.
If it turns out to be a sales meeting, run. DO NOT allow your child to sit in.
NEVER pay up front fees for anything. This is supposed to be a job — meaning YOU get paid.
ALWAYS do your research. Google company names, agent names, etc. If you find nothing at all then it may be fake. Legit companies have tons of info available about them and their employees. Many companies that operate in the gray change names and locations often. Finding very little or no information at all should be a red flag.
Learn to read between the lines.
Their commissions depend on making you feel special and selected for something special. They have honed their sales pitch and know how to pull heart strings.
this is from the ftc
Unscrupulous model and talent scouts have their acts down. Take a look at what is said and what it means.
“We’re scouting for people with your ‘look’ to model and act.” – I need to sign up as many people as possible. My commission depends on it.
“Your deposit is totally refundable.” – Your deposit is refundable only if you meet very strict refund conditions.
“You must be specially selected for our program. Our talent experts will carefully evaluate your chances at success in the field and will only accept a few people into our program.” – We take everyone with money.
“There’s a guaranteed refund if you’re not accepted into the program.” – Everyone’s accepted so you can forget the refund.
“You can’t afford our fees? No problem. You can work them off with the high-paying jobs we’ll get you.” – We demand payment, whether or not you get work.
“Commissions from our clients are our major source of income.” – Our income comes from the fees we charge suckers like you.
“I saw your child’s photo and think she is perfect for ‘fill in blank’ , the job pays $800 a day, I would like to submit her to the job “ – for a fee I will forward her info to the other scammer I found in a free CraigsList ad for kid auditions.
It is up to you to protect your child! All the above is unethical but NOT illegal. Authorities will not help you when you lose your money and your child gets no work.
These days there is little work for kids with years of training living in large markets whose families are in the business. The last thing a legit casting director for an ad campaign will do is travel small town malls seeking talent. Stay grounded in reality and never allow high pressure sales tactics to sway your judgement.
The Nigerian 419 scam and the acting twist.
If you think it’s unscrupulous sales people praying on dreams of fame and fortune, think again. The Nigerians entered the act as well. They are posting fake casting calls, trolling online profiles and contacting wanna bees with checks in hand.
How it works is they contact you through a submission through CraigsList, any online casting call, an email or a contact on a acting profile. They tell you they are casting directors and have cast you for a high paying role in your city. They love you so much from your pic that they will pre-pay you for the shoot… COOL! right? ahhh, wrong!
They send you a fake cashier’s check from an international bank. You are requested to keep your pay and forward the remainder to their crew for the shoot via western union. Your bank cashes the check and you forward the rest as told. 2 days later your bank holds you accountable for the thousands of dollars you withdrew against a fake check.
Authorities can not help you and you are left holding the bag. You cashed a check from a bad source against your account! These people are in Africa, US authorities can not touch them and they know it!
How to Get your child into Acting for “real”
Forget about fame and fortune and concentrate on your kid having fun with it and improving their skills.
Get your child involved in school plays, local theater groups and local student film projects. None of these will pay a dime but will give your child the experience needed to get an agent. In small markets, agents may not always be required.
Find out what is being filmed in your area and contact the legit casting companies. Join their lists. Most cities have a few background agencies that allow anyone to register for a small fee and many casting directors hold monthly open auditions for new talent.
Many states have websites dedicated to the film industry and production in the state. They are a good source of local info for small markets.
Check with Union sites. SAG, AFTRA, Actors Equity, all have lists of licensed agents and other valuable information.
The only real way into the industry is with a resume, training, hard work and an agent. An agent will not see your child unless they have some experience and training. Send your child to community acting classes and local workshops. Network with other families that are involved within your community.
Once you get an agent, it will be up to you to get your child to the auditions your agent sends you on. Be ready for lots of disappointment. This is not easy work. For every small gig your child lands there will be dozens he didn’t. If your child enjoys it and has a true passion for the art, he will succeed.
I have been reading over things on this site and I am hanging my head in shame. I fell for this scam and I am not trying to figure out what to do to get out of it and to maybe recover my funds or is it a lost cause? Anyone have any tips or advice?
Thanks!
what was the scam? There is no shame in being taken for money by a sales rep that tries to sell you the world.
I do not see anyone has posted in awhile but I think I can help, or at least offer my two cents. We live in the midwest and my sons and now our daughter have gotten in the modeling/acting feild. I overheard some moms talking at a sports event how their kids do it and it helps fund their sports. I sent my kids pictures to agencies (not schools) and called eacha week later and asked for an appointment with their kid agent. All of them responded well and accepted the pics, sent them to some clients & got some bites. We went and had pro pics made for about 130 bucks, made about 50 copies for each agency and jpgs and sent all to the agenies.
I never considered my kids would not be working, It was just HOW to be working. It took some leg work which I was willing to do because I am an at home mom and I did not want to pay any management company what I could do myself. They have all been working talent for about 14 years now. Funded sports, a new car for one son, and now college education. I dont think my kids are super cute or talented or even have that soft ethnic look. (God bless them and our Swedish/German roots) We just approached the idea with: we are livng our life, how about we do this on the side and make it make money for us? We could really take it or leave it. But its been fun. I gues the important thing to remember is to not take it too seriously and just raise some good kids.
I am so glad I came on this site. I too sent my daughters pic to kidz to fame on wed. thursday afternoon got an email stating that they wanted me to answer some questions and send a close up pic and a family shot, then i checked my email today at 6:30am est and it showed an email from kidz to fame from close to midnight my time asking for 495.00 so they can connect my daughter to agencies. This doesn’t feel right. First how can they respond to these emails I sent so quickly. Also as I have researched no agency whether talent or modeling will ask for money up front, if you have talent they represent you and take a percentage of your gigs. I had a bad feeling before I did research but now that I have and seen these posts it just confirms my gut feeling. I will continue to look for my little girl but I am not going to waste my money.
I too have received a call from Brandon. Is this a scam or can it be trusted?
I just got an email tonight from Kidz to Fame as well… my feelings are that it’s a scam.. I’m not spending the $495…. that 7% seems to be everyone.. hahah
I am researching Kidz to Fame myself after getting the same response everyone else on here seems to have gotten. I just got the second followup email tonight but it seems a little strange that if only such a small percentage of kids have what they think they can use, how did so many of that small percentage find this site too? I’m still very undecided. I do appreciate the comments and the additional links, which appear to be legit since this Brittany person didn’t dispute ever making the comments she supposedly made.
I am a new mom to the business. I submitted both of my children to Kidz to Fame. Only one child was excepted. I was told by Brandon that he possible job for my child. I signed up and paid the large fee. I received an email for the agent that was interested. Haven’t heard a word for Brandon or the agent. Not sure if I have been totally scammed or not. I know it’s not an overnight game. Guess I will have to wait and see what happens. It’s been a few days since I signed up.
Candi
i was actually believing this britani girl until i looked on babycenter.com and she claimed to be a “real agent”. sounds like a scammer 🙂
This is Erica, the webmaster.
A few words of advice
check with the BBB about any business you are unsure of. NO, you cannot buy a BBB rating! What you can buy is BBB accreditation. That is not the same as a rating. The BBB also has very strict policies about helping companies with a bad rating. To be fair to this industry, the BBB is known to be very harsh in its rating of child modeling companies because the track record is so poor and have been known to start a new company out as a C, D or F.
The ROR has issues, but, they are a great source of consumer input as well.
When researching companies, agents, conventions, whatever, keep the following in mind.
How long they have they been in business.
What others say, good and bad.
Do they promise something that is difficult to deliver.
Remember that good agents do not advertise nor try hard to solicit new business, you must find them.
The unions have lists available.
And yes, anyone can write anything, claim anything, be anyone they want on the internet, it is anonymous, read the webmaster edits above which brought me into this conversation to begin with.
And lastly, yes, in many states agents are not allowed to charge upfront fees, require you to use their photographer, take their classes and many other things.
Basically be sure you know the facts, know what others say and know EXACTLY what they are going to do for you, what their services are, are not and make sure you get the promised services or a refund.
Best to all
Edit from the webmaster
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This is Erica, the person who runs this site, know the following and make your own judgments on what the commenter recommends
**** This person has posted as 3 different people so far, I checked the IP address ********
susan holiday, says they are a parent
IP address
97.80.104.123
leo laughlin, says they are a parent
Ip address
97.80.104.123
jeremy toppeland, says they are a agent
Ip address
97.80.104.123
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End of webmaster edit
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I also had both of my kids go through a talent convention called [removed]Actually, we had a wonderful time also.
I also happen to be educated myself, as is my husband and, i agree, so much negative he said she said boring stuff….blah blah blah. I’ve owned an accounting firm for over 35 years so I’m not stupid. (I don’t think-smile).
One of my kids, my daughter, ended up not really pursuin git but had an absolutely amazing time. She said it was the most exciting thing for her… ever!
So, in short, I, myself don’t need another individual stating what i did was wrong or we wasted money. Says who? Who are you? Some phantom writer on the internet that obviously has an axe to grind.
The talent convention was worth ever penny we spent. Like another gentlemen above said, we never expected anything and no guarantees were made ever.
My son is doing very well. He got a great agent, is in the union now (Sag), which seems to have plenty of it’s own problems, and he’s booked 4 national TV Spots.
We would NOT have done this if we hadn’t gone to [removed]. They connected us with the right people.
So people, you can rant and rave all you want about “all these scams” going on. Well, it worked for us. I admist it doesn’t work for everybody but what does? College? Not. Kids are going to college racking up $80,000 or more in loans and graduating with no jobs, so I guess they got ripped off too? Guess so.
Another issue, these phantom writers keep referencing the better business bureau as if their some credible source of accurate information. Another ignorant statement once again. I have had the “bbb” company along with their smarmy used car salespeople trying to sell me “membership” for years and years and yes, as exposed in abc’s 20 20 news magazine, they make it sound like they ARE part of our government and totally give you, and i’ll gladly quote….a fraudulent shakedown, as stated by mr. wolfgang puck!
So, i’m going to go by information supplied by them? Like another writer said…about the bbb… pay us we’ll give you the magical a+++++++ rating. How gullable can people be. Consumers should not take anything from the bbb as truth. it’s not. there are swarms of lawsuits against them right now. as the famous phrase from our phantom writers say…. “just google them”.
[removed] is not cheap, but, in our opinion, are we listening? My opinion, it well was worth every penny we spent.
Knowing that phantom writers are going to be probably bashing me after i post this (im a competitor, sales person, rep, whatever!), i will no longer post anything here. i too just felt a need to share my thoughts on this.
however you go about doing this, go by your gut instinct. if you have a gut feeling to pass on an opportunity, you should then. if you feel good about it and the people you’re going to be working with, go for it. don’t get caught up in all this internet chat drama. the same people posting this stuff will probably doing the same thing next year and the year after.
That being said, i wish everyone very good luck with whatever they pursue in this industry or any other and must agree with the last writer, let’s stop going on major attacks here against people. for what purpose?
We’re all adults here. I stole some of leo’s words… sorry but, i loved what you wrote leo!
have a nice weekend
my one and FINAL post here
P.S.; I know [removed] has negative reviews on line, and a lot of positive reviews. i take that stuff with a grain of salt, as should you. You really don’t know WHO is posting the stuff, do we? Like again leo stated, anyone can write anything on line, not reveal their identity and bash any person or company, good or bad.
Base your opinions on your own experiences not from some other hollywood wack job mothers. sorry…. that was wrong, but it fell real good!
sue
Edit from the webmaster
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This is Erica, the person who runs this site, know the following and make your own judgments on what the commenter recommends
**** This person has posted as 3 different people so far ********
susan holiday, says they are a parent
IP address
97.80.104.123
leo laughlin, says they are a parent
Ip address
97.80.104.123
jeremy toppeland, says they are a agent
Ip address
97.80.104.123
*****************************************
End of webmaster edit
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Any respected industry publication will tell you that the first rule of showbiz is “never pay upfront fees for representation”.
taken from http://www.bizparentz.org/entertainmentlaws/krekorianact.html
The Advance Fee Talent Service Law (SB1687 in 2005), and now the Krekorian Talent Scam Prevention Act (AB1319 in 2010) were created in California, home to the entertainment industry, to underscore that idea and go further. Even though it is a California law, we feel that actors from other states should understand it as well, because many unscrupulous businesses intentially work in other states attempting to avoid this law while claiming that they have Hollywood connections.
The law was designed as a protection to consumers. The intent was to label certain businesses as what they really are, and to protect consumers from companies who try to get around the California Talent Agency Act regulations by simply saying, “we are not a talent agency, we are a school/website/networking opportunity” and yet…they promise employment. Please note that this newest revision to the law was sponsored by every major studio in Hollywood, the Better Business Bureau, SAG, AFTRA and a slew of law enforcement. This should send a strong message to consumers that Hollywood simply does not do business this way.
AB1319 defines businesses that offer talent services in 4 different ways, and each has specfic regulations:
1. Advance Fee Talent Representation Service (ex. an agent or manager who charges up front) — PROHIBITED
2. Talent Training Servcies (ex. acting schools, CD workshops, etc.) — Permitted, but must comply with regulations
3. Talent Counseling Services (ex. those who charge to connect you with agents, advise you on how to get into the biz, etc) — Permitted, but must comply with regulations.
4. Talent Listing Services (ex. online casting services, background actor services, etc) –
Permitted but must comply with regulations.
The law also defines and “audition” as a job interview.
In short, any company that wants to charge you an upfront fee (for something like registration, modeling classes, or a talent competition), must post a bond, have certain refund policies, and they must follow certain rules about things like their success stories, their “scouts” etc. They cannot promise you employment and they cannot “sell” you an audition for an agent, casting director, or a job.
Edit from the webmaster
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This is Erica, the person who runs this site, know the following and make your own judgments on what the commenter recommends
**** This person has posted as 3 different people so far ********
susan holiday, says they are a parent
IP address
97.80.104.123
leo laughlin, says they are a parent
Ip address
97.80.104.123
jeremy toppeland, says they are a agent
Ip address
97.80.104.123
*****************************************
End of webmaster edit
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HERE’S AN OUTSIDER’S TAKE ON THIS WHOLE THING:
You people are so negative at each other. Geeezzzz. With all the bad stuff going on the in world you’re attacking each other over modeling and acting stuff?
Come on….. are we serious here? I want to chat not attack anyone or any company. People that attack and point fingers don’t come off credible.
I don’t have any interest in this business at all, my older daughter is in it.
She actually attended one of the Talent Conventions that were being bashed above. Well, she got scouted by Elite Model Management and Zoli Model Management in NYC and she’s been living in New York for almost 3 years and has been working non stop doing print work. She’s made quite a bit of money. She did it because she really wanted it. So, yes, we invested in it and it paid off. The convention company we went through had negative links on line, so what? Competitors, disgruntled employees, people who didn’t get agents, negative people in general.
You guys keep talking about money getting into this. The money we paid was well worth it even is she didn’t get an agent and we know many don’t! It was an experience of a lifetime for her! Welcome to that industry is what I say. That’s the nature of the whole business….isn’t it people?
Honestly, you guys sound very immature, just being honest. If a parent selects to pursue a certain way of breaking into an industry, who is anyone to go on a rampage saying how much they or we got ripped off.
I’ve never seen anything like it. I think these negative people are all persons who, for whatever reason, never were successful themselves. Does that ring true here? I think so.
Discuss something without attacking each other. We’re all human….right?
Regarding Internet stuff, I’m an expert in SEO work. First, anyone can post anything, use any name, any email address, change-alter dates, add names, delete names, add or change photos, make up phony press releases, copy other person’s email addresses, and so on. It’s not hard.
One thing most all people should have learned at this point is don’t take ANYTHING you read on line as fact.
A quick comment about Rip Off report.com. That is NOT at all a credible web site. A writer said the owner, who is Ed Magedson, is a wanted scammer by authorities. He is in fact. How do I know this? I was contracted by a huge company and while I was there the Rip Off Report guy posted a bunch of negative commentary about the company and then tried to extort $75,000 from the company to get it removed. The Fed’s got involved. So, anyone relying on information posted on there is wrong. Rip Off Report also goes under Pissed Consumer.com, Complaints.com, he’s opening as many of these fraudulent websites as possible before the Fed’s close down the main Rip Off site.
Another issue to raise, one of the writers has used the Better Business Bureau as a place for reliable information. To set the record straight, most people in the business world know that the “BBB” is not part of the government and is a sham itself. Nice to hear ABC’s 20 20 finally exposed them for what a fraud that it is.
You pay, you get an A. You don’t, you Fail with an F. Enough said on this issue.
So, instead of going on the attack with each other, why not share opinions and let others make their own decisions.
I’m sure there are many kids that go into the conventions like my daughter and don’t get picked. Does that mean they were ripped off? No, it means the agencies decided to go with other kids. It doesn’t mean the convention company didn’t do their job. The conventions promise nothing but opportunity, which they give. We had a blast.
Again, why attack each other? let’s be adults here people.
best regards to everyone on here,
leo
Britini – you are a sales rep for scammy operations and have been for years. here you are defending flash cast which from my Google search seems to have been closed down and indited by the LA city attorney in 2009 for the same type of operation. BTW, those are now not legal businesses in California. Nevada seems to be the place for them to go now since their laws still allow it.
in one post you say you are an agent, in another post you are a client? lies all around. Pick a story. You are not looking good.
here you are as an agent http://www.babycenter.com/400_is-kidz-to-fame-true-modeling-company_8316706_924.bc
here you are as a client defending these guys years back http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/posts-fake-casting-calls-c77004.html
**PRESS RELEASE**
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2009
CHILDRENS TALENT SERVICE CONVICTED OF DECEPTIVE BUSINESS PRACTICES
LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles City Attorneys Office today announced it has secured criminal convictions of the owner and operator of two Los Angeles talent services — Scooters Fab Flashcast a childrens talent broker — and Model Management, Inc. a talent agency for models — for deceptive business practices, following a successful prosecution by Deputy City Attorney Mark Lambert of the Consumer Protection Unit.
Scooters operator, Carl Ken Carranza, and its owner, Flashcast Companies Inc., each pled no contest to two counts of false advertising and were placed on 36 months probation and sentenced to 90 days in jail or 600 hours of community service. Carranza and the Corporation were also ordered to pay $17,145 in restitution to 11 victims, not to attempt to collect any portion of outstanding fees from persons who notify the court by November 5 and to prominently display on future advertisements that the company is not a free service. Located in Universal City, Scooters Fab Flashcast now doing business as Scooters Kidz issued misleading advertisements primarily on the internet at craigslist.org appearing to offer a no-cost talent search for babies and young children for jobs in modeling, catalogs and television commercials. Parents responding to the advertisement spent hours at an audition only to discover that the company was in fact a service offering to obtain a licensed talent agent for their child at a cost of $1,495.
how funny, i have also been with fab flashcast since 2002 and they are great!!!
Here is her post about the scammers that got caught.
what idiot is trying to rag on them. the last client made a very good point. Fab Flashcast does not get the jobs for their kids, the agents do. so, these MORANS saying that Carl claims he casting for these big jobs with a casting director in his office is complete bu–sh–. They don’t do that.
Very smart of Linda to pick this up. obviously, someone is trying to damage Fab Flashcast because they have been around for over 20 years plus.
You can email me anytime at britni11031@yahoo.com for any info. on Fab Flashcast. They are wonderful people to work with. We would have never gotten the agent we had if it weren’t for Carl and Debbie.
Good luck,
Britni
Beverly Hills
link to her post http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/posts-fake-casting-calls-c77004.html
There are multiple posts by Britini rebutting to kids to fame complaints. Actually, a search goes back to 2006 and some other modeling scam that got closed down.
Wow, those wonderful people from your past got indited for scamming parents. Get a REAL job and stop scamming people!
Parents Beware
time to switch emails?
I am a mother that has been scammed before. I was approached by kids to fame and did my due diligence before handing out 500 bucks. I am glad I did.
Ok. Here it is. Currently, I’m deeply saddened, frustrated and pissed beyond the max that people even possess an evil enough heart to literally prey on the innocence and wantings of a 5 year old little girl, and feed off of the faith, and belief of a father in his daughter. I am deeply embarrassed to say that I have been a victim of the scambags at CASTINGHUB. Embarrassed, but not ashamed. Hopefully, I can be the example and save countless of others from this Devils den of false hopes, promises, cheap material and basically this game of g”rab the money and go!”
The Pitch:
My wife hears a radio ad saying “Wanna audition for Disney and Nick? Call this number!” She calls, sets up an audition for our 5 year old girl, and is given these lines for a Lifesavers commercial that she must have memorized. She tells me of this when I get home and in fact, I heard the same ad on my favorite well known radio station and instantly thought of my daughter but didn’t take the number because I was driving. We worked on the lines with her and she got them with no problem. We as parents excited at the possibilities rewarded her hard work with lunches like McDonalds and so forth.
The Catch- We arrive at the hotel where the auditions were to be held, and noticed people of ALL ages. We were then escorted into this huge room with chairs and microphones and do forth. Some lady with short red hair soaks first, and here’s when I noticed the same people that escorted us to our seats were also the judges. (Weird) This lady tells us it’s because the auditions started the moment we walked through the door and they wanted to see who were “rude” to the help. (Understandable) So, here’s the part where we learn, there’s no audition. It’s a seminar instead. My wife and I believed this was just the beginning of the process though, so we stayed. So this lady talks on and on about how she’s from Paris, grew up in Nigeria and her parents sacrificed theirs lives for her dream. It was all very professional, and we bought every drop off it. Then, this kid Zeke, from Wizards of Waverly Place comes running down the aisle, exciting the kids and reassuring my wife and I that this is real! “They do have Disney connections!” were my exact thoughts. This kid talks about how many times he was turned down before making it, and how his parents sacrificed everything for him after he heard a radio commercial for acting just as we did, giving the impression that he works and gets work through CASTING HUB as well. Well, now we know that isn’t true either.
The Bait-
Next, the short hair liar returns to the microphone and says we’ll now begin the interview process after explaining that only maybe 5 people in this filled up room will receive a phone call between the hours of 5pm-11pm and calls could go on until 2am if they didn’t finish in time. She has everyone line up and each interview doesn’t even lasts 3 minutes. We met with the extremely botoxed Bernadette Heyer who was introduced as a former Super model and spokesperson for Revlon for 7 years. She took a liking to my daughter and told me we’d definitely be one of her 5 call backs. We left. Later that night we received a call personally from Bernadette around 11:58pm saying my darling was one of her chosen and if we could afford the prices. I told her we could do the 2,000 that would inform us of all local auditions. She tells me that my daughter DEFINITELY could be on Disney with her personality, but we’d have to pay for the 6,000 packet to enroll her in the national auditions to get her to Disney. I explained I didn’t have that. She then tells me “I loved your girl so much, they I’m prepared to be her Fairy Godmother and I’ll personally pay for half out of my own pocket. She’s a star! Disney agents will be here in 5 weeks and we need her processed in order to get her going.” I agreed to meet her the next morning. When we arrive, they give my daughter meaningless lines to remember right there on the spot, and she mastered them. Now we’re in a room with this Tales from the Crypt Keeper looking woman who guarantees her agent will take my little girl to stardom. I agree to the 3000 if she pays the remainder. She says deal and pulls out a waiver stating that I could not tell any other parents about the sponsorship or we would lose it. Now, in sealing the deal, I noticed I left my wallet in the car due to rushing in not to be late. I asked to be excused to retrieve it. My wife says “I know the number by heart.” And Bernadette agrees to just use the numbers. This was when I first thought something was off. Not once was I ever asked for my license, a copy or anything. As soon as I got home, I read all the info we just went over but noticed something. The sponsorship paper’s title was hidden due to my daughter’s profile papers covering the very top. It was slickly folded and tucked into the black folder we were given as we left. The title of that paper read “SPONSORSHIP OF CAREER PLAN AND WAIVER OF CANCELLATION RIGHTS” My jaw hit the ground. I walked up to my wife with the form in hand and said “I think we’ve been scammed. She wanted to cry. I then looked up and found all of this stuff on them.
STAY AWAY FROM CASTINGHUB!! After learning this we called the agencies they claim to be affiliated with and ALL denied even knowing them.
They’ve mastered their craft. I see the game now that I look in hindsight. Those judges who seat you are looking to see if you have money. During the Zeke presentation, they literally scour the room like vultures, making mental notes of those that seem like they can pay and believe in their kids to the fullest. They only call five is complete bs. The reason they call so late is so after you get an acceptance call at midnight, and have to go in at 8:30am, you’re going to bed to arrive on time and won’t have time to research them finding stuff like this. Zeke is an ACTOR paid to ACT and neither he nor Disney or any entity has any affiliation with CASTING HUB. And my biggest form if advice. STAY AWAY FROM THEIR SPONSORSHIP METHOD. IT’S A WAY FOR THEM TO STEAL YOUR RIGHT TO CANCEL!!!!!!!! I pray this saves someone from my idiot mistakes.
SUDDEN DAD THANK YOU SO MUCH! MY 6 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER HAS AN AUDITION WITH CAST HUB TOMORROW MORNING. I HEARD THE AD ON THE RADIO JUST AS YOUR WIFE THEN RECEIVED AN EMAIL WITH A LIFE SAVERS SCRIPT FOR MY DAUGHTER TO MEMORIZE. YOU REALLY SAVED US FROM THESE MONSTERS. THANK YOU AGAIN!
I’m so glad I could help. That makes me feel so much better. It really does. Also, guys. I heard their commercial on the radio again yesterday so these sharks have not yet had their fill of Atlanta blood!!! Be CAREFUL and question EVERYTHING! This has taught me to always remain skeptical about everything. Sad, but it’s life.
Hello, I just went to the Atlanta “audition” what a total scam. I went with my wife and 4 year old daughter, I admit I was falling for it. But my wife said that something is wrong, she had a gut feeling. Then I received a call from this same women but her name is now Renee, I told her I will stop by tomorrow. I will call her and cancel this bogus @@@@
I am now doing some more research and thanks you sudden dad, it helped me from making a huge mistake. Thanks.
This sounds exactly like the “model and scout”, but they are promising “marketing” through iscout. Did you go through multiple interview processes? I notice you posted in 2014, since you paid funds did you get an account and do the auditions, or did it simply not exist?? Thanks!
I mean “model and talent”…not model and scout. They use iscout. Have a call back….paying very close attention to the above. You are paying for marketing here…but the question quite frankly is – how much do they push out their marketing. Did you ask for a refund? Did you get any auditions? Thanks!
Hi Saddened Dad! I feel your pain. We just fell victim to this company this past Saturday. Unfortunately they’ve changed their name from “Casting Hub” to “model and talent” so all scam warnings didn’t come up on the Google search. Friday, our 9 year old daughter heard their add on the radio and called with our permission. Like you, we bought into the short haired lady’s authoritative speech and felt like we’d be holding our kid back by not taking advantage of her offer. Dan Benson (Zeke Beakerman from Wizards of Waverly Place) was also at our seminar. His performance was so engaging. I was just as entertained by him as every kid there. We happened to come across him in the hotel lobby on our way out of the audition. Our daughter wanted to meet him so we went and talked to him. He congratulated her on her first audition and took a picture with her. Afterward we uploaded it on Instagram and tagged him in it. (His username was conveniently plugged after his exciting performance.) To our surprise, he reposted it on his Instagram and Twitter. Our daughter got many followers because of it. Cool beans! We were so blinded by an actual Disney actor’s presence at the seminar and his sweet and encouraging interaction with our daughter that we didn’t even think to suspect the legitimacy of this company. Why would a famous actor link himself with a company that fuels itself off of children’s dreams and doesn’t follow through with it’s promises?
Duped. We got a callback (which was actually just a text) at 10:50pm Saturday night. We were so excited and immediately got ready for our early morning appointment the next day. Their late night notification did exactly as they planned. It left us little time to question anything. We went the next morning to the audition and our daughter diligently practiced the new script. Our judge, Jonathan, applauded her abilities and complemented the photographs we brought in. We were assured that our daughter would begin booking auditions the next week. Fortunately, we couldn’t afford to invest as much as many others have lost – but we would have had we been able. We were also offered a 50% sponsorship for the $2900 six month membership if we paid the same day. We’d already been considering that membership so we jumped at the opportunity to save so much money but still couldn’t afford to put down the full cost that day. They let us make the first month payment of $833 and were going to let us pay the remaining balance two days later when my husband’s paycheck came in. We left excited about our daughter’s future and couldn’t wait to see her dreams come true.
Sunday night we began going through the packet they gave us. We knew we wouldn’t have access to the website until later that week but we figured we’d still be able to Google and find some of the actors and models that had been successful with “model and talent” bookings. That’s when the new name comes into play. You can’t Google “model and talent” (their all lowercase name) without pulling up thousands of companies and agencies in the business. We jokingly thought “what if we got scammed” and searched for casting audition scams. That’s when we found many warnings about a company called Castinghub. We started reading the stories and discovered how similar their audition process was to what we’d been a part of. We got scared. I sent Dan Benson a direct message on Instagram asking him to verify that “model and talent” was a legit business. While waiting and hoping for a reply we kept searching. The social media sites listed on the back of the brochure don’t exist. We checked our bank account and saw the charge of $833 for MAT Entertainment, Inc. We knew that if they were actually incorporated we’d be able to find them listed. Sure enough, they were. Also listed was every other name their business goes by, “Castinghub” included. We were devastated. Two hours after I sent my message, Dan replied saying “I would spend my money elsewhere.” He knew!! We found many horror stories of the Castinghub auditions that included appearances by him and Matthew Underwood (Logan Reese from Zoey 101). It was too late. We immediately called our bank and changed our cards so they couldn’t process the remaining $617. Since we never actually received the sponsorship we figured that it would null and void the waiver. We called and emailed every contact we had for them and sent the cancellation agreement. No response for two days. After the final payment wouldn’t process on the card they had on file they called to verify our information. We tried in vain to get our payment back since we were cancelling before the three day deadline but they were unrelenting. When speaking to the customer service representatives it was clear that they had been trained to respond to unhappy customers. When my husband calmly claimed that they had conned him into signing this form, the rep robotically replied “Due to the harassing nature of this phone call I’m going to get off the line” twice (weird) and clicked off. The money we lost was a big hit for us but more than that, we had to sit our daughter down and explain to her that all the hard work she put into her auditions this past weekend was a waste and that a Disney actor she admired, knowingly took part in luring her into a trap that wouldn’t bring the results promised. A model\judge sat in front of my 9 year old kid – asked her what her dreams were and claimed they’d be coming true the following week. DISGUSTING!
We found out that they are doing another casting call on September 6, 2014 at the Jacksonville, Marriott in Jacksonville, Florida at 11:30 am. We contacted 11Alive to try and get them to cover the scam so others wouldn’t be victims. They said that they were aware of this company and that they get reports of them every time they come to town. Because of the elaborate nature of the companies scheme they think it would take a lot investigating to prove that they are doing something illegal. Their business practice is unethical and their product is a ripoff to be sure but if they can’t prove it they could get sued for talking about it. Hopefully, they will decide it’s big enough to investigate soon. It’s so discouraging and I feel helpless not being able to do something to prevent others from being victims. I hope replying to this will at least let help “model and talent” to come up in a search other parent’s make. I honestly don’t know how these people live with themselves after manipulating hundreds of children into believing their dreams are about to come true.
Thank you for your post! You just saved us from being a victim today! I don’t know how they can get away with this!
Yes, thank you very much.
Saddened Dad, Thank you so much for writing this, it definitely helped us make the right decision. We just experienced the same exact situation today from a company called model and talent here in Dallas, TX. Both of my children memorized their lines and were extremely excited about their audition this morning. I became a little skeptical when we got close to the room and they asked all of the parents to take out their photo id’s and started snapping pictures of us and our ID’s on a IPad. When I asked the gentleman (which later was one of the judges) why they were taking our picture with our IDs he said “because there is a room full of children and if one of them went missing, I would thank them for having that information.” I walked in the room and told my husband I thought that was off and a little weird. We filled out the info they requested for both of my kids and both of them did the audition. During the speech, the lady that spoke (she had short blond hair today but the same story) said that the reason that we couldn’t find anything about their company on the website is because they are a private company that works with children so we should be happy to know they are not sharing our child’s information on the internet. We thought that was a little weird because even if they didn’t want to share the children information they should still have information about the company in general. My 11 yr old was nervous and stuttered through his lines and my 9 yr old did great. The judge asked us if we supported them doing this and if we would be ok with the financial costs and we said yes, he then asked us if we would be ok if one of them made it and the other didn’t. As the day went on my husband and I were nervous, if we got a call back from them it would be for my 9 yr old and this whole thing was the 11 yr olds idea and he would be devastated that he didn’t get chosen. Well the text came in this evening and it was for the 11 yr old. We were shocked to say the least that he was chosen over the 9 yr old so we started doing research and talking to our family about our experience to see what they thought about this whole situation and my mother in law found your report. So THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU so much! Because your story was identical to what we experienced and I was able to not only save our money, I was able to share the story with both of my kids and they understand why we are not to move forward with this scam! I hope this helps others too!
Thanks!
almost fell for it in Dallas
Just went to “model and talent” casting call today with my child in Austin, Texas. Everything happened that you described, just a different actor was there. The guy that plays the Red Power Ranger ran down the aisle to the front of the crowd of kids and parents to excite everyone. I decided to google this company while waiting for our “yes or no” callback text at home and am glad I did. I wanted to leave while we there when I saw the fees in the brochure they had handed out but stayed to listen because of my daughter. We were told to turn off all electronic devices and put them away so I couldn’t google their company while we listening to there sales pitch. Thank you for sharing your experience. I had a gut feeling something wasn’t right about this when I saw the financial obligations in the brochure.
We got the text late last night that my daughter was being called back for a second audition for the next day at 10:00am. My husband texted back no thank you, that we had decided not to use their marketing skills. The lady named Marta texted back stating she was sorry to hear that because my daughter was one of five kids to get a partial scholarship. We didn’t respond to the second text.
Thanks so much saddened dad, this was helpful. I live in Mass but was visiting family in Florida, I was going to go with my little cousin, but would probably miss my flight home. I thought it was strange, when I try to call back the numbers, there was no answers, or the line would just disconnect. Now I heard from a friend that they are in Ma, I wanted to bring my kids, but when I check the old email from the agency and did a name search on the web for more info, NOTHING! But I found this chat room, What rang a bell with me in your story is when you said lifesaver. I got the same script, but I think its a different name now. ITs called M&T Talent Advisers
Thank you and God bless you sadden Dad! you had helped many families and the heart of many young children!
A&T advisors now in Houston Texas ; and a popular radio station is inviting”auditions” for “Disney channel” at the Hilton hotel.
exactly the same!
We were going, but after reading you….NO WAY !!
thanks!
Response to saddened dad: Thank you so much for reassuring me that something was not right with our situation..we went yesterday and the exact same scenario! To the tee. We did respond that we couldn’t afford it and they could help us. We ended up saying we couldn’t do it. Our children were very upset and let down that we couldn’t do it, now that I know it’s a scam it truly rages me and I don’t understand how they can continue to do this….thanks again
OMG! Sadden Dad
Thank you for your post. I read your entire post because today I am supposed to take my son back to the Sheraton here in Tampa, fl for his second interview with “model and talent”. That is the name CastingHub is using now. Last week I heard the same radio ad and responded like you and your wife. We set up the audition and it was yesterday at 9 am (03/21/15) at the Sheraton hotel. There were parents and children of all ages. We registered, and had our family picture taken at the door, before we were let into the ballroom full of chairs. The back of the room had 5 tables, and each had a number on them. We sat through the same spill you and your family received; including seeing Zeke from Wizards of Waverly Place. Your right they did watch the entire room while he talked, and walked up and down the aisles. The Nigerian woman must have dyed her hair because it was a pretty salt in pepper color, and she did look like she came from Paris. Well she told us her child was also a client of “model and talent”, told us about Danny Devitto and his rejections, plus some more nonsense.
Well at the end of the presentation, we all had to line up according to the number on the top of our registration sheet. So we did and my 6 year old son got a text to come back today at 1:20 pm for the second interview. In the text we were told to reply with his full name and what package we could afford by this afternoon. We reply we can do the Competitive 1 package for $1950, but my husband and I thought about it more, and decided to look up the company. I found out CastingHub changed their name to “model and talent”, by looking up the address on their site. Once I googled the address, I found casting ripoffs, and this site. I am so upset because we thought it was legit, and was going to borrow the money so my baby could start a career. Now his father has to break his little heart in the morning.
Thank you so much Saddened Dad for this info!!! Obviously it is now called Model and Talent but you were spot on and a year later they have the same exact presentation, but they brought out Agatha from Jessie having you think that it is legit! They texted us back for a callback tomorrow at 1:45 pm but after reading all of these comments we will not be going.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! My little one’s “audition” is tomorrow and I even went to buy her an “Upscale casual” outfit for the event. I will not return any of these calls, texts, or emails as I believe they have changed their name to a company called MAT which My little one had to memorize the same Lifesavers commercial information. All it takes to help someone else is a kind gesture! Thank you for your willingness to share your experience with the world! We would be swindled and I work hard for my income daily for it to be cheated away from me.
Glad to see others with the same experience. I took my daughter to her audition at the Sheraton in Birmingham, AL yesterday. “Gia” was the name of the short, VERY RUDE, woman from Nigeria/France; however, “Pedja” did our audition for Post Raisin Bran. He was very nice, but my daughter messed up her lines a little, due to nerves. Because of that, I was sure she wouldn’t get a callback. Little did I know… Haha! We got a text at 7:47 pm saying she’d made it and I needed to reply with her full name to confirm her spot at noon today, along with which package we could commit to today, as all packages were listed in the little black book. After looking through this and seeing the amount of money they wanted, without even promising you anything more than a website and emails with upcoming auditions, I decided against it. (1 year was $7999!!!) I knew it had to be a scam. Thanks for the post to confirm what my gut told me! By the way, they are now going by “TALENT”. (I nearly showed back up at the 2nd auditions today without my child, to encourage other parents, before they walked in the door, not to give them their money) If I didn’t live 2 hours away, I would’ve!!
Thanks for bringing this up. I went through the same with my 9 yr old son and because something seemed sketchy after we got the text saying my son passed the first audition, I did an internet search and found this super helpful comment narrating exactly what we experienced yesterday. After reading this, we decided not to attend the 2nd audition, scheduled for 1pm. No one called us or texted us back to find out why we did not show up. I guess they found enough people willing to attend and commit to the payment so they didn’t need to. Thanks again!!
Thank you Saddened Dad! That is almost the exact same experience I just had with 321Shine, including the Zeke guy. This is 3 years later, so maybe Casting Hub changed their name? I actually wondered why the paper we filled out at the beginning asked what the parents did for a living! My daughter was heartbroken!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! M! GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I’m in the Philly area and they are now called “CASTING”! I heard the ad on the radio and my daughter had her audition today and I know their going to call tonight! I am SO GLAD I found this blog!
Everything you have mentioned, the Lifesavers commercial, the French lady and hotel is to a T!
I have a friend who has a LEGIT agent and I will be calling them on Mon. Bottom line people ALWAYS just find an agent! And remember, agents do NOT ask for money upfront! If they do, its because your child needs head shots, but you can get your own head shots done. Shoot, you can even manage to do them yourselves!
THANK YOU again “Saddened Dad” and I am sorry this has happened to you!!!
Erica… I made a post about casting hub over a week ago that I believe the people need to see. What’s taking so long to verify it??? I wasn’t rude or anything.
I posted every comment, I’ts there, I believe it was a reply to someone else (Cynthia) which would ad it into the middle of the page, after the one that was replied to and therefore maybe a bit hard to find since there is such a long discussion going on, especially, when there are so many replies to Cynthia – yours is a few down, I just checked 😉
thank you for your input! Every shared experience helps someone else avoid the same pitfalls!
Dear Saddened Dad and Saddened Mom,
Thank you so much for taking the time to post your experience about models and talent. Like you, my daughters and I also heard the radio commercial and called the number. They emailed me a commercial script. My 8 year old had to learn the script for LIFESAVERS and my 10 year old the script for RAISIN BRAN. We are in Miami, so it wasn’t surprising that they’d hold auditions down here. However, I wasn’t very clear on what EXACTLY they were auditioning for. I found the radio commercial to be somewhat vague. Nevertheless, I was going to take them and see what it was all about when I got there. The audition was today. Last night I couldn’t sleep because I was unsure about this so called audition and so I began googling and searching. That’s when I came across your postings and experiences. I am so sorry this happened to you, but I am VERY THANKFUL that you took the time to write this in an attempt to keep others from falling victims to these preys. I showed your postings to my husband and we both made the decision not to put our daughters through this deception. Instead, when they woke up ready and eager to go to their “Disney” audition, we sat them down and showed them your postings. We are all saddened by your experience. Thank you for saving us from going through it.
I’m so annoyed right now reading about model and talent. I fell victim this weekend too, these people are heartless. I don’t know what I was thinking. I know nothing is free and I didn’t think anything of investing a small amount for a return or just breaking even. I’m nauseated reading all these posts. I tried so hard to research the company online before going back to the callback. I’m so disappointed in myself. I agree with whoever thinks this company shouldn’t get away with what they are doing.
Hey, Brit here again!
To dear “Cynthia” to clarify, NO, I’m not a rep I’m a client. I very happy one. So, when I see people referencing things that are total bs it’s irritating.
Sorry, I’m not that gullable to believe anything I read on line. If you Google Rip Off Report, you’ll find out that the owner, Ed Magedson, is a wanted fugitive by the FBI for Extortion and Fraud. I thought this link was interesting…. ezripofflawsuit He’s got over $50 million dollars in unpaid law suit judgements against him for creating phoney bad press on companies all over the world, then submitting them to various search enjines like Google and Yahoo!. Then, he approaches the business and offers to “clear up the mess” (that HE himself created) for a mere $50,000. Yeah, that websites real reliable!!!!
Now, on to the BBB. I guess you ALSO missed the 3 part expose on what a SCAM the Better Business Bureau is on ABC’s 20/20 last month? The BBB will give A grades to anyone who will pay them and write negative statements about those who dont! Wolfgang Puck and The Ritz Carlton and DisneyLand and others are suing the Better Business Bureau. On top of that thanks to 20/20 the organization is under indictment now in 6 states.
See Cynthia, I can do research too. So, “Google” all you want. Why are you putting so much time into this? Maybe there’s something more your not telling us? I was HONEST enough to give my contact info so any new parent can contact me for the facts of the baby business. Anyone who can’t identify themselves obviously are not that confident of what they’re saying or they wouldn’t be hiding behind their computer….hello?
Maybe your kid never was successful doing this, maybe this is personal for whatever reason you’re not sharing, who knows and who cares Cynthia, sure that’s your real name!
If people are so sure about what they’re saying is accurate, why hide?
I’m not! I posted my real name and real email address.
Who’s playing games here?
LOL! Get a life people!
The last 2 commenters sound like Kids to Fame reps.
Here is some input from an employee / ex employee – very enlightening
http://www.ripoffreport.com/modeling-talent-agencies/thetalent-network-ki/kids-talent-network-alex-simo-b9ac8.htm
I looked up the company, here is the info
Other names Kids to fame / Kidz 2 fame has gone by is Kids Talent Network, model republic and The Talent Network. They all share the same address.
Model Republic aka
The Talent Network, LLC
7473 W. Lake Mead Blvd. #100
Kids 2 Fame
(702) 562-1230
7473 W. Lake Mead Blvd. #100, Las Vegas, NV 89128
http://www.kids2fame.com
Las Vegas, NV 89128
Kids2fame website info:
Domain Name: KIDS2FAME.COM
Registrar: GODADDY.COM, INC.
Whois Server: whois.godaddy.com
Referral URL: http://registrar.godaddy.com
Creation Date: 11-jan-2010
Expiration Date: 11-jan-2012
Kidztofame.com
Created on: 09-Sep-10
Expires on: 09-Sep-11
The websites were created in 2010 – so they are either new, or changed names last year.
BBB listing – http://www.bbb.org/southern-nevada/business-reviews/modeling-and-talent-agencies/kids-2-fame-in-las-vegas-nv-81829
Rip Off Reports
http://www.ripoffreport.com/talent-scouts/kids2fame/kids2fame-model-republic-huge-ee45a.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/bbb-better-business-bureau/kids-talent-network/kids-talent-network-model-re-26f8e.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/modeling-agencies/kids-talent-network/kids-talent-network-alex-sim-wae79.htm
There are too many ROR reports to list here, you can Google the different company names.
If they are legit, why are they changing names? I think the only reason to keep changing company names is to hide the bad press and tons of ripoff reports.
Again, here is what their employee had to say http://www.ripoffreport.com/modeling-talent-agencies/thetalent-network-ki/kids-talent-network-alex-simo-b9ac8.htm
Edit from the webmaster
************************
This is Erica, the person who runs this site, know the following and make your own judgments on what the commenter recommends
**** This person has posted as 3 different people so far ********
susan holiday, says they are a parent
IP address
97.80.104.123
leo laughlin, says they are a parent
Ip address
97.80.104.123
jeremy toppeland, says they are a agent
Ip address
97.80.104.123
*****************************************
End of webmaster edit
*****************
hey writers, my assistant found this chat and i wanted to quickly reply giving you some advice as i’m an agent in chicago and florida and i book babies and young children for a living, that’s what i do, so listen up, here’s my advice:
i do NOT EVER work with babies from parents mailing in pictures. sorry its too much work dealing with newbie parents. young children need work permits, trust accounts, there’s never ending child labor laws to deal, young kids pictures have to be updated constantly and kids do not have to be unionized (SAG-Screen Actors Guild) until the child is 4.
Also, finding the right parents with the right kids is also nearly impossible. many parents are doing this for the wrong reasons, trying to cash in from their cute kid or the moms are plain “pain in the butts”, same as the pageant mothers. Yuk!
So, in a nutshell, any new parent thats giving advice on how easy it is to send pictures of their cute kid to an agent or management company and get representation have no idea what theyre actually talking about. with older kids, teens to adults, you can do those time consuming and expensive mass mailings to us, but, with babies, no way! this is why agencies or managers who work with babies go through third party companies to scout them. i, myself have used kidz to fame over the years and have only gotten great kids and parents from them. they screen out the “seedy” parents and kids not cut out for this. then, once i sign their kids, they continue working with the parents on educating the parents and answering all of those never ending questions i spoke about. further, they dont take a percentage from bookings so obviously they charge a fee. what some of these parents got confused, which is obvious from what they wrote was that kidz to fame is not your agency or manager. they get you connected to people like me. agents and managers do work on commission. the hard part is getting connected with one when you have a young child with no work experience. Also, if your kids ends up working, you don’t have to worry about paying any commission to them, which would add up to much more than paying their flat rate. I only hear fantastic things about the kidz to fame reps!
if i wasn’t making money from their clients, i wouldnt be working with them for so many years.
i have worked with paula and brian. i dont know brandon but i have heard parents love him. many of their reps used to be agents or models themselves.
i also have to make a comment to that harlee person as well. this person claims that ANYONE can be an agent. that’s the furthest from the facts harlee. talent agencies must be licensed through the State they do business in, in most states, they must also carry a surety bond to ensure payments to clients on jobs, go through a crminal background check, get finger printed, etc…. harlee you’re way off!
So, once again, many newbies write things when they don’t know what they’re speaking about. (Britni above- you were right on!)
To sum it up, any legit agent or manager works on commission off work. that’s correct, that’s always the way it’s been. HOWEVER PARENTS; THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOUR NOT GOING TO SPEND MONEY OR TIME IN THIS PROCESS. Nothing is this world is free, come on. For older children and teens, you will need professional pictures, coaching, training, and so on and YES! the parents pay for these industry “tools”. If youre a parent struggling in this tough economy right now, this business is probably not for you. It costs money, period.
IMPORTANT! FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, PROFESSIONAL PICS ARE NOT REQUIRED! PROFESSIONAL SCOUTING AGENCIES LIKE THE KIDZ TO FAME COMPANY, WILL WORK WITH REGULAR SNAPSHOTS. THAT’S IT.
If any company tells you to “buy” a $3,000 portfolio on a baby….run the other way… fast…. they ARE trying to scam you! Young kids change too quickly to invest in pictures!
Good luck people. Please don’t ask for my office mailing address. Like I said, I do not deal with parents and kids directly. I did want to take the time to reply to this blog though since there was so much inaccurate info being shared and i too got very annoyed.
take care and good luck,
Jeremy
Commercial, Film and Print Agent
Chicago, Florida
REMEMBER, IF IT WAS THAT EASY TO GET YOUR CUTE KID ON TV, EVERYONE WOULD BE DOING IT…… IT’S NOT.
A CHILD CAN NOT BOOK THE LEGIT JOBS OUT THERE WITHOUT GETTING A PROFESSIONAL AGENCY OR MANAGER TO REPRESENT THEM!
Hi do you recommend or have you worked with kids from Cast hub.tv
I’ve had my daughter with Kidz to Fame and I actually work with Brandon and Sarah.
This “Harlee” person who claims to be a production company has no clue what they’re talking about.
My daughter was connected with numerous agencies and managers and booked 5 jobs, including a TV spot for Mattel and one for Macy’s last year. So, “Harlee” get your facts straight. First to correct you, Kidz to Fame never said they were an agency. They helped me get my 16 month daughter an agent and a manager, that I was unable to do on my own. I tried and spent a lot of time and money. Harlee, if you actually really knew this industry, you would know that no agent or manager will take kids under the age of 5, unless theyve already worked on TV. That’s a fact. I contacted every agent and manager in this country practically. Most of them basically said “no babies” and hung up on me!! I got very discouraged. Then, I found kidz to fame, recommended by a REAL producer in NYC. So, I really think you opened your mouth before you actually knew what you were speaking about. I receive amazing service from the reps at Kidz to Fame and was extremely annoyed when I found this post. It’s really annoying when people open their mouths up on line and try to bash a great company when they’re speaking total MIS truths. They basically do all the initial footwork for newbie parents and get you connected with the right agencies and managers. They also work with me almost on a daily basis with all the ins and outs of this crazy business. They helped me get a work permit, open a trust account, went over contracts with me, etc all for $495.00. I would have paid 3x that amount! Give me a break! Youre calling them a scam based on what? I’m an actual client that has worked and will tell other moms trying to break into this that getting a young child started in this business with no prior experience is almost impossible. Kidz to Fame got me with agencies and managers that I have submitted to for years with no luck at all. Scam? hardly. If people are going to bash companies on line, then “hide’ their identity, they’re nothing but cowards. I WILL identitfy myself. My name is Britni Larsen and my email is britni11031@yahoo.com. If any newbie mothers wishes to contact me for advice please do so. I would be glad to help you! To Harlee, you claim to be a production company. Please provide all of us the website to your production company so we can all verify who YOU are. You have nothing to hide….right Harlee? The kidz to fame reps have been wonderful, basically they have walked my husband and I through the very windy road of this endeavor. Yes, in any business there’s good and bad. Kidz to Fame has been around for years and years, obviously they’re doing soemthing right. Their kids book all kinds of jobs. My daughter, to date, has earned enough already to pay for a year and a half of college. I would hardly say that’s a scam. Some ignorant person spouting their mouth off on line is more of a scam to me. The business takes a little time, energy and money to start and A LOT of luck. If any parent thinks they’re going to start this based on luck and a cute kid, it’s just not at all reality. How do I know this? Because I was one of of those uninformed moms.
Good luck everyone.
To Harlee, get a clue. Find out what you’re speaking about before you actually open your mouth. We’ll be waiting for you to post your website. I’m also emailing a copy of this to the great reps at kidz to fame in case they wish to reply. I’m sure they probably have better things to do, like me, but, this got me real angry so I needed to put my two sense in.
bye… Britni
PROUD KIDZ TO FAME supporter
Love you Brandon and Sarah!!!!!!!!! xoxo
btw…. we have 2 auditions this week!!!!!!
I run a production company. I know this business. These types of “agencies” are the black sheep of the entertainment business. Rule of thumb.. you NEVER EVER pay anyone to represent you. NEVER. That is not how it works. Anyone who requires payment before work is running a huge scam. Agents, by law, receive a set percentage from work they have gotten an actor. So if an actor is paid $75 per hour, the talent would receive $60 and $15 goes to the agent. Agents do not represent talent they can not get work for because they do not get paid otherwise. Be aware that there is no licensing for agents either, so anyone can claim to be one. And trolling the internet is no guarantee since it takes no time at all to put a ton of positive comments out there about yourself. It is so easy to prey on parents with stars in their eyes. These conventions that say you will meet agents (and you foot the bill for travel, accommodations, and a fee to be seen) are the same thing. Watch out for the ones that you hear on the radio saying that they will be at a hotel in your area. SAME THING. Parents have got to be smart and must be their child’s advocate. If you do not know the business, find out, and never pay for anything upfront, not even pictures. If someone says you must use their photographer and pay… RUN in the opposite direction. I have seen this all too often. When someone wants you for a project, they will pay YOU, they will provide transportation and lodging, and they will be willing to take any picture, even if it in front of the Christmas tree.
What about wilhelmina Philadelphia? Are they a scam?
Reply to juanita: Yes!
Thank you for this confirmation. I needed to know this for sure. I was suspicious of this NEXT for Disney shows to be a scam.
I got the same EXACT thing from Kidz to Fame. I am researching them right now and everybody keeps mentioning this Brandon guy. Sounds to me its more and more of a scam unless Brandon is the only “agent” they have working for them.
OMG—I just got a call from Brandon tonight! Did anything ever happen? There is no way we will pay up front! He said they had someone already in line for our baby! I find this very hard to believe!
I got the same response from Kidz to Fame and my husband and I decided to give it a try and pay the $495. That was 2 days ago and we have already gotten the contact information for one possible audition. We will have to see where it goes moving forward. This industry is crazy so we don’t expect anything overnite. Either way, the representative who is my contact with the company (Brandon) is fabulous so I have high hopes. I will update as things progress. You can also look on Babycenter and see some responses from mom’s who have also used this company. Trust me, I Googled the heck out of them before they got my money.
I did the same thing my daughter went to the casting hub and her brother wouldn’t simmer down so we had to go outside while my daughter stayed inside so I started going on google like crazy and the past people who went there had bad reviews so then my daughter comes out and she said that she had to use the restroom and when she came out I told her the reviews I found and we left. Casting hub broke my daughter’s heart she was so f-ing sad afterwards but I cheered her up by taking her to the mall and letting her go to any restaurant she wanted to go to.
Rebecca, my kid got the same thing! Did you ever sign up?
sounds like a scam… ‘scouting agency’???, A legit agent will not ask for money. Actually, in many States such as CA it is not legal to do so. Send headshots out to legit agents(will never ask you for a signup fee). Don’t believe the 7% thing! A sales persons job is to make you feel ‘lucky’ to be selected, their commissions depend on you lowering your defense and making you feel like you were the only one chosen and privileged to hand them over your money. Just a sales tactic.
I was wondering if anyone know about the scouting agency called KIDZ TO FAME. Their website is KIDZTOFAME.com. After you apply a few days later they said you a email saying that you made it though the first round and ask you to fill out a form and have it back to them with in 48 hous. They also ask for more head shots as well as a pic of your family. Then a few more days later after that has been submitted I got another letter saying congrats your child has been selected but you have to pay a fee of 495.00 for them to represent your child. Is this a scam? I dont want to make a mistake a pay for something I shouldnt. Please help me!
I was wanted about the company kidztofame scouting agency. They state they only accept 7% of their application and you are one of the lucky ones. They make you answer these questions on a form they email you and they only give you 48 hours to complete it and send it back. You then get a final confirmation a few days later saying congrats again they accept you too their scouting agency but you have to pay 495.00 for them to represent you. I am nervous about making a move like this. Can anyone give me any advice on what to do or if they know anything about this company.
hey i signed online for modeling singing and acting. the next day they got to me and it sounded very profesional and they booked a apoointment with my parent in new jerseyy. they said that if im not wat they r looking for then theyll say thanks for coming and bye but if they think i have talent then ill work together with the producers and directors. but i might have to pay , if they ask for money is it a scamm?? because dont we usually have to pay at first then they start paying uss?
if they ask for money for lessons, conventions, joining their website and other expensive things then yes. Reputable agents will not sign you up online, they see you in person. You send them resumes and headshots by mail.
Hi so I signed up my daughter for a casting last week and they called me today Tuesday, Saying there’s a casting tomorrow at 6:30pm. They said producers from disney channel are gonna be there. They also said they were gonna give her a script which she will have to say in front of camera&producers. They didn’t mention money at all. The company name is HOLLYWOOD INC here in las vegas. Plz help me 🙂
Disney is not holding an open casting call in Las Vegas tomorrow. They hold auditions through agents and one open call yearly. Also, producers and agents are pros that hold business hours which are not normally evenings. May be a good idea to ask questions such as “What production is my child auditioning for”?, “How did you get our name”? “Where have you seen my child perform”?.
Hi
This company is still in business. They are not doing anything illegal that I can see but they are towing the line. It is all about getting kids thru the door after their grueling 2+ hr orientation and callbacks the next day where they want payment. I unfortunately did pay knowing it was for classes and they have a couple kids that did work. However I knew deep down something was wrong. They prey on parents caring about their children. I luckily complained and got my money back. I guess I was too much trouble since they said they no longer want to work with my daughter. I contacted channel 13 news in vegas who is investigating them based on other complaints, but since I was refunded my money they couldn’t help me. I hope that they get it done and expose the company for what it is. The former company was called Visions Entertainment and thru clark county records you can see they were in court and evicted. A storage unit was also taken over. One of the partners (name removed) was involved in a John Robert Powers scam in Virginia. They took money and closed the doors without telling anyone or refunding a penny. They are not reputable. You can’t find much on them except they can’t say they are an Agent since Agents get paid when their clients work. However, I saw videos on You Tube where some auditions were taped and the client stated they were (edited) represented by Hollywood (redacted) which would be illegal. They make their money through the classes and as they call it Workshops. They do get agents there for workshops but not because they “have the access” but because they pay them a high price to come there. However those agents are not allowed to take headshots at those workshops or give them work. It is all a scam.
See below: for explanation to redaction.
The above comment was edited with names redacted at the request of a reputation management company not in the US.
request at https://www.auditionsfree.com/request-from-hollywood-access-inc-including-officers-dr-sabra-smith-gem-wiltshire-and-all-relevant-related-parties/
See https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/hollywood-access-inc/las-vegas-nevada-89147/hollywood-access-inc-visions-entertainment-bait-and-switch-representation-las-vegas-nevad-1195292
If you have to pay, it’s a scam. DO NOT PAY anything! Real agencies do not charge you. Their commission is a percentage of what you make at the commercial. The client pays one part to you and one part to the agency.
No, you do not pay them! My daughter has been acting for 5 years, going on 6 & we had to learn the hard way too. If an agency says you have to pay them, it is a scam & even if they are not a scam where they take your money & run, they still are not a reputable agency. Real agents get 15 -20% of your paycheck & that’s it. A real agent will never tell you that you have to use their photographer or their workshops.
To be a professional actor, put in the hard work. If you are truly passionate for acting then you won’t mind the hard work, giving up everything for long hours on set, sacrificing playing with your friends, going to the mall, going to parties, etc… because you love it! It does take a lot of money to become successful, but not to an agent. You do have to pay acting coaches & photographer’s. You need headshots & a resume both 8×10 & staple them together. Start taking resume builders, again, if you love acting you won’t mind working for free! Don’t give up. Training is very important & your headshot & resume is your “calling card”. & again…Do not give up. This industry is 95% rejection. I wish everyone who truly loves acting all the luck in the world. If your only in it for money & fame…you won’t make it.
Hi Melissa?
Thanks for the good information.
I have a daughter that would love to start going to auditions. Any recommendation where to go?
You had said your child is acting for 5-6 years now. Do we need an agent first? as you can tell I am clueless where to start off but reading all these comments about scammers I just want to go a safe route.
Thanks in advance.
DO NOT use John Casablanca/MTM. They re true scammers and will get your child hopes up and then ask for 2000.00 and then try to make it impossible for a refund or with drawl from a contract even if just signed within 10 minutes they will request a certified letter be sent within 3 days so they can refuse to sign for it. But there are UPS same day services to get that letter there and I will not post it here but there is a way to get them to sign without knowing what it is.. THEY ARE A SCAM BY FAR AND KNOW NOTHING ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE DOING
thank you so much for all your information, it has helped me a great deal in understanding what to do and not because I have already ran into some scam artist. Im going to keep doing my home work with the information that you guys provided, nice to no there is some truth in California, i no its hard out here but to pray on peps is not cool.
As a mom who’s been approached at the mall many times and has gone to one of these “sales invents” this was very useful info…thank you!
Do you know of any great agencies in Ontario Canada?
I have joined a modelling agency called little adults and since half way through last year up to now I have not received any castings of any sort or even one audition. Are they or are they not a scamming agencie?