FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michelle L. Corey, 314-645-3300
Tracy Hardgrove, 314-645-3300
TALENT IS NOT FREE
Parents attending auditions downtown St. Louis
are warned of hidden fees.
St. Louis, Mo., March 27, 2009 – Is your child an undiscovered star or have aspirations of stardom? According to its Web site, the company The helps make “dreams become a reality” for local children. However, some parents say they were sold something different.
The company, The, aka NedGam Productions, LLC, with locations listed at 2355 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. 610, Phoenix, Az. and 701 N. Green Valley Parkway, Ste. 200, Henderson, Nev., travels from city-to-city holding auditions for children. The company is advertising locally, postcards and television ads, aimed at children and teens to attend a free talent search this Sunday at the Hilton Hotel in downtown St. Louis.
The ads, which present a caricature of a young girl, are inappropriate according to the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), a division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. CARU states that advertisers have special responsibilities when advertising to children and should not stimulate children’s unreasonable expectations about a product or performance.
Innovative Artists Talent & Literary Agency, 1505 10th St., Santa Monica, Ca., is another company participating in this weekend’s talent search with The. The event promotes itself as a free event but The’s Web site indicates that fees range for various packages from $1,950 to $4,900. When contacted by phone, the company booking reservations for Sunday’s event refused to provide any information concerning fees or contracts.
According to newspaper and blog reports, The is under investigation by the Connecticut Attorney General. Complaints about the company include telling parents that their child has the look to make it and that it’s the chance of a lifetime. Some bloggers indicate that they have spent large sums of money and have been asked to re-locate to Los Angeles without any guarantee of employment for the child. Others state that once they sign with the company, they are provided a “manager” who cannot get your child work; only an agent can do that.
“The important thing to remember in this industry is that you are an independent contractor; you work for yourself. Reputable agencies only make money when their client’s work,” said Christina Klobe, Director of Centro Models/Talent Plus. “People are so enamored by this industry, they fail to stop and ask questions.”
Nathan Biay is listed as the president of The.
To help you detect potentially fraudulent opportunities, the Better Business Bureau warns that disreputable agencies often:
- Ask for up-front money, which may be called “registration,” “consultation,” or “administrative” fees. Most legitimate agents work on a commission. They don’t get any money until you get paid for doing the work they have obtained for you.
- Pressure you to leave a check or cash deposit or sign a contract immediately. The agent may insist that you take acting lessons at a particular school or from a particular teacher; or may try to get you to buy expensive photographs, audition tapes, or other services or materials sold by someone he or she suggests. An agent’s time should be spent finding work for his or her client, not selling products and services.
- Display pictures of famous models or celebrities on the walls to make you believe they are represented by that agency, although they may not be.
- Use names which sound similar to well-known agencies. Fraudulent companies will sometimes do this to give the incorrect impression that they are connected to a legitimate entity.
- Place phony ads in the help wanted section of newspapers that say something like, “new faces wanted” for commercials, movies or modeling or claim that “no experience is necessary.”
- Guarantee employment or high earnings.
Problems or complaints about an agent or an agency may be referred to the BBB, state Department of Licensing and Regulation or Attorney General in the state where the company is located. To obtain helpful consumer information on a particular agency, you may wish to contact www.bbb.org.