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Acting Scams to Avoid!
(Part 2):
Get
Discovered---At the Holiday Inn???
(by Charles Todd, AC Staff)
Part 2 of our
series on acting scams brings us to unlikely place to get
discovered…your local Holiday Inn! Or Ramada Inn! Or Motel
6! It really doesn’t matter which hotel it is, the scam
remains the same! Same scam, different hotel.
These scammers
do such a great selling job, it’s hard to tell they are
scammers at all. They look and appear legitimate, complete
with radio and television ads, professional “talent
agents” in attendance and the promise of fame for the
chosen few. But, if you look closely, you’ll see that
neither your success or fame is what they are really
after.
Scam #2:
Calling All Suckers!
Here’s the
set-up. You are driving in your car, when you hear a
commercial from the ________ Model and Talent Search. They
claim to have launched the careers of many famous people,
even naming names. According to them, they are in town to
scout talent. Everyone, of course, is welcome because
(they want you to believe) everyone has a chance to be a
famous model or
actor.
Whether you go out of curiosity or a genuine belief that
this is your chance to realize your dreams of fame, the
point is you go, along with everyone else in town. After
“evaluating” everyone’s talent, they announce that they
will call those with whom they have interest.
To
your surprise (and delight), you get a phone call! You've
been selected. They ask you to return for further
evaluation. When you arrive to the callback, you see some
familiar faces. In fact, they are the same people you saw
on the first go round. They called practically everyone
back who attended the first meeting.
Now, they tell you, since you have so much
talent and
potential to be famous, you should go to their model and
talent showcase, which is to be held in New York or some
major city. You’ll get the chance to showcase your talents
in front of “casting directors” and “talent scouts”. Your
big break! Cost: Only $1200—not including your plane
ticket, food and other expenses.
Dead
giveaways:
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Generally speaking, reputable model and talent agencies don’t
really have to go on a “national tour” to find talent.
The get stacks of headshots and comp cards each day and
many times have more talent than they need. Further,
reputable agencies don’t ask for money up front.
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On the second call back, you might notice that they called just
about everyone to return. Why? Because they can make
more money from 1000 people than the can from ten. The
more people they can convince to come back and spend
money, the more money they can make.
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Anytime someone in the entertainment business asks for money to
help make you a star, close your purse and ask
questions. There are many more people who sell dreams
rather than fulfill dreams. As long as you are eager to
become famous, they know you will do almost anything,
including throwing away your money on scams like these!
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