Top 10 Acting Scams

This is interesting stuff for all of us - parents of child actors and you grown up actors too. ACTOR BEWARE!
Top 10 Acting Scams and How to Spot Them
by Ruth Kulerman
Each of the following stories has been told to me or I havepersonally experienced the incident. The purpose here is not todepress but to inform so that you can avoid the potholes all toomany of us have stumbled into and broken our ankles (or hearts), aswe travel the road to our dreams. A reminder: my home base, like the home base of ActorTips, is NewYork, which automatically makes us open target for every scam evercreated. However, several of these stories have come from othertowns, other states. So don't think you are safe just becauseyou're in Utah or the UK. Would that New York had a monopoly! Thenso many trusting would-be actors would have more money in theirwallets today. EXAMPLE 1: OH WE WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH YOU.Scene: An agent's office. Actress Betty has just been interviewedby Agent Harry. "Yes, indeed we certainly can find things that arejust right for you. However, you need new headshots (This may betrue!) Here's a photographer we work with all the time and he'sjust about the best. Maybe a little pricey, but you get what youpay for." Betty is thrilled. An agent at last! Betty books the shoot. Goes to the appointment for the shoot. Thephotographer introduces her to the makeup artist. "Oh yes, everyoneneeds a professional makeup artist. All those little blemishes, youknow. And it's only a hundred dollars plus twenty-five more if hestays through the entire shoot." PROBLEM: Two potential scams: (Scam 1) Without looking at otherphotographers' work and reviewing their prices and what theyprovide, many actors simply take the agent's advice. Surely anagent would know the best photographers! Besides, you don't want tooffend an agent by saying you prefer to shop around a bit beforedeciding on a photographer. Oh dear. Moral: Do not go to aphotographer just because s/he is recommended by an agent. You are undoubtedly familiar with "reference rewards/incentives" (apolitically correct phrase meaning "kickback). This means thephotographer forks back a portion -- maybe twenty-five dollars foreach person the agent recommends. You do the math. The agent canmake nice pocket change if three or four would-be, wide-eyedinnocents use that photographer every month. Scam 2. You have had a makeup artist thrust on you without yourapproval. In New York I have found two superb photographers. Bothof them told me to do my own makeup. Why? Because I am the one whohas to do the makeup day after day for each audition and I need tolook like my headshot. Of course, I am not the glamorous type, butunless you know how to apply glamorous makeup -- that is, unlessyou can personally duplicate your makeup expert, you will notappear at that soap opera audition looking like your headshot. Another problem: I have seen just plain awful makeup done by"experts," including makeup on men (young and old) that made theactor look like a coffin candidate. SOLUTION: Beware agents bearing photographers and beware photographersbearing make up artists! "Beware" means run for the exit fast.Shop. Compare. Meet them. Ask other actors. EXAMPLE 2: VARIATION ON EXAMPLE 1'Yes we would be happy to work with you. Let's get you into ourbook." Unless this is a totally reputable modeling or print agency,run fast from "going into their book." It only costs $150 (aconservative figure) -- for which you do indeed go into a book andthe book sits there on their counter or desk or floor. And sitsthere. And sits there. A variation of "book" is "Internet site."Same story. You sit there and sit there and sit there. SOLUTION:Run fast for the nearest exit, holding tight to your wallet.----------------------------------------------------------HEAR HOW ONE ACTRESS LOST $5000 IN A COMMON ACTING SCAM"Chad: Got the video and watched it twice! I can't get the scenewith the girl who lost thousands of dollars out of my mind. I feellike that could have been me... Scary! - Cindy Jacobson, Miami"Learn more here:http://clicks.aweber.com/z/ct/?vImnN9qVGsOJFZl2SdVVgA---------------------------------------------------------- EXAMPLE 3: GETTING PAID FOR WORK DONEI personally booked a great national print job, internationalcorporation, a four-hour, one afternoon job that was to pay me $900(this was a few years ago). Did the job. It went into the magazine(a national). Four months later I still had no check. Called theagent. He said he hadn't received the check. Called the productioncompany. Yes, they had sent the check to the agent two weeks afterthe job was completed. Nine months later I was still trying to getthe money from the agent. When he finally sent the check it was for$500. I then went to see the agent. Scary experience. He screamed,yelled, threatened to throw me out of his office (we were alone). Ibeat it. Fast! Called the Better Business Bureau. They had numeroussimilar complaints about this print agent. Not quite end of story. The agent disappears, out of business for about five years. Thenone day an ad for a print job comes across my computer screen. Theaddress rings a bell. I check my calendar from several yearsbefore. Yes. Same address. Different name. This gentleman had goneunderground with one name and resurfaced with another! For a coupleof years his ads appeared two or three times a week. Then again, hedisappeared, I assume to find yet another name and arise from thedead yet a third time. SOLUTIONSo how do you avoid this? Ask for references from the agent andfollow up with them. Check the Better Business Bureau beforeaccepting a job with an unknown print agent. This kind ofdishonesty seems more prevalent in print and modeling jobs, partlybecause they have no union control. My own solution is to deal onlywith major name print agencies. How do you find out who is major?Ask other actors. Reputations of dishonesty -- and honesty -- getaround. EXAMPLE 4: COME STUDY WITH METhere are ads all over the Internet and e-zines for "I am the best.Study with me." This is not restricted to "no name" coaches orclasses. They include nationally known studios. I had a call this week from someone who had studied at one of themajor name drama schools on the East Coast. She spent one entireterm running around the room flapping her arms in her basic actingcourse. It was an exercise designed to "loosen up the body and getrid of self-consciousness." What do you call this "Rooster" escapade? Is it a scam? Notlegally, no. But it robs you of money and turns out arm flappingyoung would-be actors. Not my idea of how to get actors to soundreal and interesting. A profound loss of money. In a similar waste of time and money, a major school here inManhattan has the class spend weeks sitting in front of the otherstudents learning to cry. That too was the basic course in acting.Scam? Well, it was a waste of money. My solution is an onion forfilm and fighting not to cry (learn how to quiver the lower lip)for stage. Still another near scam with coaches: Someone daily proclaims viathe internet s/he is a coach and career advisor whose vastexperience and success qualify her/him to teach others how toachieve similar success. Some Googling reveals a bit of a differentstory about the significance of the coach's resume. But innocentactors who aren't skilled enough to read between the lines of aresume, plunk down money for lessons in the business of thebusiness and learn what could have been discovered in several basicthe-business-of-acting books for a lot less money.Learn how to read the resume of a wanna be coach. Where are theirreviews? Watch out for extra work hiding under the guise of "girlat bar" or "truck driver at toll booth." That's usually extra work!And you don't have to pay someone to teach you how to do extrawork. Just mail your headshot to the agents who specialize in extraactors. Extras are always in demand. SOLUTION:This is a toughie. Major schools with major name teachers comewrapped in a mystique that is daunting, a mystique that seems toautomatically turn off our critical brains. But if the first day ofclass finds you flapping your arms--run. Don't flap. Run. Rememberthis is not only a waste of money and time but can be destructiveto your growth. Money can be replaced but a bad teacher withhis/her mediocre teaching can be permanently destructive. As for the Internet gurus who lure the innocent in with claims oftheir own success: insist on seeing their resume and do your ownchecking. These coaches and advisors must - repeat - must showverifiable resumes and have a decent (verifiable) list of reviews.Just being charming as a person, or persuasive as a guru does notmean they can teach you how to act better or give you much helpfulinformation about the business end of show biz. EXAMPLE 5 "COME-ON" AUDITION ADS"Meet at XYZ bar, dressed for a night out." This theoretically is achance to meet and mingle and audition and hand in your headshotand and and. What it is is free extras for a scene taking place ina bar. Most of the ads in Backstage are pretty legit. But have ahundred red flags by your computer when you surf the auditionsites. While you may not lose money, some of the "auditions" areeither sleazy or false. SOLUTIONDo not let your drive to audition do a hit and run over your commonsense. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If theaudition is in a bar or a diner, it just isn't legit. EXAMPLE 6: COME TO OUR BIG SEMINAR and MEET AGENTSThis is probably strictly up to you. However, there are a fewcaveats. (1) Several of these come-on's to meet casting directorsor agents are really geared primarily to selling courses given bythe sponsor. (2) Be sure that the agents they promise you will meetare affiliated with an agency that has enough business to make itworth your while to pay to meet them. (3) Be very aware that thisis often an exercise in tedium for the agents and castingdirectors, who often attend these seminars because of the nice feethey receive. There are horror stories about people paying $200dollars (or more) for a seminar promising to give each actor a fewminutes with each casting office or agency but the gullible actorends up merely handing over a P/R which immediately hits thegarbage. Are the seminars ever worthwhile? Sometimes. But ask other actorsbefore dropping your money for seminars. I remember going to onesuch seminar sponsored by SAG (free), meeting the agent I hadrequested and having her tell me up front, "From your reviews I amsure you are an excellent actress, but we have at least 10 signedclients in your age group." I am so grateful I hadn't paid for thatinterview. At least she told the truth! SOLUTIONSo attend if you wish. But make your choices wisely and know thatyou probably could get the same results merely by mailing in yourP/R to the casting offices or the agency directly. EXAMPLE 7: COME JOIN OUR THEATRE GROUPDues: $20 a month plus 2 hours a week service. (I read an ad todayfor a $60 a month theatre company. Watch out. Part of thetwo-hours-a-week service includes cleaning toilets and otherwholesome activities. All of which are OK so long as you do indeedget cast and get to perform in their productions. If you want to be a no-pay gofer there are many casting offices andagents who say up front that they need assistants (no pay). Atleast in a casting office for no money you can do some networkingand learn the behind-scenes of this business. SOLUTIONIf more than a couple of months pass by after you have joined thisdues-paying acting company and you see no role in the near future,get out. Cut your losses and exit. Don't waste your time hoping. EXAMPLE 8: OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL VOICE YOU HAVEA last word about teachers: Watch out for unconditional praise. Nottoo long ago I attended the audition of someone trying out for arole in a musical. An occasional reader has objected to my stancethat someone may or may not have a future in singing. In this particular instance the singer changed keys three times in16 bars. Unfortunately, the song itself remained in one key. Whenasked about training, the singer answered, "My teacher says I havea beautiful voice." "How long have you studied with this teacher?""Three years." "How much do the lessons cost?" "Sixty-five dollarsan hour." Is this a scam? Yes and no. There were indeed classes given for themoney paid. But the teacher is absolutely tone deaf or is stringingthis gullible student along just to make money. Is it unethical?That depends on your ethics. But that's a lot of money every weekto be patted on the back and praised for a talent that simply isnot there. This is not a case of one man's idea of a beautifulvoice versus another man's idea of tin ears. The actor could notcarry a tune -- a universal requirement for a musical theatrecareer. No, I am not endorsing those teachers who belittle students. Find ateacher who praises where praise is due and makes strongsuggestions where they are due. Give your teachers six months andthen check to see how much progress you have made. Remember thereare two people involved here: teacher and student. It is difficult to evaluate our own ability so take the talent outto the auditioning pool. It will tell you in a few months whetheryour gift is marketable. If, on the other hand the teacher ispraising and flattering someone who cannot stay in the same key for16 bars then look to the teacher. If not a scam artist, he/she isat least dishonest. So again, just be sure your money going for lessons or classes isbeing spent wisely. That auditioning pool is a good test. EXAMPLE 9 AND FOR ONLY $50There was an audition ad in one of the local papers or on one ofthe Internet sites. I submitted my P/R. Back came a note howpleased they were I wanted to audition for them and how impressivemy resume and and and. And by the way, in order to cover the costof renting the auditioning space and processing my applicationthere would be a $25 application fee. SOLUTION:There are indeed fees for some legit general auditions. But theseplaces are well-known and they do indeed hold auditions. Yes,people do get hired from these group auditions. Tracking down thelegitimacy of such auditions is up to you. And merely having awebsite does not make an audition scam more legitimate. It justmeans the scammers are better at their scamming. CONCLUSIONOne of the things I so admire about ActorTips is that Chad haschosen to make it free. Almost daily I come across the firstparagraph of a fascinating article on acting, follow the link toread the rest of the article, only to discover you have to pay inorder to access the rest of the article. ActorTips is a rarity inthis business: a true FREE worthwhile site with no strings. Such agift is rare in any business, but especially show business. Any time something costs money, look at it carefully, regardless ofthe charm or reputation of the seller.