How do I know what is a scam, and what is legitimate?
May 28th, 2009
I get this question a lot in various forms from both students and parents. It’s not an eay thing to know who and what to trust in this world today. Especially in this industry where there are many people out to prey on people’s dreams just to make a quick buck!
It’s also more confusing when we see things on the news or people warn us that “we should not pay for anything”, or “if it costs money it’s not legitimate”. While this is true in some cases, the mistake people make (even the ones reporting the news) is they lump everything together and they generalize. The truth is you do have to pay for some things like training or services, photos, showcases etc. People are not going to give you these things for free just because you are talented. And in 99% of cases, people are not going to hire you for an acting job if you don’t have the proper training and knowledge. You wouldn’t hire a doctor to perform surgery on you who has never been to medical school right? You wouldn’t hire a professional football player who doesn’t know the rules of football or who has never played a day in his life right? Why would a producer who is spending millions of dollars on a project hire an actor who doesn’t even know what camera angles are? How would a director direct that actor if he has no knowledge of what to do on the set? You still have to be educated. But you don’t have to be taken advantage of!
The best way to know if something is legitimate is…does it make sense? If I pay this money, what do I get in return? Is it worth the investment? Can the person actually deliver what he/she says? For example if someone says, I can make you a star, just pay me $1000, that does not make sense. No one can control the world! No one has the power to make somebody successful. But if the person says: I am producing a showcase and AB talent agent is going to be there, it cost’s $500 to be in the showcase, that is different. In the second example the person is giving you something specific for a price. You just have to decide if that price is worth it. That is not a scam. You are paying for a service. It may or may not be worth it to you. You may have been trying to get with AB Talent Agent for years to no avail. However, someone else may already be with AB Talent and choose to pass.
Another way you can find out if something is a scam is to get references from industry people–not your friends or co-workers who have no working knowledge of the industry. Call a few talent agents and find out if such and such company, opportunity etc is legitimate. Ask the agents if they know or have heard of the person or company you talked to.
You may also want to watch for red flags. If you are talking with person or company and they don’t give you straight answers to your questions, or play on your emotions rather than answer with facts, or if they keep promising you things… those would all be warning signs. People who have to resort to those tactics are avoiding telling you something. They tell you what you want to hear. Ask specific questions and don’t back down till you get specific answers.
Other red flags include telling you that you have to make up your mind on the spot. This is a pushy salesman tactic. It’s fine to give you a deadline–most business have to work that way (a sale is not good forever) but if they say something to the effect, this offer is only good right now and won’t be tomorrow–you may want to think twice.
Price of things can clue you in to legitimacy. If something sounds exboritantly high, don’t pay for it right then. Instead, call competitors to find out their price. For example many people are scammed with photography. In this industry a photoshoot for 1-3 looks should cost anywhere from $150 on the low end to $425 on the high end. Any more than that and you are overpaying. I have heard of people who have paid thousands for a photoshoot. Below, I give you some of the more common scams or examples of people overpaying for things.
Last, you have to trust your gut. If you feel there is something wrong–there probably is. Do your research. Call the Better Business Bureau. Ask for references. Any company not willing to give you references is a company I am not willing to deal with. At the Actor’s Scene, we have a few programs that are expensive. However, we know that our product is worth it. We are willing to give out all kinds of references–names and numbers of people who have gone through the program. We are willing to back up what we offer. If a company is not willing to stand behind their product or service, that would lead me to believe they are not who they say they are.
Bottom line, you can’t be so distrustful that you pass up every opportunity that is put in your path that you lose out on the good ones too. You just have to do your homework, ask the right questions and trust your gut. Without risk, there is no reward.
Some of the common scams or people overpaying:
1.Photography: You shouldn’t pay more than $500 including makeup artist
2. Headshots or comp cards: To get 100 printed should be anywhere from $100-$200 at the top end.
3. Classes or training: There are several scams associated with this one. First, you should expect to pay anywhere from $70-$125 a month for a class that meets one hour a week, $100-$250 a month for a class that meets 2-3 hours a week. Places that want to charge you thousands of dollars for classes are usually in it for the money. There are so many great places in Atlanta to obtain GREAT training for the prices listed above.
4. Classes and training: Don’t pay a talent agent or agency for classes or training (unless it’s a one-time business class of how the agency works for around $100). An agent or agency who offers classes usually makes their money on classes and not booking their talent work. The Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG), the union who protects actor’s interest, has made it against their guidelines for an agency to charge for training classes. This is because it’s a conflict of interest. An agent can lure you into the agency by promising to sign you if you pay for classes with them first. A legitimate talent agent does not make you pay for classes that are given by them. They only make money when their talent books work. An agent may require to take training classes and that is okay–if they give you a list of a couple different schools or studios to go for training.
5. Searches. In and of themselves, searches like Pro Scout and Model Search America are not necessarily scams. They do bring in legitimate agents, managers and directors for the talent to get exposure. However, what they don’t tell you is these people are looking for talent who are already knowledgeable and have training. They count on most people being ignorant of the industry and playing on people’s emotions of “discovering the next big star”. People are discovered through them. But 99% of the time, its the people who have worked hard on their craft already and have all the elements lined up to “be discovered”. Think about shows like America’s Next Top Model and American Idol. Most people on there have been in the industry for a while and have taken training and gained knowledge. Sure there may be one or two that slip through on raw talent, but they almost always struggle to play catch up and hardly ever win. Look at this year’s American Idol contenders: Frontrunner Adam has trained and trained, has done musical theater for years. Alison has sung in concerts and such since she was a girl. Danny is the music worship leader at church etc etc. They all have put in the time, effort and hardwork to be “discovered”. Remember that.
6. Competitions: These can be a great shortcut to success because the big legitimate ones can put you in front of dozens or more of top industry professionals–people who, under normal circumstances, you would never get a chance to meet or perform in front of! You just have to watch for pricing. There are some out there who charge $7000 to $10,000. That is a little steep. There are other ones that charge $3000-$4000 and include training, the competition itself and a slew of other things. Again, you need to do your homework. You also want to consider how long these competitions have been running. You want a good track record!
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