Hollywood Scams
On the Internet
By
Jack Rooney
Most working actors, real actors, actors who make their living in showbusiness, and most legitimate agents and agencies, suggest to struggling, upcoming
actors, the boycotting of agents or operations who charge up front fees from
actors for representation. I see no reason why a
website which charges fees to find work for actors should be any different
from any other agency purporting to be able to do the same thing.
A growing number of websites on the internet charge a fee
from actors to list their name and contact information at their site. The
promise of these site operators, either specifically stated or implied, is
that the actor will obtain acting work, that the actor shall receive calls
for work from casting directors and producers; that every casting director
in the industry searches their site for the talent for their films, etc,
etc. These claims are grossly exaggerated, and actors should be cautious
listing their name with any such websites wanting money from you as an
actor.
Taking money from actors before they actor is employed is a violation of
one of the cardinal rules of showbusiness: never give anyone any money until
after they get you the job and you have that first paycheck in your hand. There are too many free listing sites for
actors out there on the web for any actor to spend money listing with sites
that charge fees. Some sites claims that "one thing the sag/aftra has in
common is you have to pay dues", and they imply that this "fact" in some way
legitimizes their fleecing of actors for money up front; but dues are only
due and payable after you work, and the analogy is misleading -- If they are
asking for money up front from the talent, the comparison they make is a
false analogy.
I hereby place all sites charging up-front fees from actors on the Jack
Rooney "Actor's Scam Alert List", and I call for a general boycott from all
actors against such sites and the site operators.
Information moves fast on the internet, and the power of the word is a powerful weapon in the fight against usurious scammers who would try to exploit naive young actors struggling to make it in this already perilous business filled with charlatans and huxters and con-artists. Scamming talent has become an entire peripheral industry beneath the legitimate, mainstream entertainment field.
This is a transcendental boycott list and creates a general boycott against such sites. I am calling on actors to simply refuse
to do business with certain types of website operators engaging in the
unethical and dubious business practice of charging actors an advance fee for
representing them at the site under promise of the obtainment of employment,
or work, as an actor. The actual statistical chances of obtaining gainful employment as an actor from these fee-based, pre-pay up-front casting sites is extremely low if not virtually non existent. You have a better chance of hitting the lotto than of being cast in a motion picture or television show from these sites.
This boycott shall remain in effect against all such sites
and the site operators until they stop the up front payment requirement from
actors to list their name, headshot, and contact information at the site.
If you are on the internet, your internet service provider has probably given you a few megs of disk space for storage, more than sufficient for your resume and headshot and contact info. There are many main databases where you can link for free.
If the site operators need money to operate the site or want to make money
in showbusines, do not take it from struggling actors, who are typically
poor, young, and naive, and easily fall victim to every confidence scam in
the book holding out promise of stardom. I suggest these site operators
re-think their approach to lining their pockets and either get money to run
the site business from advertising fees from advertisers at the site, or
charge the casting directors and agents and producers a fee to search the
data base at the site. But do not charge a fee from the actors.
The producers have all the money; not the talent, therefore, collect your
fees for representing talent and finding the talent for producers from the producers, not from the talent, or at least
not until after the talent has obtained gainful employment. There is nothing
wrong with charging a reasonable commission (10-20%) after the talent is
paid by the employer, but not before.
Also, certain states make it illegal for employment agencies, agents,
managers or talent representatives to charge a fee of the worker or for
agents, agent managers, or persons purporting to be agents, or employment
agencies, or the like who claim to help find work for workers to take money
from the worker before the obtainment of employment by the worker. These
activities have been outlawed, or strictly regulated.
Most states require the employer to pay the fees, if any fees, such as
finder's fees, or finder's commissions, are involved. Certain executive
positions are exempt, but if the agency solicits money from workers within
those states, whether on the net or on the phone or by any other means, they
may be at risk of indictment from the state's Attorney Generals of those
states for what are considered fraudulent business practices and violation
of their state employment agency laws. World Trade Organization Law and
recent International Regulations of NAFTA make it much easier for states and
the federal government to prosecute violators of statutory law, common law,
tort, and law of equity.
If all actors simply refuse to give them any money, they will restructure
their business operations, or go out of business.
Foreword this actor's scam alert and call for boycott to all interested
parties and repost it to all relevant newsgroups to effectuate the boycott.
Respectfully,
Jack Rooney
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