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Acting Scams: Part 3:
The Hidden fees
Send us your headshot—along with
$49.95 for internet fees
In Part 3 of our series on Acting
Scams, we explore your new “agent” and
their hidden fees. We must place the
term “agent” in quotation marks
because the word “agent” can be used
(and abused) in many different ways.
All agents do not operate the same
way. Reputable agents charge nothing
up front, make money only from
commissions from their working actors,
and offer valuable career guidance and
advice.
Then, you have the other “agents” who
will gladly represent you—for the
right price.
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Those prices come in
different ways and at different
amounts. Some come in the form of an
expensive product or service.
For
example, an agent may force an actor
into taking mandatory in-house acting
classes prior to representation. Some
agents accept actors into an agency,
only to charge them for expensive,
unnecessary photo sessions and
portfolios. And then there are the
hidden fees….
Here’s the set-up. You submit your
acting headshot and resume to an
agent. You perhaps have been passed
over by other local agents in the past
and you hope that this time you will
finally achieve representation.
A few weeks after submission, you
receive a letter. You’ve been
accepted! This new “agent” agrees to
represent you. The agent then raises
your hopes by claiming that many of
his/her actors have been working
steadily, and you can too! He just
needs a small monetary investment from
you in order to get you started. He
may, for example, ask for $49.95
upfront to put your headshot on a
website. With that “investment” he
claims, the agency will be able to
market you more effectively to casting
directors in town.
The $49.95 seems a small investment
for you, especially since you now
believe you have an agent. Believing
you are on your way to becoming a
full-time working actor, you gladly
pay the small fee.
With money in hand, you never hear
from your “agent” again.
While the $49.95 they scammed from you
may not seem like much, just imagine
if 5,000 other hopeful actors were
snookered the same way.
Dead Giveaways
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Reputable agents
almost never ask for money up front.
A general rule of thumb is that if
any agent asks for money up front,
immediately turn them down until
you’ve had a chance to thoroughly
investigate and ask other actors who
may have used the same service.
There are many phony talent agents
who make money by using your
insatiable desire to become a
working actor against you.
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Legitimate talent
agents make money on commission, not
bogus fees. Any reputable agent will
bend over backwards to promote you,
rather than bend over backwards to
take money out of your pockets.
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Any expense from an
“agent” that is not directly tied to
your performance as an actor, is
most likely a scam!
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