Model Talent Group inneffective insufficient irresponsible misleading dishonest scam ripoff Kansas City Missouri

MTG's response is not honest

MTG's response to Craig is not honest. I became very angry reading his cold calculated defense of his scam company. My son is with a legitimate agency in Kansas City and he works often and auditions often. Yes, there have been times my son has had to go into his home agency to tape an audition for something, but we are always told what the audition is for, what city it is out of and will tape in, if it's SAG or non-union, and what the base pay is. (sometimes it's more depending on experience. your agency can negotiate a better deal for you if you are a seasoned actor) But for the most part my son auditions at actual casting offices in Kansas City, but always is told all the background info for the part before we go in. Good agencies usually also get you a job right off the bat- like in the first 6 weeks or so. Legitimate agencies with good reputations get calls for talent that don't require an audition. For instance, my son got a call within two weeks of signing. Plattform needed kids for a playground scene and they trusted his agency to just send their own choice so they sent my son since he was new. That happens all the time if you are a good agency. And these clients have built a trust relationship with the agency and they know the agency will send them good talent. If MTG didn't think Craig was right for any parts that they could send him out on then why did they sign him in the first place? MONEY!

MTG is charging people to take their classes and use their photographers. Good agencies do not need to teach classes or have photographers because they are too busy booking work for their talent! When we go in our home office the phones are ringing off the wall with clients needing actors to come in for auditions or they are calling to get sizes of models etc-real business that is conducted in a telent agency office. his agency makes enough money just from taking their standard 10% or 20% from the booked work that they are able to not only run the business, but the owner goes frequently to other cites across the country to book work for her models. His agency NEVER advertises

The 2 best agencies in Kansas City do not offer classes, nor do head shots or comp cards for their talent. They encourage you to take classes from real studios in Kansas City like "Brian Cutler's Commercial Actors Studio" or Andy Garrison's "The Actor Training Studio" or better yet, take a workshop with Wright Laird Casting since they do the majority of casting in Kansas City. Doesn't it make sense to have your face in front of the gatekeeper of auditions? But MTG doesn't really recommend that because then their talent might find out that they are with a scam company. There are tons of Excellent photographers in Kansas City that specialize in Head shots and comp photos. Legitimate agencies in Kansas City will give you a list of good ones or let you get your own if you have one, but MTG does not like you using any other photographer despite what he said in his rebuttal.

My son did an independent film with a little girl from MTG. I found the audition on Craig's List. My son just wanted something to do extra outside of his "paid" work so he decided to do this film, but the girl in it with him was referred by her agency and I thought it was weird that he referred her for a non-paid gig that was being taped by a college student, but whatever...it has actually turned out to be a cool deal. Her mother told me that they paid MTG $600 for photos and I gasped! She said "Is that a lot? They told us it was normally around $1000, but they would give us a deal." I about fell off my chair when she told me that! Head shots and comp photos in Los Angeles are cheaper than that! I know, because we've been there and done that and my son was with one of the biggest agencies in LA for kids. Even THEY don't offer classes or have a photographer and they rep many of the ultra famous kids you see on television and in film today.

This sweet little girl's parents are paying to have her on their website-which is free at our agency and they pay for classes and updated photos every six months or so and she still hasn't booked any work that pays. I feel so sorry for her because sadly at her age now after wasting all this time at MTG-it's hard in Kansas City to get with an agency. Not because she was with MTG, but because most kids with agencies in KC started out when they were younger and so the bank of talent is pretty much full when it comes to kids 10-16. There's always room for someone who can book work and make money for the company, but with no experience at that age it's just difficult to get an agency to take a chance on you.

I wrote this rebuttal because I know this business. We've been in it for four steady paying years and I do a lot of research and have made many connection all across the country in this industry and it makes me very angry to see good people get shafted; especially children.

I know Troy (the owner) would say that they are not just trying to book work in KC, that they are trying to get work for their clients outside of KC and the majority of my son's experience is in Kansas City but I have a couple of things to say about that. First, you can build an excellent resume in your hometown before you go venture somewhere like LA or NY where you are competing against kids who have good resumes and training from studios in those cities so it benefits you to have as many auditions and bookings in your home town as possible. Second, my son's agency also gets work from outside KC. My son auditioned for a feature film that Freddy Highmore ended up booking so his agency does both, but when we go to auditions in KC- we have never seen a kid from MTG, although in their defense- the little girl I mentioned said she auditioned for a recent legitimate commercial and I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how in the world they got her that audition. She didn't book it, but I was certainly glad to hear that she had one with them.

Perhaps MTG has had a change of heart and is trying to get legitimate work for their actors, but that is still no excuse for charging such high rates for photos and having talent pay to take classes from their studio. If they want to bring in someone from LA for a special workshop a couple of weekends a year & charge a decent rate-like say $150-$200 for an entire weekend of training including lunch, then I don't think that's a big deal, but this business of regular classes and outrageous photo prices is just mean and unscrupulous and I didn't feel like I could just sit here and red his placating response to Craig and not say anything. People need to know the truth about these agencies and be fully informed before they make the plunge into the red with nothing to show for it.

Model Talent Group has been Great!

I have read some of the other messages on this site and would like to offer a different opinion. My daughter has been with this company for a little over a year and have been very happy with them. I first had her interview with 3 other companies in the Kansas City area and they all wanted us to pay a lot of money for training, pictures, comp cards and so on. This was the only company that offered her free training and they also did not charge us anything to have a photographer come in and take her pictures. She has done some work with Plattform and Salva O'Renick and they are talking with 2 top agencies in New York about working with her. The only negative I have is that sometimes they don't get back to you very quickly, but other than that they have been great to work with.

Response to Craig

I understand your frustration Craig, but you knew before getting into this that there was no gaurantee that you would be succesful. We don't work with every person who walks through the door, but as an agency you must have a wide variety of talent for your clients to choose from.

I told you from the very beginning that it would take time, and that there was no guarantee. We even told you to go home and think about it and decide if this was something you were ready to try. We are not the ones who decide on if you get chosen for a job or not. We have a secure database that only our clients have access to and you have had over 400 views on your pictures.

We recently submitted you for a client in Wichita but they went with a different guy, he was paid $150 an hour for 11 hours. We also submitted you to Plattform Advertising for a job but they went with a different guy. The client decides on who they want to book not us. We also have free Workshops here that you could have taken advantage of and you didn't.

We have a great Acting Coach that comes in once a month to work with our talent and you never once took advantage of it. For the National Commercial that you auditioned for it is very common that they ask us to video tape you and send it to them. This saves our talent the time and money it would take to go to New York or L.A. They had given us a variety of ages that they were needing I am sorry you had to audition right after a 5yr old but this is common when they need different ages.

I have not received any e-mails from you, nor have I received any phone calls.

In the future I wish you would have come to me and asked what you needed to improve on. If you would like to continue with us I will be more than happy to sit down with you and resolve any issues you might have.