- Report: #410321
Complaint Review: MTM Modeling Agency - John Casablancas Modeling School And Agency
| MTM Modeling Agency - John Casablancas Modeling School And Agency 6808 South Memorial Ste.334
Tulsa, Oklahoma U.S.A. |
|
MTM Modeling Agency (John Casablancas Modeling School And Agency) a virtual factory of deception, empty promises, incompetence...a craaaappy fledgling "modeling agency" propped up by a well-known gigolo's namesake. Tulsa Oklahoma
*Consumer Comment: John Casablancas in Tulsa is great and time well spent for serious students
*UPDATE Employee: John Casablacas is not a rip off !
*General Comment: please read
*Consumer Comment: John Casablancas is a school of performing arts in T.V. & film & print
*Consumer Comment: Why you shouldn't listen to angry people who THINK they're models
*REBUTTAL Individual responds: Where did you get this?
*Consumer Suggestion: A model should NEVER HAVE TO PAY TO SIGN!!!
*Author of original report: Well, that's what you get for making assumptions...
*Consumer Comment: What a shmuck
Does your business have a bad reputation?
Fix it the right way.
Corporate Advocacy Program™
I was contacted by MTM/John Casablancas (same thing) over the phone. I am not even sure how they got my # and name, as I hadn't modeled in years, but just note-THEY contacted ME. So I was excited, yet leary. They set up an appointment "orientation", and so I went....and....
There were many people there, some of which were, um, not immediately identifiable as model material, to be polite. We were each instructed to walk down a catwalk in the center of a bare-bones white room. The place looked like a clinic-cold and bare and white...fluorescent lighting, clippings out of magazines of supermodels. The receptionist was snooty and rude.
We were each asked questions and graded based on appearance, potential, etc..if you got an A, or even a B, you were accepted and asked to sign a contract. If not, you were not accepted of course, and Kay the agent doing the hiring said she would tell you why. I was thrilled that I received an A..and all the sudden I was signing a contract!
I had few current pics, but I did have 2 semi-professional shots, and Kay said that though I needed to do a photoshoot to get a portfolio together, the 2 picas were good, and that she wanted to see more of that in the photoshoot. I paid $50 for the shoot, which was o.k., but she required that i shell out $119.95 for an online portfolio subscription, plus an additional $19.95 a mo. which would be debited from my account automatically. She said that this online portfolio website (Supermodel.com) would assure more jobs for me and made things run smoother.
In short, I was signed on w/MTM for 2 mos. and only received one minimum-wage job which lasted for 2 days, and didn't even offset what I had paid MTM. The job wasn't even a modeling job-just a stupid, promotional recruitment job, where i basically tried to get the phone #'s of kids, so that John Casablancas could try to get them signed up to take the aforementioned rip-off modeling classes!
Kay kept saying, "I have work for you-I'm just busy!" and, "I'm signing you up for this such-and-such mannequin modeling"! Which, BTW, was min.-wage. And none of the jobs listed on the audition sheets paid enough to offset the hassle of standing in the line of like 150 other models. If I wanted to make min. wage or $75 friggin' bucks, I'd go work for McDonald's! At least that job wouldn't be so sporadic that it's nonexistent!
When I finally confronted that moron Kay over the phone about NO WORK in 2 months of employment w/them, she gave me this crap about how it was just because I signed up close to the Holidays, blahblahblah. I told her i wanted to unsubscribe form Supermodel.com. She got irate and said that my pics i brought in originally were horrible and that they were garbage and that that was the reason it was taking so long to get work
Sorry for the looong report, but i am pissed and i wanted to get this off my chest. Ladies, it doesn't matter how pretty u are or whatever. even if you have potential, this place is a waste of time, and they are as incompetent as the day is long. Go to a real agency-that's what i'm doing. Shame on MTM.
Alicia
tulsa, Oklahoma
U.S.A.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 01/09/2009 09:24 PM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/MTM-Modeling-Agency-John-Casablancas-Modeling-School-And-Agency/Tulsa-Oklahoma-74133/MTM-Modeling-Agency-John-Casablancas-Modeling-School-And-Agency-a-virtual-factory-of-de-410321. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report.
If you would like to see more Rip-off Reports on this company/individual, search here:
Search Tips#1 Consumer Comment
John Casablancas in Tulsa is great and time well spent for serious students
AUTHOR: Yvette - ()
SUBMITTED: Sunday, April 14, 2013
First of all, Alicia dillusionally feels like a woman spurned for whatever reason by someone at John Casablancas and is simply lashing out in "self defense". At least half of what she said about the people at J.C. and how the business operates is false (lies). None of the teachers, nor Kay, the previous agent at the school would treat any student as shabbily as Alicia proclaimed.
I have been around J.C. for several years now so I know the people who work there as well as many of the students. It is a reputable SCHOOL and agency and all the teachers are very kind and helpful. Note it IS a school too, so of course it will cost something to take the classes. It is about 79% school and around 29% agency. The teachers are definitely qualified to be teaching there, as they all have much experience in the industry in one way or another, be it acting, or modeling or makeup and hair or fashion. Each have studied with professionals and/or well known directors, actors, models, designers, or under professors in universities, and the majority have college degrees and certifications in their fields. It's a smart and creative staff, and they make learning the craft of acting and modeling for television and film a lot of fun.
As for Alicia's unsavory comments about Kay, namely the one where she said, "When I finally confronted that moran Kay over the phone about NO WORK in 2 months of employment with them, she gave me this crap about how it was just because I signed up close to the Holidays, blahblahblah." Well, Alicia, Kay was right, modeling and acting jobs come to a dead halt around the holidays but pick up again after January all over the country in every model/talent agency. A month or two BEFORE the holidays can be quite busy, but not so close to Christmas. Alicia said," Kay said that my pics i brought in originally were horrible and that they were garbage and that was the reason it was taking so long to get work." Anyone who knows Kay knows that isn't her language - that's just not her way of putting things. If those pics were bad, she would have tactfully asked her to replace them with more professional photos so that she could market her more successfully. Unfortunately, instead of listening to reason Alicia became arrogant and defensive (first road to failure) and decided she knew more than a seasoned, experienced agent who has more experience in "the business" than Alicia has been alive. And this isn't Paris or N.Y; modeling jobs here are fewer and probably not so....expensively extravagant.
All of the students who have completed more than just a couple of the classes at J.C. have been very satisfied with what they've learned and how they were personally coached. You are given all the tools you need to have a competitive edge over the competition in the industry. Students gain valuable knowledge and skills that last a lifetime and it can be life-changing for many. Students finish the course feeling more self confident and self assured, they gain more poise and personal skills that increase success in not only the performing arts but in basically any job or career of choice.
One thing is certain, with the coaching, information, and overall tools of the trade received at J.C. combined with hard work and practice, one has a fighting chance to succeed and realize great dreams.
First one learns, then works hard and practices. It's not J.C.'s responsibility nor anyone's to directly PLACE a student/talent in someone's feature film or on the runway of a famous designer; first they must audition and next be hired. No one's going to make anyone an automatic top model without any effort expended by the model. Repeat: Learn, Work hard, Practice. The agent sends qualified talent/models to auditions, then the rest is up to the talent/model to DO what takes.
John Casablancas in Tulsa isn't for everyone or just anyone. But it's a great place to be for the serious and dedicated new actor or model of any age.
#2 UPDATE Employee
John Casablacas is not a rip off !
AUTHOR: erny - (United States of America)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, February 24, 2013
I attended John Casablancas back in 1997. Shortly after graduating I moved to
Florida and began my acting career with roles in Wild Things and There's
Something About Mary. I've been living in L.A. ever since, where I've been
fortunate enough to continue to build my resume and maintain an acting career. I
want to thank the staff at John Casablancas for giving me the opportunity and
guidance to pursue my dream
#3 General Comment
please read
AUTHOR: faith4change - (United States of America)
SUBMITTED: Wednesday, August 08, 2012
and also, if you loved to model you wouldent care what they paid you. its just doing something you love. and they give some people a chance and make them look like a model. they need tall and skinney. they will make you beautiful plus everyone is beautiful in their own way. maybe they go for peronality and they get them fixed up. and the people are going to be rude so they can push you to do stuff.
i finally finish reading your report and maybe you should go to the website at the end of this, and see how people changed their looks, and how one person actuly made it on thats so raven the used to be popular tv show on disney channel. some made it in movies and other things. maybe they just didnt want you in their buisines. they accept people and have them pay so they can see if your model material. if you are they will start out slow on the money, and as time passes by, and you get awesome at the job, they will pay you more.maybe you dont have the body to be a model. or the pose's. do you stay in your room sometimes and take pics of your self? i do. and thats how you get better. i respect your opinion.
johncasablanca.com
thank you for your time :)
~Faith4change
#4 Consumer Comment
John Casablancas is a school of performing arts in T.V. & film & print
AUTHOR: leebee - (United States of America)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, July 03, 2011
#5 Consumer Comment
Why you shouldn't listen to angry people who THINK they're models
AUTHOR: Shanna - (United States of America)
SUBMITTED: Wednesday, May 25, 2011
#6 REBUTTAL Individual responds
Where did you get this?
AUTHOR: Mayam0208 - (United States of America)
SUBMITTED: Wednesday, April 27, 2011
#7 Consumer Suggestion
A model should NEVER HAVE TO PAY TO SIGN!!!
AUTHOR: anonymous - (United States of America)
SUBMITTED: Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Now, I am not gonna call anyone here a bitch, BUT, look, the complaint is legit.
Here we have a model, who was really excited and taken advantage of. I'm a guy, but I have two sisters, and I might one day want to start a talent agency (on these sites to learn what NOT to do!)
Now, yes, it's true that you should never expect to get work form an agency, so in that regard, I actually think the complaint is iffy. But, I agree with the complaint BECAUSE they made her (or you) pay so much, and that's just wrong.
If an agency is good enough, it will not make you pay a dime. Now, it might take a big cut, but it should never make you pay (with exceptions, i.e., makeup maybe, or small costs, but never near 100 bucks!).
So, again, when all is said and done, I agree that this place sounds shady. And models should ALWAYS play it safe-- too many creeps, too many pedophiles, too many fraudulent hustlers.
And, to the BOTH of you, I wish you BOTH luck in getting work in this economy, and I hope the work is ethical and makes you good money.
I wish you both the best.
#8 Author of original report
Well, that's what you get for making assumptions...
AUTHOR: Alicia - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, February 27, 2010
#9 Consumer Comment
What a shmuck
AUTHOR: Topper - (United States of America)
SUBMITTED: Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Lady, I'm in Los Angeles, where 99% of show business is done and a good portion of modeling as well in the United States. Here, people who are actual experienced models are lucky if they get three or four big jobs a year. VERY few models out there consistently get big gigs, and the idea about someone being irate about not getting a job after only two months in Tulsa Oklahoma is laughable. I'm not familiar with that supermodel site, but frankly, that was probably your best chance of getting noticed by anybody significant, because no big magazine would go to Tulsa to find a model, they would just go online.
Here's what I deduce from you:
- You were only there two months and most actors/models are turned down a lot before they get experience. Ergo you have no experience.
- You have little to no formal training, because if you did, you'd already know all of this.
- Professional photoshoots usually cost upward of $300. IMO you got a damn good deal if the shots were decent.
I'm only remotely familiar with MTM, but anyone reading your rant who knows anything about the industry would see that you're full of hot air and bs.

