Gary Spatz's "The Playgound" Gary Spatz Don't Be Scammed Los Angeles California

 Approached in Target or at a kiosk in the mall?

 SCAM! SCAM!

 There is no such job description as a "talent scout" of any kind in Hollywood. Rather these are front men and mostly women of acting school scams and rip-offs. The first rule of thumb is to understand that in this industry is that more expensive doesn't equate to better. If someone could 'buy' success everyone would be a star. Sometimes the most expensive services actually provide the least benefit. These scams committed against children and their families are very common as they prey on our love and pride for our children. That is one consistent across all scams - they all say everything a parent would ever want to hear about how great, talented, beautiful, "star in the making" their child is. That is closely followed by playing on the guilt for a parent who might not be "allowing their child to follow their dreams".

So how does a parent spot a scam? One step is to really listen to your instincts. What seems too good to be true usually is.

RESEARCH. Researching every company you are going to work with is of paramount importance. Use Google and check the names of the businesses as well as the names of the people you meet and put the word scam after it. 

 Look for common red flags. Some red flags of a scam or rip-off include:

Being approached in a mall, family store or other public place.

Name dropping such from shows LIKE The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Hannah Montana or the use of Disney and Nickelodeon logos Gary is known for this old trick. (call the studio and let them know your experience with the scam school and how much they charge)

Promising work or access to talent agents through "show cases" or "agent auditions"

Using several different names for their business on the internet to confuse people and load up the search engines so all the bad reviews won't show up first. (luckily it can't be done)  Gary has set up his own moderated sites such as "Yelp" and "Insiderpages" with many "glowing" reviews. These are all written by Gary and his staff. All the bad posts or "reviews" are removed by Gary. Try posting a negative review and like magic, it's gone baby gone. Real consumer sites such as this one keep ALL reviews, good and bad. Gary and his staff will try and tell you all negative comments are posted by some "competitor". What else can they say? The truth? Hardly.

Another tactic Gary and his staff uses is putting pressure or time limits on the offer such as "we only bring back 10-20% of the kids we see, not everyone makes it", "we can only hold the spot for 3 days", etc. You can cancel if you don't like it. Its all about the sale!

Long term contracts that must be paid for in advance. Legitimate acting classes are offered for 4 weeks or less at a time, with professional level group acting classes costing around $45 per class. Anything longer, or costing more is a red flag.

But, gary and his sales people are so nice. Of course they are, predators have to be nice. If they weren't, they wouldn't get their prey.

"But some people say it is OK...." Of course every story has 2 sides, and you may find a former client 'vouching' for a business because they *felt* successful or they had fun. Once again most of the the "great" reviews are posted and written on the company on their own "moderated" website review sites. And they remove any bad reviews.

Getting an agent can be accomplished for under $100 via picture submissions. Really. Just get a list of agents that handle children and send them a photo. That simple. Try it before you spend a penny on classes or photos. Of course Gary will tell you that having his expensive classes will almost guarantee a top agent. It's all about sellling classes and nothing more. Gary Spatz has turned out to be a real creep now after setting up this phoney acting school. And has no regard for who he cons and what child and parnet he scams. Its all about the sales.

Good luck to all and I hope I have saved you from a big SCAM! 

Approached in Target or at a kiosk in the mall?

SCAM! SCAM!

There is no such job description as a "talent scout" of any kind in Hollywood. Rather these are front men and mostly women of acting school scams and rip-offs. The first rule of thumb is to understand that in this industry is that more expensive doesn't equate to better. If someone could 'buy' success everyone would be a star. Sometimes the most expensive services actually provide the least benefit. These scams committed against children and their families are very common as they prey on our love and pride for our children. That is one consistent across all scams - they all say everything a parent would ever want to hear about how great, talented, beautiful, "star in the making" their child is. That is closely followed by playing on the guilt for a parent who might not be "allowing their child to follow their dreams".

So how does a parent spot a scam? One step is to really listen to your instincts. What seems too good to be true usually is.

RESEARCH. Researching every company you are going to work with is of paramount importance. Use Google and check the names of the businesses as well as the names of the people you meet and put the word scam after it.

Ask other parents. Look for common red flags. Some red flags of a scam or rip-off include: Being approached in a mall, family store or other public place Name dropping such from shows LIKE The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Hannah Montana or the use of Disney and Nickelodeon logos (call the studio and let them know your experience with the scam school and how much they charge)

Promising work or access to talent agents through "show cases" or "agent auditions" Using several different names for their business on the internet to confuse people and load up the search engines so all the bad reviews won't show up first. (luckily it can't be done)

Putting pressure or time limits on the offer such as "we only bring back 10-20% of the kids we see, not everyone makes it", "we can only hold the spot for 3 days", etc. You can cancel if you don't like it.

Long term contracts that must be paid for in advance. Legitimate acting classes are offered for 6 weeks or less at a time, with professional level group acting classes costing around $45 per class. Anything longer, or costing more is a red flag.

Exceedingly nice sales people.Predators have to be nice. If they weren't, they wouldn't get their prey.

"But some people say it is OK...." Of course every story has 2 sides, and you may find a former client 'vouching' for a business because they *felt* successful or they had fun. Most of the the "great" reviews are posted and written on the company on their own "moderated" website review sites. And they remove any bad reviews.

Getting an agent can be accomplished for under $100 via picture submissions. Really. Just get a list of agents that handle children and send them a photo. That simple. Of course you will be told that having these expensive classes will almost guarantee a top agent.

I would like to share my experience with a company called Gary Spatz , Gary Spatz The Playground and Gary Spatz a Young Actors Conservatory.
I took my husband and our son to what was touted as an open audition, after a woman approached us in a grocery store parking lot. She told me how handsome my son was, and her manager would love to see him. She also told us that he managed the kids from the Suite Life of Zack and Cody. I ask if there are any costs or fees. She responded absolutely not! And almost seemed insulted I would ask such a thing. We show up and there are many hopeful children lined up whose parents were also taken in by this smooth talking woman. After what could only be compared to a bad Time Share presentation, we meet with a man. He asks if we are serious about my son getting into acting. After a little small talk he said they would be in touch. There was something very disturbing about all this and we waited for the next contact. One day later we get the great news. We were asked to come in for a second audition and meet with him again. We arrive a little early and sit in the waiting area talking to a few of the other families. We compared notes and it was becoming clear were this scam was going. We are soon whisked away to an office and what a sales pitch! He finally came around to asking for over $ 6000 for classes. (Yes, that was six thousand dollars!) We gave him the old checks in the mail and walked out the door.
At this point we had enough information to look up this company and see what is out there. They don't provide any company information when the invite to the audition is made, I wonder why? I could not believe all the information others have provided on their experiences with Gary Spatz and his scam. Why I think this is place is a scam? The first indication is the way they recruit new children. It's a simple bait and switch. The street scout tricks you into thinking this is a real audition and there are no costs involved. This is not only misleading, but in most states illegal. The fact that they have to depend on misleading people from the very beginning should tell you something. The good news is there is a new law being passed before year's end that applies to all advance fee talent companies to avoid just this. The lawmakers are aware of this loop hole in the law that was passed several years ago. Thus, making it a crime to market the way Gary Spatz does now.Apparently, The Playground does not play around when it comes sticking it to you in regards to pricing either. I have now priced classes from 6 companies that have been referred by various sources and by looking online. These are people and companies that are not plastered all over the internet with angry parents. The prices averaged 50% -75% less than what good old Gary charges. This is also a warning sign that this is a scam. I even received an e-mail from one acting coach who has known Gary Spatz for years, he said it was disturbing what Gary was doing and he was very disappointed. I told him how disappointed my family was when we found out we had been just another $ sign to Gary.If it seems I'm being harsh on Gary, do this. If you dig a little, follow the many posts by others, you will uncover this is not the first company Gary has been with. He hooked up with a con man named Eric Rottman. Who, has been investigated, sued and closed down for operating similar acting scams. Gary Spatz is not just a figure head of the company who got caught up with a bad group. He is very aware of what is going on and profits greatly.If you are reading this, than you are probably as angry and upset as the rest of us.

Also, If you notice Gary and Company are now trying to set up as many websites as they can to offset all the things people are saying on this site and others. They are feeling the presure and I'm sure thier biz is hurting now. GOOD! They are trying to overload the search ingines like yahoo and google. It so obvious. Just look at all the new sites they are creating. They are also asking questions on Yahoo Q and A and then answering with their own wonderful reviews. Not only is this place a scam, but they are not even smart crooks! LMAO


Gary spatz.com
Gary Spatz.org
garysplayground.com
Garyspatz hollywood.com
garyspatyzacting.com
GarySpatzcoach

Just started taking my teenage daughter to classes here and It does not please me to say it but, we feel ripped off just after 6 weeks. Not everything is what they tell you when you sign up for this. So, I deiced to do some checking online and have found many things that are disturbing. I ended calling and talking to BizParentz Foundation as some one had suggested on another forum about this company. BizParentz is a non-profit company that is run by some really knowledgeable people who actually work and have kids working in TV and Film. They informed me that this company and it's two principles have been running these scam schools for a few years together. They have been forced to shut down by the authorities many times in three different states for over charging and misleading parents.It's all over the internet. And at one location they just left in the middle of the night. Not going to get in to all the details here.

If you are thinking about doing business with these people I would strongly suggest you do a little more homework. You should start with the internet and Google Gary. I have discovered there is a lot of info on these guys I'm sad to say. We really feel like suckers now and will be requesting a full refund. Good luck.

Legitimate acting schools charge about $95.00 a month ( 1 class a week) this place takes advantage of the uninformed. Mr Spatz may have been a good guy many years ago, but now is someone you want to stay clear of. Yes, his office is nice and it is all designed to separate you from your money. Simply do a little research and call other acting classes and see for yourself.

Oh my Goodness. I'm glad I looked up Gary. I just went to the audition at the playground with my neighbor and we both got the phone call back, they wanted both our kids. After reading everything online it does not surprise me. Why don't they just be honest and tell us up front that they are a school? I agree it is not fair that they mislead you when they approach you at the mall and invite you to the audition. Thats what I have a real problem with here. It's not that they are a school but that they are not up front about it. I have talked to a friend who is in the business and he said stay away from this thing and thats what I plan on doing. I'm glad that some of you are having a good experience but I will do some more research and talk to some other places and then make a decision. I'm not trying to bash Gary but, this is my opinion and I'm going to voice it. Oh, by the way I just found this site. Its sounds too familiar!

http://www.atlantasyoungfaces.com/clarkh...

This is the same user who is posting negative feedback regarding Gary Spatz in other internet sites (yahoo answers). Please be wary about the user who claims to know that Gary's school is a scam. I am a parent. I have a child going to this school. I know for a fact that it is legit. If you do a search on "gary spatz" on yahoo answers, you will find this EXACT post there. I have reported it there as being false and misleading.

I know from experience. I have been there done it. Let me save everyone some time, money and most importantly your child's hart!

The scam starts like this. You and your family are out shopping and you are contacted by a woman. She tells you how cute your child is and asks have you ever thought about getting in commercials or TV? She chats on and you are convinced you should attend the big tryout or should I say the big set-up. Well, after an hour or more of driving you arrive and there are many other children waiting for their big break also. After two hours and a dog and pony show were they try and get your child all excited. This is helpful in the big picture of trying to sale you an expensive acting class.

You now drive home and wait for the Callback. Everyone gets called back if they think you have money. The next day after a brief conversation on the phone you take another drive to their office and this is were the big hustle starts. We saw a man named Mike and his office looked like a move set. What a joke. All the phony photos on the wall and phony props, a real sleeze ball this guy was.

After 10 minutes of b.s. he gets to the real reason for all the deception.
You need to spend $3000 on classes and then you will be invited to attend performance night. I then asked, what about all the negative things people are saying online? His reply was don't pay any attention to what people are saying online. It's just some crackpot I then asked why they have an F with the BBB? He said they have only one complaint and that was the reason. NOT TRUE! They have an F because of their deceptive business practices. Well, I thought long and hard and decided to give it a try for my child. (I also new if I put it on a credit card I could dispute it later if need be)

We attend the first class and I start talking to some of the other parents that have been there for awhile. A LOT of them are NOT that happy with the whole operation, contrary to what the Playground wants you to believe. The complaints were numerous including the fact that Gary dose not even teach! We attend two more classes that I sit in on and I talk to more upset parents.


My family finally decides to cancel this whole thing and get a refund. Boy that was not easy. Once they get your money they do not want to give it back. I guess the sleeze ball had already spent the commission.

Here is the long and short of it. I have nothing to gain and my only goal is to share
my experience and offer some advise.

DO NOT DO BUSSINESS WITH THIS SCAM COMPANY
Go online and look up acting schools in Los Angeles. Call and talk with them. Go see a few places. I know this will take a little time but, your child is worth it. Make a decision after you have all the facts. Don't let your child's dream be ruined by Gary Spatz and his group of scammers. Just make sure you do a little research and then proceed. It can be a lot of fun and great for your child.

Want to complain? contact the Department of Consumer Affairs. They are already aware of Gary Spatz and this Eric Rottman guy. Google Eric Rottman and see what a thief he is!