Industry Model And Talent Studios This company is a scam! Edgewater, New Jersey

My child and I were a victim of this company.

In 2006 we were Christmas shopping at the Woodbridge Mall in NJ as were approached by the scouts from the Industry Model & Talent Studios with a business card telling me and my child they she has the perfect look. (Mind you I've done some extras and modeling in the past with Elite). So here I am thinking, it must be a scam!

The next day, I decided to give them a call and find out what is this company is all about. They were very good at convincing me to come in and talk with one of their Marketing Agents (mind you, they do not call themselves as Agency, they call themselves as a Marketer). Aside from waiting there for hours and the d**n building was packed with so many other kids and parents. Their explanation of their service is, they do not charge for any work or take percentage of your child's pay like agents do, but they do market you and you do have to pay for photo shoot, make up artist and comp cards for a fee, which was $1,200.00 and if you want them to market your child for a year, that was an additional $600.00 plus you get exclusive online access to their mysterious site and you can stay in contact with casting directors yourself as well as they will upload the comp card. Remember, you only have access for a year, after that you have to pay again for them to market your child!

So, over 6 months period, I call them and ask them, what hell is going on and why the hell did you make me pay this large sum of money and my child hasn't got any auditions for casting? They asked who was my Marketing Agent, my reply was, you charge me so much money and you cannot find who is my child's marketer? You better get on the ball or I will raise hell! Well, apparently my marketer wasn't with the company any longer. So, they had some sort of a casting at the Cassablancas during the following week, I asked them, you mean the night club for adults? They said yes and that whoever it was was hosting auditions and they were going to mail me a card for the event. My daughter and I went there, but there was no one there, when I called the number on the flier, the lady responded, didn't your Marketer tell you that we changed the date? I was one mad woman!

A month later (July 2007), we move to NC, I didn't notify them. By then, I was already fed up. I get a call about 3 weeks later after our move to NC that they have an audition for my child (mind you I send them to hell and back after run around). I explained that I was no longer interested and I wanted my money back, although it is non refundable, she apologized and and assured me that they will make sure my child gets an audition as long as I am able to travel to NYC. Which I did not mind as long as my child would get work.

Well, we get to NYC, they gave us an audition for the wrong age group!!! WTF??? I traveled all this way, payed for the NYC Parking and travel expenses from NC to NYC and then back, had my child miss school (an All Year Round School). I explained to the guy what's been going on, and he advised me of the places I can take my child in Raleigh, it just so happened he was a native from that area!

Overall, Not only that my child was disappointed (age 8 at the time, 11 now), I was furious that I just spent my hard earned income as a single parent of $1,800.00 and have been scammed!!!

DO NOT TRUST THESE COMPANIES!!!

BACKSTAGE.COM (IS A GOOD START) I should have done it the old school way, is by going to theaters, subscribe to Backstage newspaper, or catching a casting on the streets of NY or hiring an agent that would not charge up front but a percentage of what your child would make of a signed deal!