Be. Productions - Erik Desando Be, Erik Desando,Be - Domingo CasanBe. Productions - Domingo Ivan The Con Man at Be. took our money and RAN! Emeryville California

 

Doming Ivan Casañas died Dec 25,2014

look under Legacy.com for obituary 

Talent agency sued over illegally taking money
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/7_on_your_side&id=7185004

The Story behind Be Productions

Mr. Casanas,

To be fair, I did on this file,post a e-mail, where we discussed the problem, and how you felt it was the company that you work for (at the time) problem, not yours.  You also made a point, as also pointed out in this e-mail, that when you saw something was wrong,you got out.  Mar. Casanas, I never asked you to make my son a star,all I wanted is what you "sold us" when we first met.  One of them being a role in a Be produced tv show..that also is posted here,as well as your continued promises that "it will happen", when the fact was, at the time you took our money, not have those shows,were even produced for a very long time, you knew that.  I ask that you have the proof to show I am wrong.  My wife and I contacted you on numerous occasions, and were never given a straight answer from you.  You claim that my son was in several background shots, please provide us with the proof.  When we felt you were not giving us your time, we switched talent directors.  If you cared that much about us or any of they other children  you claim to have changed lives, can you honestly say you contacted anyone prior to Be shutting down?  My guess is no.  We also were very taken back, that after you left Be, that shortly after we get a message from your new company at the time Barbizon.  I do forgive you Mr. Casanas,but keep in mind,I only speak the truth,and I know, the truth for some people is very hard to take.  You really do not know my family or me, we were only a number.  You cannot honestly say you knew what my intentions were.  If you listening to me,before you took our money,and had our son prouldly "ring the bell" and even give you a hug, I wanted him to learn to speak better in school.  But, I guess you really don't know us as well as you proclaim.

Ripoff Report: Be. Productions - Erik Desando Be, Erik Desando,Be ...

Apr 29, 2009 ... Be Productions-Erick DeSando-Barry Fack-Domingo Ivan Casanas Rip Off People ... Stay away from anything Domingo Casanas has to do with! ...

The above heading that states to stay away from anything Domingo Casanas has to do with...Is really an insult and a character defamation.  I am Domingo Casanas and I left Be Productions in February of 2009.  Scott Pottenburg the father Arthur, is attacking the wrong person.   As an employee of Be Productions I had a great reward when I saw so many talented kids that took their training seriously, went to the showcases to show off their talent in front of agents and agencies and score an agent and they went on to getting some paid gigs. 

Arthur was not as fortunate and his father wants to blame the whole world and anyone associated with Be Productions.   Arthur was in many scenes of background work.  Which is all that was promised at the time.  Of course some children did get speaking parts and were the main characters of any of the Be Prodcutions.   There is no way any film production Company can guarantee thousands of kids a starring role.  Arthur was never promised by me a starring role of any source.   Scott has falsely accused me.   Arthur was given much attention anytime his parents requested it from me as well as another talent director...but mom and dad were never satisfied.  Anytime I sent an email to Scott I wrote what the Company would tell me....Like when production would start in the Bay area for the new season etc....Of course when the new year came around of 2009 I noticed that now the Owners of Be Productions were having some financial problems and were actually not going to start the new season shoots...Around February I was courted by another Talent Development Company and I left Be.  

I feel bad for the kids that did not get the opportunity to be in the show as an extra or having a talking part.   I just don't understand why Scott Pottenburg wants to blame me for something that was out of my control. I only worked for the Company...I did not own the Company....There is now a class action lawsuit against the Company that any parent that was a member of Be can participate and even email the attorney in this case:  Ethan Preston at:  Gonnabe@eplaw.us   

So instead of going negative on an employee...take your efforts via your legal rights.   For the Ripoff report putting that heading on my name ...it is truly character assasination that I DO NOT DESERVE.     Please fix since I am all for kids ...I still go to Jr. High Schools and High Schools doing a Goal Setting workshops and motivating children to do well and keep studying with an Anti-Gang and Anti-Drug message.   Scott focus on the future of Arthur ...not the past...and let my name rest in peace for I am not worthy of you or anyone else causing false accusations to my name.   God is on my side on this one.

Thank You!

Domingo Casanas

Many Be. members have asked us, What is My Talent Service? and/or What happen to Be.?

My Talent Service is the preferred customer service provider for Be.LLC.

My Talent Service is here to help service all existing members. We will assist ALL past and present members with their questions pertaining to showcasing, scheduling, event participation, talent improvement, website instruction, and inside industry information. Our job at My Talent Service is to help make your memberships a worthwhile experience for you and your family.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us at any of the emails or numbers listed below.


My Talent Service Contact Information

Customer Service: (310) 282-2914
Office Fax: (310) 861-0638
Scheduling Email: talentservice@mytalentservice.com

Liz
Email: lizb@mytalentservice.com
Office: (310) 282-9968
Cell: (310) 488-5601

Cristina
Email: cristinal@mytalentservice.com
Office: (310) 282-9962
Cell: (310) 490-6653

Martin
Email: martinh@mytalentservice.com
Office: (310) 282-8836
Cell: (310) 488-6285

Debbie
Email: debram@mytalentservice.com
Office: (310) 282-9906
Cell: (310) 433-1396

Many Be. members have asked us, What is My Talent Service? and/or What happen to Be.?

My Talent Service is the preferred customer service provider for Be.LLC.

My Talent Service is here to help service all existing members. We will assist ALL past and present members with their questions pertaining to showcasing, scheduling, event participation, talent improvement, website instruction, and inside industry information. Our job at My Talent Service is to help make your memberships a worthwhile experience for you and your family.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us at any of the emails or numbers listed below.


My Talent Service Contact Information

Customer Service: (310) 282-2914
Office Fax: (310) 861-0638
Scheduling Email: talentservice@mytalentservice.com

Liz
Email: lizb@mytalentservice.com
Office: (310) 282-9968
Cell: (310) 488-5601

Cristina
Email: cristinal@mytalentservice.com
Office: (310) 282-9962
Cell: (310) 490-6653

Martin
Email: martinh@mytalentservice.com
Office: (310) 282-8836
Cell: (310) 488-6285

Debbie
Email: debram@mytalentservice.com
Office: (310) 282-9906
Cell: (310) 433-1396

Many Be. members have asked us, What is My Talent Service? and/or What happen to Be.?

My Talent Service is the preferred customer service provider for Be. LLC.

My Talent Service is here to help service all existing members. We will assist ALL past and present members with their questions pertaining to showcasing, scheduling, event participation, talent improvement, website instruction, and inside industry information. Our job at My Talent Service is to help make your memberships a worthwhile experience for you and your family.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us at any of the emails or numbers listed below.


My Talent Service Contact Information

Customer Service: (310) 282-2914
Office Fax: (310) 861-0638
Scheduling Email: talentservice@mytalentservice.com

Liz
Email: lizb@mytalentservice.com
Office: (310) 282-9968
Cell: (310) 488-5601

Cristina
Email: cristinal@mytalentservice.com
Office: (310) 282-9962
Cell: (310) 490-6653

Martin
Email: martinh@mytalentservice.com
Office: (310) 282-8836
Cell: (310) 488-6285

Debbie
Email: debram@mytalentservice.com
Office: (310) 282-9906
Cell: (310) 433-1396

This is from my blog:

Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Be Productions Scan-Questionable Banking?
After we disputed the charges on our credit card (3 total for over $1100 each) we found that the way these charges cleared was questionable. The first out of 3 was cashed/cleared by Be Productions (even though the slip said My Artitsts Place) the 2 other charges were cashed/cleared by Montery Financial. Can anyone explain how this can happen? Does part go in one pocket and the rest in another?
Posted by Gonna Be Productions Scam at 1:32 PM 0 comments
Labels: Be Productions is a Scam My Artist's place Barry Falck Scam Eric Desando scam
Be Productions Scam
hey scott, i'm sorry to hear this news and i will definitely be looking into it. my affiliation with Be. is simple...I'm trying to get my celebrity young actors camp marketed to acting schools and companies like Be, JRP's, local acting schools, ETC. But in no way am I contracted with any of these companies or schools. i honestly look for talented young actors at these appearances i attend and invite them to my LEGITIMATE summer camp in Hollywood. www.theyoungactorscamp.com
thank you for detailing the situation and caring enough to inform me of this unfortunate situation.
sincerely, Adrian R'Mante
Posted by Gonna Be Productions Scam at 9:10 AM 1 comments
Be Productions Scam
wow....I had no idea now wide spread this was. As I shared my son does have an agent but he did not get it through BE...he only did one showcase and was not signed....but soon after a well known agent that we met through an early acting coach.....signed him....he just did his first SAG movie....again none of this was due to BE.

do you know if they are showing "Say What" or "Kids Unlimited" to reel in kids to the program. I must say that we were never told that they were responsible for Miley Cyrus or anything....and they never promised us that our son would do anything other than extra work or some local modeling.....but we were early signers and it sure sounds like they changed their tactics....then they cast him in the show....which has been a roller coaster ride...just so you know neither nor cal shows have filmed anything since July 2008.....and the email you sent saying they told you that the shows were going back into production in Oct 2008 was interesting as we were told nothing of the sort...ever...we were told shows on hiatus until they could work out some financial issues and either sell the shows or find a venue for them to be seen on tv....it is my understanding from several parents of main cast members on the shows that children have not been paid or just received partial payment.....I look forward to speaking with you further. this whole situation is very confusing and upsetting.
thanks
Posted by Gonna Be Productions Scam at 9:09 AM 0 comments
Be Productions Scam
Here are 2 e-mail's I received:
Wow! This is getting a little hectic, huh? Well in my son's class more parets have got involved, and want to follow through with forwarding the complaint to not only the Consumer Dept, but also the news, and the DA. I've told them that I've been in contact with you through email, and all of the great things that you have done to go after Be., so they would also like to become apart of the complaints. There were about 20 who all held a meeting yesterday and we exchanged contact information...but there are more! One of the parents is an attorney, so he is going to help with taking the correct avenues and actions, another parent has already gone to an attorney and is suggesting a class action law suit, and another is a computer programmer who is going to create a whole website about Be being a deceptive company. The attorney says that we would need about 100 parents to participate.

At this point, Be has violated what they have promised each of our children, and therefore have charged us for services that none of us has recieved. Also, there are some complaints about the authentication of their supposal "showcases", which he could require proof of these representatives qualifications, being that this has been charged as a fradulent experience. Also, their employee's, as you have witnessed, making empty promises, and the many lies that they tell us at the presentation just to get us to sign up, which is deception. I know in our meeting, we were shown a magazine, that I remember called something like "Child's Life". And we were told that this was their magazine, and that our son would be placed in it. My son was also promised a photoshoot which they have yet to make good on, and in my opinion have surpassed the time to try and do so. And they promised us that he would have a local talent director to steer his career. (Whom we know is
now with Barbazon, and has urged us to leave Be, in addition to all the terrible things she said about Be's fradulent ventures.) Their all liars!

Their employee's also misrepresented themselves as "talent scouts" when they made intial contact with us. Well what qualifies them as "talent scouts"? This position was given to any young woman who applied on craigslist from what has been exposed by several ex-employees on Ripoff.com. And we already know that they have lied about which child stars have developed out of their business, as well as who they have worked with; as they have fabricated their Six Flags affiliation. All of this is very much illegal. I will be in touch with you. All of the parents are working on putting their complaints and personal experiences in writing, so we can then collectively put them together. The fact that this company has done this repeadetly is really going to hurt them.


Please read ny blog and join us,the growing numbers comming forward that are not going to have OUR HARD EARNED MONEY taken away (or in some cases stolen) from us..I have stories from people that worked for Be and those that feel they were scammed by Be..Join us in the FIGHT!

http://beproductionsscam.blogspot.com/2009/04/be-productions-is-scam.html

http://beproductionsscam.blogspot.com/2009/04/be-productions-is-scam.html

Please read my blog. The story goes on and I soon will be adding more. I have been in contact with over 30 parents. Some go back to the start of Be. I also found out as late as a little more than month ago that Be Productions had people out trying to scam more money! The story was that they approached a original Be member! They also told him and his mom that Be was closing the office in Emeryville and MOVING TO CONCORD CA!

PLEASE FOR YOUR OWN SAKE READ MY BLOG! If you worked for Be and want to contact me..please comment my blog so I can get in touch with you! The LIES and STEALING MUST STOP!

Scott, I commend your forthrightness.

Just so you and others are aware, Domingo Ivan Casanas new employer, IPAQ, also recruited former Be/Gonnabe/My Artists Place Talent Director "Anthony Corder". I put his name in quotes as I understand from another former Be. employee that he may be going by another surname (as Anthony/Tony Bratta or Brata). IPAQ -San Francisco recruited two of Be/Gonnabe/My Artists Place top salesmen. IPAQ may be affiliated with Barbizon--one of the schools Be salespeople were told to constantly diss during their sales presentation.

We've been signed with Be. over a year, and other than service provision (with some sub-par instructors farmed out through Rising Stars), they have yet to fulfill their promises--our son was never on the tv show, we have yet to see those "celebrity appearances" , no marketing courses have been available, no stylist in site, and what about the resume services? With no formal Northern California office base, how are they fulfilling their contracts?

Maybe we can get "7 on Your Side" or one of the other consumer spots to do a follow up piece to the one "7 on Your Side" did last August.

Rising Stars, the vendor for the acting, singing, dancing and modeling classes, will not accept anyone outside of BE, despite their denial of any relationship with BE/Gonnabe. (Two parents called trying to enroll their kids, but were refererred back to Gonnabe). I'm hoping one of these reporters will look at the links between the two.

We were never notified that the Northern California offices were relocating to Tarzana, either. I understand from another Be. Parent that the "Talent Show" has been postponed yet again, and relocated . The talent showcase dates for the Bay Area have been "rescheduled" multiple times, also. Hopefully they will reinstate them within a reasonable time, otherwise it's yet another breach in their contracted services.

Sunday, May 3, 2009
To BE Fair here are two e-mails I received on 5/2 from Mr. Casanas
defamation of character=punitive damage
...
[Chat now] "ifindtalent@aol.com"
...
ViewSaturday, May 2, 2009 9:29:30 PMScott Poggenburg,

I guess you think I own Be...Be is owned by Barry Faulk and Erik DeSando.
I was just a Talent Director working for them and the Company.

I have three children in college.

Now when someone looks up my name on Google it shows your Stage Parent
attitude where you blame the talent director for whatever reasons you feel your
son Arthur has not become a star. This is sad.

I am about to be fired from my place of employment because of your doing. Since
they feel it will harm their school to have someone see those comments. They tell
me they have not other recourse.

My attorney has given me the options I have, and I am writing to you before
I take that step to give you a 15 day grace before filing a ceist and deceit order plus
take further steps to go to court for punitive damage.
So please delete those comments against me personally ASAP. Feel free to go after
the Company for any unjust that you feel has been done to you and Arthur.

I am a Christian man who has not ever done anyone wrong and do not deserve
this type of treatment from you or anyone else.

My attorney did not want me to write to you first, but I told him I had to.
This is personal now because you are taking money from my kids since I will
be losing my job because of your comments. If you can live with that then I
know what type of person you are.

Thank You!

Otherwise I will see you in court

cc Jaime Alcabes

Domingo Casanas


And This one in a response to my email,after sending him one that was sent to me,by another family:

Re: Your Blog on Be Productions
...
[Chat now] "ifindtalent@aol.com"
...
ViewSaturday, May 2, 2009 9:53:39 PM
To:
My emails to you and any other parent that had same concerns were sent with the answer that the owners and the pr department told me and
made me believed that as an example when the shoots would start for the show etc....Only following what they told me and believing it to be true.

Domingo Ivan

Re: defamation of character=punitive damage
...
[Chat now] "ifindtalent@aol.com"
...
ViewSaturday, May 2, 2009 9:59:22 PM
To:arthur0424@sbcglobal.net

hank You...I figure it was you. Good Night...I have plenty of kids that have been in commercials...tv shows...print work...have agents etc...

I have my list of parents that will testify on my behalf. Your job was to go after the Company not me personally. I do not own the Company.

I have no control of what Be owners will or will not do....as soon as I found out something was wrong I got out....that should tell you something.

Domingo Ivan

cc: Jaime Alcabes ESQ


-----Original Message-----
From: Scott and Maribel
To: ifindtalent@aol.com
Sent: Sat, 2 May 2009 9:54 pm
Subject: Re: defamation of character=punitive damage

Domingo Ivan Casanas,

What do think my husband is...You should think about what have you done to us. You know that they are scammers who take the money of innocent kids. If you have a heart that your saying to us. Go talk to your previous employer and get our money. Then will think about removing the e-mail...

Maribel Poggenburg

Please read my blog..the saga continues and must STOP!

http://beproductionsscam.blogspot.com/2009/04/be-productions-is-scam.html

Scott,

We had almost the exact same experience! We even have some of the exact same e-mails. Same promises when we signed, our daughter would be in the be produced tv shows annually. Hey, she even got to ring the "superstar" bell. Once they got our money, we were just put off, just like you.

Amazing, I thought it was just us. We're in Sacramento. We were told that all the training classes were going to be offered in our area, but we ended up having to drive to Oakland because "they were still trying to get logistics worked out".

I, too tried to contact the new toll free number and after multiple messages, also got Liz, who sent me the same contact list you received.

Absolute shame...

We ended up going out on our own because Be did not deliver what they promised.

First Please Visit my Blog:

http://beproductionsscam.blogspot.com/

This goes over my entire problem with Be Productions. Since they refuse to refund what they took from me, I feel I must YELL to anyone who thinks about doing business with them TO RUN!...If you are approached,ask them up front..is this for a cattle call? are you going to take me IF I HAVE MONEY and if I do have money,are you going to starve my child and then offer him or her warm cookies to sign-up. All I can say,is if you have not signed..DON"T and if you have GET OUT OF YOUR CONTRACT!

After filing several complaints (BBB,FTC State Attorney General,7 On Your Side,etc) Barry Flack the President of Be Productions called me. Here is the e-mail I sent to 7 On Your Side:

Renee,
I received a phone call from Barry Flack this morning. In our phone conversation he debated the issue of not giving me a refund,and made the following promises as stated below. When I explained to him that they had more than ample time to fix this issue,his only excuse was that it was "just put on his desk,this morning". When I told him that I have no trust with anyone at Be any longer,he continued to tell me,that by giving me (what is on his e-mail) he is full-filling what we were promised before signing our contract.

When I told him that I was not interested in what he was offering, and that I will let the people that I have reached out to,help settle the issue (and I mentioned 7 On Your Side),he sarcastically told me "go ahead,they can't help you".."and when your done doing what you want to,on t.v.,my offer still stands. When I explained that when I called last week and was told by Liz that she was meeting with Barry and Eric the next day (I sent you that e-mail) and no one called me..he said he was not told. When I said after I had to call back the next day myself,I was told by Liz,that they had a meeting their accountant the next day on our issue and she would call us. When I told Barry no one called us (as a matter of fact my wife was told Barry and Eric were in Japan filming after she called on Friday) that I have NO TRUST with Be whatsoever,and that was no way to handle any customer issue. Again he said that he did not know anything about this,until it was on his desk today. I really appreciate your help on this matter..while talking to him today,I wished I could put my hands through the phone line,or at least wish he was in front of me,man to man. He gave me his phone number,if I wanted to contact him 818-207-7233. Please help show that he was wrong and you can help.

Thanks again,

Scott P




----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Barry Falck
To:
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 12:25:11 PM
Subject: FW: Reply from Barry Falck, president of Be.


------ Forwarded Message
From: Barry Falck
Date: Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:18:59 -0700
To: , Nick Tabri , Cristina
Mendoza
Cc: Liz Brainard , Nicolas Fordham
, Nicolas Fordham
Conversation: Reply from Barry Falck, president of Be.
Subject: Reply from Barry Falck, president of Be.

Scott and Maribel,

Scott, I am glad I spoke to you this morning. I would like to make sure we
bring your family back into the fold.

contact: LIZ ---Please email or call 1-800-974-9178 for Liz in scheduling
for classes, showcases, etc. We will give you a FREE showcase.

contact: CRISTINA -- Please email Cristina to verify your email. Cristina
publishes our weekly newsletters. This will keep you up to date on what is
happening here at Be.

contact: MARTIN -- Please send verification of new northern Cal job
listings to these members. Maybe email the first few direct, if you can.

contact: NICHOLAUS -- Please review this members site on our website and
make sure they have all they need to apply for our job listings. Also, give
them 1 year of web membership into the job site FREE!

contact: NICK -- pkease book this member for an upcoming TV shoot or two.

Barry Falck
President
Be., llc

As noted in my above comment on Be productions (or Artists Place)..the crooks are now moving around. Since Be closed it's Northern California shop...most of the the old gang,including Domingo Casanas moved on to IPAC Star,which is part of barbizon modeling. This "creep" even has the nerve to try to recruit us..check this out:

Hope all is well. I was recruited by IPAC in February and decided to jump ship.

Keep Smiling if I may be of service in the future just let me know.

Thank You!

Domingo Ivan


-----Original Message-----
From: Auditions
Sent: Apr 14, 2009 7:48 PM
To: domingo@barbizonmodeling.org
Subject: Fwd: Enter the Entertainment Industry



Begin forwarded message:

> From: Scott and Maribel
> Date: April 14, 2009 7:38:14 PM PDT
> To: auditions@ipacstar.com
> Subject: Re: Enter the Entertainment Industry
>
> Thanks Domingo..now we know where you are.
>
> From: Domingo Ivan Casanas
> To: arthur0424@sbcglobal.net
> Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 3:07:00 PM
> Subject: Enter the Entertainment Industry
>
>
> Enter the Entertainment Industry
>
>
>
>
> Hello,
>
> I am contacting you today is to inform you of a great opportunity for your child. If you feel your child is now ready for agent or agency representation, then I would like to invite you to an informative, no obligation photo shoot and presentation in our studio in San Francisco, CA.
>
> This opportunity is for a five day/four night showcase conference where your child will have the chance to present their talents to 40 top licensed agents, managers, casting directors and producers.
>
> Please contact me directly to see if your child qualifies to attend the conference. You may reach me at: (925) 457-1888.
>
> Sincerely;
>
> Domingo Casanas
> Talent Director
>
> THE INTERNATIONAL PERFORMING ARTS CONFERENCE
> WWW.IPACSTAR.CO

Stay away from anything Domingo Casanas has to do with!

May8,2008 we signed a contract with Be. Productions for their 5 year "Movie Star Package" for $3,495. At the time of signing the contract we were made a verbal agreement by Domingo Ivan (Cascanas) that once our son has completed the requirements (i.e. pay for photo shoot,pay money for money management training,pay money for Rising Stars boot camp etc) our son would be included in a paid roll in a Be. produced t.v. show. This is one of 2 e-mail's we received when we questioned Mr. Domingo: Hi! Thank you! Arthur will be on one of our shows by end of year.... Our crew took off to the San Diego area for the BeBopping shows that are currently being looked up by different networks. We were hoping that they would be back in production in the Bay Area for our two shows here by September...However Season two of Kids Unlimited and Say What will start in end of Oct and Nov...So you will be hearing from me then. Sorry, for the delay but Yes! it will happen. Thanks! Domingo Ivan We received that e-mail 9/13/08,after our son finished his commitment. Since then we received one excuse after another. This is either a breach in their agreement or a Con Job on their behalf. When we tried to contact our new "talent director" this week,we received a automated e-mail: Dear All, During the relocation process of the Be office in Emeryville, I will temporarily not be working for the company. During this time, all showcases, television shows, and classes will be continuing as normal. Please direct any customer service questions to our customer service line at 1-800-974-9178. I look forward to working with you again in the near future! We were never notified that they were relocating! We found out via their web site they are relocating to Tarzanna! No one is answering the customer serviec number. We feel we were given a CON JOB! What are they going to do next! Scott0424 San Francisco, California
U.S.A.

U.S.A.">