Complaint Review: Aquila Media

 I was contacted by Aquila Media after applying to a commercial on modelmanagement.com. They informed me I was not selected for what I applied for. They then sent this email"Hello, Thank you for applying to our casting notice, it would be an honor to work with you. Aquila Media is a full-service creative production company based in Los Angeles. Our roster of experienced multidisciplinary directors are equally adept in original concept development as they are in execution, from live-action production to stop-motion animation. We create high-end content for international ad agencies and brands, including AMP, 360i, IKEA, Stella Artois, PayPal, Chanel, University of Phoenix, and Johnson & Johnson. We are casting

models and actors for an upcoming shoot for our client (ASOS) Asos.com is a British online fashion and beauty store. Primarily aimed at young adults, Asos sells over 850 brands as well as its own range of clothing and accessories. Revenue for the financial year ending 31 August 2015 was £1,119.9 million. As of August 2015, ASOS PLC has net assets of £237.3 million. Asos.com is a global online fashion and beauty retailer, offering womenswear, menswear, footwear, accessories, jewelry and beauty products. It sells over 80,000 branded and own-brand products online and through mobile experiences. Asos has websites targeting the UK, Australia, USA, France, Germany, Spain, Russia, Italy and China. It also

ships to over 140 countries from fulfillment centers in the UK, US, Europe and China. PURPOSE OF THE SHOOT : Our Client is compiling photos for their new menswear & womenswear line. We will be taking pictures of people wearing the products in a gritty, urban studio. USAGE :Twelve (12) months usage across the UK, US, Canada and Ireland. Usage includes: printed collateral, point of sale materials, digital/social/mobile, print, public relations and one press kit. EVENT DATE : February 11th & February 12th 2017 OR February 18th & February 19th 2017 SHOOT LOCATION : We will be shooting at a location around you, but transportation will be covered if we have to fly you out to Los Angeles. Full details

of location to be provided to you in due time. COMPENSATION & UNION CONTRACT DETAILS : $1,000/day and $4,000 for usage [Totaling:$6000]. This is expected to be a two day shoot which involved up to 4-5 hours daily or we can arrange a full day shoot for you in case you have a tight schedule. There will be a model release form upon acceptance." WARDROBE & MAKE UP : We’ll cover your hair and make up as well as your wardrobe. Your wardrobe consist of high end fashion products (clothes, shoes, custom wears and fashion accessories) which will be made specially for you by a contracted fashion stylist. Your wardrobe will be billed and shipped to you following the billing/shipping terms of the stylist

but the good news is that our client has secured adequate sponsorship for this shoot so you don’t have to PAY anything. RETAINER & PRE-NEGOTIATIONS : You’ll be receiving an upfront payment from the sponsor of the event, this is to ensure payment for future services or work to be rendered. The retainer check is an All-In-One payment which contains your upfront payment ($475) and that of your custom & wardrobe ($4,499). This is because the wardrobe will be billed to you and you have to adhere to the billing/shipping policies of the stylist as it is an acceptable business terms and conditions. You’ll be provided with instructions and guidelines in order to get this task completed. EXTRA INFO : You may come to the

shooting location with a friend or family if it makes you feel more comfortable. A model coach will also be on site to offer you a profound change of mentality, guideline & confidence. Don’t get me wrong: it’s rewarding and a privilege to be part of the jungle that is the fashion industry. But this same line of work can slice your confidence into pieces. Time and time again I’ve seen models ask painfully vulnerable questions. Am I pretty enough? Am I the right size? Do I have what it takes? I fully understand the importance of having confidence, and if you’re a working model, you should too. No, I’m not talking about faking confidence or putting on a forced smile in the casting room. I’m talking about really feeling

comfortable in your skin and embracing every quirk and trait that defines you. This is where working with a commercial modeling coach comes in. COMPANY NOTE: "In addition to representing talent, Aqua Media also offers training and related development services to models and actors for additional fees depending on experience level and select division(s)." REWARDS: This will be a fun day of modeling as you get to keep everything that you model. The photos will be posted on various social media platforms with name and link credit. INFORMATION REQUIRED : Below are a list of the required information in order to consider you for this amazing opportunity. LEGAL NAME STAGE NAME (IF ANY) PHYSICAL ADDRESS

(NO P O BOX PLS) CELL # AGE EXPERIENCE (IF ANY; NOT REQUIRED) TWO RECENT PICTURES REFERENCE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM PRIVACY POLICY & TERMS: By providing the information requested above, you agree that if you are chosen for this shoot, you oblige to the terms stipulated above (usage, compensation, wardrobe & make up, retainer & negotiations and rewards). If you do not agree with any part of the policy & terms, or if you have any other dispute or claim with or against us with respect to the Terms of Use or the Media Services, your sole and exclusive remedy is to discontinue further communication. We will not sell, rent or provide your personal information to third parties or

unaffiliated Internet Brands. Your personal information is shared with third parties with your consent, except in circumstances where the law requires it to be shared. Thank you & Looking forward to hearing from you soon." just like the previous ripoff report it was cc to undisclosed receipants (RED FLAG) There is not a lot of research that comes up so they are GOOD SCAMMERS, they are attached to an actual website and when you call the number on the site the guy alex anwsers no receptionist answering (thank you for calling Aquilla Media etc) he answered saying my name (how did you know it was me calling another red flag) I got the check in two days once i made the deposit I start thinking why would

someone send me a check for almost 5000 and never met me why woud they trust me? stated to do more invetigation and came across the previous ripoff report for this company they gain your trust by not asking for any info from you but your name, address (to send the check) and phone number but its a HOAX the check bounced after 3 days and I was charged a return check fee of 15.00  thank god my bank did not make the funds available until the check cleared when i emasiled the company and told them the funds wasnt going to be available until check clears and i sent a link to ripoff report that no longer responded. THEY ARE A FAKE DO NOT FALL FOR THIS They ask you to sign a  modeling contract and everything really making it sound legit. FYI copied from backstage.com about modeling scams as I was doing my investigation

2. Bad Grammar: The majority of the scams are from foreigners with a bad understanding of English and entertainment-industry terminology.
   
   
3. Prepayment: No real project will offer to pay you upfront before you've actually done any work for them. Scammers, however, will frequently offer to pay upfront to try and gain your trust (but you'll never get any real money from them) or to trick you into revealing your banking details to them.
   
   
4. Check Sent in the Mail: A popular "prepayment" method among scammers is to FedEx or priority-mail a check to their intended victim to gain their trust. The check will bounce within a few days after you deposit it. The scammers will try to trick you into sending them money before you discover that the check is worthless.
   
   
5. False Identities: Scammers will sometimes use the names of real people and real companies. They may even link to the real websites of the people they're pretending to be. But if you check the scammer's email address, phone number, and project details against the details of the real people, you'll find they don't match up.
   
   
6. Modeling Jobs: The majority of casting scams are for modeling gigs. Although there are lots of real model casting calls as well, be extra cautious when considering modeling opportunities.
   
   
7. Casting Without an Audition: Although some real projects will also cast actors online without meeting them first, it's more common among scammers to claim they want to hire you without even meeting you first.
   
   
8. No Locations: Casting scams will often say they're "shooting near you" without being specific about the state where the project is taking place. Or they'll even change the state to match your location if you tell them that you've moved.
   
   
9. Address Requests: Scammers will often imply that you've been hired but ask you to send them some additional info first, including your home address. A real project wouldn't usually need your full home address upfront.
   
   
10. Wire Transfers: Scammers will often come up with a variety of excuses for why you need to wire them money. They'll even offer to pay you extra in exchange for wiring some money back to them. Unknown to you, the money you wire will be picked up by the scammers' associates using a different name, likely in a different country, and then they'll disappear with the money. Never wire any stranger money, ever.
    
    
11. No Casting Notices: Although some scammers will try to post a fake casting call online to supplement their scam emails, most scammers do not bother to take this extra step. So if someone you've never heard of before emails you out of the blue offering to cast you in a project and they don't have a casting notice that they can link back to for more details, then you should be suspicious!
    
    
12. Nudity & Inappropriate Requests: If a project asks you to send them anything you're not comfortable sending them, or if they ask you to do anything at an audition or on set that you're not comfortable with – such as an unexpected request for nudity or any other unusual, strange, unprofessional, or innappropriate requests – don't be afraid to say "no." Trust your instincts, and walk away from potentially bad situations.
13. PRIVACY TIP: If you ever need to upload your resume online (including to your profile on Backstage.com), consider removing your email address, phone number, and mailing address from your resume first. Some scammers look for resumes online so they can contact actors directly. On Backstage.com you don't need to list an email address on your resume, because casting directors can instead contact you through the Backstage contact-form on your profile, which keeps your email address private until you choose whether or not to respond to the message.THEY ALMOST GOT ME THANK GOD I WAS JUST OUT OF 15.00 RATHER THEN ALMOST OWEing THE BANK 5000