CGTV Verified TRUSTED Business REVIEW: CGTV has success stories! CGTV takes talent seriously. Agents from top agencies are impossible to get in front of, but not for CGTV.
ABOUT THE RIPOFF REPORT BELOW:
Ripoff Report would like to let readers know that Ripoff Report emailed this customer so the member business could make things right with them. When a business joins the Corporate Advocacy Program, Ripoff Report emails everyone from the past so the member business can make things right with them. Of course, everything within reason. In order to confirm that the complaints were resolved, Ripoff Report is copied on all responses so we can insure that the member business did right by their customer. The author of the Ripoff Report below never responded to our offer to help them.
STATEMENT FROM CGTV:
While we will respectfully provide a response to this review of CGTV and its staff, we would like to first clarify that this is not someone that has ever hired or worked with CGTV and is not a client of CGTV nor Adrian R'Mante. We will now address his letter point by point, sticking to the facts. (Our answers are highlighted with BOLD lettering)
This company roams from city to city using unsolicited emails to recruit new people to rip off, and kids to devastate while in their town. They pay celebrities to endorse them and pay local talent agencies to let them piggyback, making them seem like an agency, of which they are not. Apparently, they buy email addresses from other entertainment-based agencies that people have had contact with.
CGTV is a talent training company that sends it's Disney coaches and administrative staff to cities across the Globe from Beirut, Lebanon to Atlanta, Georgia scouting for the best of talent and the freshest faces. No celebrities are paid to endorse us. The owner of CGTV is Adrian R'Mante, aka Esteban from The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. His paid staff members whom also train the kids side by side with him are all legitimate Disney stars but also paid coaches. CGTV hires and employs only the best available talent to work with our new young actors. CGTV often relies upon local talent agencies to find those potential rising stars. These talent agencies are proud to partners with CGTV as they are very aware that the graduates from our program are working actors and some of them quite big stars. Often, the CGTV success stories are the largest success stories that these local talent agencies have. There are websites that offer "Free auditions". We do not have any websites such as these. CGTV does have an extensive database of people that have inquired about "auditions" from a variety of sources. Most of these people find us through Facebook. (About 97.97%). The rest may have come in through an agency that was advertising for "auditions" for us and then we market to that list. These are all standard digital marketing and operating procedures in any professional and credible business.
The email says it’s actually from their chosen local agency, but they have nothing to do with it. It states they’re looking for kids age 5-17 that want to be on TV, and actually uses the words “an exciting opportunity to meet and audition with…” (insert name of paid Nickelodeon/Disney actor). The truth is you meet the celebrity but the “audition” isn’t conducted with them.
We have answered this statement in the above paragraph. The truth is, not only do you meet the celebrity, but he is also the owner of the business, the trainer of the students, the producer and the one that puts them in front of his deep Hollywood relationships. If, Adrian R'Mante cannot make a city due to his own acting shoot schedule, he sends another Disney star that is an employee and coach for CGTV.
CGTV is never even mentioned until you respond and get a confirmation email. Even then, it’s just sneakily thrown into the content and the local agency is still identified as the sender.
Untrue, as 97.97% of our auditions come in through our Facebook page where you can find our name everywhere.
The email also includes the following cleverly-worded snippet:
IMPORTANT: The audition is free, however, you will be responsible for your travel and expenses, etc. if you end up going to Los Angeles to work directly with Disney & Nickelodeon actors for one week in Hollywood this summer and to audition for some of the top agents & managers in the business!
This snipet is included so that we do not face people like this gentleman at the audition. It is very expensive to fly around the world with a team of Disney stars and administrative staff to find talent. As we are not agents, we make zero income when our stars become Hollywood A listers. Million Dollar careers are born out of CGTV, and often times they came in paying a few thousand dollars for their training, collaterals and industry connections.
After an afternoon of smoke and mirrors, which includes a simple monologue audition and introduction to the celebrity at a hotel, parents are given a brochure. It’s then that it’s finally divulged they are merely selling pseudo “talent camps” in L.A., which cost $1000 to $6000 depending. According to the brochure it’s basically an instructional youth camp for aspiring actors.
We are selling the best talent program in Los Angeles with the highest conversion rate to the big and small screen. We offer the lowest of entry fees and the highest statistics industry-wide. We are well respected and a main talent source for an alarming number of Hollywood Talent Agencies that have come to depend on CGTV for continual fresh talent in a continually emerging market. 75-80% of our people are offered "Call backs" from Hollywood managers and agents. If not, they are entitled to return FOR FREE and re-audition as many times as needed. We help for life. Given all of this, we believe our entry point is very low. And, we even provide scholarships to inner city and third world country kids that need our help. Later, some of them turn out to be big stars and come back for free to help spread the word of CGTV.
They aggressively pump up the kids/parents with the idea that the child is not only one of the chosen few, but is outstanding and that they are excited to work with them. This merely sets them up for the big close of sale. In actuality they tell everyone that. All kids are chosen, and they’ll take anyone’s money for the camp; talent is irrelevant.
Typically, in a room of about 300 people, we offer a program placement for about 30-50 kids that we feel have natural talent and personality. What this person is saying is actually "libel" which is the written slander of a company or person.
Lastly, the person that becomes the point of contact and tries to close the sale after the “audition” is a man named Virgil, who claims to be the brother of the company owner (Adrian R’Mante). After researching, Virgil turns out to be Virgil Winebarger, who has arrest records in Florida involving prostitution and battery. See links below:
http://florida.arrests.org/Arrests/Virgil_Winebarger_2142295/
Virgil is indeed the brother of Adrian R'Mante and did hold a sales position within the organization. Families working together is not unheard of. It is also common for an actor to use a stage name, which in this case, Adrian R'Mante is a stage name. We will not discuss the personal past life of one of our employees as has no bearing on this review.
When Virgil called to close me after my daughter returned from the phony audition, I had already done my research. I asked him the questions that showed him he had been exposed, told him I’d heard enough and hung up on him. He then proceeded to send me a harassing text, stating that he wouldn’t work with my daughter for all the money in the world.
I responded very harshly and profanely, telling him I wouldn’t let my children near someone like him, and warned him that he’d better not contact me again or his legal troubles would resume. He then continued to harass and threaten me, stating that he has a “huge legal”, whatever that is.
When you threatened Virgil, he let you know that making false statements about CGTV is libel and that if he continues to commit libel against CGTV that CGTV would have no further choice but to take litigious actions against him. In terms of revoking her invitation, parents are a big part of the CGTV program and their willingness or unwillingness to support their child's dreams is crucial to their success. Virgil made a critical decision that your spirit, infused into our world would not be positive. We support this decision. And when your daughter turns 18, she will know, we are here for her.
He couldn’t even type. His texts sounded like they were composed by a 2nd grader, full of grammatical errors and missing words, barely decipherable. At the end he actually sent me a picture of a child that he claimed was his for some ridiculous reason.
PARENTS: Don’t let your kids near this man or this company. Any true professional would completely ignore someone that hung up on them, for they have no time for games. He obviously is at the opposite end of the spectrum from professionalism. The company has changed names several times, has never applied for BBB accreditation, and my Ripoff Report is one of MANY you will find on them.
STEER CLEAR!
We are not going to comment on your character assassination of Mr. R'Mante's brother. With regards to the BBB, they are a private organization that charges large sums of money, we only participate on social platforms that connect us with the actual people. And there, we are flourishing and you can watch videos from our graduates that are now A Listers in Hollywood.
NOW TO THE ORIGINAL REPORT THAT WAS FILED
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This company roams from city to city using unsolicited emails to recruit new people to rip off, and kids to devastate while in their town. They pay celebrities to endorse them and pay local talent agencies to let them piggyback, making them seem like an agency, of which they are not. Apparently they buy email addresses from other entertainment-based agencies that people have had contact with.
The email says it’s actually from their chosen local agency, but they have nothing to do with it. It states they’re looking for kids age 5-17 that want to be on TV, and actually uses the words “an exciting opportunity to meet and audition with…” (insert name of paid Nickelodeon/Disney actor). The truth is you meet the celebrity but the “audition” isn’t conducted with them.
CGTV is never even mentioned until you respond and get a confirmation email. Even then, it’s just sneakily thrown into the content and the local agency is still identified as the sender.
The email also includes the following cleverly-worded snippet:
IMPORTANT: The audition is free, however, you will be responsible for your travel and expenses, etc. if you end up going to Los Angeles to work directly with Disney & Nickelodeon actors for one week in Hollywood this summer and to audition for some of the top agents & managers in the business!
After an afternoon of smoke and mirrors, which includes a simple monologue audition and introduction to the celebrity at a hotel, parents are given a brochure. It’s then that it’s finally divulged they are merely selling pseudo “talent camps” in L.A., which cost $1000 to $6000 depending. According to the brochure it’s basically an instructional youth camp for aspiring actors.
They aggressively pump up the kids/parents with the idea that the child is not only one of the chosen few, but is outstanding and that they are excited to work with them. This merely sets them up for the big close of sale. In actuality they tell everyone that. All kids are chosen, and they’ll take anyone’s money for the camp; talent is irrelevant.
Lastly, the person that becomes the point of contact and tries to close the sale after the “audition” is a man named Virgil, who claims to be the brother of the company owner (Adrian R’Mante). After researching, Virgil turns out to be Virgil Winebarger, who has arrest records in Florida involving prostitution and battery. See links below:
http://florida.arrests.org/Arrests/Virgil_Winebarger_2142295/
http://florida.arrests.org/Arrests/Virgil_Winebarger_2292315/
When Virgil called to close me after my daughter returned from the phony audition, I had already done my research. I asked him the questions that showed him he had been exposed, told him I’d heard enough and hung up on him. He then proceeded to send me a harassing text, stating that he wouldn’t work with my daughter for all the money in the world.
I responded very harshly and profanely, telling him I wouldn’t let my children near someone like him, and warned him that he’d better not contact me again or his legal troubles would resume. He then continued to harass and threaten me, stating that he has a “huge legal”, whatever that is.
He couldn’t even type. His texts sounded like they were composed by a 2nd grader, full of grammatical errors and missing words, barely decipherable. At the end he actually sent me a picture of a child that he claimed was his for some ridiculous reason.
PARENTS: Don’t let your kids near this man or this company. Any true professional would completely ignore someone that hung up on them, for they have no time for games. He obviously is at the opposite end of the spectrum from professionalism. The company has changed names several times, has never applied for BBB accreditation, and my Ripoff Report is one of MANY you will find on them. STEER CLEAR!
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Adrian
Hollywood,California,
USA
Display is KARMA7 because you want to get back at CGTV for firing you. I bet you won't reveal your identity?
#2REBUTTAL Owner of company
Sat, September 19, 2015
Hello Karma7,
Correction:You are completely incorrect with your attacks on my company that you should do your research Karma7 or should I say "Melina" who is a former FIRED employee that is angry I let her go for lying to my families...which is why your Dislpay name is "Karma7" The truth is CGTV is owned and operated by celebrities which is myself Adrian R'Mante and co-founder Phill Lewis And many more. We have been doing this for years and we have countless kids, teens and young adults on TV, in movies and commercials. You can defame my company all you want but you can never take away my success stories!!