I found a ad on craigslist casting a movie so I emailed my information to the email address. I had no idea but this automatically registered me for Explore Talent. I got a call from them about a week later asking for information like: My height, eye-color, age, and hair color. Then they said they will set up my profile and thats it. I didn't know what that meant.
I got another call from them (Explore Talent) about a week later. This man had a very thick accent that I could not understand. He doesn't explain why he is calling me, he just asks me questions such as What do I do for a living? I tell him I am an actress and he asks me what I have done? Then I precede to tell him some of the projects I have been in.
He tells me he is a Creative Director from Hollywood, and because of my profile on Explore Talent Ed Hardy wants me for his next runway line, and various casting directors want me for their next movie. I ask him how they have my information, and why they would want to cast me if I have not even auditioned for them.
He doesn't really answer me but tells me that in order to receive the information about these jobs I will need to make my membership at Explore Talent go pro by paying $70 over the phone. I obviously do not want to give him my credit card number over the phone with barely any information of what he is talking about. I ask him if I can call him back later and he gets mad at me.
He starts screaming at me that he is a Creative Director from Hollywood, Rex Anthony and that if I don't pay the money now my chance is gone and he will move on to the next profile. He says that tons of people say they will call back and never do so how is he suppose to believe me.
I tell him to stop screaming at me, and to calm down. If these casting directors want me so badly that can wait 15 minutes for me to be able to call him back. By this time I realize that this is a scam and tell him I'm not interested.
I live in Hollywood so I see scams like this all the time, but I have never had someone attack me over the phone. If Ed Hardy and other casting directors actually wanted me, a no-name, non-union, actress just out of acting school, then they would not make me pay them for an audition or the casting information.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Markvi
Los Angeles,California,
U.S.A.
EXPLORE TALENT=SCAM O'RAMA!
#2Consumer Comment
Tue, November 24, 2009
Explore Talent is a proven SCAM! Go look them up on Better Business Bureau! They STEAL castings from FREE sites like Mandy and Craigslist and charges money. They also steal from LEGIT sites like ActorsAccess.com
Respected Casting Director, Industry Expert, and Author, Bonnie Gillespie (http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/) has said how her castings that she ONLY posted on ACTORSACCESS.COM have mysteriously ended up on Explore Talent with the dates and some info changed around. GO AND EMAIL HER IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME!
Explore Talent also MISLEADS! They entice people with bogus links such as:
http://disney-channel-auditions.com
Some kid thinking he or she will get Disney Channel Auditions will end up at Explore Talent and not see any Disney Channel Auditions.
Explore Talent has been around for 5 years. In EVERY Acting Reference/Business Book written no earlier than 5 years and even in the books written or edited in 2008/2009, there is NO mention of Explore Talent!
Let's reference some of the Top Acting Business Books out there:
In Acting is Everything: Gold Edition by Judy Kerr, she mentions LA Casting, Actors Access, and NowCasting.
In How to Be a Working Actor:5th Edition by Mari Lyn Henry, Lynne Rogers, and Joe Mantegna, LA Casting, Actors Access, and NowCasting.
In Making it in Hollywood by Scott Sedita, LA Casting, Actors Access, and NowCasting.
WHERE ARE YOU EXPLORE TALENT?