Complaint Review: Aquila Media - Nationwide

 I was contacted by Aquila Media after applying to a commercial on castingfrontier.com. They informed me I was not selected for what I applied for, but would be contact for another opportunity. All of which happens in the entertainment world... so nothing unusual there.

This is the email I received (mind you, every email from there on out had a CC to undisclosed recipients, and a BCC to me... that should have been red flag number 1): "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."

After doing a TON of research on this company, the sponsor, this type of work/compensation, etc, I honestly couldn't find anything wrong (these guys are gooooood scammers) so I responded with everything they asked for (ONLY because no really personal information was asked for--bank info, SS #, etc... so they shouldn't be be able to hack me, so I hope...) After sending them the info, they sent me a simple contract, that seemed to protect me pretty well, so I researched even more, into modeling scams, into their names specifically, and nothing came up. In fact, some things said that models often have to buy their wardrobe... so I decided "why not" and signed it. Emailed it back, and the next day they apparently sent a check out, without confirming the shoot date, location, etc, and having never spoken to me on the phone. Well, obviously my gut started to say NO!!! and I wrote them immediately, and said I was uncomfortable with how this was being handled. No response. I asked for them to call me. No response. I received the check, that was addressed from Aleksandr Sharapova (a person whom I had ZERO knowledge of during my contact with Aquila Media... he's not listed anywhere on their website, not in the contract, nothing) and that's when I was finally able to track that this was a scam. He has several scam reports here on this site and elsewhere. I looked at the check, and it only had 6 numbers for the routing number, and no phone number for the bank it was "from"... it did have security features, so well done, boys! You nearly had me. I truly hope no one else falls for this. I will send a copy of this report to Casting Frontier as well.