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  • Report:  #550039

Complaint Review: James Buccelli - Universal City California

Reported By:
just the truth - Northridge, California, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:

James Buccelli
3450 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Studio 305 Universal City, 90068 California, United States of America
Phone:
310.739.7408
Web:
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
Filmmakers Beware!  Do business with James Buccelli at your peril. Are you smarter than a fifth grader, unlike me, perform due diligence.  On October 5th, I signed a sponsor contract with Runway Magazine LA to receive billing as an official sponsor for the Playboy Halloween Party 2009, as an early marketing venue for the upcoming release of an independent film.  Billing was defined as the film's marquee logo displayed among other sponsors' logos, red carpet media exposure, a press release, 8 tickets with table seating including food and drink for $10,000 dollars. 
On October 16th, Runway Magazine LA approved the live on-stage musical performance of a roots music band featured in the film to be included as additional entertainment at the charity event for $5,500 dollars.  The ticket compliment was increased to include the band, all expenses to provide the band were born by the film.
On the night of the event, October 31st, the 10 member ticketed sponsor party was denied entrance and told by event security that the group was not on any sponsor list or entertainment list.  After an extended and exhaustive effort to gain rightful recognition of ticketed credentials, the sponsor party went home.
Runway Magazine LA has denied a refund, and has shown no concern for expenses and resources expended.  James Buccelli believes his own hype and his unprofessionalism is only exceeded by his callous disregard for his clients' equity. Don't let your creative vision die on the Runway.



3 Updates & Rebuttals

Additional Truth

West Toluca Lake,
California,
United States of America
Or you kidding?

#2UPDATE Employee

Sun, April 18, 2010

The Playboy Halloween 2009 fiasco was very much a true story. Runway Magazine LA did not hold up to their end of the bargain. In fact, our ten person party for the event was instructed by numerous people within their organization to meet them at Runway's offices so we could convoy to the event as a group. No instructions to be there early were given.


Secondly, we were promised a Press Release, a Banner designed by their graphic artist would appear on the Red Carpet, and the ability to have our band perform on stage at the event. 

We later found out that no press release for the event was ever done, a banner was never designed or appeared on the red carpet, and on the night of the event we were stuck outside on a Sunset Blvd. side street with disappointed professional musicians, who turned down another gig and did their own press for the Playboy event. Their embarrassment was immense and so was ours.

When we got in touch with The Wounded Warrior Project (sponsors) we found out that James Buccelli and Runway were not sponsors for the event as they lead us to believe. They took our money to get general admission tickets as anyone could have done and pawned it off as something larger. That is fraud in our opinion.

After the event, a meeting was arranged with the Executive Producer off our project after claims that they had been trying to reach us to come to a resolution. To further promote their "unprofessionalism", they invited outsiders to the meeting that had no dealings with our business, nor did our executive know they were going to be there.

While in the meeting, our executive was constantly being side barred with feeble suggestions from strangers about how Runway can make this up to us, i.e. "We can get you guys a similar set up for the Playboy Superbowl event, we can guarantee distribution." Some of which we would have had to come out of pocket for more money. We were also promised a sponsorship through Jack Daniels or Southern Comfort, because they claimed the owner was their "buddy". 

They wanted us to continue to do business with them after selling us on the fact that the "Playboy Halloween is one of the largest media event in Los Angeles for the year", and of course taking us for an unaccountable $15,000 plus. 

Thanks, but no thanks was our predictable reply to their attempts to make amends outside of refund. We've asked for receipts for the Public Relations/Press Release and/or to be directed to any place where we can at least see the proof of release. We asked to see the banner that they claimed to have had made for us. And of course, nothing but run around. 

At this point we don't even know, nor could they provide us with a receipt for the tickets. Now we have a Runway invitee "guest" person trying to discredit our claims on their behalf, without being in any of our business meetings. 

I am aware of the Los Angeles Police report about the event, but we were outside of the mansion waiting for nearly three hours before the police arrived. This thanks to a pit stop the Runway Playboy Halloween convoy had to make in order to pick up additional people and lost us along the way. 

It stands to reason that if you have taken $15,000 of someone's money, maybe you should have an employee there to see to it that everything runs smoothly. They didn't act like a professional organization that had done this sort of thing before. 

Between the heavy drinking by their employees before the event, not having a representative at the Playboy Site in advance, no proof of anything they did on our behalf, the malarkey that took place the night in question, and the fact that they were discussing our private business with outsiders, I can't imagine how they could expect anyone to want to do further business with them.

We are not giving a one sided opinion here, we are dealing in the facts of the night in question and everything that led up to it. Our denial of entry may have been out of their control, but yet they and a cheap limo full of their intoxicated associates/friends as witnessed by our associates, were allowed to eventually get into the event.

One of the only Runway reps not drinking was able to corroborate that nothing was done on our behalf. No banner, no reserved table, and our band was not going to be allowed to play because it was never cleared with Playboy officials. I guess LAPD did us a favor by not allowing our ten people access and allowing the people in Runway's limo to get in. Kind of makes you wonder if we funded the entire Runway entry fee, since the Wounded Warrior Project was more than happy to refund us if it was one of their sponsors as stated by Runway Magazine and Mr. Buccelli.



deborah moore

beverly hills,
California,
United States of America
Some Tales Are Not True

#3General Comment

Sat, April 03, 2010

I was another Runway Magazine, Inc. Invitee to the Playboy Halloween Party and a repeat investor in Runway Events; and this complaint filed about access to the Playboy Halloween Party, I believe was filed by a company after the representatives from this company did not act as instructed to get to the Playboy Party as early as possible. It is public record that the Los Angeles Police Department responding to complaints instructed that no further guests be allowed to enter the party very early in the evening. There was nothing that James Buccelli and/or Runway Magazine, Inc. could do about the denial of entry to the Playboy Party.

Repeated offers to accommodate this company were made, including additional product placements and access to any future events that Runway Magazine, Inc. would be involved in; but all were rejected. The Playboy Party attendance was only a part of the agreement between this company and Runway Magazine, Inc., and again, any and all attempts to reach any accommodations were rejected unless they include full reimbursement of all funds paid (much of which had already been spent on other public relations, ads and the Playboy Party) and additional money for its out-of-pocket costs for travel that was not solely related to attending the Playboy Party.

The demands for a full refund and indemnification for any and all costs were and are unreasonable, especially since their denial of entry to the Party was beyond the control of Runway Magazine, Inc. which has been in business and operating since the late 1990's; and was previously incorporated as "American Beauty" and in June 2007 was incorporated as Runway Magazine, Inc. In that entire time there have been approximately 3-Ripoff Report complaints about Runway Magazine, Inc.; although none would be preferable, the only ones that have arisen were between December 2008 and the present when the economy has been at its lowest since America's Great Depression.

 


just the truth

Northridge,
California,
United States of America
MONEY AND TROUBLE for Nothing. Breach of Contract.

#4Author of original report

Tue, January 26, 2010

Filmmakers Beware!  Do business with James Buccelli at your peril. Are you smarter than a fifth grader, unlike me, perform due diligence.  On October 5th, I signed a sponsor contract with Runway Magazine LA to receive billing as an official sponsor for the Playboy Halloween Party 2009, as an early marketing venue for the upcoming release of an independent film.  Billing was defined as the film's marquee logo displayed among other sponsors' logos, red carpet media exposure, a press release, 8 tickets with table seating including food and drink for $10,000 dollars.  On October 16th, Runway Magazine LA approved the live on-stage musical performance of a roots music band featured in the film to be included as additional entertainment at the charity event for $5,500 dollars.  The ticket compliment was increased to include the band, all expenses to provide the band were born by the film($8,000). On the night of the event, October 31st, the 10 member ticketed sponsor party was denied entrance and told by event security that the group was not on any sponsor list or entertainment list.  After an extended and exhaustive effort to gain rightful recognition of ticketed credentials, the sponsor party went home. Runway Magazine LA has denied a refund, and has shown no concern for expenses and resources expended.  James Buccelli believes his own hype and his unprofessionalism is only exceeded by his callous disregard for his clients' equity. Don't let your creative vision die on the Runway.

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