Expert: Taylor Sheppard - 7/23/2007

Question
My 7 year old son was picked by proscout talented to go to their event, which is taking place in Santa Clara, Ca in September. We were told to pay $695.00 plus hotel,food and we would have to find pour own way there. They said there would be agents Their to discovery new talent and could get a contract. It is not guaranteed but you can get a call back. How do I know if this is a scam? I've looked online the last couple of days and I find pros and cons about this company. Can you help me in anyway to see if this is good for my son. Thank you for your time.

Answer
Hi Tina,

Sorry for the delay in answering your email. The good thing is you are talking to an experienced, veteran actor, the bad is, this has been an audition period for me for the last few weeks, and I get very busy. I like to be available for questions, so I don't use the "vacation" mode on this site unless I must!

What I know of ProScout isn't good. There was recently legal action taken against a similar operation here in Texas.
You need to think of it logically: How can a company know anything about talent without a face to face audition?
While you might send a tape or a picture of your son to them, they can't know if the picture hasn't been doctored or if the tape was something that took hundreds of tries to get right!
If an actor can't perform perfectly, or at least acceptably,
In one or two tries on an audition, how expensive would it be to film them for hours, hoping for a good take?
The companies are smart, because they tell you definitely, yet quietly, that they DO NOT GUARANTEE RESULTS...and in the excitement and lust for stardom, the hopeful, yet naive people somehow miss hearing that part...that is, until nothing happens! Then, there is angry calls, letters, etc. by people who had hoped for fame. The company then underlines the part where they told you "No Guarantee is Made of Employment, etc., etc.
What they do guarantee is a place to stay, (they made a reservation YOU must pay, no food, but maybe, some basic copied sheets of information on studio locations and etiquette. By doing that, they have met their obligation.
The guy I mentioned here in Texas had a deal where you'd stay in Oakwood, (an old apartment residence w/kitchenettes) and he promised a rental car to share between each two guests to get around. Unfortunately, he couldn't deliver on even that...this state does not take that lightly. We were one of the first to pass legislation against agencies that made you pay to take classes and get headshots to be a member.

Your son should have training, an agent and headshots/w/resume before travelling to Calif for "pilot season"...just find and pay for a long term (2 weeks, to a month) hotel and start pounding the pavement. You will need to get info on where the auditions will be, which is where the agent can come in handy...they should be able to find out if they are worth their title.
Bottom line: save your money! -Run away from this...

Best,
Taylor