One Source Talent (www.onesourcetalent.com)
To Whom It May Concern:
I was looking on monster.com one day for
jobs, and I found a listing for One Source Talent (well,
actually I found quite a few listings for One Source
Talent). Though I wasn't at all interested in the
job(s) they had listed, I was bored and went to check
out their site. They had this little thing that
was like "Become a Model/Actor Today."
All you had to do was answer a couple questions
and submit a photo (optional), and someone would call
you within the next couple of days. The "optional" to
submit a photo should have raised a red flag right there,
but I just submitted my stuff to see what would happen
and went on my merry way.
A couple days later, I did in fact get
a voicemail from One Source Talent, saying they wanted
to meet me. I didn't feel like returning the call,
so I figured that was the last I'd ever hear from them. The
next week while I was out, however, my cell rang. Who
was it but One Source Talent? ! ; The person on
the phone said again that they wanted to meet with me,
so I was just like "sure, why not?" and agreed
to go in that Saturday to their office.
First of all, I had NO idea that when I
would get there there would already be 20 or so people
wating in line to see someone from One Source Talent. I
had nothing else to do that day, so I waited in line...
for a rather long time. Eventually, after probably
an hour or so of waiting, they pulled everyone out for
individual "interviews" and when I went they
asked me to come back on Monday with some snapshots. I
said "ok."
So, I went back on Monday. My appointment
was actually for 3 pm, but they said to get there early. I
did. Didn't really matter though, as I waited for
TWO HOURS to even see anyone. This woman asked
me into an office, and then asked me a few questions
before taking the picture disc I brought and leaving
to look at my photos. I don't know if they even
looked at them, and I don't know why they couldn't have
looked at them there, since there was a perfectly operational
computer sitting on the desk.
She came back 10 or so minutes later and
said "We think you're marketable, and we want to
work with you. We even have a casting for you for
an independent film on Wednesday." (Funny
how I might get a casting right away for an independent
film since earlier when they were "interviewing" me
I had said I thought it would be interesting to work
on an independent film.) Before telling me anything
about the supposed casting, other than it was at 4 pm
on Wed at their office (also funny), she whips out this
sheet of paper that she wants me to sign.
In hindsight, it looked quite unprofessional
for a contract, but the most important thing was that
in the second or third bullet point down there was a
clause stating that I was to pay $395 for a "digital
comp card" along with the $29.95 they requested
for monthly fees. When I said that they had made
no reference to a $395 fee at the Saturday interview,
she told me they had, almost in a sort of "yes,
they did and you are insane" tone of voice.
When I still voiced concerns, she said
that if money was a problem, I could pay $195 or so now,
and get the rest to them within 2 weeks. She said
again how they "really wanted to work with me" and
wanted to get started right away so I could attend that
Wed casting. I left with an unsigned contract.
There were several things about this place
that bothered me:
1) They asked me to pay this money up front. They
said it was for a "digital comp card," which
is basically a space on their webpage with a few pictures
on it. I could make one myself if I wanted to in
perhaps 10 minutes and for far cheaper than $395. That
bit doesn't really matter, the part that worried me is
that they were asking me to shell out a big sum of money
without any guarantees that it would lead to a job. I
have yet to hear of a legit company that's in the business
of finding clients modeling or acting jobs that doesn't
work on commission. Real agencies only get paid
when they find you work. One Source Talent said
that they're not "a modeling agency," and that "don't
work on commission," but if they don't, what motive
or ability do they have to find me work?
2) They were saying that they were going
to set up this "digital comp card" without
me even going to a professional photographer. Even
though I do some photography and some of my photos were
self portraits that I did for art reasons, I know they're
not acceptable for being on a professional comp card. If
I know that and I'm not even in the industry, what does
that say about them?
3) Everyone who came in for an interview
that I saw walk out the door walked out with a folder
that seemed to signify they'd been signed with One Source
Talent. No matter what they looked like.
4) The place came across as being entirely
unprofessional. No one should have to wait 2 hours
for a scheduled appointment. Even the worst doctor
I've been to wasn't that bad. And there was no
one telling the people waiting that things were going
to take longer than we'd initially planned. It's
just odd that on this sheet I got for my second "interview" they
were saying how important punctuality is, and how you
should arrive at least 15 mins prior to your appointment,
when they were making us wait 2 hours to even see someone! It
also didn't look like there was a single person working
there over 30. There is nothing wrong with workers
who are in their 20s, but it's a little strange when
you go into a business and it doesn't appear that a single
person there has been working for more than a couple
years.
I went home and looked on the internet
to see if I could find out anything about this company. I
found report after report of people spending money for
services they didn't get or employees not getting paid
for work they did. My conclusion: there are better
(and more effective) ways to get into modeling or acting
than through this agency. I feel lucky that I didn't
sign anything and give it to them. I get the idea
that many people have, only to find out later that they
were ripped off.
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