With the old feeling of suddenly becoming a cautionary tale descending upon me, I thought it best to throw out a few tidbits on what and who to avoid when beginning the never-ending, oft-traumatic, and eventually soul-satisfying journey of working in this industry.

MASS TALENT CALLS
Easily one of the biggest scams around, the mass talent call preys on young talent looking to get noticed immediately.  Now, there is no doubt that these calls, which are usually broadcast either on radio or the internet (cheap methods of mass-marketing), that there is exposure.  The status-quo is that you will arrive at the designated place, usually a hotel or a market center, along with hundreds of other hopefuls, sign in with your information, you’ll get a number, and then you’ll wait.  These young talents, some of which have a little experience, wait with their headshots and simple resumes and do their best to warm up.  The calls will usually be in front of industry executives who have established themselves in the industry.  Casting executives, agent reps, etc. will all be in attendance.  Sometimes they are said to be industry execs from Disney, NBC, ABC, FOX, or other networks or production companies looking for fresh talent.  What they do not tell you is that, often these individuals do not work in those fields anymore or they have since moved on to other areas.  If I actually did casting for a major network show, I can always say, in the right words, that I handle casting for major networks.  Doesn’t mean I still do.  So after these hopefuls present themselves in a quick, dirty, and often awkward audition, they are thanked for their time and sent on their way.  Afterward the company that hosted the event will call and say that a few individuals were interested and if they would like to pursue these options all they need do is fork over the money for either press packets of their audition materials, photo duplications, or whatever.  After the money is sent, suddenly there are no more calls and after a month or two, the phone numbers for the contact in the company don’t work anymore.  Beware these scams.  True casting execs will never deal with actors or models that are unrepresented, either by an agent or licensed manager.  Anything else is just after your hard-earned cash.

MONEY UP FRONT
Another old scam is the “Money Up Front” bilk.  Unscrupulous individuals preying on young talent and models will seek to get money up front for their services.  They will say that the funds will go to promotions, photos, press-packets, or other means to help “grease the wheels” of the local industry and get you noticed.  Once again, no agency worth their salt will ask for money up front.  An agent is hired by the talent, not the other way around.  The agency’s job is to find you work that is suitable for you and has the highest propensity to get you hired so that they can make their 10 to 15 percent.  Never pay for services you haven’t received.  It is the quickest way to be parted with your dollar.

UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS
This one pertains mostly to writers in the industry trying to get their start.  Say you have what you believe to be the hottest script to see the market that day and you know for certain that it’s a blockbuster in waiting.  Now you need to market it.  Once again, there are individuals who will wish to get your script and utilize it themselves.  When marketing your manuscript it is always best to have a literary agent to assist you.  If they believe in your work, they can get it into the right hands.  No self-respecting representative or production company will accept unsolicited manuscripts.  This standard procedure is for the protection of the agency and all individuals involved.  Also, be certain to have your work copyright protected under either your name or your companies name for further protection.  Filing with the Writers Guild of America is also an easy and cheap method of protecting yourself.  Each can be done at these sites:
http://www.copyright.gov
http://www.wga.org
Never send out your work without ensuring that it remains your work when it gets out of your hands.

WE DON’T DO NEGATIVES
We only do positives!  I’m kidding.  What this refers to is the actors’ calling card, the all-important headshot.  Here is another area, due to its level of importance in the actors’ career, that individuals can be easily scammed on.  Photographers have many methods of shooting your pictures and many of them are exceptionally talented people with long histories of solid work.  They usually have websites and massive displays of their work to look at.  Photogs are very much artists and they generally take their work very seriously.  However, there are a few that will take advantage of the situation.  When looking for a photographer, always call ahead and see about scheduling a time to shoot.  A true photographer will never charge up front for the photo session.   Sessions usually run anywhere from $150 to $400 or more depending on the amount of time needed, choices of wardrobe, black and white or color and so on.  This price will never be up front and if it is, and the photog is reputable, it will be refundable.   Why would you pay for photos that you are unsatisfied with.  With well-known photographers, sometimes there is a deposit for the shoot time which could be $50 to $100.  This deposit is usually instated to ensure the photog is covered for the empty time in the event you do not show up or something needs to be rescheduled.  Really good photographers will often charge a “sit-fee”, which will cover the time in case you choose not to purchase any of your photos.  Here is where the “negatives” comes in.  Many photogs use film to take pictures while a smaller percentage use digital.  Film is good because it looks more natural in finished products and what you see is definitely what you get.  When viewing your photos to select which ones you want to purchase, view the negatives as well as the comp card.  The comp card is a printout of all the photos taken, they will be in color, and you will use a photo magnifier to select them.  This works, but viewing the negatives is better as the inverted format will highlight flaws and aspects of the photo you may not normally see.  With digital, the transfer rate is good and much easier than film, but computers can sometimes detail a picture too much or create perspectives in the photo you may not like.  Also, lighting in a shot can be altered slightly by the computer itself and you may not see exactly what was photographed.  Many modern computer monitors have slight light compensation technology and the brightness of the shot can be altered simply by the direction you face the screen.  Such things should never be left to chance.  Ensure you’re happy with your product before you buy it and never pay for what you haven’t yet received.  You’d rather be out the fifty for the sitting than out the four hundred and stuck with a bunch of photos you really can’t stand.

WEB-BASED TALENT/EXTRAS SEARCHES
This is a fairly new one.  Individuals will set up websites that advertise on social sites like Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter.  They’re the little ads that pop up on the sides of the main pages you view.  Mostly these sites want you to upload a photo and a resume and fill out your information to create a profile.  This profile will be hosted on the site where casting announcements are made and casting agents go to look for talent.  However, this is usually never the case.  The sites will then ask you for payment up front for the effort of getting your photo and resume to these casting people.  To create a profile is always free.  To actually get work, they will charge you to make your profile public so that it can be seen.  I can tell you, in my years of casting projects, I have never gone online to any site, nor could I name one directly, where I have looked for talent.  If I want to cast something, I will advertise in a reputable forum and hold the auditions in a public place or other institution where I can meet the talent and see them perform.  Any casting agent who doesn’t use this method probably hasn’t been casting for very long.   This money goes to whatever company set up the site and their site disclaimer will always state that they are not a casting agency and purchase of their program does not guarantee future work as the hiring or offer of work is subject to the needs and desires of the individuals casting.  That’s an easy way of saying, “You may have paid us, but if you don’t get cast it’s not our fault.”  Just one modern scam that has cropped up in recent years.   And given the rather cheap cost of web advertising and how easily these social sites will eat up the funds used to purchase the ad space, there will virtually be no end to these online scam artists after your money.

So in closing, buyer beware.  Know what you’re getting into and use your resources to the best of your ability.  Networking is the best way to get ahead in this industry and the best way to protect yourself.  Everyone knows a little about something you don’t, so the more people you know, the more knowledge you will have access to and the better your decisions will be in the long run.  And in the immortal words of Frankie from Million Dollar Baby, “Protect yourself at all times.”