Scam Warning

Found this on Craigslist today. It reminds me of how far I've come in a year. Remember my adventure in casting for "El Tiquitero"? My friends who read about my early pre-blog auditions will. In this episode, the actors are called to a warehousey location South of Market in SF and wait for about an hour for "an audition" with the charming young man who arrives carrying wardrobe over his shoulder -- "Just off a plane" from LA to interview them. The gig is to be a participant for little pay in L.A., to act, in Spanish, as a person getting into an argument with a traffic cop....you pay your own travel expenses to L.A. and hotel for this role. Who would do this? Meanwhile, in another area of the warehouse, a woman is hawking acting classes and a weekend in Napa or Sonoma where for $800 or $1,000 you get to meet a few "top L.A. Casting agents."

CASTING SCAMS BEWARE!

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Date: 2010-03-05, 9:29AM PST

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Here is what the Screen Actors Guild advises:

There are many unscrupulous companies trying to take advantage of actors. Don’t believe it if it’s...too good to be true.
You’ve seen them: those ads stapled onto telephone poles and plastered all over the pages of those throwaway neighborhood newspapers. They promise the moon, the stars and a shot at the big time, but rarely deliver even a pinch of stardust. “Audition for Bob! casting director of the hit TV show…” “Read for Bill, superstar talent agent at…” “Jim, personal manager of top actors, such as Steve and Susan, will be looking for new talent…” For those struggling to get a break, these meetings may seem to be the way to get that long-sought meeting with the big guys, the chance to be seen by casting agents, to work with directors, to be spotted by managers and agents. Sadly, most of them turn out to be a waste of time and money, if not an outright scam calculated to separate you from your hard-earned money.