Does anyone know of a talent agency that would take beginning actors?

Anyone know anything about "ProScout Talent Agency" are they legit?

• My daughter just came from a meeting and they want her to pay $350. to have talent agents come and see her over a weekend. This just sounds like a scam to me. They have a fancy web site and all but I just does'nt seem to be the way actors and models go about getting discovered.

• Answer:

  Total scam...if ANY agency ever asks you for money up front...walk right out the door and don't look back. The only legitimate way agencies make money is from commissions from the actors they actually find work for (usually 10 to 20% of what an actor makes on a job). They also often earn money from the casting agents...this is an agency fee and is paid by the casting agent, not the actor. See if you can find a copy of the Ross Report in your area (hopefully your'e in or near a major city). I've seen them on newsstands here but I'm in New York City. The Ross Report will give you a listing of legitimate talent agents in your area (if there are any, again I don't know where you are). Now you didn't mention what age range she is and which she wants to be, model or actor, so I'll do the best I can here. The best bet for your daughter is to find an agency that will help her develop as an actor or model...very, very few amateurs are discovered out of nowhere and made into stars right away. If she is an actress, she should not join the Screen Actor's Guild until she is getting well paying roles. Too many young, inexperienced actors, especially in LA and NY, scrimp and save to join SAG only to find out that they can't get the higher paying SAG jobs because they don't have enough acting experience. In turn to remain SAG members, they wind up working day or night jobs to pay that 1500 in dues a year instead of earning it as actors. Most beginning and moderately experienced actors make most of their acting income from non-union work and you cannot get this work if you're a SAG member. If she joins Actor's Equity, which is mainly a theatre union, she can still work non-union jobs and the dues are much lower. Joining the union will still not get her work though. Get her into a reputable acting school and get her started on learning the craft. Also other skills like learning accents, things like swordplay, which they also teach in those schools, can make her more hireable for a variety of roles. If she is a model, you can enroll her with a non-union talent agent that will get her started in commercials, minor, probably non-speaking roles in TV, etc. Some may ask you for expensive headshots and composite shots, some may ask for some good home photos...what you're willing to put into it is up to you. The agency I worked for here in New York was willing to work with good "Polaroids" for newcomers until they could afford to get professional shots done. With a child in this business...be prepared for her to miss some school. Auditions and "go-sees" as they're called usually take place during business hours on weekdays. My mother often pulled me out of school for these, but fortunately I was able to keep my grades up. Shoots can also occur during the day and may cause further absence. Also be prepared for rejection...it's just the nature of the beast. When you go to an audition, there will likely be a number of other people there for the same role or job she is there for...in some cases, hundreds of people. This is called a cattle call...and frankly, they suck...you wind up waiting all day for a job you probably won't get. But if you're determined...it can be worth it. The moms get to know eachother as do the kids from having seen eachother on other auditions and you can get tons of invaluable inside information from parents who have been at it longer than you have. If your daughter is of legal age, let her know that some agents will ask if she will do nude work. Usually this is perfectly legitimate, artistic work, but she may have some qualms about doing it. Tell the agent up front if she doesn't want to do it...they won't turn you away if you do, they just won't refer her for that kind of work. If however, she is willing to do it...most models who do nude work are paid much higher than those who won't so if she is offered say 300.00 for a shoot involving nudity, this is well below scale. (I haven't worked in the business for about 6 years so I don't really know what the going rate is, but at the time, the minimum was about 700.00) Finally, I know this sounds like a lot to take in, but I had fun in this business as a kid, my mom, who was a housewife, had something to get her out of the house (which was really why we started) and socializing with other housewives and I made enough money to pay for college down the line Well I think that's enough to get you started. Good luck!