AHHHH! Huge News (for me)!!
 

My daughter and I both had an audition this morning, and we were both invited to participate in INTERNATIONAL TALENT SHOWCASE!!!! (Her as a model, and myself as a singer.)

What is ITS (in case you don't care to visit the website)? It's a conference that brings Casting Directors, Modeling Agencies, Record Labels, etc from New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Paris, Chicago, etc. They usually have people from Disney, Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, and those types.

I'm :D:D:D, but I'm also a little :eek::eek::eek:, because there is a price tag involved. The nice thing is that I'm invited to July 2011's event, so I have time to raise money - and they also allow me to get sponsors, who get a tax deduction because they can advertise in the program. Other fundraising ideas would be appreciated!!!


It's all still setting in. AHH!:D:eek::D:eek:

Cool! I'd be just as freaked out. That's so exciting!

Kudos to you and your daughter! :D

Congrats!!

not to get your hopes up, but i've worked professionally in the entertainment industry since I was 10, and anything like this is considered a scam. Yes, there are agents there, but you can just as easily find an agent without paying the price for something like this. they literally invite pretty much anyone who auditions for these things because they make money per person who then attends the event. If you have any questions on a better way to go about getting an agent then just PM me. :) I just don't want you wasting you money on this when there are better, more professional, and free ways of doing it.

good luck with everything!

I'm well aware that there are scams out there similar to this. My daughter got signed with Carolina Talent back in October, and I'm signed with them as of yesterday's audition. Carolina Talent is a completely reputable agency, and they are the ones that sponsored the ITS audition. Also, not everyone gets invited - my daughter auditioned for this year's event back when she first started modeling, and she didn't make it at that time.

Are there other ways to meet casting directors/producers/etc? Sure. For free? Not really. How much would it cost me to go to NYC or LA for a week? Probably more than the cost of this. Plus, part of the fee covers the entire year's worth of professional coaching that Carolina Talent is required to provide. A couple days of the event are also intense training workshops. So, even if nothing comes of this specifically, it's still experience.

Ok, I don't know why I'm justifying myself, but there you go.

As a fellow (sometimes) performer, congratulations!! The industry is tough. I'd love to hear updates on this experience! What and when is the next step? What kind of music do you sing? What is your vocal type? Do you train with someone?

Yes, you do get some classes...but if you are already signed to an agency, why are you going? I am signed with 3 agencies and all of them I didn't have to pay money for. I guarentee you that any casting director, agent, ect you ask will tell you there are better and more financial smart ways to go about this. The general rule of thumb is that you ONLY pay money when you book a job, then the agent takes out 10-20% (depending on what your contract states) from your paycheck.


You don't have to take my advice (you probably won't) but i've been in your shoes, gone to one of these things, signed with an agency, only to realize that I could be with a much better agency that would book me more gigs, signed with a few more and then started getting what I wanted. And I didnt have to pay for the legit ones.

You're in one of the carolinas? Wilmington has a huge film industry and Alanta's is growing. There are numerous agents there that are willing to look through your headshots, give you an audition, ect. Try one of those before you waste a couple hundred dollars.

A lot of people pay to go to talent showcases, casting workshops (chance to meet with casting directors). In LA, the pay-to-audition thing is something that a lot of people want changed. It's gained popularity in NY, and some of my friends have found work through them, but it's often a very long day (or week), and you end up with maybe a few minutes in front of CDs.

This isn't the only method, but some people have found success this way. Especially if they start out doing "Law and Order" type shows.

/hijack/
Unfortunately, the road to SAG is rarely a direct (or honest) one. Most of the people I know in SAG have entered via membership in AFTRA, a few Taft-Hartleys, and several via the waiver system (a lot of people hate this system bc of the ways people get the waivers; plus, if you go SAG before you are ready - and background work is not acting work and therefore doesn't give you any credited experience - you're competing with people with a lot more experience than you).

/end hijack/

I still wish you luck. I hope that you haven't signed exclusively with this agent. When you're "new", you want to have as many people sending you out for work as possible. Exclusive contracts are better suited when you're more experienced and/or have a billable name.

^Exactly, I booked an agency through something like this, paid like 500 dollars to go, all when I booked 3 more agents that actually got me gigs...and I didnt pay to find them. I'm just saying there are better ways to do this and if you walk into an agent and say "I went to this talent search blah blah blah" it doesnt sound like you have talent but rather someone ITS wanted to make money off of.

BeeBee, what market are you in? I'm near NYC.

Wow, nice buzzkilling of the thread. What's a Taft-Hartley? It's bringing back memories of American history class.

At any rate...WHOO HOO JESS!!! :) :)

I know, right? Good luck to you! I hope it works out for you and your daughter. Sure, there are scams out there. Sometimes things work out. Good luck and keep us posted!

Oh, OK - it's coming back to me now - it applies to unions in general and not just SAG in particular.

I'm in the south.

Alphafrog, as far as SAG goes...if youre in the south I would wait to even think about SAG. Here people get more work if they arent SAG than if they are because they automatically pay more to hire a SAG member.