World Talent, Inc - Anyone Familiar w/ Them??

[manatua]

Re: World Talent, Inc - Anyone Familiar w/ Them??

last week world talent inc. called my husband on his work cell phone. they said they were doing an open casting call and were looking for kids. well i called them back and inquired about it. i asked if we had to pay money they said no that they had 2 hollywood producers in town looking for kids. well my son went. they told us to call back on monday to get the results. here is what they said "" well we had over 200 kids and out of that 200 we chose three, your son is our first pick. your husband needs to call us back within the hour and let us know if he has any questions about the packet we sent home with him( i am on the mainland going to school right now) i will hold his spot open for the next hour. so my husband read it and they want a 1000 dollars to start training him. hmmmmmm........... sounds fishy to me. it went from being an open call to now we have to pay a 1000 dollars. anyone else dealt with them over the weekend????????

[Ms_Aloha_Nui]

Re: World Talent, Inc - Anyone Familiar w/ Them??

Here's some info on them from the State of Hawaii, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registrations Division....FWIW

General Information
Name Value
Master Name WORLD TALENT INC.
Business Type Domestic Profit Corporation
File Number 123295 D1
Status Active
Purpose PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR MODELS, ACTORS, AND FILMMAKERS
Place Incorporated Hawaii UNITED STATES
Incorporation Date Aug 28, 2001
Mailing Address 1314 S KING ST STE 855
HONOLULU Hawaii 96814
United States of America
Term PER
Agent Name JEFFREY R. NIEBLING, ATTORNEY AT LAW
Agent Address LAW OFFICE OF PETER P.J. NG
3604 WAIALAE AVE FL 2
HONOLULU Hawaii 96816
United States of America

[manatua]

Re: World Talent, Inc - Anyone Familiar w/ Them??

Here's some info on them from the State of Hawaii, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registrations Division....FWIW

have you dealt with this company?

[Ms_Aloha_Nui]

Re: World Talent, Inc - Anyone Familiar w/ Them??

No, I have not, don't know any one that has....but my rule of thumb is 'If it sounds too good, then it probably is." If there is a contract to sign, review it, review it, and then have someone else review it and make sure you UNDERSTAND, COMPREHEND, and UNDERSTAND what is expected. If you are paying for this service, I would be very hesitant and check them out the the Better Business Bureau. You can also go online to www.ehawaiigov.org and look for the State office that licenses or regulates this type of company. If you call BBB, I'm sure they can give you plenty of info....be careful, be wary.

[manatua]

Re: World Talent, Inc - Anyone Familiar w/ Them??

No, I have not, don't know any one that has....but my rule of thumb is 'If it sounds too good, then it probably is."

thank you for responding

[tutusue]

Re: World Talent, Inc - Anyone Familiar w/ Them??

At the risk of redundancy, please refer to post #9 above.

[Guest 009]

Re: World Talent, Inc - Anyone Familiar w/ Them??

What they are doing is making money off of what people want to hear.

If you are familiar with the modeling industry in Hawaii, you would undoubtedly have a clear understanding of what World Talent is "offering" and, be more inclined to pass on their offer.

Decisions like this should be based on more than a company's sponsored events or, if they're listed with the Better Business Bureau. Anyone can pay money to sponsor an event which, by association alone, will seem to make them look better. And, a storefront that legally sells pornography can be registered with the BBB. A decision like this needs a good realistic understanding of what, truly, is being offered and why.

Please read and re-read the thread by tutusue (June 13, 2006). His/her advice is very blunt and truthful.

- If pressure is applied using a deadline, walk away from it. Companies like this understand how and why people react under pressure. Control your emotions and take the correct amount of time needed to make an educated decision.

- Registering with a local talent agent should cost nothing. Absolutely true. A typical modeling agency makes money when you make money. It's a win/win if you're an active model with their agency. If you make $100 for a print ad, 20% is a common fee to be deducted. If you make $1000 for a TV appearance, the agency will take their share accordingly. Both parties are happy. A company like World Talent is not banking on the fact that your child will get jobs. They don't need to since they are getting paid by you (the parents) from the start.

- There is a difference between signing with a talent agent and signing up for classes. Paying for legitimate modeling/acting classes can get expensive. If your child becomes seriously interested in this industry, the classes can be well worth the cost. On the other end of the spectrum, a talent agency like World Talent will simply make an unfamilierized child "feel" like a model by grooming them, doing mock photo shoots and teaching them the just the basics of modeling and acting.

As far as Cold Calls or approaching people in public, it can be difficult to distinguish legitimate offers from "scams," especially when emotions are involved. Always be weary. Remember that legitimate modeling agencies will NOT ask for money. So, while World Talent's business is not illegal, please see them for what they actually are.

[tutusue]

Re: World Talent, Inc - Anyone Familiar w/ Them??

[...]Please read and re-read the thread by tutusue (June 13, 2006). His/her advice is very blunt and truthful.[...]

All you have to do, Guest 009, is take a look at my avatar in the upper left corner of this message to know that I am...ALL GIRL!

[Guest 009]

Re: World Talent, Inc - Anyone Familiar w/ Them??

Oops!...I only caught on to the tutu after I re-read the name. (My bad!) Have a great week.

[jdub]

Re: World Talent, Inc - Anyone Familiar w/ Them??

Ask Jdub. I think they screwed with him about two-three years ago!
@

ha! yep...it was trans continental talent or some such thing...basically just a ponzi scheme...i checked it out because they were recruiting talent scouts...turns out they were just looking for people to scam other people into forking over a small fortune for headshots and portfolio packages...i stayed for all of about, oh, eleventeen seconds...some victims ended up whining on the local news...i don't know a thing about "World Talent"...

if you're interested in getting kids into the biz, go with the legit folks in town with proven track records like anna fishburn or kathy muller...they got me tons of jobs back when i was, well, let's just say way back when...

[tutusue]

if you're interested in getting kids into the biz, go with the legit folks in town with proven track records like anna fishburn or kathy muller...they got me tons of jobs back when i was, well, let's just say way back when...

Yep! Trans Continental (I think that's the name) and World Talent are 2 completely different entities. TC got busted pretty quick!

Just an FYI...Anna Fishburn, my friend AND competitor <g>, is not a talent agent. She is a casting director. TAs represent the talent. CDs represent the producer. CDs don't sign talent.

Oops!...I only caught on to the tutu after I re-read the name. (My bad!) Have a great week.

B-b-b-but...look at that face! Feminine to da max. And the hat? No guy in his right (or wrong) mind would dare wear such a designer delicacy.

Sorry, Guest, couldn't resist! Just having a little fun!

[damontucker]

Re: World Talent, Inc - Anyone Familiar w/ Them??

Agent Name JEFFREY R. NIEBLING, ATTORNEY AT LAW
Agent Address LAW OFFICE OF PETER P.J. NG
3604 WAIALAE AVE FL 2
HONOLULU Hawaii 96816
United States of America

So I had to google the attorney mentioned by Ms. Aloha Nui.

I'm wondering why someone with a License to be an attorney would get involved with such a skeptical thing?

They must be sorta legitimate because they are members of the Honolulu Better Business Bureau. The only slightly fishy thing is if you go to their website, www.worldtalent.com, you won't come up with any info on that company per se. Could be that they are fairly new and haven't got their website up and running (or they aren't using that URL because it says that domain name is for sale). You could also call the State Office of Consumer Protection to see if there are any complaints filed against this company.

Well Miulang that link on worldtalent isn't even working at all now...

[pzarquon]

Re: World Talent, Inc - Anyone Familiar w/ Them??

Manoa, as my reply to Miulang back then made clear, the domain she found wasn't ever valid. The local World Talent, Inc. website is here.

They are BBB members, and provide a variety of services. I think the point here is to just read the fine print, understand what you're getting into, and know what various services and benefits are worth to you. The fact of the matter is, when it comes to one's kids, the stars in one's eyes can sometimes cloud things.

[damontucker]

Re: World Talent, Inc - Anyone Familiar w/ Them??

So after I go to PZ's corrected link...

I notice they have careers listed... so just to look a little further...
I click the link... and read the legal disclaimer...

I certify that the information contained in this application
is true and complete to the bestof my knowledge and understand
that any false information on this application may be grounds
for not hiring me.
Today's Date and Time: 02:39 AM Wed, 30.08.2006

Obviously from the timestamp the website is run from somewhere else.

And notice the typo best of bestof ...etc.

I dunno... seems all to fake to me.

EDITED: My bad PZ I didn't see your post below... thanks for the info.

[pzarquon]

Re: World Talent, Inc - Anyone Familiar w/ Them??

Manoa, I don't know where you get "fake." You're the last person qualified to harp on typos, for one thing. And what's so awful about their webserver likely being located somewhere on the mainland? This website is hosted on the mainland. The server date is past midnight as I type this -- it's the software that adjusts it for local time on posts.

World Talent is a local company with a local office -- a real office with an address and a door and everything! If you have any questions about its existence, feel free to visit them. Here are the directions.