I made the mistake of doing what so many parents want of their kids. To get their foot in the door of the entertainment world. My youngest is a five year old hapa haole boy that is full of life & energy. He's just so much fun to be around. With Susan Page's Modeling School coming to Big Island for an open casting call of sorts to discover new talent on outer islands. So the entire family was "stoked" for our little one. As we would all go to support his efforts.
My boy loves the Disney Channel,and is always entertaining the thought of being a child actor/model. But I prepared my boy to be letdown if things didn't pan out as we expected. Once a childhood actor myself, I knew all to well about the pit falls,traps, and just overall feeling of rejection one gets in this industry.
I'll admit, I held a long shot chance/hope that my youngest would get picked. But what happened yesterday was a total surprise,..but I should have seen it coming. After all my wife called it right on the money.
Let me set the scene for you. The place were interview was taking place was the Naniloa Hotel in Hilo Bay, yesterday morning. I imagine this was once a very proud hotel, but today it looked pretty much looked like a rundown "ghost town". After asking front desk were the Susan Page Audition was being held. We found the room with little trouble. Keep in mind folks, if you've never been to Naniloa Hotel. It's huge on the Honolulu scale size of hotels. But with one very big difference between Naniloa Hotel and all the Hotels of Oahu. The Naniloa Hotel is probably running at about 15% occupancy. So, not only does it resemble a "ghost town", it is in fact a "ghost town" ! Even though we were the first family scheduled there. I expected to see a lot more people waiting there. Several years earlier(7) I took my other son for a chance to model. But it was like a "cattle call" in every sense of the word. Literally hundreds of families waiting to get their siblings a chance at some form of stardom. We waited for hours back then for my other son's chance. 7 years is a long time ago. So I can't remember who the open casting call was with back then.
To make a long story short. The interview went nicely. The lady said all the things Susan Page's company teaches them to say. She said, "Susan Page's talent agency takes 5% to 10% commission on every job they get you." She then said with a wide grin, "when you get paid, we get paid". I noticed all these cards in front of use. They were like 'Baseball cards' ,only larger with images of the models on both sides. I asked the lady what they were about. I forgot the name she used for them. But said they were used by agency when a client would call asking for a certain look for their commercials. So I said, "were do we get these"? Her response was, "Oh, we use our camera guy, and our print company." So I blew it off and went on to the next question. While I was looking at contract, lady informed us that Susan Page would return to Hilo in Feb. to do a shoot special for new members so these cards could be made. Then the lady turns to me and says how will we be paying for these pics/card today? Price: $345.00 Somebody forgot to inform Susan Page Talent Agency, that the Big Island has very few families that have two nickels to rub together after monthly bills are paid. Unless you work for the federal Gov. , or state. Or perhaps your last name is Penn, then I rather doubt that Susan Page signed up any families yesterday on their scam!
Believe me, if the economy was better plenty of Big Island families would take a chance to make their son/daughter's dream come true through modeling. But this is nothing but a scam for Susan Page's company to make money off of people barely getting by.
Here are a couple of red flags that should warn families of Susan Page Talent Agency's intentions:
1.) These model's cards(sorry forgot proper name for them) are not used any more by retable model agencies. Now days models upload their pics for free to model agency websites.
2.) Even if you couldn't upload your own pics, $345.00 for a single card with several small pics on both sides is hardly worth $34.00 let alone $345.00. Plus, if you child is young, and growing fast. You would have to update your card yearly, or biyearly. Either way very costly year after year.
3.) Was I got to thinking about this, it made perfect sense. Why I knew Susan Page Talent Agency was there looking for money , and not talent is simple. Susan Page does not have an office for the Big Island. Say a client calls them seeking a hapa-haole model ,male between the ages of 4 & 5. Which my kid fits to the "t". Job is on Oahu, but client likes my son. But they are not willing to pay airfare. So they tell Susan Page, "let me see some more hapa-haole kids in this age group from Oahu! BAM!!!!! Job goes to Oahu kid because of cost. Only makes sense that clients would hire models from same island to keep cost down,right? So that was one more reason I question the sincerity of "Susan Page Talent Agency". The card they are asking $345.00 for can be made for less than $3!!!
In closing, anytime a modeling agency has their hand out asking for money,turn and run the other way! Modeling agencies are there for the models. If they believe in your looks/talent, you shouldn't have to pay for anything,..especially some BS sign up crap!!!
My boy loves the Disney Channel,and is always entertaining the thought of being a child actor/model. But I prepared my boy to be letdown if things didn't pan out as we expected. Once a childhood actor myself, I knew all to well about the pit falls,traps, and just overall feeling of rejection one gets in this industry.
I'll admit, I held a long shot chance/hope that my youngest would get picked. But what happened yesterday was a total surprise,..but I should have seen it coming. After all my wife called it right on the money.
Let me set the scene for you. The place were interview was taking place was the Naniloa Hotel in Hilo Bay, yesterday morning. I imagine this was once a very proud hotel, but today it looked pretty much looked like a rundown "ghost town". After asking front desk were the Susan Page Audition was being held. We found the room with little trouble. Keep in mind folks, if you've never been to Naniloa Hotel. It's huge on the Honolulu scale size of hotels. But with one very big difference between Naniloa Hotel and all the Hotels of Oahu. The Naniloa Hotel is probably running at about 15% occupancy. So, not only does it resemble a "ghost town", it is in fact a "ghost town" ! Even though we were the first family scheduled there. I expected to see a lot more people waiting there. Several years earlier(7) I took my other son for a chance to model. But it was like a "cattle call" in every sense of the word. Literally hundreds of families waiting to get their siblings a chance at some form of stardom. We waited for hours back then for my other son's chance. 7 years is a long time ago. So I can't remember who the open casting call was with back then.
To make a long story short. The interview went nicely. The lady said all the things Susan Page's company teaches them to say. She said, "Susan Page's talent agency takes 5% to 10% commission on every job they get you." She then said with a wide grin, "when you get paid, we get paid". I noticed all these cards in front of use. They were like 'Baseball cards' ,only larger with images of the models on both sides. I asked the lady what they were about. I forgot the name she used for them. But said they were used by agency when a client would call asking for a certain look for their commercials. So I said, "were do we get these"? Her response was, "Oh, we use our camera guy, and our print company." So I blew it off and went on to the next question. While I was looking at contract, lady informed us that Susan Page would return to Hilo in Feb. to do a shoot special for new members so these cards could be made. Then the lady turns to me and says how will we be paying for these pics/card today? Price: $345.00 Somebody forgot to inform Susan Page Talent Agency, that the Big Island has very few families that have two nickels to rub together after monthly bills are paid. Unless you work for the federal Gov. , or state. Or perhaps your last name is Penn, then I rather doubt that Susan Page signed up any families yesterday on their scam!
Believe me, if the economy was better plenty of Big Island families would take a chance to make their son/daughter's dream come true through modeling. But this is nothing but a scam for Susan Page's company to make money off of people barely getting by.
Here are a couple of red flags that should warn families of Susan Page Talent Agency's intentions:
1.) These model's cards(sorry forgot proper name for them) are not used any more by retable model agencies. Now days models upload their pics for free to model agency websites.
2.) Even if you couldn't upload your own pics, $345.00 for a single card with several small pics on both sides is hardly worth $34.00 let alone $345.00. Plus, if you child is young, and growing fast. You would have to update your card yearly, or biyearly. Either way very costly year after year.
3.) Was I got to thinking about this, it made perfect sense. Why I knew Susan Page Talent Agency was there looking for money , and not talent is simple. Susan Page does not have an office for the Big Island. Say a client calls them seeking a hapa-haole model ,male between the ages of 4 & 5. Which my kid fits to the "t". Job is on Oahu, but client likes my son. But they are not willing to pay airfare. So they tell Susan Page, "let me see some more hapa-haole kids in this age group from Oahu! BAM!!!!! Job goes to Oahu kid because of cost. Only makes sense that clients would hire models from same island to keep cost down,right? So that was one more reason I question the sincerity of "Susan Page Talent Agency". The card they are asking $345.00 for can be made for less than $3!!!
In closing, anytime a modeling agency has their hand out asking for money,turn and run the other way! Modeling agencies are there for the models. If they believe in your looks/talent, you shouldn't have to pay for anything,..especially some BS sign up crap!!!
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