Fraudulent Practices
They are even telling people that all the negative things people are posting online about them are a competitor. I'm no competitor, just a dad that fell for their scam and my goal is to warn new parents to this awful truth. We went through the whole process with this company including spending thousands and going to classes. I know the SCAM, I know from experience!
Ok, here is the deal with this company.
You are out with your family and a women will come up to you and she tells you what a cute kid you have and begs you to come to an audition or what they call a "tryout". You attend, and the whole process is designed to get your child's hopes up about being an actor. They line the walls with photos of teen stars and autographs to complete the effect. Your child is excited and on the drive home you can only hope you get a call back. (don't worry, everyone will get a call back if they think you have a few thousand dollars to spare) The next day or two you will indeed receive a call from Terry, John or who ever. They think your child is great! But, you will need to fork over $3000-$5000 per child for their "wonderful" acting classes to "prepare" her or him for the big time". Sound familiar to anyone? I thought so. Read on..
Here is what I have found out about this company and its operators.
Gary and his group have been scamming kids and parents for many years in several states. They change company names, leave town and close the doors when there becomes too much heat or the law is on their trail. They left Dallas in the middle of the night! There is now so many people posting their experiences with Gary Spatz, an investigation by the authorities and from what I understand a news expose that it would not surprise me if they were planning an exit strategy for "The Playground" as I write this. Gary and his group will deny he has had anything to do with these other companies, you can't hide the truth these days thanks to the internet. Poor Gary...
Google Eric Rotman, Gary Spatz and previous company names like, O'brien Rottman Studios (shut down in Dallas, Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles) and Artist Promotion and Marketing. The list goes on.
The bottom line is if you have been contacted by this group do not fall for the scam. You do not need to spend thousands of dollars to get started. There are tons of great acting classes out there for a lot less money. (our teacher was nice enough but not that good) DO YOURSELF and YOUR CHILD A BIG FAVOR and go online and check out "Backstage" a wonderful recourse for teens wanting to get started. Also, check out "BizParentz" a non-profit site run by parents that have kids in the business.
I hope this helpful and will inform people about this company. I can put up with a lot in this world but, taking advantage of children is not cool, and this company has to be stopped!
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