Showtime Pictures is based in Fort Lauderdale Florida but has contracts all over the country. Basically they provide the concession for the photo ops available to you when you visit a museum (example: The Titanic Exhibit and The Body Human exhibit) or a sports arena -they even offer their services onboard cruise ships.
Showtime recruits its "employees" in a low key way, primarily thru listings on Craigslist. They are not really looking for experienced photographers, they prey on young or desperate people who need a job - any job. They provide the cameras, the computers and you, as an "employee", provide the sales moxie. "Employees" do not make commissions and are paid a little more than minimum wage.
What's the problem? Well these folks do not deduct anything from your paycheck. They treat you as if you are self-employed. They don't really tell you this upfront... You figure it out later. Sure it's nice to get a bigger paycheck but the $ impact is horrible. As a self-employed person you pay more to the government than you would if Showtime took out the deductions for you. Almost twice as much. When you make minimum wage it's hard to come up with a huge chunk of change in April. Believe me - I just did my son's taxes for him! It's sad.
If that doesn't dissuade you from working for this company, you can also count on your paycheck bouncing every second or third week. This makes a major mess for you at the bank, adds fees, messes up your credit etc. Eventually the company will pay you back but not until you've logged hours on the phone with your bank and the people you wrote checks to that have bounced.
MOTHERS: Don't let your kids work here.
UNEMPLOYED: It will cost you more in dollars and aggravation than you will ever make.
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