Okay... Let me break it down as professional as I can... A One Source Talent Representative calls you from a nationwide home based call center. That person that calls you is an at-home business employee of OST. They get paid to process email submissions and to do call backs from the privacy of their home. Every Submitted talent is called back for an interview. Every talent gets told that their very marketable. It's the "Butter up" system for you to come into an interview.
When you get to your OST Interview, everything looks professional but, yet look at your surroundings. There's something missing "thought" will cross your mind. At the same time, as you wait, other call back potential talent flee through the door like a herd of cattle acting as if they got something that no one else has... Talent... You look at them and your like... What the hay? While you continue setting there, observe the receptionist. She's on the phone setting one reschedule appointment after the other of those that cancelled or couldn't make the 1st initial interview.
After about 30 minutes, everyone is placed into this huge room, filled with chairs lined up in two column, a huge flat screen hangs on the wall, you fill out an application, and there's video camera's in all 4 corners of the room. The camera's are there to observe the talent but, not in the way you initially think. Those cameras are there so that the OST Team can watch & observe the suckers that they feel will buy their scam once you get behind closed doors.
Before anyone is called back for interviews, the Director will come out to do a practiced script about OST. They do this from the time they get to work until 7:00pm at night. Think about it? He or She will tell you about all their previous work experience and tell you about current talent. They'll show you these COMP CARDS of these pretty talent ID members. The OST Director will tell you a few success stories like the kid that appeared in the DORITOS PLAY NICE COMMERCIAL, and then, they go for the win. They'll tell you about this $39.95 a month service fee. They do it so fast that you don't hear them say anything about the $495.00 dollar deposit. That's their attempt of trying to be up front with you. They pull this " we want to be up front, fourth coming, and honest" line to make you feel like they can be trusted.
Eventually, the OST employee will start calling several people back into small groups where you're placed in line in a hall way like you're in elementary school. One by one, the potential talent goes into a small room where two OST employees will take your measurements, weight, and take your physical profile information. They write it down on a form & send you back to the BIG ROOM where you wait to be called back, again, for a private one on one meeting.
The second private call back, you go into a small room with one OST employee that ask you a few questions and they act as if they're observing you or your child to see if their SHY, basically. Yes, on occasion, they'll tell you that your child is too young and needs to mature. This is to make it even appear more legit. OST will give up and reject those that they've already observed w / those cameras in the BIG ROOM as, whether or not, you or the parent can afford the service they provide... And yes, they do judge a book by it's cover which, you and I know... Looks can be very decieving... Right... That's what they do. OST is a business in doing just that...
After the second interview, they'll schedule another meeting for you to come back. You'll travel back to OST from how ever far you come from the first time and you'll get this... You'll get there, wait a lot longer than you did the 1st time you were there. OST will call you back for a PRIVATE meeting one on one... They'll spend about 20 minutes asking questions and giving this spill... They'll even go as far to tell you about TALENT THAT WAS SUCCESSFUL THAT NO LONGER NEEDED THEIR RESOURCES and cancelled thier contract service with OST. Then, they get you to sign the first initial contract... Then, they tell you about their $39.95 a month fee again and explain all the 5 services you'll get for this fee. They go out of the room, leave you waiting and thinking about the program services. They'll come back in the room after 5-10 minutes with another contract, put it in front of you and they'll drop the big balm of $495.00 dollar NON-REFUNDABLE deposit in this 2nd contract and your suddenly, like... Uhu? They do a pretty good job of convincing you... If you can't do the whole amount, they'll work with you. It's kind of a tit 4 tat... I trust you to follow the payment plan, you trust me to give you this service. OST will activate your accounr service & it'll become available to you ONLY when you come back to pay the remaining balance. ONLY after you sign the contract agreement, the OST rep will take these digital pictures of you or your child... They use these photos to put up pictures on your site to link to your COMP CARD and head shot talent specifically linked to your issued ID Profile.
OST Rep. Will tell you that there's three (3) ways for you to be promoted & submitted to acting/modeling jobs or casting calls... They'll tell you that OST handles & submits you to these bigger companies while you submit yourself to these other smaller casting calls that are posted on their site after you log in. OST will tell you that the BIGGER companies will call them, often at the spur of the moment, needing immediate talent. OST will tell you about these NO HIDDEN FEES and invite you to come to these training & company events held in their offices twice a month. OST claims they post these free of charge meetings on the Forum Board at OST.com and claim it's an opportunity for you to meet others in the industry. I've yet to see these posts.
So, you buy into the scheme of things after they tell you the punch line of investing in yourself as an actor or model. Actually, OST is correct in telling you this. WHY? Think about it!!! Any sport you've ever been in cost money. Let's say TENNIS for EX: Rackets, Balls, constant time invested to practice, driving to & from tennis courts that are available, and the entry fees you pay for tournaments. Even Dance Classes for EX: You've got the monthly fee, learning sessions for months, then, you spend hundreds of dollars for recital costumes to perform on your big day... It's the same concept. Golf to pagents... You invest... You spend money for a service, travel to spend hundreds of dollars to get to auditions in or out of state from wherever it is that you reside, and eventually, you get rejected enough times that you loose confidence & give up. OST gives you this " DONT LOOSE FAITH OR GIVE UP SPILL" but, reality is that is exactly what their banking you'll do... To make things worse, you're now broker than a bum on the street and scrambling around figuring out how you're gonna pay your bills or put food on the table.
OST tells you that the professional world wants the average person, not that of the Supermodel "CINDY CRAWFORD, IMAN, TYRA BANKS" stereotype or the "Brad Pitt's or TOM CRUISE'S" GQ Stereotype... OST is, partially, correct in telling you that part because the Professional world has moved to the more AVERAGE type. Back in the mid-90's, the industry went through a transitional phase. EVERYONE know's this... It's nothing new.
bottomlime. You get home eager to jump of the site to log in. When you do, the disappointment sets in and you realize that the Digital Photos OST took are they worst photos you've ever taken in your life. So, you delete them and upload your own. OST will tell you that you've need approvals for the photos before uploading them from the OST Director. (Actually, you send them to the Director that claims she's a model... Uhu bull crap... Research her. You'll find she's a wanna be just like you and has never been in any commercial print, advertisement ads, short films, or featured films. All those type jobs have your name linked to them. Had you done those type of jobs, you're name would be all over them as an earned credit... EX: Just type in CINDY CRAWFORD and go through the thousands of mags she's been on, etc. MOVING ON...) You'll wait and wait for a returned email that YOU'LL NEVER GET a response to.
You evaluate the castings and do the searches... You start submitting yourself... First of all. A vast majority of the casting calls are OUT-OF-STATE, reality show, ON & OFF Broadway theater productions. Naturally, You'd have to travel to the BIG APPLE and CALI. The IN STATE casting calls are for short films and commercials Directed & Produced by STUDENTS from a UNIVERSITY or COLLEGE... Here's the KICKER... You can do a simple search to submit to any of these Reality shows by simply submitting to them on their site. Short Films... Well, every state has a Short Film Non-Union Website where you can get the same posted casting call for free. Ex: texas short films. BING IT!!!
When you log in to your OST MEMBER ID SITE, the 1st thing you see is these NEW CASTINGS, you get excited to see if any of the casting calls are a match for you. REALITY is that everyday OST claim they post new casting calls but, the casting calls are ONLY extensions of the same casting calls you've already reviewed a hundred times.
BY the way, You can print, download, and save the COMP CARD to your computer but, know this... When you go to print them, their pixelated. OST will tell you it cost hundreds of dollars for photo head shots and to generate COMP CARDS. Let say that I used my POWERPOINT and created a far better COMP CARD.
At the end of the day, YOU'RE on your own, submitting to castings. You pay for a linked domain site, grainy pixelated "Comp Cards", Casting Calls that you can find elsewhere for FREE, and you've just wasted the initial $495.00 dollars, plus all that money in gas, the monthly membership fee, and let's not forget the time and the emotional let down
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