MY GOAL: To save at least one unsuspecting person their hard earned money, because I obviously wasted mine.
Long read, but in a nutshell: elena humphries and her company unistar (which entails steve humprhies and lisa stanley) will take your money, and youll be lucky if you hear from them again after that. If you do finally get a hold of her (possibly by email), be prepared for her to talk in circles or give you some invalid excuse for why she hasnt done anything for you and why you havent physically received your photos and comp cards that you paid for.in my opinion, she and her company are extremely fraudulent!!!
I signed with Elena Humphries, last January afterseeing a Craigslist ad she posted looking for talent, because she was launching her so called talent agency (Unistar Talent) and needed clients, or victims. Prior to signing, Ive done research on the web that said if a talent agency ever asks you for money upfront and/or advertises for clientele on the web, that it is most likely a fraud like One Source Talent, Explore Talent, John Casa Blanca and Barbizon Modeling School and so on. However, I took the chance to go in and meet with her to see what she had to say, after I submitted a few photos that she claimed she liked. She told me I was photogenic and I asked her extensive questions to try to determine if she was legit or not because since this was a
very new company there wasnt any information on the web or BBB so it was hard for me decipher. She also claimed that she was a former international model, but I couldnt really find any supporting information on that as well. Based on her responses it seemed that she could very well be legit, but I knew that I wouldnt really be able to tell until I signed with her and worked with her company. Only time would tell. Well folks, time has truly spoken. She is extremely unprofessional. Once she takes your $1,100 or any sum of money for the so called photo shoot (or $700 like Hickster says) be prepared for a serious drop in communication from her and if you are lucky enough to reach her shell give you nonsensical excuses.
She rarely responded to my emails after months and weeks of trying to contact her. I also received no response to phone
calls or voicemails, so I could get updates. The photos I paid $1,100 for were very subpar, and I have taken photos by cheaper photographers that came out much better. Moreover, Ive never even seen or received my printed comp cards or portfolio book she claimed that my money was designated for. This leads me to strongly believe that she has misappropriated or pocketed my funds.
Additionally, within the past year not only has she done consistently well at acquiring an F rating with the BBB (she currently has a C), but shes also honed her skills at switching offices constantly. She has been in 4 different offices in the past year. What legit business do you know switches offices so often, and I was only informed of one move. I found out about her third move by driving down to her office building because she was not responding to my communication attempts and the woman at the front desk informed me that they had moved. I wasnt surprised. My advice is please dont waste your money. My experience with her company and unprofessionalism has been horrid. When you look for a talent agency, look for legit ones and focus on
companies that already have a history with the BBB or at least ratings on the internet, so you can determine whether its worth signing or a fraud. If the company post online for clients or ask for money upfront, run the other away.
Legit and established agencies like Kim Dawson would never post online for clients, because they know how to get them. Elena simply wanted my money, and hasnt delivered anything since. I havent been on at least one audition to see if I can book a job, and she has provided me with no legit information to prove that she has been working on submitting me for castings. I mean you cant even really get in contact with her, most likely because shes busy moving offices ever chance she gets, hanging up on you when you call her cell phone because she claims theres static and she cant hear you, flying back and forth between
her home country and the U.S. And setting up fake photo shoots so she can take your money. Basically everything but actually doing work for her clients and maintaining a good repo ire. I am extremely disgusted by her behavior and lack of business ethics.
The good reviews she posted on the site and others as a rebuttal to huckster, I believe are all manufactured by her or her associates to try to create a positive image, so she can continue to take peoples money.
Hickory also reflected a very intersted point about co-owner and husband of elena humphries, steve humphries, being charged of security fraud in florida! I am not shocked. Now it appears that they obviously may have started a new company (unistar talent) in texas to defraud people, because i have definitely been scammed!
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