I've worked for a casting director and have family members in the entertainment business, so I am pretty familiar with how the game goes. But I ran Explore talents name, and thought you guys would like to know about my experience with them. I should have known the moment I walked into the room, something wasn't right. Their "studio" was an old apartment with the paint chipping off the walls, some lady behind the desk where you sign in for your shoot.
I was told to bring 4-5 looks for my shoot, and I did. Well, thier stylist is a guy who coordinates your one outfit for the shoot (not the other 5 that I lugged around nyc all day in a duffel bag) I was told to go change into my look before my makeup session, which, no lie was a tiny room with a curtain covering it. The stylist who put the outfit together than did my makeup, and bottom line, noone else is to ever do makeup on me a gain! I looked like a god d*mn clown!
So here's the photoshoot for you... 1 guy with a camera, 1 guy with a light, and a white back drop. After 20-30 poses of the same look, I get passed on to a guy who is sitting at a table with other people with computers lined up, he stares at my photos on the computer and tells me " you are so photogenic, "obviously the camera loves you" and so on. I looked up across the room at a the guy across from me and he's clearing buying all of this. The lady was promising him the world left and right.
My guy was not as convincing... Then the best part! The original offer I was told it's a free shoot, you get to be added to our talent list, we are your agent, we only get 10 percent of what you make and you pay nothing... Well, I'm told that my "beautiful" photos can only remain on their website for 24 hours, unless they get a $200.00 deposit upfront!
When i told them I wasn't paying teo hundred dollars for those photos, they strted to make payment plans with me. I told them i get back to them within a few hours after I checked with my bank. Bottom line. Get a real agency! These people will do nothing for you, and what was most heart breaking about it, their were so many parents their with kids, I knew they were going to fall for this scam.
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