Universal Talent Agency
If you drive up to this poor excuse of an office and your thinking, " This is it?" stay in your car and peel out of this parking lot as fast as you can!

Read This Before you visit Universal Talent-Take my advice and everyone else's advice on this site and steer clear of this place.in fact steer clear of the entire street cause its as sketchy as this agency is. The location is so appropriate for this joint. I answered an ad for TV extras, wanting to make extra money. I have no desire of becoming and actor and could care less about being on a shoot of any kind. I drove up to the place (26 Sherman St) and before i even got out of the car, one look at this shack of an office should be enough to tell you not to stop the car. Some kind of hybrid trailer/garage painted flat black (classy). But i drove all the way there (45 min) so i figured I'll go in and hear what they have to say. I go inside and the lobby looks like a dirty basement with walls covered in head shots probably to distract you from all the stains (clue #2 that you should walk right out the door). No respected agency would look like this place does. Before the guy at the counter (John) even looks at me, he asks if i have an appointment and if i have a photo of myself. I gave him my pic and at a glance he says "This is way to dark man, I cant even see your face". It wasn't dark at all and the only thing in the picture was my face. He tells me that i need to reschedule when i have a better picture or he can take a Polaroid for 10 bucks (clue #3 you should go). I knew i should run out the door, but again, i figured i drove all the way there and i didn't want to have to come back so what the hell is 10 bucks (im sure it went towards his dinner that night). He takes the pic and after acting like he is super busy he sits me in an office and begins his act. Tells me all about the biz and pushes their photo and acting classes as if people were lining up at the door for them. I keep telling him i don't want to take a class esp cause it costs 100 buck that i tell him i don't have. Plus i cant imagine what kind of acting class is going to come out of a place that looks like that. Then he pushes the head shots which all look super cheap and cheesy, you would be embarrassed to hand these out if you were a real professional. Featuring a horrible baby blue back drop like its a Sears portrait studio pic from the 80's taken by a nerdy teenager working a part time. (These masterpieces cover the entire lobby with not even one good looking person). He tells me he cant get me any work unless i have head shots. The package is 500 bucks so again after telling him i don't have that money, i ask him if i can just bring in head shots if i get them done elsewhere. He tells me yes but strongly recommends i get them done there telling me that the package they give you is worth over 1000 dollars which is not true. They only let you keep something like 25 pics and they keep 25, and after those are all gone, guess what, you have to pay another 500 for more pics. I keep telling him i don't have money and so I'll think about everything and I'll get back to him tomorrow. I asked for his card (which has no name, clue#4) and for his name, and write it down. I also ask for his last name and he says john again pretending he didn't hear me while up and shuffling about. I walk out the office and head towards the door but he didn't give up the pitch, now name dropping and really selling the "fun" aspect of the job and telling me he will work with me to make it happen if i wanted the work. He says he can put me on 2 jobs the very same week but i just have to leave a deposit for the head shots and that i can just work off the rest of the money from the jobs im going to get (he said i would make up the money in 2-3 jobs). And go figure... Just like that, all of a sudden i didn't even need head shots to get a job with them. Just as long as i promised to take them eventually. He was even willing to take a hundred dollars off the price and to sweeten the deal he told me i can come to the next class for free and just check it out and meet some "fun" people, which i had no intention of doing. He wanted me to leave a 250 deposit which i wouldn't do. I finally agreed to 100 mainly just to get this over with and because yes he did put me on for 2 jobs at the end of the week and i needed the extra money. On my way out i hear the other head honcho (Jim) in another office barking the same routine to someone else that had walked in after me. He was pretty much yelling at the guy. The next day i get a call from them with the details for the jobs they put me on. Then after talking to a friend who experienced a similar modeling scam all my bad feelings started to make sense and i started to research this place and found nothing but bad news. Yes they did put me on two jobs (which payed next to nothing by the way) but that was only because john was desperate to take my money. And after those jobs were over I'm sure i wouldn't see another one for a while and if i did it would pay peanuts. I never went on the jobs they gave me cause they weren't worth my time and i wanted to break all ties asap. When i called to tell them didn't want to work with them, Jim barked at me and hung up, (nice). Yes i did get scammed, but it was only for 100 bucks. If i didn't know any better i would have handed over 700 dollars or more like many other people have to them for nothing but empty promises. Bottom Line: this place is a total scam and even though they may get you work, it will pay peanuts and you are going to end up giving them much more money then they will ever pay you. Plus after a few jobs if you even get any, they are going to tell you they ran out of head shots and cant get you any more work unless you spend another 500 for more head shots. Its a ridiculous cycle. #1 no agency that really wants to represent you will ask you for money upfront or push their classes and head shots on you. #2 No respected agency would ever look the way this place looks. They can at least try and clean the place up with all that money they are scamming from people. #3 Having friends who have been extras before i know most of the time you don't even need a head shot to be an extra which was proven by John himself who put me on two jobs have zero head shots. #4 you can get much much better head shots done anywhere (even a photo booth in any mall) for a lot less money. Dont waste your time or money with this place.

Company: Universal Talent Agency
Country: USA
State: New Jersey
City: Wayne
Address: 26 sherman st

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