I joined Casting Factory in September. The agency seemed reputable since it's website looked pretty professional and it had a grand following on facebook and twitter. The office seemed professional and the staff were pretty nice. They were always getting phone calls about bookings. This made me confidant that it wasn't a scam. Randy asked me for two fees upfront, one for a yearly fee of a dollar a day. The other for head shots, which were $500. Red flags shot up as soon as he said this, and I should have ran right then. However his speech fooled even me, telling me the agency was relatively new and they didn't have a lot of clients. Also during the interview, he would occasionally answer a ringing phone and talk to casting directors. I payed almost $900 that first day.
That weekend I went in to do my head shots. The people were all very kind and I had a great time. This only made me feel more optimistic about the company. Randy had already set up an audition for me which I went to later that week after I picked up the CD with my head shots. He told me to pick my favourite one and send it to him.
After the audition I sent him the headshot of my choice. He never replied. I waited 6 months for a call. I never got one. I emailed Randy at the end of March and he told me someone would be in contact with me the next day. No one has been in contact with me since.
Casting Factory is very good at what they do. Making you feel welcome and hopeful for your dreams, yet only taking their money and ditching them the moment they have emptied your pockets.
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