Gary Spatz Alert! Buyer Beware
Last year my husband and I took my son to an audition after being approached at the mall by a woman. We were called back by a man named Brook Bishop (supposedly a former male model) and an employee of a company called APM talent. After a 10 minute telephone conversation we agreed to come in for a second time and that's when we were given the strong sales pitch.in order to be accepted we must spend over $2000 in fees for pictures and classes taught by Gary Spatz, a then respected acting coach.
Deciding the classes were grossly expensive we came home and checked with the BBB of southern California. We found company owner Eric Rottman had a lot of problems with his former companies here and in other states. We were relieved and disappointed at the some time. It was all just a scam. We did eventually find our son a legitimate agent and he is doing well.
Unfortunately, the story does not end there. Now just over a year later my neighbor and her daughter were approached at the mall, attended an event and called back by a man named Mr. Bishop. His new company now located in Century City is called Gary Spatz's The Playground. Once again he told my neighbor they would have to spend thousands for acting classes taught by the very same Gary Spatz. After talking to my son's agent apparently Mr Spatz at one time was reputable however, he is fast acquiring the reputation of running an overpriced acting mill. Scam artists are plentiful in this business so, if you have paid this company dimes demand your money back now!
You don't' have to spend thousands of dollars on acting classes. Call the Screen Actors Guild, buy a Back Stage West, contact your local community college or even ask a friend. Legitimate acting classes are just a couple of hundred dollars for six to eight weeks and most have agent showcases. All the real experts say that's all you need when you're just starting out to make sure your child is going to stick with it.
The City Attorneys office has a hotline for these types of scams 213-978-8100.
Protect our children.
A Parent
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