Hundreds of parents were outraged on a recent Saturday, claiming a casting call in Phoenix, Arizona for young actors and models in the city was just a thinly veiled sales pitch for an expensive talent school.
The event was promoted via a series of radio ads that dropped the names of television shows such as Disney Channel's Hannah Montana and promised children the chance to audition in front of a prominent Hollywood casting agent.
While it delivered on that promise - Corbin Bronson, a casting associate whose credits include Monk and Battlestar Galactica, was on hand to screen test kids - the audition was organized by the John Robert Powers school, an international talent centre that used the event to promote its acting and modeling workshops.
Barbara Bowie, who regularly brings her two daughters to professional auditions, says the radio ads were misleading.
"This is entirely about getting us to spend money on the workshops," she said. "I'm very upset."
According to promotional materials for the school obtained by The StarPhoenix, the price tag for classes ranges from $1,950 to $5,900.
"So you have to pay for your child to be talented?" said Karen Ehr, standing in the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn where the auditions took place. Ehr, who felt "hosed" by the school, says breaking the news to her 12-year-old daughter, Kelsey Warden, was terrible. "I feel sick," Ehr said after telling Kelsey that she wouldn't be attending the school.
Tas Steiner, a Los Angeles-based spokesperson for John Robert Powers was unavailable for comment Saturday.
John Robert Powers may indeed have classes that can be of benefit and teach good information. It is my understanding that these classes are very expensive. I do know that they run ads in employment sections of classified ads that say, "Talent Scout Needed, No Experience Necessary". Then these so-called talent scouts go out to malls and places where kids hang out. They approach the kids, stating that they are Talent Scouts (many kids and parents misinterpret the term "Talent Scout" with a Talent Agent), and that they are holding "auditions" for certain shows, etc. They tell the kids that they are perfect for these roles, etc. And when they get the parents to bring the kids to these "auditions", they give the hard sell on their program and classes.
