Services, Acting lessons - O'Brien/Rottman Studios agency dissappeared

acting lessons www.ortpnw.com

Entertainment, General

From: Sharon Williams Email User

Date: Sunday, May 06, 2001 07:48 PM Dear Business: a consumer posted the following e-message at Complaints.com. Please respond directly to the consumer, using the consumer's name and e-mail address (as per the From: field above). You may also wish to respond publicly on the Complaints.com site. Just locate this e-message posted in your business's conference and click on the "Reply to" link. (Note: a user registration is required before posting e-messages to the Complaints.com site.)

_____________________ The O'Brien/Rottman Studios have locations in San Francisco, West Hollywood, Dallas, and Phoenix. My son signed a contract at the San Francisco location for lessons, head shot photo shoot, showcases. These were completed, but there was to be an ongoing relationship of helping him and consultation with a talent scout who chose to work with him. A few months ago, I went to the location in Union Square in the Tiffany Building. O'Brien/Rottman left the building without warning.

There is no longer a web site and the phones are dead. An employee of Tiffanys spoke with me and said he noticed there were no more showcases or people lining up for these or any activity at all. So why leave without warning? They seemed to be very busy with plenty of business during our many visits and I know we aren't alone in wondering what the heck happened. I do realize we maybe one of the fortunate ones who at least got most of what we paid for.

But there was supposed to be an ongoing relationship of consultation, and any earnings were to be sent to the talent scout who would keep 10% and forward the rest to my son. Fortuneately this hadn't happened thus far. Is this a federal income tax issue? What? I have tried to phone the better business bureau and other agencies, but I can never get through. I am not making long distance phone calls to the other locations. Anyone else know anything?

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my god. i was in the same exact boat. i was probably 11 or 12 years old and went to their west hollywood location. they had me read a few lines, i remember it being a cattle call and they had pictures (headshots) of young talent up on their walls...looked pretty legit. i remember my "consultants" name was Carol. She told my parents I have definite potential and that I needed headshots. My poor parents were so proud of me and signed me up and were swindled out of a few thousand dollars (I'm 24 now, so back then that was A LOT of money). After some time, they never sent me out on any auditions and all I got were headshots.

To this day, I will never forget how they could take advantage of people like this. It still makes me sad.

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I was probably around 9 or 10 years old when I had signed up, with my parents, for this. I remember I had received their add in the mail and since I had told my parents I wanted to be an actress, they took advantage of this "wonderful opportunity". They had asked me to recite 5 lines for a commercial, and I had even taken commercial acting lessons with a few other kids. Months later, after auditioning and auditioning, my mom said she couldn't contact them anymore, and that they disappeared.

I am 19 now, and am very upset that my parents and I were scammed. My family isn't wealthy, and we were hoping this would be a great opportunity for me to help my family by doing something I love to do. I truly am disappointed until now about this because that was a LOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT of money my parents spent AND LOST.

Those evil scammers deserve to be punished for their greediness!

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The same thing happend to me and my parents. I was about ten when the talent agency sent me a letter inviting me to an audition; after a few days I convinced my mom and she took me. I remember the first day I was there, I read a few lines in front of a camera. The next time I went, Aida Bernardino (I still remember her name) told me to read a few lines for her, and so I did. I remember I was pretty bad, and yet she said I was perfect and that I had talented...lol she was lying though I remember I was awful. Anyway with Aidas help, we finally convinced my mom and just like that we were scammed from five thousand dollars. I'm Twenty two now, but I'll never forget how we were scammed.