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explore talent - proceed with caution

Thu, 4 Mar 2010, 11:35 am
Garry D9 posts in thread
I thought it would be worthwhile to let people know that Old Mill Theatre has received the following unsolicited email: > We received a notification in our system that you are looking for the > following: > > "The play is to be performed at the Old Mill in Perth, WA, Australia" > > Please activate a Casting Director account (if you have not already > done so) > and post this project within your account so that we can automatically > match talents to your audition. This is a FREE account for Casting > Directors, such as yourself and will give you access to our over 2 > million talents. > > (I have deleted the link provided in the email, which goes to a membership form on the Explore Talent website) > > Upon completing, please email me back so that I can RUSH the approval > and activation of your project. > > Thank you & I look forward to working with you! > > Blair > Explore Talent > Booking Department > 323-785-2030 Along with this, we have also received three emails purporting to be from American teens requesting auditions for our upcoming production of Lady Windemere's Fan - their emails all link through to member pages on the Explore Talent website. I have done some background reading about this company, and note that there are many allegations that it is a scam operation. The Better Business Bureau report (an American consumer protection organisation) on the company is certainly not flattering... http://www.la.bbb.org/Business-Report/Exploretalentcom-13204121 I would urge people to exercise extreme caution with this business, and others like it. I can only begin to imagine why an American casting agency would contact a community theatre in Australia, which holds openly advertised auditions that anyone can attend, and does not pay its actors.

Quick Update

Sat, 13 Mar 2010, 08:16 pm

Just to point out that Explore Talent would appear to be run with a legit approach. It would appear that a third party had posted notices on "our" behalf without notification or warning. The reasons behind this remain obscure.

I requested that either the posting that was linked to myself be removed or that the perpetrator be revealed. I had no expectation of the latter and little belief that the former would occur either. However, I have been proven wrong. While I received no follow up communication to the matter, I suddenly stopped getting applications from American hopefuls. I checked with the site and found that the audition notice (one of two) had been removed. This was the audition notice to which I was specifically getting applications from.

I suggest that anyone else whom is getting applications from this site, applications that are basically of no value unless they are prepared to travel thousands of miles for unpaid Community Theatre work, contact the Explore Talent site with samples of the applications you have received. There may be a short delay, but based on my experience, they will remove it for you.

Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)

Jeff Watkins
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