Scam Alert: The Byron Sanders Advertising Agency

Recently a Star Search Casting member posted an email they received to the community forum because they had concerns that the email was a part of a scam. The email was from the Byron Sanders Advertising Agency, a company that sells advertising, marketing and public relations services and claims to help rising stars get media exposure through major television networks, the Internet and print advertising.

The company is listed as the Byron Sanders Marketing Media Management Agency with the Better Business Bureau. The company is based in Dallas, Texas and is not a BBB accredited company. The company has an unsatisfactory record with the BBB due to failure to respond to a complaint. In the last 36 months, two complaints have been filed against the company - one of which has been closed.

This information doesn’t necessarily mean that the company is involved in a scam. Most companies that have been involved in scams have a far greater number of complaints within that span of time. However, there are several red flags. The first is that due to the nature of the industry that the company is in – advertising, marketing and public relations – it’s somewhat suspicious that there is limited information about the company on the web. If a company claims to be able to promote you, then you’d definitely want to go with a company that is able to promote themselves. For example, Ken Sunshine has worked to promote actors such as Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake and Leonardo DiCaprio. A Google search for Ken Sunshine’s name returns over 20,000 records, while a search for the Byron Sanders Advertising Agency returns only six results.

Secondly, the company claims to be the “greatest advertising agency in the world…” however the company is not a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies. Lastly, in the email that was sent to one of our members, the representative asked them to email them back and state how much money they were willing to invest in promoting themselves. Reputable advertising and public relations agencies are not “name your price” businesses. These companies work for specific fees, on a project-by-project basis, or on a monthly retainer.

For aspiring actors, singers, dancers and models, there will be a time where you will need the assistance of public relations and marketing professionals to help you boost your career. However this point generally comes once you’ve found an agent and have booked one or more significant jobs. Additionally, your agent or manager at that time can pair you with a marketing and public relations agency with a great reputation and a strong track record.

For more information on entertainment-related Internet scams, log in to http://www.StarSearchCasting.com each day and check out our Scam Alert.

Scam Alert: The Name Game

When we’re investigating recent scam activity, we often find that new scams are really just revised emails that are being circulated by the same scammers over and over, simply using a different name. Many parents are discovering that this same tactic is used by agencies offline as well. More and more parents are learning that companies who have been investigated for fraudulent activity are now changing the names of their companies to avoid detection. This tactic now requires parents who are researching reputable opportunities for their child actors, models, dancers and singers to dig even deeper to make sure that the agencies and industry professionals that they work with truly have their children’s best interest at heart.

StudioKidz was an agency in California that recruited children for acting jobs, often in stores such as Wal-Mart and Target. The agency was accused of charging exorbitant fees for classes and training. Later it was discovered that the agency didn’t have a license and therefore was never able to legally book acting jobs for any of their clients. When parents began to report the agency to consumer action agencies, the owners decided to change their name to TVKidz so that parents who looked them up online wouldn’t come across the large number of complaints that had been filed against them.

However, it wasn’t long before parents begin to discover that TVKidz was the same agency as StudioKidz, which prompted the owner to change the name of the company again to CommercialKidz. Additionally, she even changed her own name. A watchdog group who has been following the agency’s activities has now found information that suggests the owner may even have a previous criminal record.

So you see, you can never be too careful when it comes to researching agencies or industry professionals who have expressed an interest in you or your children. It’s unfortunate that there are so many individuals out there that lay in wait to take advantage of those new to the industry. However it’s important that instead of being discouraged, that we simply do our homework each and every time and stay focused on our goals.

Be sure to log in to http://www.EliteCastingNetwork.com each day to review our Scam Alert. We will continue to keep you posted on the latest scam information affecting the entertainment industry, as well as strategies you can use to make sure you don’t become a victim.