February 18, 2010
I receive an unexpected call from Showcase Worldwide, telling me that I have been spotted by one of their scouts and that I have been invited for auditions in Montreal at the Novotel Hotel on February the 20th of 2010.
Asking them how they got my number, they tell me that they cannot reveal the information for security purposes... because the referrer is supposedly
anonymous... Mmm.... smells fishy right from the start!
On that same call, I ask the receptionist (which would be a woman in her early 30s/old 20s) if there are going to be any fees to pay, and she tells me: "Not as far as I know..." , which basically meant yes at that moment.
On top of that, I get asked if I would like to bring a friend with me at the auditions... no, not as a guest, but as another participator to the auditions!
February 19, 2010
Unable to answer the phone because I am busy blowing up cars, I get a voice mail from a girl named 'Kathy' who basically calls me to
confirm the audition on Saturday the 20th.
February 20, 2010
1180 Rue de la Montagne, Novotel Hotel @ 7:00 PM
Once there, we get welcomed by a nice blonde lady, to whom we ask the room of that prestigious agency. She tells us floor 2, and at that moment I think: "Wow, a whole floor for an agency. Marvelous! They must be legit!"
Yeah... first thing me and my friend do once we get out of the elevator; we ask the guys around for opinions...
and it's the same speech all the time.
"I never heard of that agency. I am not working for an agency right now. I don't even know how they got my phone number. I think it's a scam."
And guess what? Everybody that I've talked to said the exact same thing.
Even the papers that we had to write on had mistakes! For instance, instead of "height" you would have "hieght" .
From that moment I knew it was a joke.
Tell me, if this organization is so popular and known throughout the world, then why don't they even proofread their own papers? I mean, such a simple mistake
DOES make a company
this big look stupid. It basically shows that you do not care.
Even more, one of the representatives went on defensive on a crude, yet true comment of one of the participants there, which basically mentioned that Showcase Worldwide was a huge scam and that they were just pulling money out of vulnerable people.
Why would someone that makes millions of dollars every year care about such an insignificant comment ? Because they have something to defend. And in that case, they had to prove to the others around that they were
NOT a scam, but then again why prove anything, if you know that you are not a scam? ;) Get it?
All I can say is; the lady turned red in a glimpse of a moment.
Two hours later, it is finally our turn... and because these auditions are so special, me and my friend have the same number... so we get to audition at the same time! Well... the word audition is subjective in this case!
As a matter of fact, there were NO auditions involved. I was there for acting, and I was not even asked to do a small gig or even rehearse something for the audition... just talk.
My friend, who went there for modeling, but purposely messed up the auditions so bad by walking sideways, by being clumsy and basically showing that he had no experience at all (although in reality he did) ... still got accepted to the second interview.
Our interviewer, Claudio, was a good man; sucks that he had to waste that positive energy on scams.
At the end of our so-called interviews (that consisted of nothing about acting or modeling), we were both handed these papers...
Cover Page (Click to Enlarge)
First Page (Click to Enlarge)
Second Page (Click to Enlarge)
Look at how there is no call back time and that I was offered any time from 3PM to 6PM the next day. Professional!
Third and Last Page (Click to Enlarge)
This is what I call cheap marketing. SPACE IS LIMITED!
FOR ONLY 385.00 YOU GET TO BECOME A HOLLYWOOD STAR!
HAVE FAME, LOTS OF MONIES, AND CASINOS ON YOUR NAME AND
20,000$ EVERY TIME YOU TAKE A SHOT AT ORANGE JUICE!
In conclusion, this is a huge scam. Don't fall for this. I'm glad that I've at least met great people there... amongst them were Steve, Diego, Juan, Stephanie, Sarah and many more!
