As many casting directors face prison time for allegedly violating California’s Krekorian Talent Sam Prevention Act, civil class action filings are being explored to recover money lost by aspiring actors in what many people call a scam.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, one of the biggest attorneys seeking to file a class action lawsuit is Roman Silberfeld, an attorney from law office Robins Kaplan. He’s the same lawyerwho won a lawsuit for over $300 million from Disney in a 2010 case over Who Wants to be a Millionaire? profits.
“I’ve spoken to friends inside studios and network television,” Silberfeld told The Hollywood Reporter via e-mail. “They have encouraged us to proceed with this, too.” He added, “Our investigation at studios and networks (usually with officer level individuals) about these workshops reveals that the problem is real, that it is perceived by some studios and network individuals as a scam that preys on vulnerable young people and that putting an end to the practice would benefit all legitimate stakeholders in the entertainment industry.”
This all started after The Hollywood Reporter investigated into pay-to-play acting workshops. According to their report, these “acting classes” are linked to nearly every broadcast show. And many new actors are paying $1,500 a year on two or three workshop classes a month in hopes of landing a day-player role that pays only a little over $600 for one day’s worth of work. In fact, casting director Dea Vise argues that “Half the people that are on network television today paid for their job interview — the one-liner roles.”
But, it’s important to highlight the fact that exchanging money for the possibility of getting a job is illegal thanks to The Krekorian Talent Scam Prevention Act of 2009, which outlaws workshops and casting directors from charging or attempting to charge an artist for an audition or employment opportunity.
The L.A. city attorney’s office has filed criminal misdemeanor charges against the operators of five casting workshops for allegedly charging actors for auditions. If convicted the 28 defendants, including 18 casting directors, could face up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine.
