Entertainment NewsReport: Kids Acting School Targeted Kids with Misinformation

Report: Kids Acting School Targeted Kids with Misinformation

Date:

Earlier this week, an Atlanta talent agency posted on Facebook that a scam was running through the streets of Atlanta. Scams are not new. The film industry is littered with scams, scam artists, and people trying to take advantage of other people’s hopes and dreams.

But according to Deadline, a kid acting school is being accused of targeting children with false claims. The International Performing Arts Academy (IPAA), which is headquartered in Chicago Illinois, calls itself “the most prestigious facility of its kind.” Moreover, the acting school claims “built and maintained a strong reputation among the top agents, managers, casting directors, choreographers and record executives in the entertainment industry.”

However, the acting school training manual and a class action lawsuit are putting the acting school under a bright light. For example, in the training manual, the acting school reportedly claims Halle Berry, Chris Hemsworth, and Jennifer Garner attended the acting school. However, an investigation by Deadline reports that none of these celebrities participated in the program.

The acting school was also involved in a lawsuit. A mother of a child who attended Barbizon classes in Sacramento paid $2000 for the school services and was reportedly pressured into spending an additional $8,000 for the IPAA Showcase; a program that claims to showcase a kids talent to casting directors, producers, and directors. The lawsuit argued that the acting school IPAA conspired with the Barbizon school to purposefully mislead children and their parents – and accusation the school firmly denies.

From Deadline:

“Plaintiff’s mere incantations – no matter how numerous – that defendants are ‘talent scams’ do not make them so,” the defendants said in a demurrer filed with the court, noting that the 2009 Talent Scam Prevention Act “was not intended to, and does not, prohibit talent training services, talent counseling services, and talent listing services that comply with the provisions and prohibitions set forth in the Act.”

The lawsuit, the defense argues, “Is devoid of any cogent allegation as to how Barbizon is an ‘unlawful’ advance-fee talent scam and instead focuses largely on its actions of ‘referring’ students to Showcase. Despite this, Barbizon is named directly in the first cause of action as a ‘talent scam.’ ”

Deadline was also able to obtain a recruiting manual. In the recruiting handbook, there are examples of ways to reportedly convince and persuade kids and their parents into signing up for the acting school. Recruiters are encouraged to ask pulling questions instead of pushing questions “help complete successful sales”.

You can read the full investigation into the acting school here.

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Megan Diane
Megan Dianehttps://www.projectcasting.com
Hi, I'm Megan Browne, the Head of Partnerships at Project Casting - a job board for the entertainment industry. As Head of Partnerships, I help businesses find the best talent for their influencer campaigns, photo shoots, and film productions. Creating these partnerships has enabled me to help businesses scale and reach their true potential. I'm excited to continue driving growth by connecting people with projects they're passionate about.

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