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Aaron Marcus walks through how to spot scams when you get direct acting or modeling bookings. Check the photographer's website and social media, vet other cast members, use an agent when possible, and trust your gut if something feels off.
Aaron Marcus walks through how to spot scams when you get direct acting or modeling bookings. Check the photographer's website and social media, vet other cast members, use an agent when possible, and trust your gut if something feels off.
Hey, I'm Aaron Marcus, and if you're watching this on my YouTube channel, don't forget to click the subscribe button and also the little bell, the notification button. That way you'll know every time I upload a new video. So someone recently contacted me and they wanted to find out if they book, book a job and it's direct booking, not through an agency, how can they verify to make sure it's a legitimate project, which is It's a great question. And look, I hate to say this, but especially in today's time period, you do have to be really careful. I mean, there are crazy people in this world who are seeking out actors, models for projects, and they might not be real projects. So a couple of things. One is, if you do have an agent, even if you book the job on your own, you did your own marketing, you found out about the job, you auditioned for for it, you did all the work. Honestly, I'd still send it through your agent for a couple of reasons. One is you might not know what is the proper amount to ask for to make sure you're getting paid the right amount. Let's say if it's a commercial modeling job, well, let's say even if you know, and a lot of people don't, if you haven't done the work before, I mean, how would you know? You know, how much should you be getting paid per hour or per half day or for a full day booking? You know, it's not like the union. If you're a member of SAG-AFTRA and you get booked for a TV commercial or a feature film or a television show, you can just go to the union's website and look up the contracts, and you will see very specifically what the minimum pay has to be. Look, you can ask for anything, but, you know, you'll find out exactly what you should be getting for an 8-hour day. For commercial modeling, there's no union, so there's no way of knowing. So let's say they come back to you and they say, well, I'll tell you what, you know, you're going to get $100 an hour for this job and it's going to be booked for 3 hours. Okay, well, that might be right, might not be right in your area, but your agent certainly will know. Then what happens if they say, you know, we want to use this on billboards and posters? Well, then you should be getting a high exposure format. Bonus. And once again, you're not going to have a clue. So that's part of the reason. And even if it's an independent film or a TV commercial, you know, your agent is going to have a much better idea as to what you should be getting paid. Again, I can also tell you, yeah, you will be giving up a percentage to your agent. If it's a non-union acting job, you're going to be paying 20%. If it's a commercial modeling job, you'll also be paying a 20% commission fee. But personally, I think it's a good business investment. So anyhow, so if you do have an agent, personally, I would send it through the agency, and the agent can also look into things a little bit more to make sure it's a legitimate company. Now, if you don't have an agent and you are trying to get the work on your own, so you get booked, how do you make sure it's legitimate? So a couple things. If it's a commercial modeling job, I would check out the photographer's website if that's who you've been dealing with. And take a look. Make sure you're seeing photos that seem right to you, that you feel comfortable with. I mean, if you're seeing, you know, a bunch of photos that kind of make you cringe, make you wonder what's really going on, trust your instincts. If it's— if you're going through an advertising agency, then I would check out their website as well. And sometimes they'll list some of the clients that they work with. I mean, you can pretty easily tell if it's a legitimate agency or not. Now, if you're talking about an independent film, you know, or, you know, some kind of student film or something, you know, then it's going to be a little bit tougher. I would check that— I would check out any kind of social media presence the person has. Let's say if it's a writer-director and the person is producing as well a short independent film, read up on them. Go to LinkedIn and see if they have any kind of presence there, even something like Instagram. I mean, just to see what kinds of images you're seeing. If they have anything on Facebook, read it carefully. If there are other actors involved, which I assume there would be, I would ask for the names of some of the other actors and check in with them, you know, see. And look, you could always say, hey, I'd love to get in touch with some of the actors I'm working with. It'd be great to do some rehearsal ahead of time. But then talk to them, you know, and find out if they have any experience with these people, if they've worked with them before, because you really do have to be careful. And if you are going out on a shoot Definitely let people know where you are. Maybe somebody— you have a friend who can be with you. You know, they don't have to be standing right next to you during the shoot, but if you're shooting outdoors someplace, they can be somewhere where you can be seen. If you're shooting in a studio, the person could be sitting outside the studio. Essentially, you just want to let people know where you are, times you're working. If you're not reporting by a certain time, this is where you're supposed to be, this is your contact person. And once again, I'm not trying to scare you in any way, but you do have to take care of yourself. And the very last thing here is trust your gut, trust your instincts. And if something doesn't feel right to you, listen to yourself. And if you have to walk away, you walk away. So anyhow, I hope this was helpful to you. I did want to ask, If you got anything out of this, you found it helpful, you enjoy my channel, I greatly appreciate you being a part of it and make a donation. There's a link below, uh, go straight to PayPal, and, and whatever it is, I just would really, really appreciate you supporting it and make a donation. Let other people know about, uh, the Acting and Modeling Quick Tips channel. Share it throughout your social media. You know, I just want to build a large family of people who are helping each other and sharing information, and that's the best way to do it. If you have any follow-up questions or if there's a topic you want me to discuss, just go to my website, howtoactandmodel.com, and click on contact, and you can reach me. I'm Aaron Marcus, and I can't wait to talk with you again soon. See ya.
