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CANADIAN ACTOR ONLINE REMOVES DISCUSSION BOARD MESSAGES UNDER THREAT OF LEGAL ACTION FROM AGENCY
Discussion forum information on how to avoid agency scams reluctantly removed when
model and talent management company threatens CAO with legal action
TORONTO, ON - March 31, 2003 - Canadian Actor Online (CAO), an online, interactive, actor-oriented electronic trade publication, reluctantly removed a number of its discussion forum threads when faced with the threat of legal action from a Toronto-based model and talent management company.
CAO (www.canadianactor.com) contains over 3,000 online links and resources and 18 discussion forums moderated by industry professionals. In the discussion forums, union and non-union actors, theatre students, parents of kids in the business and other entertainment industry professionals pose questions, examine the nature of being an actor, debate industry and union politics, find audition opportunities, share audition hints and tips, discuss how to find legitimate agents and photographers and how the business works.
Faced with possible legal action if forum members allegedly defamatory posts about a Toronto-based model and talent management company were not removed, CAO, having limited resources to defend against such actions, has reluctantly removed a number of discussion threads.
"Talent and modelling agents in most provinces are not regulated by the actor unions, as they are in the United States, or by the government, which means its open season on those who have little information on how to get started as actors or models," says Lynda Mason Green, an ACTRA, Canadian Actors Equity, Academy of Canadian Cinema member and CAO founder.
Torontos entertainment industry is concerned about a growing problem: some fringe talent, model and background agencies claim to be part of the legitimate industry but defraud people by: offering bogus guarantees of work; requiring clients to recruit other potential actors or models; charging high up-front registration fees; and proffering contracts that require clients to purchase at inflated prices in house or affiliated services -- such as photos, Internet pages and acting classes -- as a condition of representation.
"It should cost nothing to be represented by an agency. A legitimate agency earns its money on commissions from the work of the performers it represents," Green adds.
CAO was created as an online resource to provide legitimate and accurate answers to questions asked by those who are new to the entertainment industry, as it is difficult for those at the entry level of the business to find accurate information.
"For instance, legitimate talent agencies are not allowed to advertise in newspapers or anywhere else, but those who are less than legit do so regularly," Green says. "How is a neophyte actor or model going to know this?"
CAO discussion forum moderators constantly remind discussion board members to stay away from any agent or agency that does not adhere to the Entertainment Industry Coalition (EIC) Code of Ethics that states, in part:
| | - It is not a condition of representation that an agent stipulates the photographer, printer, school or any other service provider for the client.
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| | - An agent will not advertise to the general public for the purpose of soliciting clients through advertising placed in any form of printed or electronic media.
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| | - An agent will make no claims or guarantees of employment to prospective clients that cannot be immediately substantiated.
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CAO also reminds actors not to pay for agency representation or auditions. If they have paid for agency representation or to get an audition, then they have probably been scammed, according to the Acting and Modelling Information Service (AMIS), which was established in 1995 by entertainment and fashion industry professionals disturbed by the exploitation of the public by unscrupulous agencies.
To continue to get the message out, Green will conduct a two-day seminar in Toronto for newcomers to the business. The seminar, called "The Business of the Business" will be offered through Equity Showcase, June 14 and 15. For more information, contact Equity Showcase at 416-533-6100.
ABOUT CANADIANACTOR ONLINE
Launched August 30, 1999, Canadian Actor Online (www.canadianactor.com) has grown exponentially from several hundred page views per month to an average of 250,000 page views per month--all by word of mouth within the Canadian acting community. CAO site visitors can access information links at no cost. They pay an annual fee of $25 to subscribe to CAO's interactive discussion board service where they can access advice from established, professional actor/moderators. The independent Web site was created by actors for actors and is supported in part by ACTRA National, ACTRA Toronto Performers and the Union of British Columbia Performers (UBCP) and is endorsed and recommended by The Agents Book, Theatre Ontario and Equity Showcase. CAO has also received corporate support from Telus Mobility.
CAO co-founder, Lynda Mason Green, has been acting for almost 30 years. She is best know for series regular roles in Night Heat, Ramona and War of the Worlds and has most recently appeared in the sci-fi cult hit series, Odyssey 5. Green is co-author of Standing Naked in the Wings: Anecdotes from Canadian Actors (Oxford University Press), and founder of the GreenRoom Group, a Toronto-based veteran actors professional development group.
For more information or to set up interviews:
Email: info@canadianactor.com
Phone: 416-628-6005
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