Hi, I am TOTALLY new here as well as to this whole acting/modeling thing. I have been reading posts here for days now and have learned alot. Much as I hate to admit it, my daughter attends JRP here in Birmingham, Al. I am not at ALL impressed and wasn't from day one. However had already paid $2,000 for classes. Anyway my ? is... my daughter is 4 and has auditioned ( loosely used ) for several people at the JRP office, she has received " call-backs" for all but one of these. Most recently she got one from coast to coast agent sydel lisi out of LA, and with Wilhelmina Dan Agency in Nashville. I have to pay 500 for her to sign with dan ageny, and with coast to coast pay to fly to LA for a " call back meeting" I was wondering if anyone could help me out on what to do. I don't want to keep sinking money into this to be ripped off again. And was hoping someone else could give some insight? Thank you and sorry this is long.

My personal opinion is that you should not be paying for anything at all. You need to find a local reputable agency who will rep your daughter with no fees. At some point, if you find an agency, they may want photos done for a comp card but she does not need it starting out. Do you know if there are any reputable agencies in your area? If you are mainly interested in print, you may also want to post this question on the children models forum.

2,000 dollars for classes for a 4 year old is a lot. A good agent will not have you pay anything to them. They get paid when your dd books something. I would look into other local agencies that will not charge anything to join. Hope this helps.

Unless you are planning to move to Nashville or LA these meetings are a waste of time for you. You should NEVER pay to work with an agent and 4-year-olds do not need acting classes. perhaps there is someone in your local market that can start you out and give you advice before you spend any more money.

I may not have made myself clear, I paid the money to JRP NOT the agents, if I signed with the Wilhemina in Nashville, I would have to pay $500.00 for her picture to be put on their website and for comp cards. For the coast to coast it would just cost me our flights and hotel to go to LA for a call back meeting. As far as I know there would be no cost to sign with them. I wanted to know if anyone knew anything about either of 2 companies and whether you thought it would be worth the cost of my plane tickets or are they just another place like JRP, who I think are crooks for the most part. Thank you and I'm sorry for being so dumb about this stuff.

I echo what not blonde said; if you're not planning on moving to either LA or Nashville, why meet with agents there? It would be cost prohibitive for you to go to auditions or go sees in those markets from Alabama.

I also agree. Unless you plan on moving to either of those markets, there is no real reason to meet with them. They are not going to want to work with you unless you make the move when they have plenty of children in their markets. I would strongly suggest finding a good agent in your own market. Good luck and please keep us posted!

JRP is a scam. JRP is a scam. JRP is a scam. JRP is a scam. Oh, and in case I was not clear enough- JRP is a scam!!!!!

Thank you all for your feedback, I can not move from where I am now, and afterall my daughter is 4. Who knows what she will want to do in a week from now? They change so much that little. I am SO GLAD I stumbled onto this site. So much information on here, I wish I had found it BEFORE I paid 2,000.00 to John Robert Powers. I guess tho it wasn't all a waste...at least I know people were interested in her. AGain, Thank you

I know how you feel. I have recently been involved in applying for something major in my life (not acting related) and I foolishly did not jump on the internet to do my research FIRST. It is something which has since cost my dearly and it sucks. That said, do all reserach on the net FIRST in the future before you put down any of your hard-earned cash or pursue anything. I will do the same!!!

Coast to Coast is an excellent agency in LA. They will not charge you if they want to rep your child. However, it would be pretty darned hard for you to attend LA auditions when you live in Alabama. If this is a business you want to be in professionally, then you really need to live near one of the major markets: NY, or LA. As someone else mentioned, your best bet would be to start closer to home. I would call Coast to Coast and ask them how it could work with you living in Alabama. Many kids have film agents even though they dont live in the major markets. They mail their audition tapes in, and fly to LA or NY for the callbacks. You wouldnt be able to do commercial work unless you were planning to fly in and out of LA daily, but film and television may be doable if your agent is willing.

Many people spend thousands of dollars in classes and/or submit for years and NEVER get an offer from an agency as good as Coast to Coast so congratulations there! Since you've already spent the money presumably in an effort to get into this business, and you now have an offer to meet with a top agent, I would at least call and discuss the possibilities with that agency. As I said, you may get fantastic film and televsion representation and be able to mail your audition tapes in. Good luck and let us know how it works out!