I just returned from the New York office of John Robert Powers with my wife & child. We had called in from a radio ad that appeared to be about getting in with an agency. My daughter has done some regional theater classes but we have not had professional aspirations for her. But we went down just to see what this was about, and who knows, maybe she would find something great there.
So we go into this room that is so packed the guy in front of me is about 1 inch from my face when he leans back and whoever was behind me kept touching my shirt and pants inadvertently. I moved forward to now be about ¼ inch from the man in front of me.
A woman walks in and tells us that we have a special guest today… we’re thinking that this sounds good. But wait, it is the President of the John Robert Powers NY office.
He enters the room and within the first 3 seconds you could tell something is odd. He stands there silent like he’s waiting for applause as if anyone might know who he is. He thinks he is so cute, or as my daughter put it, the best thing since Elvis. For the next 45 minutes he is telling us story after story, screaming on certain points to make an impression as bizarrely as Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein. He repeats himself over and over and over with many personal stories about line drying his clothes in his 972 Square foot NY apt. and how the children are like ripened tomatoes that he can make into tomato sauce. This might have not been so awful if it had not gone on for so very long with the same idiotic points repeated and repeated. I was bored almost literally to tears sand cannot imagine what the children thought. He was mildly entertaining because he was so bizarre. But he kept insulting parents in general – no one really specific – until me!! He obviously saw me throw one of many eye rolls at my wife, I think it was when he said there are either “good auditions or lame auditions.” He kept referring to the auditions that were about to take place as this “disaster” and really laying it on for laughs. Only later do you find out that “everybody” passes the audition, so he’s obviously trying to set up the negative scenario to make everyone all the more ecstatic when they “pass.” He sees me throw a glance and he calls me out. He says something to me and asks “Is that your wife? Is that your daughter?” I nod yes, not really sure if he is talking to me. “She looks just like you – unfortunately!” he says about my child. Woww!! I was stunned. My wife says to him so all can hear “that’s not a very nice thing to say” and he mutters something about her. Ten minutes or so later, when I’ve been listening to his dribble for about 40 minutes he calls me out again and says that he can read my body language. He then says to my wife about my daughter, “you know she will leave you one day – and I’d like to be there to see it.” What kind of thing is this to say to someone?

A couple side conversations with my child later and she tells us that she is extremely uncomfortable to be in a room with this guy, so we cut out and she does not audition. That was the best news of the day. I did not even realize that they were trying to sell us classes, nor that it was a school, until the LA agent who spoke after him went on ad infinitum about classes and classes and classes. Finally I put two and two together. I came home and looked them up on the internet to see that this is about the biggest scam around.
The most incredible thing in hindsight is that the whole point of this guy’s talk was to make you feel like you are an unsupportive parent if you don’t shell out for the classes. It is all extremely calculated and plays upon your child’s excitement about passing the audition.
I’ve never had my entire family insulted in one fell swoop like that, not have listened to such a baboon, I mean buffoon, - maybe both. I think this is awful and my heart goes out to those who have given this company some of their hard-earned money. It amazing these guys have not been driven out of business.

I have heard nothing but horror stories about JRP marketing. However, my son's friend has been taking teen classes in NYC and actually enjoys it.(Commute from Cortlandt Manor) His mother is a writer/director and understands all the negative aspects of the school and still sends her son.
I am not about to send my DS but, some people actually like this place..... go figure.

My daughter won Most Promising Model from Nat'l Am Miss Princess division and they gave her a scholarship for 2- 20 week class from JRP. We went to the audition at JRP and was told that we need to pay for $1500 for comp cards and another $1000 for the class. We told them that we just want to redeem the scholarship and we can have the comp cards somewhere else and they told us that they will not honor the scholarship not unless we pay $1500 for the comp cards and another $1000 for the class. JRP is a big SCAM

Frankly, if you were any kind of man, you would have let him have it. Not necessarily physically, but with words at least. My husband would rip into anyone that insulted his family like that. Really. Don't let jerk-offs turn you into Jello. They are just putzes and unless people put them in their place, they will continue their BS over and over and over again.

It would be interesting to know which individuals were involved in that meeting. Did you keep track of who you looked up?

quote:

Originally posted by dimples:
My daughter won Most Promising Model from Nat'l Am Miss Princess division and they gave her a scholarship for 2- 20 week class from JRP. We went to the audition at JRP and was told that we need to pay for $1500 for comp cards and another $1000 for the class. We told them that we just want to redeem the scholarship and we can have the comp cards somewhere else and they told us that they will not honor the scholarship not unless we pay $1500 for the comp cards and another $1000 for the class. JRP is a big SCAM

I would bring taht to the attention of the State AG

SCAMS to AVOID!

http://bbs.backstage.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/932105/m/12110087

My daughter and I went to an "audition" last night at JRP. We were told an agent from Las Vegas would be there when I got the phone calls. We had gotten several calls from them. They wouldn't tell me how they got my cell #, but anyway...a very polished attractive woman came out to greet us and tell us about all the people that were successful that had come out of their school. It sounded like a sales pitch, kind of when you go to one of those time-share things. My daughter had to read a short commercial pitch into a camera and then we met with a rep. Ours turned out to be the woman who did the presentation. I heard her say "elite" school several times during her presentation so I asked about price. That's the only time I saw her facade crack a little. She asked if I had heard anything. I said no, but my finances were limited. She talked a little about prices and said we could work on a scholarship. We left with the understanding that I would call her today. I googled JRP and got an eyeful! It wasn't all bad and there was nothing on the BBB site. But there was alot of negative about the amount of money involved. I decided this wasn't for us. When I called today, she told me that she was very interested in my daughter and I just said that I had seen some stuff on the internet and was a little reluctant. She got so defensive and lashed into me so badly and was so rude. It was like she a different person and not very professional. I was shocked when she finally said she wouldn't work with us even if we wanted to because I was so negative! And then hung up on me. My husband said we dodged a bullet and I believe he's right. Rip off or not? I have no idea I just know that I would be afraid to have my kid near this woman who can change on a dime. By the way there was no agent from Vegas to see the kids.

Joey, welcome to the board and congrats on avoiding a big scam. If your dd is interested in modeling or acting, read all you can on this board and ask questions. You can do it all yourself without spending a dime.

Joey,

I love your analogy of the JRP sales pitch to a time share thing! How true! Congratulations for spotting and avoiding a scam and saving yourself tons of money.

Joey,
Great post, thank you for taking the time to do that. I was curious if you saw or got to know who the "Las Vegas agent" was? If you don't want to post the name, feel free to send me a private email.

Paula

Thanks for all the support on this board! In response to PaulaD when I went to the JRP "audition" between the long sell at the beginning and then my daughter's monologue reading I totally forgot about it til later on. The Vegas agent was mentioned during the phone calls to get us to come to the "big sell" The woman I spoke with on the phone said that a casting agent was looking for 8-17 year old for the coming holiday season. Sounded reasonable enough. Never heard about the Vegas agent again.