215-245-2220

A friend of mine asked me to research  this company, as he is scheduled for an "interview" this upcoming week in Feasterville, PA:  Is it legit?

I feel more than confident in counseling him to RUN for the hills.

This company carries no credibility and has no apparent legitimate affiliations.  Furthermore, the "officers" of the organization misrepresent their credentials and rely on fast-talking, high-pressure sales.

One should NEVER pay for employment. (Except in cases such as clearances, background checks, etc).  Take this as a warning sign---a certain indicator---that you are being scammed.

Also, a salesperson who resorts to applying pathetic high-pressure tactics should also alert you that something is amiss. Not giving the consumer/client a chance to ask questions or have them answered, thoroughly read the contracts, or simply just to take a bit of time to consider his/her decision, is not a salesperson at all---they are charactertures of used car salesmen.  They prey upon peoples' vulnerabilities, their hopes, dreams, and desparations.

Incidentally, professionals do NOT engage in cyber-insulting those who are angry at being duped. They also use proper grammar and spelling--or at least, use their spell check.

To all who have been swindled:  Definitely combine voices and seek counsel. Get your money back. And never ever sign anything without completely reading it thoroughly. The misrepresentations in the contract are gross and the promises ludicrous, outlandish.

True credible talent/modeling agencies will not charge exorbitant sums if there is interest and they certainly do not need to advertise for clients through huge ad campaigns, moving from city to city with your money in their pockets.  

Hope this helped. And again, NO WAY is this something to be considered, no matter how wonderful the promises.

I knew about Wilhelmina and how that's a scam but I'd never heard of kmm, viptalent, etc.... So when I went to actorsfest in Philly the other day one of their scouts came up to me and said I had 'a very commercial look' and asked if I could come in for an interview. Now mind you I've been doing work in Philly for a long time and have had a few principal roles and featured parts in movie and tv and haven't paid a cent so I'm always weary of these kind I companies but I figured dont burn a bridge so I gave him my name and number to schedule an appointment. Red Flag: there had to be at least thirty names on the list and he gave me no business card, didn't inquire about my resume or the work I've done.
So the next day they called me to set up an appt for Tuesday (today) at 6:45. Then I did my research on kmm. She is definitely very good at hiding bad info if you google kmm you find it compared to actual legit top agencies (ford, elite, etc....)  but if you delve even deeper you see the site is owned by kmm! No wonder. Alycia wrote it herself! In fact the majority of the sites you find at the top searches of google are owned by her, obv paying for that service. Oh and I happen to know one of her 'success stories' he's not successful at all they have him as working in two films that he only did BACKGROUND work on! He can go to the local casing director to get that work and if you go that way it's free. But I think what really got to me was the fact that these scammers were at a legit actors fest endorsed by sag and many othe reputable acting management agencies. I mean that is really prying on those,like myself, who are serious about their career! If you want to be an actor do you research and look for an agency that doesn't ask for a cent. I'm part of sag and had two principal roles and I did it all on my own by working directly with casting directors. That's the way to do it in Philly!

ok, so I think that the comments are coming from people that work for the company as well.  Whoever is commenting is getting way too defensive.

I am on this site because i applied to the "It" factor and got an e-mail to come in for an interview 2 days later, which is unusual.  I went in today feeling optimistic about the job and it just doesn't add up to me.  There were about 20 people there for an interview and they did some kind of orientation before the interview, which was odd and then when I had seen people going to get interviewed it was with 3 different people and I had seen some people come out of the room in just a few minutes, saying " great, thanks for the job!  See you tomorrow".  

I went in and Alycia was my actual interviewer and didn't ask me a LICK of what my work ethic was, what my strengths or weakness' were.  She actually didn't ask me ANYTHING about myself.

So, to be a talent scout, they basically explained that you have to have 5 people sign up a week to get $800 for the first 3 months and if you get less than 5 a week you only get $50 a person.  It just doesn't seem possible to get people 5 people to sigh up a week.  

I went into the interview excited and now am just feeling so discouraged!  Also, The man that was doing the orientation was in a photo on a website tonight for scamming people and has changed his name.

Admin Edit: "It's a SUSPECT message!"
_________________________________


I have been a casting director for 20 years in Philadelphia and KMM is one of the best agencies in the world! I have never heard of a Nicole?? Actorfest is also a paid service - you pay to goto workshops - please post a link to your IMDB page (which Alycia is listed on) or I take it you are a fraud and a plant! Go troll elsewhere!!

Haha ok alycia. Since this is obviously you. First of all, actorfest is NOT a paid event. It is free to attend, although you may CHOOSE to pay for workshops. But both auditioning and meeting with agents and managers is completely free. I will not tell you my name nor my imdb  since you will attempt to sue me for whatever you feel you might be able to. You're not a reputable agency and your imdb is laughable. You were the producer of a short no one has ever even heard of! You're not even an agency. You're just a service that charges ridiculous amounts of money to allow wanna be actors to meet with D- list celebrities and casing directors that haven't worked in over 10 years and have absolutely no pull in te industry. I'm sorry but that sounds like a scam to me! Oh and if you're not alycia then what is YOUR name since I know all the reputable casting directors in the Philly area.

I just went to a VIP event in NYC and it was COMPLETELY worth the money I spend to attend. I just made some great contacts this weekend and learned a bit too. I was so nervous because of online chat like this but I had a great time at the event and I really like Aly.

been getting calls from 215-220-4320 The IT Factor
Good luck in Prison.

I've been in the Entertainment "business" for 30 years. Seen all kinds of shady scams. Be careful, ask alot of questions....usually you can tell in the first 30 seconds if the agency is legit.
I know a guy who's been an actor for 30 years, has his SAG card and he has appeared as an extra in "Oceans Eleven" "Like Mike" "Invincible" "Ordinary Citizen". Things happened for him when he got an agent based in NY....but he's NEVER had a speaking role in 30 years.....but then there's always the casting couch lol

Amen to that! I hope that's where she ends up, just like her sidekick Michael Fromkin.

SHILL ALERT   and you are not smart, For if you were truly smart you'd be sailing a yacht somewhere and not writing blogs on this site Dumbass Anyone who has to state their intelligence is an idiot

I was wary of this company from the start.  

I received an email this past Sunday (June 10) at 11am while I was laying on the beach.  That was the first red flag - who conducts business on a Sunday morning?

Once I read the email, which was "confirming my interview," I noted that the email was obviously sent to many people, as it came from a mass email service.  Why not reach out to me individually? And, my name was not used at all in the email. Not professional at all. Flag #2.

Since I did not even apply for this position, that was the third flag.  I asked the woman who emailed me, "Emily" how she got my contact information. I was told my resume was seen by her assistant, who prompted "Emily" to contact me.

I figured I would go in for an interview anyway, since I currently lost my job a few weeks ago.  As soon as I walked in today (June 12), I knew this company was a fraud.  What kind of employer holds "open interviews" for potential candidates? I was taken into a room with about 15 other people.  Some guy named Mike came in and started talking immediately about pay structure.  The paperwork I received about the pay scale was commission-only based. I would not be paid until new talent was signed.  I also had to maintain signing 5 new clients a week.  Even I am smart enough to know that legit talent agencies don't even sign new clients each week.

I was then asked for a one-on-one interview.  I was interviewed at a folding table at the top of the stairs.  Not even an office!  The person who interviewed me didn't even ask about my qualifications, why I wanted to work for the company.  I was offered a position in less than 3 minutes.  That was the fourth flag. Shouldn't I be the one convincing YOU why I need the position?  Not the other way around.

I left feeling sick to my stomach.  I knew what these people were up to, but I felt bad for the other interviewees.  Maybe not everyone is as smart as I am.

I went to a coffee shop and called a few friends who are models and actors in New York.  I asked if they ever heard about The "It" Factor or VIP Talent Connect.  They all said to RUN far away.  Even my aunt, who has been working in LA for the past 30 years as a voice actress, told me to stay away.

I know not everyone is as smart as me. If you're reading this, I hope you take the advice to heart.  It really isn't worth it.  From the other posts I've read, there were others who got duped even during their "training session."  Good luck.

Thanks guys, I really apreaciate these reviews. I am trying to be fair. Read many different reviews from different perspective. I have an appointment with them but I am not going. sick & tired paying money at from, for modeling & acting. It  is nice to go events but too risky, specially all that money involve.

B.S.  This is one of the many kids they hire to go online and try to write positive things.  I worked here as a scout and it is a total scam.  Robert Russell is nobody!  They pretend like he's giving a free workshop and then they try and sell you acting classes.  The talent summit is filled up with washed up losers and no names.  I never got paid as a scout!  They say sell 5 deals and receive $800...guess what no one has ever sold 5 in a week!  Oh btw they charge $695- $1,695.  They tell you, you had no sales but ever time I am in there they seem busy.  After I quit I saw people I scouted on their web page, which means they signed and never paid me!

You made the right decision. Don't let fraudulent companies such as this deter you from your dreams. You shouldn't have to pay to pursue you're dream.

why is it a scam? tell  me more about your time working there? who did you meet? and did you get promoted to a full time position?

Total scam. I worked there recently.  They train 2 classes a week and by the 2nd week they have all quit!  From what I understand I am one of the longest scouts they ever had and I was only there 3 months.  Whenever you see a positive post it is Mellisa Jester who WAS Mike James assistant.  She even quit b/c she was sleeping with him and got fed up with his b.s.  alycia does not own the company, she is not a power house.... She is a weak little girl who let Mike James put the business in her name because he can't get a business lic.  They DO NOT pay their scouts, do not take the job.  They lie and steal.  If your a potential "talent". RUN AWAY before they scam you for $1,000.  They have a handful of success stories and just use the same couple of stories over and over.  And what they consider a success story is just a small job that you can get on your own.  Oh and then they try to scam you for another 1,000 for [***] photos. VIP talent summit is a joke!  They have no real celebrity's old washed up nobody's. There are no real directors there.  There longest employee is a "Goldie" who scams you for photo packages.  And she's only there b/c she gets a piece of the scam $$$

Many people feel scammed because they make a huge investment and build a lot of hope for little return. Perhaps my experience as a scout for Alycia Kaback/ The IT Factor can save some people time, money and face. I have included my last newsletter and vlog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=614ON_aP-Sg
http://www.charesume.com/newsletters.php

Complete and total scam. Worked there for a few months and felt totally and utterly disgusted when I realized this company was scamming people who really wanted to make their dreams of success come true.

The previous comments stated are true. EVERYONE "scouted" for their talent is accepted as long as they are willing to pay. Once you sign that paper there is no getting out. I watched Michael lie to a bank saying their customer, an "IT Factor" client, never contacted them about stopping payments or leaving the company when in fact the client would call several times a day. They chose to avoid the calls so they could process the transaction and then when the credit card company tried to dispute the charges, they would take that call and say "Yes, he/she is a client here. Make sure you charge them."

The way clientele was treated was far beyond unprofessional. Unreturned phone calls, unreturned emails, waiting hours for scheduled appointments for no reason, charged 2 and 3 times for the same fee in one day, and even being yelled at and named called. Many times clients would call upset about how they were treated not knowing they were speaking to their own "manager" or the owner herself.

People are paid to surf the net and look for "slander" just like this. It was often bragged about who was being sued currently and who the next victim would be. You cannot say anything negative or you are in big trouble!

My favorite joke there was Melanie Young. She isn't real. She was a made up name who emailed random people saying they had job interviews and do not contact the phone number listed. You could only email Melanie. Phone calls and visitors came for Melanie and it took me a bit to realize she wasn't real by the way the office smiled when they said she wasn't in the office. People had questions about these interviews and I could only tell them to email Melanie who never returned emails.

There is so much more fraud behind this company. Whether its Alycia or Michael, I don't know. Neither seem smart enough to run such a huge scam, in my opinion. However, someone is. Everyday there are at lleast 3-4 new clients in the office I worked at  and they have offices in NY, PA, and supposedly expanding more.

All I can say is be careful. If you are talent keep in mind that agencies don't want your money up front. Really research Alycia Kaback. There are quite a few articles out there. Those are red flags and there should be no red flags when you go to a talent agency. The same goes for the "scouting" job. They don't keep scouts long. Hell, they don't keep anyone long! Chances are you will quit yourself because you can't make money off scouting. And don't quit your job for this one. I saw a few people do that and boy were they sorry!

Omg this place is the worst!  They don't get anyone jobs in the industry.  Biggest scam in the entertainment industry.  Just look at Aly or spend 5 minutes talking to her, do you think anyone real would associate with her??? Of course not.  It's so simple to tell after talking with her for 5 minutes that she's not intelligent and an obvious liar.  You can see right thru her.

I worked there for three weeks and I found myself with no pay and expenses put into time and gas. I'm not one of those people who didn't put the effort into the position before speaking but I diligently went out each day and tried to scout five or more people. I enjoyed what the job involved and tried to keep the morale up but the company does not value its workers PERIOD. Personally, I know most "sales" positions require a quota but who works for three weeks for free and little to no chance of meeting the quota they expect. The company is disorganized like no other, and no one seems to have the same information which confused the heck out of many scouts. The people they hire have no experience in approaching people and the only reason they were hired was because they wanted to do it (like myself). Credentials do not mean a thing!  

It's a number game to the company because the more scouts they put out there, the more names, numbers, and prospective clients they capitalize on. It's even more challenging because they hire scouts every other week to send out to different areas of the Tri-state region so very likely you approach someone that already was called or been approached. It was ridiculous how many people I approached that were already scouted and always mentioned to say something negative about the company. I didn't believe it until I was fed up with putting my efforts, time, money, etc. into a company who didn't even know when pay day was for scouts.

Ideal position for an individual that doesn't need a lot of income and wants to do something extra on the side for fun.