The Celebrity Experience

My child just attended The Celebrity Experience in LA this January 2018. I have things I loved, things I enjoyed, and things I was not especially impressed with. BUT I got exactly what I paid for. Training (and from individuals who are in the business so have a working understanding of how it all works) and the opportunity to be seen by agents and mangers. This is not something I would have been able to accomplish on my own, at this level, in such a short period of time. I could have mailed off hundreds of headshots and resumes and hoped for a call or two. But for me having zero clue of the process and the internet being filled with an overwhelming amount of conflicting info, this was, although an initially pricey investment, the end result was worth it for us. THIS IS NOT A SCAM! You will receive exactly what you sign up for, and in some instance, more.

My 10 yr-old daughter is an aspiring young actress. She loves to take workshops to pursue her craft so we bought her the 3-day Celebrity Experience package and she attended the event in LA Jan 2017. I admit I wasn't really sure what we were going to get for our money but I was blown away by how amazing the whole experience was. My daughter and all the kids that attended had an amazing time. I was actually a little unprepared for how serious it actually was. Their days were packed with workshops that were fun, intense and very instructional. My daughter learned so much. They had evening events for the kids. It was really, really nice. They also had workshops for parents taught by real industry professionals that taught you tricks of the trade, gave advice and talked about how to help your child be successful. The event ended with an audition in front of 30 agents and managers. My daughter got 17 call backs and a year later we are still interviewing agents. We are going back this Jan to do the 5 day workshop this time because we regretted that we didn't do the movie reel last time. The Celebrity Experience staff are really wonderful, helpful people. It is definitely NOT a scam. They are not responsible for making your child a star and they don't promise you anything, they simply give you the tools and instruction to start down the right path. I think the money was well spent and the experience was amazing!

I attended in Melbourne AUS. We arrived to find about 200 people crammed into a ballroom, we were made to sit and listen to several individuals promote themselves and the company. It felt like a marketing pitch. This took about 2 hours! We were then split into groups & given a booklet to read while we waited to be called. At this time I knew it was too good to be true. One package was in excess of $15,000 AUD! The cheapest was $750, with no guarantees at the end. Auditions were carried out & we got the call that evening to advise we had made it through.
The lady on the phone said I needed to be back at the ballroom the following day at 1:45 pm. As nothing about the program was personalised, I didn't feel the need to advise we would not be attending, simply due to the fact that reviews & advise I had received strongly suggested I do not pay any money to a company that does general casting calls... I wonder how many other people "got through". I got a text from the company asking if I was running late to the induction - I responded saying we have decided to look elsewhere after doing further research. The response I received from The Celebrity Experience confirmed that I was doing the right thing but not handing over a cent.
" I'm sorry to hear that. Unfortunately when families are not able to afford our program they go online and blame us." How unprofessional.

Is there a lawyer or law firm that has started a class action law suit for these families? We also have some unanswered questions. If anyone has further information please let us know.

[email protected]

My mother is 71 years old. She went to an "experience" with my sister and ended up getting the 4500 package. She called 2 days later and tried to cancel and they havent given her a refund. This has now dragged on for 5 months and they gave her 2000 back but not the full refund. Is there a number I can call to get this matter resolved?

Review: I cancelled the contract within the three (3) day time frame; however, the credit card company will not credit the amount of $500 due to your company disputing the allegations. I have made numerous telephone calls and have sent faxes and letters in order to get this matter settled but no one has replied to my phone calls, faxes, or letters. I am concerned that this possibly is not a legitimate business and that I have been scammed and that this type of business transaction will ultimately affect others as well.Desired Settlement: I am requesting that your company issue a refund in the amount of $500 payable to me, Era Cooper. I have tried to settle this matter in an amicable manner; however, I feel as though I have been scammed and taken advantage of. I complied with the required steps in order to cancel the contract and receive a full refund.

Business

Response:

When people register with our event they sign a cancelation policy which clearly states the registration fee is non refundable under any circumstance. Typically we require a $1000 registration fee but will at times lower this fee to accomodate the financial needs of the client. They do have to initial the cancelation policy to ensure that they are aware the initial down payment will not be refunded should they chose to cancel within the 72 hours, which, indeed this client did. I hope this clears up any confusion. Please let me know if you need anything else. Thank You, [redacted]

Review: On October **, 2015, I wrote the following letter to the company:

October **, 2015

The Celebrity Experience

To Whom It May Concern,

This letter signifies cancellation of contract [redacted] for my daughter*, who was given a call back for an audition (Wilmington, DE) for The Celebrity Experience on October **, 2015.

Due to the nature of the transaction (all monies due up front) and the pressure for novice parents of this industry to commit to the contract at that very moment without allowing time to further research the organization, be allowed to take home the physical contract, look it over, and make a decision, etc., this letter signifies that my daughter* will not participate in The Celebrity Experience and full refund of the deposited amount of $500.00 is requested. Upon returning home to further investigate the company through the Revdex.com and other websites, we learned that the organization is not accredited by the Revdex.com, receiving largely negative reviews consistently. Other websites indicate that The Celebrity Experience is a well-packaged ploy for parents to spend money upfront on the hopes that their child will be recognized by an agency, as in our case. We were told that my daughter* has a natural beauty and has a common type cast. While she has no acting experience, she was told in the seminar that The Celebrity Experience will make her ready and prepare her for LA. When reading online reviews, these lines were also used towards other children. In addition, any questions asked at the time of signing were answered in a vague manner with assurances that it will be a fabulous experience.

Upon further investigation, website noted that no reputable Talent Agency will ask for money up front, and the line “We are looking for all types of individuals”, which was used at The Celebrity Experience, is a red flag. A reputable talent agency is often looking for one specific type cast, which is advertised at the auditions, and those with previous acting experience/training.

The following are the websites used in my follow-up research, which determined our decision to cancel [redacted]s contract as well as request a refund of monies:

Hence, this is a formal letter terminating said contract with an immediate request of a full refund via check payable to:

Thank you,

On October **, 2015, the funds were withdrawn from my account. I attempted to stop payment through my credit union; however, the transaction was already pending for 10/** and posted on 10/** with the date of 10/**/2015. In addition, I have a payment scheduled for the remaining fee which I have terminated with my bank; however, I will continue to watch for this. In addition, I filled out more paperwork than I received in return (I did not receive copies of those that were not carbon copies). The Three-Day Cancellation paperwork that I did complete on the original is not on the carbon copy I received in return. I am filing this complaint with the Revdex.com as I have read numerous negative reviews regarding The Celebrity Experience and wish to begin filing complaint proceedings as I also read it is difficult to retrieve the monies due parents, like me, who did not know better and believe to be taken advantage of in the sense that this rushed process is the 'best way' for my daughter to get noticed by major Hollywood directors, producers, etc. as she has the 'natural beauty with a typical type cast'.Desired Settlement: Full refund of $500 deposit as well as the following:

Modification/discontinuance of an advertised claim

No further contact by the business

Correction to a credit report (if this should proceed to such that I need to make this request)

Business

Response:

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention and happy to clarify this matter.As explained in a email to the family we are not a Talent Agency nor do we represent ourselves as one. We educate and develop the families so the participant is prepared to meet Agents, Mangers and Casting Directors for potential work in the entertainment industry. We pride ourselves on integrity, authenticity, dedication, commitment and honesty about everything and everyone we have relations with. We have too much success and positivity with our clients, relationships and reputation. A refund was issued a to the family and wish them much success in all future endeavors.We consider this matter closed.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.The business contacted me shortly after complaint was filed and issued a refund of my deposit with receipt.Thank you for your help in this matter.

Sincerely,

My daughter recently went through The Celebrity Experience and had a very positive outcome. She had a fun time and learned a lot from the mentors. I also learned a lot more about the business, especially regarding the LA market. At the showcase, she was able to use her previous acting experience and her newly acquired techniques learned at the workshop, to deliver a great performance. As a result of Celebrity Experience, she was able to connect with Los Angeles agents. Performing at showcases like this one is probably one of the best ways to meet LA agents. I don't know how we would have made those connections otherwise. The Celebrity Experience provided an avenue for her to be scouted and before leaving LA, my daughter signed with a LA manager and agent. I have heard there are a lot of similar style workshops that are not ran well and are "scams". This one is done really well and I will recommend it to anyone who feels they are ready to take the next step in their acting career and try their shot in front of LA agents.

I received a called to my cell phone regards an audition to be taken place in a hotel in the [redacted] area in [redacted]. I went with my * yrs old daugther as it was my first time, I asked on the phone what was the audition for, and they were not clear. So I got to the hotel in time. There were around 150 people there, they started a presentation, and after all the interviews and time I wasted, the purpose of this was just to sell me a 10,000 package to promote my daugther. This type of business is not clear, and my daugther as a * yrs old was very sad, cause I didn't get to do any audition. You should not involve childrens in this scam. Be clear about what your business is trying to sell, I wouldn't spend 2 hours on a saturday if you were clear. BE AWARE OF THESE PEOPLE, TAKE CARE OF YOUR CHILDREN.

Total and complete scam. They lure you in saying that it is an audition, when it is actually a pitch to sell their "experience". They are not a talent agency, just a glorified travel agency. Their packages range from $2,000-$10,000. When you "interview" with their so - called talent agents, the first question they ask the parents is if you are willing to financially support your child's dream. Total scam artists. Beware!

Review: As I enrolled in the program I was under the impression that everything was inclusive as far as travel and hotel fees dinner party and everything else that came with the program but as I research more I find out that it is not and the program exceeds my budget enormously... As I call to resolve the matter a woman try to explain to me some things that's why I kept asking questions she began to raise her voice that alone encouraged me to not be apart of their services I wanted my refund and she tells me can't even received partial payment so basically I paid 500 bucks for nothing not even including the time and money I wasted to audition for the program... this seems as if they're using people's passion and dreams to thrive financially without any care to the consumer... I'm greatly disappointed in this outcome I thought these were good peopleDesired Settlement: Full refund at least partial payment

Business

Response:

We are happy to address this matter.[redacted] enrolled in our program in Oct of 2014 and was given a booklet informing him of what the program(s) included for the winter 2015 program. At the time of enrollment, [redacted] was made aware of the non-refundable registration fee as well as the cancelation policy which he did acknowledged. In Dec of 2014 [redacted] requested to transfer his enrollment to our summer program, which we have accommodated. [redacted] has been receiving information pertaining to the industry all along. Yesterday 10/*/15 we contacted him regarding a payment that was due. [redacted] at this time informed us verbally that he did not want to attend. We explained that he was not only outside of the cancelation period (actually, almost a year later) but the fee's paid were non-refundable We did offer to help him out and transfer the participation one more time to a future program. He requested to speak with someone else, so my staff gave him my number to reach me to discuss the matter, I still have not heard from [redacted].We are extremely proud to do what we do and are very passionate about it! We have many success stories and are sadden to read [redacted]'s words, we do hope that he will be able to attend a future program as the experience of participation is not only a cultural experience but a memorable one.

Review: Child attended The Celebrity Experience. The Booklet we received says it came with Gala Award Dinner Tickets for 2. When time to pick up tickets I was charged $250 total for an Adult and a Child ticket which suppose to be included in the Package. The person said that we would refund your money they next evening to come and see them or within the week. I've attempted to contact them on 4 seperate occasions. 3 via email and once via [redacted] as that is the means they said to communicate with them. To date no response or money back. I am just one of several Hawaii families who were charged and are seeking a refund. I showed them a copy of the booklet and still no refund.Desired Settlement: Refund to my card.

Business

Response:

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attentionAs explained to [redacted] that the refund was to be issued as soon as we returned from the summer program, as today is our first day back in the office the refund was credit back to the original form of payment We hope this clarify's this issue and consider this matter closedKind Regards[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved. I didn't receive any communication of statement and return date, in person nor in email.

Sincerely,

Review: The problem I have is that this company is a FAKE!! They are selling kids Dreams telling them that this company can help them become famous to work with some of the Disney stars that's on TV. I was told to choose from 3 packages in which the prices are 500, 4,995 and 9,995. I decided to get the 4,995 package deal in which I had to put down 500 the same day as you signed the contract to set up a payment plan. In which the monthly cost was $374. 58 a month to continue with the program. [redacted] told me that you can raise money up on your own to pay for it so you can go to the event that's coming in July [redacted] but if you didn't have it in time then you can go to the event in January she never did mention the dates for that. Booth of the events would be held at the [redacted].

I discovered that this was a scam because I started a [redacted] account to raise the money. Someone noticed THE CELEBRITY EXPERIENCE COMPANY and asked me to do some research on the company so I did come to find out the two address that they provided was not real. One of them was the address to a (Post Office) [redacted] in [redacted]. The [redacted] address are rented out for the public to use for conferences so it's not a official address.

We heard about this from a radio add in which it was held at a hotel in [redacted] to audition for a chance to become FAMOUS so we went there to meet with [redacted] as well [redacted] not sure of her last name. So My daughter did the audition in which we were told if you do good then you will get a phone call from them that same night from area code ([redacted]). So we didi get the call so we went back to the same hotel to audition again in which she ended up winning so that's when you had to Pay your money and then sign the contract.Desired Settlement: That the [redacted] can get these people to charge them with FRAUD. As well I hope that this very complaint can reach the entire WORLD so people can know that these people are not really out to help but only to steal your hard earned money!!!

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,