Beware of Karon Shea, La Femmina Modeling , John Wood & Cinderella Modeling agency: Some say IMTA Iis not a scam others say it is,read this and form your own opinion

I knew a lot of people were looking at this blog, but this blog has now reached across the country and this is a blurb I received from LA. The power of the internet is amazing. I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR RESPONSES.

AFTER THE POSTING YOU WILL SEE SOME OTHER LINKS TO HELP VALIDATE THIS POSTING. REMEMBER KNOWLEDGE ISN'T POWER UNLESS IT IS APPLIED!

I have no personal knowledge of Karon Shea, John Wood or any of the others mentioned in your blog. But I do have personal experience with IMTA.

FYI, the ONLY people who go to IMTA (or it's stepsister competition, iPop, which is about double the price) are expensive modeling schools. NO ONE ELSE. It is NOT the way professional actors enter the industry. 99% of the actors who attend never get a paying job in Los Angeles, because the training they have received is so horrible. AGENCIES do not send their clients there...why would they? So their clients could be stolen by a larger agency? Of course not! They send their acting school students (they are not really agencies) because conventions are big business..between paying for MORE classes, NEW pictures, and the convention itself, you would have dished out $10,000 or so. And don't think it stops there...you will get "callbacks" (a misuse of the industry term) alright. But the result will be that you were "almost there" and "just need a little more training". And back into the school cycle you go, so they can suck more money out of you.

BTW, if you want to compare Los Angeles prices, a great headshot photographer charges about $250 and 100 copies are about $75. The average cost for a top acting class is less than $50 per hour.

Another reality of Hollywood: AGENCIES are not legally allowed to advertise in CA. They cannot charge ANY fees upfront for photography, classes or anything else--that is a violation of the Advanced Fee Talent Service Law. Legit Hollywood companies do not post on craigslist--ever.

I think you must be a pretty savvy guy. From what I have read here, looks like you have spotted a scam, and managed to save yourself another $10,000 or so by NOT attending IMTA. $800 is ridiculous for professional headshots. Bravo for saying, "Stop the Madness!" and for speaking out.

Tip of the day: Google
"IMTA scam", "John Robert Powers scam" and "iPop scam". Just adding that little word to the end of your searches will bring up thousands of websites, including pretty much every consumer protection site in the nation. You are not alone!

KARON SHEA I have a question for you.

HOW MUCH MONEY, IF ANY HAVE YOU RECEIVED FROM SENDING PEOPLE TO IMTA IN FORM OF SALARY OR COMMISSION?

IF YOU DON'T REMEMBER THE ADD THAT YOUR ORGANIZATION POSTED ON CRAIG'S LIST, I HAVE POSTED IT BELOW FOR YOUR REVIEW. Remember this is the original add I answered.

IMTA OPEN CALL (Boston)

Reply to: see below
Date: 2008-04-04, 10:21AM EDT

International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA) is coming from NY to Boston

A few of IMTA discoveries are Ashton Kutcher, Eva Longoria, Katie Holmes, Elijah Wood, and many more.

Auditions are now being held for ages 4 to 58.

All ethnicities and sizes are encouraged to audition. No experience nec.

Call (617) 710-7510 for audition dates and times. (Notice the Phone number)