I was in town last Wednesday and walking past Orchard MRT (underground).
A Chinese Mainlander approached me and told me that she was looking for models. She passed me a namecard which read 'Create Talents'.
I asked casually if they accept child models. She said,"Yes, yes." And she asked me for my phone number.
I turned her down a few times, as I was sure it was a bluff. How many talent scouts in their right mind would approach an auntie to scout as a talent? My share of unpleasant cheating experience with Chinese Mainlander helped and I recognised that accent. Seeing that I refused to back down, she took the namecard back from me, without a word of apology and walked away.
I remembered the website and googled for it under http://www.createtalents.com/.
The home page looked promising. A Pte Ltd some more.
But as I googled for reviews on it, I realised that it is a scam.
The 'talent scouts' earn commission by bringing people to the 'modeling agency' and make them pay more than $500 for a portfolio.
Of these links that I have googled, this has someone, a goon doo by the nick of goodheavenz, speaking up for them and pretending to be a neutral party.
He offered a few links and claimed that Create Talents was likely a legitimate agency:
http://collettem.createtalents.com/
http://dasd.createtalents.com
http://kelvinh.createtalents.com
http://fredericky.createtalents.com
However, all the more I find it dubious, because all the blogs have only one or two entries and they are all about how great Create Talents is.
Good heavens!
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7 comments:
If their company is a scam why doesn't the authorities shut them down??
There are cheats out there that are not arrested by the authorities. Besides, it seems that this company does give you some 'portfolio' photographs after coercing you into parting with your hundreds of dollars. I am not sure why those who were coerced into taking pictures did not lodge police reports either. Perhaps they were satisfied with the pictures taken? ;)
Create Talents at Dhoby Ghaut - it looks like "heaven" for model wannabes, and if you're lucky enough to be interviewed by the boss (who will lie and say that she's only a booker), has the face of an angel.
You will not see hell nor people with horns and a pitchfork at Create Talents because the devils disguise themselves as angels of light.
There are, however, clues which the boss leaves behind for smart people to decipher:
1. All the consultants' name card has no surnames, e.g. just Michelle, or Cally, without any surname.
2. The email addresses of the consultants or managers on their name cards are merely enquiries@createtalents.com.sg
3. The phone no. stated on the name card is the office main enquiry line, not their direct line. It also does NOT state a mobile number.
4. Create Talents' website has a white background but its name card is black. If you look at IModels' website, it is coloured black while its name card is white. The 2 agencies' "corporate branding colours" complement each other because it symbolizes Yin and Yang of Taoism.
Why they can get away with it? The answer is simple. There is no law to govern model & talent agencies, neither is there a law to protect model & talent applicants.
ONLY MORONS JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER AND DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PROFILE A CON ARTIST. Neither do they know how to profile a genuine model agent either.
Hi. I am an above 18years old female and they wanted to charge me $800 for a portfolio and subsequent $1200 for photo etc. Thank goodness for my friends who I consulted first. Apparently many people have been approached and asked to pay large sums of money first then, from what my research on google shows, the subsequent jobs don' t really come. Plus they probably could sell your information too.
It very believable with all the past projects they show you they have done and everything but notice they will never say anything about you being guarenteed jobs. They will only say they will try. And then they'll lure you some more by saying you could earn 3-4digits. Too good to be true right?
Long story short, life isnt like those of a TV show, magical stuff like this don't happen. Please be alert.
Wish I didn't took my decision after reading here. I was approached by Create Talents about an year ago near DhobiGhat and I happened to share my number and as expected, they called me and I went to their office and they explained the services, modeling projects and payment as well. It was looking very promising, but don't know why I believed the reviews here more than my instinct. I rejected the offer and also told them not to contact me further.
But, now I feel very bad!!! U know why? The same create talent agency confronted my friend and I alerted her to not to opt for such modeling agencies. She said to have verified with other firms and told me that this one is better than all. She signed contract with them and also did her mind-blowing portfolio (I feel so bad when looking at her pics). She has also got 2 TV ads now.
It's been a year though not sure whether they can recognize me if I apply again. Feels bad for myself for just going after reviews, not experimenting in real.
Hi Rachael,
This is a personal blog and I do not claim to know all. Everyone has to bear responsibilities for his or her own decision. If you believe it looks promising, no one is stopping you from accepting the offer - if any was offered at all. What's life without some adventures? If it had been a great opportunity that could turn you into an international supermodel, we would have been very happy for you. If it had turned out to be a scam, all you had lost would be a few hundred dollars and perhaps some faith in humanity. I wish you all the best in your adventures in life.
Hi Carol Ann,
I am happy for you that things had turned out well. However, what I had read was the opposite of what you had read (80% negative and 10% or 20% positive) so my instinct told me otherwise. A quick google of 'Create Talents' again gives me a lot of negative vibes. Not sure where you got your positive reviews from. In fact, there was a newspaper report on how the owners had some monetary dispute with a model-wannabe. And to update this, Create Talents has been 'defunct' since 2006.
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