International Talent Showcase

so last Sunday (15th of August) i auditioned for International Talent Showcase. this showcase is basically an invitation only convention for new talent around the country to perform for the best agents in the US, Europe and Asia. its an amazing opportunity for everyone. so i did the audition and it went pretty well. i sang (a little of 'Caught in the Crowd' by Kate Miller Heidke), i acted (we were given a small script to read) and i danced (i did a small piece from my 'Cowboy Casanova' piece). the scout- Sharon- really liked it. and everyone loved my accent, score! anyway we were told a little about the whole thing, then we all went home anxiously waiting the phone call the next day. now it was not that everyone was gonna get a call back, we all knew that some people wouldn't. yet just after 10am that Monday i got a phone call saying they wanted to see me again! i was so excited, jumping around the room and squealing the whole time! the next thought was already in my head but pushed to the front by someone who i live with. what if its a scam, what if they're trying to take advantage of not only me but everyone else who was at the audition... so i spent 3 hours on the internet checking them out and this is basically what i found.

They are legit, they are covered by the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and have an A rating with them. which for those who are not in the US is really good, the BBB is the place you go to if you have a complaint with a business. and it also proves that they are actually a business and not just some front for the money.
There are some people who say its a scam- that they only want your money, yet i only found those reports from people who had not gotten a call back (suggesting that they were upset and were just venting...) also yes they ask you to put down $500 as a deposit, but when you actually get there they say that what ever you can put down to begin with is fine. they are not really strict on the whole money aspect as long as it is payed off before the convention (and with a whole year, its not hard).

I also called the hotel where they hold the convention The Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami, and the person who i spoke to had nothing but good things to say about it. they have had it at the Doral for the past 3 years (Sharon explained that they switch it up between this Hotel and another- i can't remember the name of it, but someone who was at the call back had, again legit) and they guy on the phone said that everyone he had spoken to or had come across had been the real deal and were very nice.

Also on various websites (they're official one and their facebook page) there were all good things- i know, they only put the good things on there right. but still for the amount of people that attend these things (about 200 max- and thats from all over the whole country) the good definitely outweighed the bad.

Also they tell you in the intro that they found a star of movies Mena Suvari from the American Pie movies. i checked this out and on IMDB.com is says that she attended a modeling convention before getting picked up for the movie, but thats all. i couldn't find what the convention was called, but i'm assuming that it was ITS. but still...

Overall i think the whole thing is legit and worth it. i am still gonna try and do things myself- gotta get some help from various people though. :) and i'll keep you all updated on everything that happens with it all!

Tell next time
Katie
xo