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Undiscovered Talent Group defends Saskatoon audition after online criticism

Chasing a Hollywood dream: Saskatoon parents share experiences with Undiscovered Talent Group

A U.S. talent scouting company that runs auditions in Canada is defending its practices after a recent audition in Saskatoon drew criticism online.

Undiscovered Talent Group advertised acting and modelling auditions on social media in Saskatoon for March 18.

One auditionee then took to the Internet to voice concerns that the company should be more up front about the fees it charges for services.

Fees in the thousands

Successful auditionees for the company's Masters II program are called back to audition to appear at a Los Angeles talent showcase called iPOP. If they are accepted, the fee to participate is about $11,800.

Photoshoots costs between about $330 and $870 and are required for all of the company's clients.

Brookelynn Tetzlaff, 19, of Saskatoon was among those who lined up outside the Saskatoon Inn and Conference Centre for the auditions on Saturday.

Tetzlaff, who said she was not aware of the fees before attending, said she was asked questions about her financial situation during the audition.

"I was really excited and I tried to show off my personality, I guess, and the questions that they asked only really involved money," said Tetzlaff.

"Like, they had asked me how I could afford to pay my bills and just, basically, all about money and that kind of turned me off a little bit."

Tetzlaff gets a callback

The day after the audition, Tetzlaff said she received a text message saying she had made the second audition for a place in the program.

The text message asked if she had read the package regarding the financial commitment.

Tetzlaff responded to say her parents were discussing the idea and would reply within the hour. Company owner Brandon Harlow replied, "Oh my Brookelynn my farm girl you have to do this please!"

After seeing other complaints about talent companies online, Tetzlaff said she decided not to proceed to the next step.

"I think that people are probably better off just going to Los Angeles themselves and looking into this kind of deal," said Tetzlaff.

Fees should be advertised, says Tetzlaff

She believes the company should be more open about the fees involved when advertising the auditions.

Frustrated by her experience, she turned to social media to alert others to the company's financial requirements.

"I think that if they would have been more clear about the money aspect of things [I] would have been more understanding," she said.

"They just seem very misleading and I think they leave out a lot of info that people should know about."

Some people who responded to her Facebook post were critical of the company's Saskatoon audition, including one who said she, too, had received a callback but would not pay the fee.

Company defends practices

In a written response to questions, Harlow said his company was not an agency.

Instead, he said the company trains and develops talent to showcase to other agencies.

"We have performers who go on to work on Disney, Nickelodeon, family channel, major movies, etc., yes," said Harlow.

"We scout and develop talent to be ready to audition for all networks, shows and movies.

"No, we are not paid by the networks. No, we are not employees for those networks. Yes, we do work with them in placing kids and adults on their networks, shows, etc."

He said the fees associated with the programs go towards services, including flying coaches, photographers and agencies in from Los Angeles.

Criticism is 'not surprising': UTG owner

"[Tetzlaff's post] is not surprising to me. This is usually done by someone who doesn't acquire our services, fulfil their part of the process and/or allow us to fulfil ours," he said.

"All of our talent over the years who have completed any program have been happy with our services."

Harlow said it offers to market some clients, such as those with sufficient training and longer resumés, without a fee.

He also said UTG provides college-style scholarships to some aspiring performers who are "special" but not ready for the Los Angeles program.

The Better Business Bureau said it had received five complaints about Undiscovered Talent Group. All were filed under the category "problems with product/service."