Is AMTC a Scam?

AMTC, Broadway Song

After my friend and I took our daughters to the AMTC auditions, we wondered, “Is AMTC a Scam?”

My friend and I suspected that everyone at the auditions got callbacks, since both of our daughters and another girl we knew got callbacks.

Also, we were surprised at the high prices to attend the convention.  So we were skeptical and began investigating to determine if AMTC could be a scam.  (See more on this topic in “Should Your Child Attend Talent Contests?” and “What is AMTC?“)

What is a scam, really?

The definition of scam, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, is:  a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation.

It is hard to decide exactly when something is or is not a scam.  If you are misled and promised certain things that are not provided, then it is a scam.   Also,  if you are charged much more for something than what it is really worth, it is a scam.  But how do you define how much something is worth?  That is a difficult thing to do.

Do Industry Professionals Actually Attend AMTC?

My friend actually called up some of the talent agents, talent managers, and casting directors on the list of AMTC attendees and asked them if they regularly attended AMTC.  They all confirmed that they did indeed attend. She asked them other questions and was satisfied with their answers.

Does Everyone Get a Callback?

Still, we wondered if every person who auditioned got  a callback.  I asked the talent scouts and was told that not everyone was selected to attend the convention.  I was never absolutely able to verify this, but at least one person told me they knew someone who was not called back.

I was also told of one person who was not “selected” to attend but asked if they could attend anyway. They were allowed to attend. Was it wrong for AMTC to allow them to attend if they really wanted to attend?

Our Decision About AMTC

After much soul-searching and many discussions with friends and family, my husband and I did sign our 5-year-old daughter up to participate in AMTC. My friend planned for her daughter to attend but changed her mind since she thought her daughter was not ready for an event like this.

There were two sets of classes (one for adults and one for kids and teens) being held at Millie Lewis of Charleston to prepare the participants for the competitions. My daughter and I attended the weekly classes from October to January to help prepare her (and me) for the convention being held in January of 2003 in Charleston, SC (AMTC is usually held in Orlando, Florida.)

We worked hard on preparing her for the competitions, practicing frequently at home. We watched videos from previous contests. We got costumes and other clothing ready and planned hairstyles. I also read all the materials I could find and asked questions to help ensure that we’d be prepared. (See “How Do You Prepare for Talent Contests Such as AMTC?” for more on how to prepare if you do decide to attend.)

The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays passed, and the next thing I knew, it was time for the convention.

Staying in the Convention Hotel

We planned to drive over for the various events since we lived only 30 minutes to an hour away. But as the time grew closer, we decided to stay in the convention hotel. We shared with another girl and her mother, so the price was not bad.

We both enjoyed the various events going on in the hotel. I don’t think we would have had the same experience if we had not stayed on site at the hotel–my daughter enjoyed swimming with the other contestants, eating with the other contestants, and hanging out with them in the evenings. It was very convenient to be able to go back to our room to change clothes, freshen up, rest, or just to escape for a few minutes.

The truth is, my daughter had the time of her life at AMTC, and absolutely loved every minute of it. I found the seminars taught by the industry professionals to be quite informative.

And for our family, this was a life-changing event. My daughter did well, and the end result was that we ended up here in L.A. (And soon a detailed account of our experiences will be available for your reading pleasure.)

But I know of others who were very disappointed and felt cheated and unhappy when the convention was over.

So what is the answer to the question “Is AMTC a SCAM?”

Read more »

How Do You Prepare for Talent Contests such as AMTC?

When we decided to participate in one of the big talent contests known as AMTC, we felt a combination of excitement and fear.

We were excited about attending, but at the same time, we were not 100% convinced we were doing the right thing. And we’d paid quite a bit of money for it.

If you are still trying to decide whether to attend talent contests such as AMTC and IMTA, refer to my previous posts on Talent Contests and AMTC.

With AMTC talent contests, the sponsoring agency typically provides training for the contestants. Millie Lewis of Charleston, my daughter’s talent agency, was our hosting agency.

Training Classes

We attended weekly sessions at Millie Lewis of Charleston for coaching in commercial, sitcom, monologue, runway, for a group runway event, plus for other competitions.

Each class was several hours long. After getting some initial instruction, the children performed and were critiqued by the instructors.

I always thought the young kids should have gone first and moved to another room to continue working with parents. They often got tired from standing or even sitting for so long,  and some became disruptive.

The Millie Lewis teachers and consultants only had so much time to spend with each child during a class. So I knew the ultimate responsibility for preparing my five-year-old daughter was in my hands.

Additional Preparation

I spent a great deal of time reading the materials and trying to understand all I could about the event. I asked questions about items that were not clear to make sure I understood.

I also spent many hours finding clothing, putting together costumes, editing music, and working on choreography, in addition to rehearsing with my daughter for the various competitions.

We worked with consultants at Millie Lewis to decide on clothing, hairstyles, and makeup for the events. We scheduled a photography session with one of their recommended photographers (not mandatory, but suggested).

We paid for a haircut at their salon, a hairstyling and makeup session, and the photography session on top of the fees paid for the training and attending the event.

If you’ve paid for your child to attend AMTC or one of the similar talent contests, you are probably wondering, “How do you prepare for talent contests?”

You should do the following things:

Read more »

What Is AMTC?

At the time that my daughter and I attended AMTC (January 2003), AMTC stood for American Modeling and Talent Convention.  It seemed that many people were often unsure about what the letters actually stood for.

I always wondered why it was called American rather than International or World, since it is international and not just American. I know I saw people from Canada, China, France, and many other places when we were there — not just the United States.

At some time in the last couple of years, it appears that they decided to change the name.  Why did they change the name? And what do the letters AMTC now stand for? What is AMTC?

Read more »

Should Your Child Attend Talent Contests?

Talent Contests

When we began looking into an acting career for our daughter, we saw information about talent contests and wondered if we should sign her up for one.

I was frustrated that I could not figure out how to get my daughter into modeling or acting, and I thought talent contests might be our answer.

I heard about some auditions coming up at Millie Lewis of Charleston for one of the talent contests called AMTC.  We signed up along with some friends of ours

Talent Contest Auditions

When we arrived at the AMTC auditions, we viewed a presentation about AMTC. It included a long talk by the talent scout and a promotional film showing scenes from previous talent contests.

Some former contestants talked about their experiences, answered questions, and performed.

Next, the children auditioning walked across in front of the parents and talent scout and then introduced themselves and said a few words into a mic.  Then, they also performed if they wanted to.

We were told that they would call if our child was selected to attend.

When both my friend and I got calls saying our daughters had been chosen as well as a couple of other children we knew, we started wondering if it could be a scam.

Talent Contest Callback

At the callback, we were informed about exactly how it would all work and how much it would cost. It was much more expensive than we expected!

We were asked to put a deposit down to hold our child’s spot, but they gave us additional time to decide when we asked for it.

We wondered if all the children who auditioned got callbacks. My friend and I both looked on  the internet for more information about AMTC talent contests and about the talent scout.

Could It Be a Scam?

Initially, I decided not to sign my daughter up for AMTC because of the cost and because I was skeptical about it. I thought it might be a scam.

My friend called several of the agents, casting directors, and managers on the list of attendees and was told that they did indeed attend AMTC.  I decided to reconsider.

I continued researching on the internet about talent contests and carefully read all the materials they had given us.

I discussed it with my husband and with family and friends. Everyone who knew our daughter, knew what a ham she was and thought she seemed destined for the entertainment industry and mostly encouraged us to do it.

So, we finally made the decision to attend AMTC.

It was being held in North Charleston, SC, only 30 minutes from where we lived.

There would be weekly classes at our local Millie Lewis Agency to prepare the kids for the talent competitions at the week-long convention. There would also be educational seminars and workshops at the event as well as talent shows, social events, and award ceremonies.

We really had no idea exactly what we were getting ourselves into or whether we would be glad we did this or whether we’d later regret spending the money.

So, what happened at the talent contest? I’ll discuss more about it in future posts.

When trying to figure out how to help your child start a show business career, at some point you may wonder, “Are talent contests a good way to get my child into show business?”

Read more »