Where's My Money?!?!

Well, it seems that when Gilla Roos closed, they left a lot of actors hanging out to dry. Just from the couple of people who have contacted us, we can calculate over $25,000 in losses, and there has got to be a lot more. These actors cannot afford to get stiffed.

What is the recourse when an agency goes belly up and owes you money? Unfortunately, not much, unless you are smart and move quickly. Some suggestions:

1. Don’t go it alone. One person owed $4,000 has a lot less clout than 60 people owed $4,000 each. Team up, and you have the best chance of getting paid. This is what is known as a class action lawsuit. Start searching Google for others who may have had the same thing happen; or, if that doesn't yield results, make posts in forums and on blogs so you CAN find these people. Someone has already started collecting people for the Gilla Roos situation, and you can contact her at GillaRoosAction@gmail.com. If you are owed money, you must reach out to every other actor who is owed money and team up. You may not see all of your money, but there is a chance you may see some.

2. Find your contract with dates worked and any and all correspondences. Anything in print is going to be better then he said/she said, and that will never hold up in court.

3. Don’t bug the agents. Usually they are owed money too when this happens. It is the owner of the company that is liable, and so they can be an ally. It won’t help to harass them.

4. If an agency owner knowingly took your money and bought a new car or enriched themselves in another way, it might be criminal depending on what state you are in (and ought to be, regardless). Talk to a lawyer and do a little research. There are state laws governing the operation of an agency and you should research if there are any laws that protect you in your state, and a threat to call the Better Business Bureau can yield results (read: landlords in NYC). Also, if the organization is a SAG franchise, you may be able to bring your grievance to SAG. If you feel money owed has been taken fraudulently, you should contact your state’s attorney general’s office (New York: www.oag.state.ny.us/contact.html California: www.ag.ca.gov/contact/index.php ) They may not take on the grievance, but if they do, look out!

All actors are affected when something like this happens, either directly or indirectly. Use this as an excuse to arm yourself with knowledge of the ins and outs of your industry. It’s your business, too.

PUSHING BACK!

Over acting is what I call "pushing". Actors push far too much. It's like they feel they have something to prove. Settle down. Stop overcompensating out of fear. If you want to have Ninja like auditions, you must understand the Kung Fu of acting.

"Is not the moment important master?" said the student.
"It is not the moment that is important but what is between the moment" The master answered.

When you force your work you miss everything.

Film Jobs to take a Big Hit!

Most people in the business realize that the only reason that episodic TV has been in NY at all recently was because of the tax credits. Without them it's just too darn expensive to make shows here.

Now enter our brilliant politicians have yet to fund the program in the new budget!

This will mean massive job losses and loss of revenue in an already sour economy.

You can join our online petition here and do your part to save the jobs.

Goodbye Gilla Roos?

We hear from a very good sources that Gilla Roos has shut its doors due to "restructuring". In a letter to the staff owner, Gary Roos, blamed the economic downturn.

This place has been around since 1974! Many of you were not even a twinkling in your parents loins in 1974.

In the past few years we've seen the closing of McDonald Richards (remember them) and now we hear R&L is merging with Silver.

Gilla was a the old faithful of the commercial print agents and to see it go is quite sad.


FYI: Here is some info about Gilla Roos:

"Gilla Roos was a model and actress who was well known for teaching actors to model for "Commercial Print" In these ads the models would portray "Real People" in different Lifestyles such as at home, in the office, or on vacation etc. She was a pioneer in developing acting for commercial print"