I wish I could warn all the other mums about how badly she is going to run things and that really they need to try and get in with a decent agent, some of the kids are so talented and could do really well but not with her as their agent, she has no idea what she's doing!
Here's an example of the complete crap she spouts and how she thinks everything should happen now and doesn't even check facts, regulations etc, it's all the parents doing the running around checking things out (this is from the facbook group about a form she finally had to get made because the GP's would not 'just write a note'):
Parents should not have to check things like that, she should be checking out nhs charges etc and she should have warned parents in the beginning about the charges, it was ME who warned them about the letter costing upward of ?15. When she initially pitched the idea of an agency she said it would cost ?90 as that's how much spotlight costs. In reality it's cost ?20 for photos, ?90 for spotlight and an additional ?15-?50+ for the GP letter. She's also advising people of stuff like the fact auditions won't interfere with school, she can't guarantee that, particularly because most auditions happen in London, which is 2 hours by car or an hour by train(to get to kings cross and then however long by tube to get to wherever the casting is). Yes most casting agents are helpful and have the auditions after school time but if you have an audition at 5pm you need to be on the way to London (by car) at 2pm at the latest incase of traffic.
I also hate how she's getting the kids hopes up saying stuff about being so well connected and how she's putting them forward for all these different jobs and they might get 2/3 castings a week! It's a very competitive business and telling the kids something like that they will be expecting it to happen, Kyoko is very matter of fact about her agency stuff. She knows she gets put forward for stuff but it's not a guarantee of a casting, she knows getting a casting doesn't guarantee the job, she just has fun. The way this woman is wording it though is that the kids will be off to auditions twice a week and will get the job. I'm concerned that when they don't get the job after she's been 'coaching' them she will say stuff like "you will just have to try harder next time" or something thoughtless like that which puts the blame on the child rather then the fact that the casting director will pick who they thinks suits the part best. No amount of great acting will change your hair colour if the director decides they want someone with blonde hair instead of ginger now, or if they specifically want a kid with freckles or if they want someone who is natural rather then a fantastic actor. Or with Kyoko's casting the other week for a part of middle eastern/israel having a variety of children varying in shades from white with dark hair/eyes to indian, then it's whoever they think is both a good actor and the right shade for the part (particularly playing the younger version of the main characters). I think she's just setting these kids up for a very harsh reality check when 6 months down the line only a handful have got castings and nobody has secured a job.
My husband brought Kyoko home from dance class and was telling me about her deluded rant, she said to 3 different parents "I was woken up at 2am last night by the phone and well...I can't say what it was but lets just say it was america"...LOL!!! I don't know how my husband didn't laugh, so what if someone from america called, why is that a big deal? all agents get jobs from all over the world!
Anyway the real shocker came when he dropped her off for performance troupe that weekend, one of the mums was there talking to the mum of the principal (she helps out alot) asking her why it says on the agreement that the child needs to get their own public liability insurance...yes you read that right a CHILD with liability insurance...the woman is officially insane! A child actor does not need that sort of insurance and the agency watchdog said it sounds more like she has c&p a production contract, as it also says about providing PA systems!!
So after I think it's all settled the principal still tried to cancel Kyoko's spotlight profile, thankfully after phone calls back and forth to spotlights various departments(who were disgusted with her behaviour) I managed to sort it. Afterwards I get an email from the principal saying about the spotlight business and she will refund us blah blah...and then she says this;
"I have also withdrawn her for any submissions made by us between 20th May 2013 and 2nd June 2013 that are still casting so there is no confusion for casting directors about which agency to contact."
She'd been putting Kyoko forward for jobs when she didn't have any confirmation that we would be going with her! I can't actually get my head around that, why would you submit a child for jobs via your agency when you have no documentation to say she's represented by you.... the woman is nuts!
And that is why I hate her so much, thankfully now it's been a few weeks she seems to have stopped being so bitchy but I'm sure something else will come up!
Here's an example of the complete crap she spouts and how she thinks everything should happen now and doesn't even check facts, regulations etc, it's all the parents doing the running around checking things out (this is from the facbook group about a form she finally had to get made because the GP's would not 'just write a note'):
Parents should not have to check things like that, she should be checking out nhs charges etc and she should have warned parents in the beginning about the charges, it was ME who warned them about the letter costing upward of ?15. When she initially pitched the idea of an agency she said it would cost ?90 as that's how much spotlight costs. In reality it's cost ?20 for photos, ?90 for spotlight and an additional ?15-?50+ for the GP letter. She's also advising people of stuff like the fact auditions won't interfere with school, she can't guarantee that, particularly because most auditions happen in London, which is 2 hours by car or an hour by train(to get to kings cross and then however long by tube to get to wherever the casting is). Yes most casting agents are helpful and have the auditions after school time but if you have an audition at 5pm you need to be on the way to London (by car) at 2pm at the latest incase of traffic.
I also hate how she's getting the kids hopes up saying stuff about being so well connected and how she's putting them forward for all these different jobs and they might get 2/3 castings a week! It's a very competitive business and telling the kids something like that they will be expecting it to happen, Kyoko is very matter of fact about her agency stuff. She knows she gets put forward for stuff but it's not a guarantee of a casting, she knows getting a casting doesn't guarantee the job, she just has fun. The way this woman is wording it though is that the kids will be off to auditions twice a week and will get the job. I'm concerned that when they don't get the job after she's been 'coaching' them she will say stuff like "you will just have to try harder next time" or something thoughtless like that which puts the blame on the child rather then the fact that the casting director will pick who they thinks suits the part best. No amount of great acting will change your hair colour if the director decides they want someone with blonde hair instead of ginger now, or if they specifically want a kid with freckles or if they want someone who is natural rather then a fantastic actor. Or with Kyoko's casting the other week for a part of middle eastern/israel having a variety of children varying in shades from white with dark hair/eyes to indian, then it's whoever they think is both a good actor and the right shade for the part (particularly playing the younger version of the main characters). I think she's just setting these kids up for a very harsh reality check when 6 months down the line only a handful have got castings and nobody has secured a job.
My husband brought Kyoko home from dance class and was telling me about her deluded rant, she said to 3 different parents "I was woken up at 2am last night by the phone and well...I can't say what it was but lets just say it was america"...LOL!!! I don't know how my husband didn't laugh, so what if someone from america called, why is that a big deal? all agents get jobs from all over the world!
Anyway the real shocker came when he dropped her off for performance troupe that weekend, one of the mums was there talking to the mum of the principal (she helps out alot) asking her why it says on the agreement that the child needs to get their own public liability insurance...yes you read that right a CHILD with liability insurance...the woman is officially insane! A child actor does not need that sort of insurance and the agency watchdog said it sounds more like she has c&p a production contract, as it also says about providing PA systems!!
So after I think it's all settled the principal still tried to cancel Kyoko's spotlight profile, thankfully after phone calls back and forth to spotlights various departments(who were disgusted with her behaviour) I managed to sort it. Afterwards I get an email from the principal saying about the spotlight business and she will refund us blah blah...and then she says this;
"I have also withdrawn her for any submissions made by us between 20th May 2013 and 2nd June 2013 that are still casting so there is no confusion for casting directors about which agency to contact."
She'd been putting Kyoko forward for jobs when she didn't have any confirmation that we would be going with her! I can't actually get my head around that, why would you submit a child for jobs via your agency when you have no documentation to say she's represented by you.... the woman is nuts!
And that is why I hate her so much, thankfully now it's been a few weeks she seems to have stopped being so bitchy but I'm sure something else will come up!
