One Source Talent Modeling Agency: Beware Consumers - This is not the way

Update: December 9, 2008

I filed a complaint against Mr. Anthony Toma and One Source Talent with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan today.

November 11, 2007

One Source Talent
Mr. Anthony Toma, Founder
3250 West Big Beaver Road, Suite 526
Troy, Michigan 48084

Re: Kristina Gaston

Mr. Toma:

You report to the public One Source Talent is a consulting service for the fashion and acting communities. Your company summary suggests the goal of One Source Talent is to create cost-effective, working relationships between talent and clients via its interactive network. Your company also suggests it has talent and client benefits with real-time access and submissions to nation-wide castings and auditions, an interactive composite card for all digital and traditional submissions, a personal email account, industry workshops, “meet n’ greets”, a commission free environment and a benefit program from select businesses in each market. A searchable database of talent with detailed characteristics, a commission free service, a detailed talent evaluation process to ensure they are getting dedicated people and a corporate staff with years of industry knowledge and contacts.

You suggest One Source Talent mission is to help make the modeling and acting communities easily accessible from all ends of the entertainment industry, from talent, to clients, to agents, to casting companies; allowing for established and new talent to be discovered and hired quickly, and cost effectively.

In addition, your company reports underlying the mission is the determination to seek new and creative ways of addressing all several parts, while holding a deep respect for individuals inside and outside the company, and for the communities of which we are a part. The values of your company, from your viewpoint, state personal honesty, integrity, commitment to working together - with openness and trust; empowering others and respecting differences; encouraging risk-taking and responsibility; enjoying our work and our families.

Finally, your company suggests you are dedicated to providing the best service possible; that you are talent and client centered; that you are committed to working in partnerships, holding yourselves accountable for quality results, and are dedicated to financial integrity and cost-effectiveness.

Sir, I beg to differ with your company’s summary statement, talent and client benefits, integrity and honesty clause and values and principles statement.

My daughter, Kristina Gaston, has suffered a tremendous loss of integrity and possible modeling career opportunities with your Chicago office. I challenge the honesty, dignity and integrity of your Chicago based office. Kristina has not received one call from any perspective opportunities for modeling. In order for a perspective opportunity to arise, the agency or company would have to know Kristina’s One Source Talent ID number. There is no exposure by your company that would bring a perspective opportunity. In addition, Kristina would have to have suitable photos to demonstrate her beauty. The “professional” pictures, contracted by your company do not meet the requirements or standards your company claims to promote.

On or about August 16, 2007 my wife and I entered into a contractual agreement with One Source Talent to acquire photos and promotion of Kristina’s talents. Our cost was $595.00 for “professional” photos. Kristina’s photo shoot was scheduled for September 5, 2007. Kristina’s One Source Talent ID# is 20526. Kristina is 13-years-old. The results were not that of a 13-year-old.

I asked Carmen Martinez, your Chicago office representative, what would we get for $595.00? We were told by Carmen that we would get a 4-hour photo shoot, make-up artist and a portfolio. My wife escorted Kristina to the photo shoot. It lasted about an hour and a half. Carmen also told us we had to produce our own copies for the portfolio, from the photos taken by your “professional” photographer.

When my wife and I got the results of Kristina’s photos, I was appalled and disgusted. Most of the shots were over exposed. Kristina’s hair style did not change as her clothing was changed. The make-up was over the top, such as too much eyeliner and a heavy coating of facial foundation with a heavy coating of lipstick making her look 23-years-old instead of 13-years-old. In some pictures, Kristina had pearls on making the shots look like glamour photography. It appears as if Kristina was not professionally guided through the pictures either.

The lighting used for her photo shots created shadows, which made the shots bad or too hot; where if the lighting were appropriate we would have had a normal exposure. Kristina’s skin color and tone is not as light as some of the photos portrayed. If you want to see “true color” in “your” professional photos look at the shots taken by your photographer of Kristina’s mother, which were 3 shots and only because she was standing there with Kristina. We paid your company for professional photos. We did not pay for photos to be cropped and photo shopped.
The framing and/or composition were bad. There were many things in the photos that were distracting to Kristina’s look and photo shoot, such as window sills, wooded walls, telephone wires, etc. This photographer, if professional, should know what is in the frame of the picture before it is taken. When engaging in your process, we presented a photo disc to Carmen done by FBP DeSign Group, Inc. (http://www.fbpdesigngroup.com/) with make-up done by Marcus Geeter (http://www.marcusgeetermakeupartist.com/). This photo disc far exceeded your company’s demonstration of Kristina with excellence, distinction and quality.

When we left the disc from FBP DeSign Group, Inc. with Carmen she reported to us the pictures were unacceptable and not professional enough for your company, suggesting the background was the same in all the pictures. The first series of shots taken by your company’s “professional” photographer has the same background in most of its photos. In addition, your company’s photos displayed some sort of fabric or sheet in the background that had creases in it displaying where the sheets had been folded. This did not look professional at all. A professional photographer should know what is in the frame of a picture before the picture is taken.
To add insult to injury, on November 7, 2007 my wife called the person who reports she is the manager in your Chicago based office, Jessica, attempting to explain the above. Jessica made my wife feel insulted, minimizing our concerns. My wife reports Jessica stating “Oh, those pictures can get your daughter a job. If the pictures can get my daughter a job, demonstrate this to us.
My wife called me at work asking me to explain the above to Jessica.

On November 7, 2007 I called Jessica explaining the above. Jessica told me my thoughts about “professional” photography were my daughter sitting on Santa Claus’ lap. I was so insulted and aghast by Jessica’s response to my concerns, as I spoke in a professional voice, it prompted me to write this letter to you; also posting this letter on my websites at http://click.townhall.com/ and http://clickforjusticeandequality.blogspot.com/ for public viewing. People need to know what One Source Talent really offers, with your unprofessional staff.

Therefore, considering my statements and your company’s mission, value and integrity statements, could you please respond giving me some insight into how we can satisfy each others need for a good product and sale of my daughters attributes with an opportunity of work.
If the pictures your company sponsored and produced through your “professional” photographer are as good as Carmen and Jessica claim, put my daughter’s pictures on One Source Talent’s opening website page for public viewing like you have similarly situated individuals who you feel need promoting first and/or get her some work. This would prove out Carmen and Jessica’s theory that your pictures are better than the pictures I presented to your company for your website from FBP DeSign Group, Inc. and Marcus Geeter. It may also prove Jessica’s beliefs and thoughts that my vision of good professional pictures is those taken with my daughter sitting on Santa Claus’ lap. This was a very sarcastic statement made by your professional manager. It tells us a lot about your company. The staff of a company, is the company.

Respectfully submitted,

Fred L Nance Jr., ABD, MA, CADC, NCRSSocial Policy Analyst

cc:

http://clickforjusticeandequality.wordpress.com/
http://www.frednance.newsvine.com/
http://click.townhall.com/
http://clickforjusticeandequality2.blogspot.com/
Carmen MartinezJessica

Update: November 12, 2007

Jessica from One Source Talent called suggesting Kristina, my wife and I sit down to talk about possibly getting another photo shoot. We will sit with her to discuss this letter and Kristina's future in modeling.

Update: December 1, 2008

Kristina has not received a call from One Source Talent in months. One Source Talent has been debiting a monthly fee from my wife's bank account every month. My wife has been requesting information on why there has been no work for our daughter. There has been no response. Finally, my wife has been verbally calling and requesting One Source Talent cancel our contract and stop the monthly fee for Kristina's account. The contract has not been nullified and the fee has not stopped. One Source Talent continues to debit the fee from my wife's account with no accountability for acquiring work for our daughter.

My wife has been told that she must submit a writing to One Source Talent requesting to stop this fee. My wife and I called her bank requesting the One Source Talent debit stopped. To our amazement, our bank cannot stop the One Source Talent debit to her account because it is a debit to her bank account. My wife's bank reports the only way my wife can stop the One Source Talent debit is to cancel her debit card and order a new one. Therefore, my wife will cancel her current debit card and order a new debit card from her bank just to stop this debit by One Source Talent.

I would suggest to anyone who gets involved with One Source Talent or any other business or entity who insist on a monthly or weekly fee being taken from a bank account to have that fee taken from their bank's routing and bank account number, not by way of a debit to their account.

If a person takes this action, you will avoid having to cancel a debit card or your account to stop payment to a company who is not providing the service you require.

I believe One Source Talent has not provided our daughter with work because of our complaint to management and my posting the writing below on my blogs. When I wrote this complaint to Anthony Toma, Founder, President and CEO of One Source Talent in November of 2007, I had 2 blogs. I now have 4, and will re-post this complaint on all of them.

When I wrote and posted this complaint on my blogs I received a call from Mr. Toma thinking our daughter would get "real" work. I took this writing off my blogs because of good faith toward One Source Talent. When we wrote this complaint, our daughter was given another photo shooting and an opportunity to be an "extra" in a 15 minute college documentary. There has been no other work. Therefore, I am posting this complaint again on my blogs.

I would highly suggest to parents that if you do not know someone in management, please do not waste your time, money and child's self-esteem on believing one day she or he will succeed in this business. The only way there is success in this business is if you have a personal relationship with the ownership.

One Source Talent is not the way to succeed. I sent this comment to the President and CEO of One Source Talent, Mr. Anthony Toma by way of email. Hopefully, he will be able to facilitate the demise of our contract. My wife will cancel her debit card so that One Source Talent will not be able to take any other monies from her account.

Update: December 4, 2008

I filed an official complaint with the State of Michigan, Department of Attorney General this morning against Anthony Roma and One Source Talent. Check out this website: http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/one-source-talent-agency-c101283.html to support my claim against One Source Talent.