FW: MdM studios,

[Sharon Millner]

Hi!

I am not sure how it is run now, but when I checked into them (about 2-3 years ago), they wanted thousands of dollars (3-5K) for them to introduce you to people in "business!" They have these "panels" that you have to pay to participate.  Her claim to fame is discovering Jessica Biehl (sp) as a CHILD actor.  It is a mother-son operation (at least it was then!).  When I googled her back then. I found a BBB (Better Business Bureau) alert (which may or may not mean anything) from her company in Denver which is where she was before DC. http://www.bbb.org/denver/business-reviews/modeling-and-talent-agencies/mcfarland-entertainment-in-denver-co-10002

Here is my info from back in the day. Hope it helps!

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @MdMStudiosDC

Mission

Our Mission:

MdM Studios is Washington, DC’s first international talent recruitment and agency placement company under the skilled direction of Diane McFarland and Michael McDavitt, who collectively bring over 50 years of industry-related experience. Through their guidance, education and mentorship, they will be carefully recruiting and connecting the most promising young talent in the DC metro area to their most influential ties with agents in the global marketplace.

The District of Columbia will become “the newest entertainment capital and attraction” with the launching and staging of an exclusive series of MdM Studios Youth Talent Workshops & Panel Discussions, scheduled for April, June, October & December 2012. The most talented actors and models, ranging in age from 6-21, will have the chance of auditioning and being presented to top international agents from Los Angeles and New York City. Through these events, talent will have the rare chance of being reviewed and offered legitimate agency contracts for representation, and elevating their careers to a national and international prominence. To learn more, please visit our website www.mdm-studios.com.



Our Leadership:

Diane McFarland and Michael McDavitt will be leading this initiative for MdM Studios. Ms. McFarland began her career as a model and quickly rose to the top, walking the runways for leading fashion designers and gracing the pages of print campaigns. This national visibility earned her the respect and admiration of her peers, inspiring her to open McFarland Entertainment in Denver & Colorado Springs, a top talent agency and board-certified training center. For nearly two decades, she carved her niche in the marketplace educating and mentoring thousands of students, and marketing and placing them with top agents in the fields of television, film, commercial/fashion print and runway. Among her proudest achievements was discovering, promoting and advancing the careers of Jessica Biel and Keri Russell. She was also honored to be chosen by Mirabella Magazine as one of their “1,000 Most Outstanding Women in America.”

Mr. McDavitt can be credited as the President of the Talent Management Division and Director of Television & Film Development for the Matthau Company in Los Angeles. In this position, he promoted and marketed the careers of legendary actor, Walter Matthau, and his son Charlie Matthau, a rising film and television Director. On the talent management side, he scouted and secured a select group of talent for agency representation, and considered them for television and film productions. Mr. McDavitt also served as the Agency Director for McFarland Entertainment, and as an Agent/Consultant for T.H.E. Artist Agency in DC (www.theartistagency.com).

As a mother-and-son duo, Ms. McFarland and Mr. McDavitt preside over the day-to-day operations of their sister company, ARB Productions, Inc. (www.arbproductionsinc.com), a production and multi-media house based in Washington, DC. As their ARB television and film projects are developed and produced, they will be considering MdM talent in their productions.



Our Original Team

As we move forward, we are thrilled to have already recruited an original team of promising young talent (some of whom are featured in the photo album) who will be participating in our upcoming MdM Workshops for 2012, along with those auditioning and being selected from our Talent Open Calls.

We have also solidified partnerships with some of the most respected and talented within the business and artistic communities. They include:

• Cade Martin, internationally acclaimed photographer
• DeShae Mayrand, MdM’s exclusive hair & makeup artist
• Judith B. Handjinicolau, respected dermatologist, Georgetown
Dermatology
• Jennifer Banks, MdM’s chief legal counsel



Our Top Industry Alliances:

Below are some of our top industry alliances within the entertainment, talent, and beauty industries:

• ARB Productions, Inc., sister company of MdM Studios www.arbproductionsinc.com
• Cade Martin Photography www.cademartin.com
• DeShae Mayrand, MdM’s Exclusive Hair & Makeup Artist @deshaemayrand
• Diane Hardin/Acting (LA & NYC) www.dianehardinacting.com
• The Savage Agency (LA) www.thesavageagency.net
• The Osbrink Agency (LA) www.osbrinkagency.com
• Abrams Artists Agency (NYC) www.abramsartists.com
• Carson-Adler Agency (NYC) www.carsonadler.com
• Generation Model Management (NYC) www.generationmm.com
• Elite Model Management (NYC) www.elitemodel.com
• Ford Models (NYC) www.fordmodels.com
• Next Models (NYC) www.nextmodels.com
• Wilhelmina & Wilhelmina Kids (NYC) www.wilhelmina.com
• Major Model Management (NYC) www.majormodel.com
• T.H.E. Artist Agency (DC) www.theartistagency.com
• Modelogic[Wilhelmina] (VA) www.modelogicwilhelmina.com
• Duke Ellington School of the Arts (DC) www.ellingtonschool.org
• George Four Seasons Salon (DC) www.georgefourseasonssalon.com
• Georgetown Dermatology/Judith B. Handjinicolau (DC) www.georgetowndermatology.com

[James J. Johnson]

That's what I was afraid of. No actor should EVER EVER EVER pay someone--manager, agent, casting director--upfront. They only receive 10-15% of what you get paid, only AFTER they get YOU work. If you're shelling out 100s or 1000s of dollars upfront, then more than likely you are being scammed. 

Heck, they used to have $25 workshops in New York through Actors Connection where you could meet and audition for top NY agencies. You'd be better off getting a Megabus to NY and doing one of those.

Headshots are only $100-$500  here in the area, so I don't understand what the $1000s are for.

Please be careful out here, Loved Ones. You're worth more than that.

 

James J. Johnson

SAG-AFTRA/AEA

 

James's IMDb Page

Follow James on Twitter

--
--
gal`va`nize: to stimulate people into sudden activity; to provide a network for DC metropolitan theatre artists, specifically those of the African diaspora, in order to connect, support and encourage each other because "we are all far too beautiful to be so seen so little".
 
INVITE A FRIEND TO JOIN GALVANIZE/CHANGE YOUR CURRENT SUBSCRIPTION:
http://groups.google.com/group/galvanize

---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Galvanize" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to galvanize+...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[John C. Bailey]

For so many, many reasons, including lawsuits against ARB and Michael McDavitt, just no.
Walk away.
I get that at least one person here has faith and I'm not ripping on that person's faith.
Just stop giving them money and see how long their "support" lasts.
Btw, if they have a legitimate relationship and dialogue based on history and trust, not paying an assistant to sit on a panel, with Abrams Artists, I'll buy you coffee.

If anyone wants to know the history behind MdM, pay-to-be-seen, litigation against ARB over the Moon Hollow pilot, etc., it's all there on the internet.

Their approach to tv/film acting and the business is an affront to our art and our community.

Cheers

~ jb ~

John C. Bailey
REEL: bit.ly/1bqF2lo
NEXT: Gen George Armstrong Custer, THE WEST, miniseries, Stephen David Ent & DISCOVERY.
*Henry Frick, The Men Who Built America, EMMY® Winner
REPRESENTATION:
NC: Beverly Brock, The Brock Agency, (828) 322-8553
NJ: Kathi Anderson, Jo Anderson Talent, (856) 596-7200
VA: Sylvia Hutson, Hutson Talent, (757) 673-6436

[Daren Joseph]

Believe me, I have never paid for someone to do this either. But, for some reason, I decided to take a chance.  So far, I feel pretty good about what I've gained from them...and I suppose for me, it was more about doing something for myself (another story) and taking a risk in my life and leaning on my faith.  If I'm out a few bucks, I didn't see that as a terribly bad thing.  I've seen real scammers in action and from what I have seen...they ain't no where near the insensitive, heartless, "give me your money or go" type people.  I understand and respect the holdbacks people have...but for me, this was a good decision. I'll keep you guys updated on how it goes..I'm actually meeting with Michael tomorrow to go over my monologue...

--

IMPORTANT

 

This e-mail and the information that it contains may be confidential, legally privileged and protected by law. Access by the intended recipient only is authorized. Any liability (in negligence or otherwise) arising from any third party acting, or refraining from acting, on any information contained in this e-mail is hereby excluded. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose the contents to any other person, use it for any purpose, or store or copy the information in any medium.  Please delete if obtained in error and email confirmation to the sender.

[Betsy Marks Delaney]

I have no experience with MDM, but I have had experience with other "managers" and I opted not to deal with them after reading the contractual requirements.

Food for thought: 

1. The website in the above is dead. (Parked domain placeholder.)

2. You should read this: http://theartistagency.com/beware-and-be-aware.php

Even better, you should read this: http://www.modelingscams.org/bbb.html

Your mileage may vary.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Betsy

--
--
gal`va`nize: to stimulate people into sudden activity; to provide a network for DC metropolitan theatre artists, specifically those of the African diaspora, in order to connect, support and encourage each other because "we are all far too beautiful to be so seen so little".
 
INVITE A FRIEND TO JOIN GALVANIZE/CHANGE YOUR CURRENT SUBSCRIPTION:
http://groups.google.com/group/galvanize

---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Galvanize" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to galvanize+...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--

Betsy Marks Delaney

http://www.hawkeswood.com/

[JJ]

The best to you, Daren. Please keep us posted.

---

From: Daren Joseph
Sent: 9/3/2014 11:36 PM
To: John C. Bailey
Cc: Sharon Millner; galvanizegrp
Subject: Re: GALVANIZE: FW: MdM studios,

Believe me, I have never paid for someone to do this either. But, for some reason, I decided to take a chance.  So far, I feel pretty good about what I've gained from them...and I suppose for me, it was more about doing something for myself (another story) and taking a risk in my life and leaning on my faith.  If I'm out a few bucks, I didn't see that as a terribly bad thing.  I've seen real scammers in action and from what I have seen...they ain't no where near the insensitive, heartless, "give me your money or go" type people.  I understand and respect the holdbacks people have...but for me, this was a good decision. I'll keep you guys updated on how it goes..I'm actually meeting with Michael tomorrow to go over my monologue...

On Wed, Sep 3, 2014 at 11:28 PM, John C. Bailey <johncbai...@gmail.com> wrote:

For so many, many reasons, including lawsuits against ARB and Michael McDavitt, just no.
Walk away.
I get that at least one person here has faith and I'm not ripping on that person's faith.
Just stop giving them money and see how long their "support" lasts.
Btw, if they have a legitimate relationship and dialogue based on history and trust, not paying an assistant to sit on a panel, with Abrams Artists, I'll buy you coffee.

If anyone wants to know the history behind MdM, pay-to-be-seen, litigation against ARB over the Moon Hollow pilot, etc., it's all there on the internet.

Their approach to tv/film acting and the business is an affront to our art and our community.

Cheers

~ jb ~

John C. Bailey
REEL: bit.ly/1bqF2lo
NEXT: Gen George Armstrong Custer, THE WEST, miniseries, Stephen David Ent & DISCOVERY.
*Henry Frick, The Men Who Built America, EMMY® Winner
REPRESENTATION:
NC: Beverly Brock, The Brock Agency, (828) 322-8553
NJ: Kathi Anderson, Jo Anderson Talent, (856) 596-7200
VA: Sylvia Hutson, Hutson Talent, (757) 673-6436

--

IMPORTANT

 

This e-mail and the information that it contains may be confidential, legally privileged and protected by law. Access by the intended recipient only is authorized. Any liability (in negligence or otherwise) arising from any third party acting, or refraining from acting, on any information contained in this e-mail is hereby excluded. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose the contents to any other person, use it for any purpose, or store or copy the information in any medium.  Please delete if obtained in error and email confirmation to the sender.

--

[Edward Daniels (AEA)]

Wow, thanks EVERYONE, for the feedback!

I just had a very 'odd' chat with them today and felt as though I was talking to a salesperson, not a legit agency. I'm happy with my career, the direction that I'm moving it in, and the connections that I'm making on my own. I, too, have never paid anyone for representation and management (...and as a manager said to me a few years back ''any legit manager wants to see that you have SOMETHING to manage, before beating down your door to manage you!'').

They scheduled me for a Tuesday 'audition'. I'm most-likely going to cancel, after doing a little research this late evening, but I am interested (as a seasoned person in this business) in hearing their spiel.

Anyhoo, thanks for the responses and POUND ON!

Edward

---

From: Betsy Marks Delaney <arami...@gmail.com>
To: "galv...@googlegroups.com" <galv...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 3, 2014 11:36 PM

Subject: Re: GALVANIZE: FW: MdM studios,

[Charisma Wooten]

Thanks!

                         Shalom!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE DROID

'JJ' via Galvanize <galv...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

The best to you, Daren. Please keep us posted.

---

From: Daren Joseph
Sent: 9/3/2014 11:36 PM
To: John C. Bailey
Cc: Sharon Millner; galvanizegrp

Subject: Re: GALVANIZE: FW: MdM studios,

Believe me, I have never paid for someone to do this either. But, for some reason, I decided to take a chance.  So far, I feel pretty good about what I've gained from them...and I suppose for me, it was more about doing something for myself (another story) and taking a risk in my life and leaning on my faith.  If I'm out a few bucks, I didn't see that as a terribly bad thing.  I've seen real scammers in action and from what I have seen...they ain't no where near the insensitive, heartless, "give me your money or go" type people.  I understand and respect the holdbacks people have...but for me, this was a good decision. I'll keep you guys updated on how it goes..I'm actually meeting with Michael tomorrow to go over my monologue...

On Wed, Sep 3, 2014 at 11:28 PM, John C. Bailey <johncbai...@gmail.com> wrote:

For so many, many reasons, including lawsuits against ARB and Michael McDavitt, just no.
Walk away.
I get that at least one person here has faith and I'm not ripping on that person's faith.
Just stop giving them money and see how long their "support" lasts.
Btw, if they have a legitimate relationship and dialogue based on history and trust, not paying an assistant to sit on a panel, with Abrams Artists, I'll buy you coffee.

If anyone wants to know the history behind MdM, pay-to-be-seen, litigation against ARB over the Moon Hollow pilot, etc., it's all there on the internet.

Their approach to tv/film acting and the business is an affront to our art and our community.

Cheers

~ jb ~

John C. Bailey
REEL: bit.ly/1bqF2lo
NEXT: Gen George Armstrong Custer, THE WEST, miniseries, Stephen David Ent & DISCOVERY.
*Henry Frick, The Men Who Built America, EMMY® Winner
REPRESENTATION:
NC: Beverly Brock, The Brock Agency, (828) 322-8553
NJ: Kathi Anderson, Jo Anderson Talent, (856) 596-7200
VA: Sylvia Hutson, Hutson Talent, (757) 673-6436

--

IMPORTANT

 

This e-mail and the information that it contains may be confidential, legally privileged and protected by law. Access by the intended recipient only is authorized. Any liability (in negligence or otherwise) arising from any third party acting, or refraining from acting, on any information contained in this e-mail is hereby excluded. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose the contents to any other person, use it for any purpose, or store or copy the information in any medium.  Please delete if obtained in error and email confirmation to the sender.

--

[Tiffani B]

Thank you to everyone for this information. I was NOT aware!