My son received a call on his cell phone from a lady by the name of Annemarie. She told him she wanted to speak to his mom so he handed to phone to me. Annemarie said she was calling from the American Mall Model Search and my son had been chosen by their agency to audition. She asked me about my son's experience with modeling/acting and I told her he had participated in several plays, he is in the school of the arts in choir and musical theatre. She said they were definitely interested in seeing my son and told me to be at the Santa Rosa Center Mall at 4:15 or 6:15 the very next day. She gave me her phone number and said to let her know if for any reason we couldn't make it. During the conversation she also asked if my son already had a portfolio which I declined. She said that was ok and they would give him a shot anyway. She made it sound as though that was a bad thing, but they were so interested in him to see him no matter what. We then researched American Mall Model Search online and saw all the negative comments and how they push people into buying their photo shoots for $150. I told my son we wouldn't go to Santa Rosa (about 40 miles from my house) and explained the scam to him. Although he was disappointed thinking he may be 'discovered' as a model or actor, he understood what the scam was all about. At around 4 pm on the day we were supposed to go to the mall in Santa Rosa, Annemarie called my son again on his cell phone and asked to speak to me, but I wasn't home. She then told my son she just wanted to remind us of our appointment at 6:15 that night. My son told her we had investigated her company online and we had seen a few 'interesting' articles and we would not be coming to the appointment. Annemarie said to him that it was too bad he felt that way and he was missing out on a real opportunity. She then just hung up the phone on him. She never even asked my son WHAT he had read and why he felt the way he did - she just knew she hadn't gotten yet another sucker to show up and pay for a poor quality photo shoot. If that is not a scam, then what it? I am glad we investigated this scam so we were never put in the situation of being pressured into getting a phony photo shoot. I read that they always want people to come to the audition the next day. This must be one of the many tools they use, because it will give people little time to ask around and investigate and more likely to show up. I hope this story will help some other parents and kids to see the scam before they can be taken advantage of.

I dropped my 5 yo daughters name in the box a few months ago. Here's the first sign it was a scam 1: They want you to come in immediately with no regard to your schedule or you miss this great opportunity. She called Wednesday for Thursday. 2: They want money for pictures. Any legit agency will front you they money for any headshots you need to get started. They don't get paid until you get paid. 3: They give you no time to gather the money for the pictures even if you wanted to pay it. I had was expected to pay $50 today, $50 tomorrow, and $50 at the time of the runway show. 4: The people that made it weren't cute, everyone made it to the next round, so everyone had to buy pictures.

I let my daughter walk the runway. We sat through most of the results. As soon as I was sure they were taking everyone, we left and got ice cream. It's funny. This just happened today. And while I'm looking them up on this message board, they called me. I'm not giving these people any of my money. I'll take that $150, buy a good camera, and play photo shoot with my daughter in our garden. I can mail out headshots and resumes myself. A real modeling agency really only needs two pictures ladies and gentlemen, a clean head shot and body shot taken with a polaroid by your mama. Ask Tyra Banks.

I feel sorry for those who fell for it and paid the cash. It was worth the trip to the mall to see if my daughter would be comfortable on a cat walk. Now that I know that, I'll move forward on my own.

Okay stupid asses, THE AMERICAN MALL MODEL SEARCH IS NOT A SCAM! I interned for them so I know everything about them. The only reason people think this is a scam is because you have to pay for professional pictures. YOU NEED PROFESSIONAL PICTURES TO BE IN THIS INDUSTRY! Also, sorry ass bitches thinks that this is a scam because they didn't get picked to get a contract. Sorry your a ugly talentless person. That's on you. Get signed or not you still get to keep the portfolio you payed for. So all you pathetic losers who keep saying this is a scam can shut the fuck up, stupid ass bitches! Sorry your cheap asses can't afford $150.00 for some pictures.

Get a life, give up on acting/modeling obviously it isn't your dream. If you are one of the people that didn't get picked, BOO FUCKING HOO! Ugly bastards. Get some talent and maybe you'll get chosen.

EXPERIENCE FROM AN INTERN!
I had fun with this at first. The first audition was fun. They said all these sweet things to me and told me how great I was, (eventually I was told that I don't even know how to walk in high heels.) Then They made me pay $150.00 for a photo shoot. FIRST, I ended up getting the wrong photos on My CD. I had to take them back to get the right ones. I looked at the pictures, and they turned out dreadful. I doubt these people are real photographers. I can take much better pictures of myself with my webcam! Another thing, pretty much EVERY contestant gets through to the photo shoot so that they can make more money off of it. I KNOW that almost everyone gets through, because I was offered an internship. I took it, thinking that it would be a great opportunity. I enjoyed it for the first couple of days, but I had to stand on high heels for 5 hours at a time, and it's amazing that I haven't had to have my feet amputated. All they want the interns to do is push more people into signing up for the model search so that they can MAKE MORE MONEY! The internship is basically free labor. They didn't even give us breaks. I doubt it will even go to this talent show. After you finish, if you win this "contract, " you will have to cough up another $1000 to fly out to Florida for some more bull shit.
Just don't bother with this at all. It was fun, but it is just another scam.
If you want to be a model, build a real portfolio, get a GOOD photographer, and go to real casting calls. If someone want's money after an audition, it is automatically a scam. Don't believe any of it. If they truly want you, then you won't have to pay them until THEY find work for you.

My daughter is 2 years old and is currently going through the process. We have completed the initial walk on the runway, the photo shoot, and we are now practicing for the talent portion. This has been a wonderful experience thus far. We had an amazing photo shoot with 3 looks for only $270.00. If you do some research, a photo shoot is normally double that. The people that we are working with are amazing. No matter what happens this has been a great bonding experience and we have some wonderful pictures. I am sorry to those of you who did not make it with the company but that is how this business works. Every agency, whether modeling or talent, will have people complaining because of loss of money or no work. It is simply a try-out.