It's a scam. They want you to pay for a class, but never get you any actual opportunities.read more

They just want your money. They have no interest in paying you, or finding you work, and if you ask…read morethem about it, they will ghost you. They force you into a Zoom meeting that is nothing but a high pressure sales call. They want you to buy your way in through workshops and classes and will never get you a gig.

I've been with SMG for four years (14-18) and they have done such a tremendous job at being a…read moremother agency! I was always made aware of possible jobs or travel opportunities, but the really special thing is just how much the agents want the best for you. They made sure I was prepared for almost any situation and I wouldn't have had such a positive experience in the industry without them. I will say, part of their professionalism may come off as harsh, but they will only sign you if they see potential jobs for you. Highly recommend sending in your profile digitally or coming to open call!

I have used SMG as a producer for an organic design brand and working with them and their models…read morewas an excellent experience.

I love the TCM Team! They are prompt, professional, hardworking and great friends. I've been with…read morethem for eight years and have been happy the whole time. Cheers to many great years to come!

My daughter has been modeling with TCM for the last 4 years and everybody has always been helpful…read morein person, over the phone, via e-mails or texts! We have had a wonderful experience and they treat my kid more like family and all staff always make us feel welcome. They are very honest about goals and possibilities! (which can be hard to take in sometimes, but that is how this industry works). We just love this agency and all individuals who are taking good care of us!

I have been pleased with my interactions with Topo Swope. Their staff have been very professional…read moreand responsive. It is nice to see a top-notch talent agency thriving in Seattle.

Topo Swope has the most professional group of actors available in Seattle!read more

Best selection of diverse and edgy models in the Pacific Northwest!!!…read moreGreat selection of ladies and gentlemen to select from while supporting a local company which has been around since 1984. Excellent staff and bookers who actually book work for many of the agency's models!!! Highly recommend!!!

Very awkward experience with this agency…read more I was applying for certain department which they have at their agency and I do meet requirements for that type of department, in addition to meeting the other requirements they already posted - that is a fact. Although I am qualified for what I was applying - they gave no explanation or any reason realistically why rejection happened in this case. After coming to Open Call at their agency, I did not even talk to or see their agent who was in other part of the office/room as I was told by receptionist to just fill out the application form (which did not have the section to mark and explain what department one is applying for as they have several departments at this place) , enclose several photos and the agent will come to talk if they are interested. (hmm ...agent saw me but i did not see her ). Their Open Call in person is same as applying at their website - a few photos and application form without even seeing or talking to the agent. And If this is the whole purpose of their Open Call - then why not simply ask people to fill it out at website only or via email just send pics and application and you will invite those ones you are interested in to come to you in person and thus none's time or fuel would be wasted ? A place with such unprofessional and ignorant behavior, apparently biased against something - would not be right for me. Also, you choose whoever you want - just post honest requirements of what you want at your agency to avoid other people wasting their time, fuel and money to come and meet you.

Venturing into the entertainment world can be very daunting. MAM has certainly made it so much…read moresmoother by having an attentive team of caring professionals working for me! Their connections with 'real' and 'working' entertainment professionals, casting directors, and executives, combined with 10+ years of excellence, has proven to be the boost my career needed. Thank you MAM!

My experience with MAM was both good and bad. As a talent I was not always treated in a…read moreprofessional manner but rather talked down to at times by both the owner and her husband. I have heard the same complaint from many other actors/models that MAM represented. You ask a simple question and then you get a series of harsh toned emails and social media posts in relation to your question rather than a simple yes or no answer. Also with MAM you may be asked to "model" freebee events, which basically means wait on tables at an awards event. Other than that, they are a decent agency for the Washington region. They promote their talent with a good online presence. They work hard to get you booked, though there really is not much work in the area other than local commercials or the occasional LOW LOW budget film. Overall, ok.

Overall, working with this agency was a negative experience. They stole money from me by keeping my…read morepay from a job, but I will get to that... I didn't mind that they make you pay to take a class before starting, it was expensive ($350), but fun and helped a new timer learn a few things. I didn't like that they make you take (HORRIBLE) headshots through their company for $400 per session. I've modeled over 100 times and never have I received such awful photos. The headshot experience is uncomfortable and fake, it shows in the photos (that end up with terrible photo-shopping on top of it). I hated that they make everyone retake the headshots every year. But what is really making me write this review was what happened after 4 or 5 years of trying to make things work with them. I accepted a decent paying job at a convention center, being a hair model for a high end hair coloring company out of LA. I planned to send in my resignation sometime after. It usually takes quite a few weeks (sometimes months) to get your pay check from the agency, but after I quit, I never received one for the hair show. I contacted them in January about tax info and my missing paycheck and the response I received was atrocious! Bob, the ring leader, responded with info about their snaky little contract. Sneaky, yes, but more so snaky. He told me that I am responsible for scheduling their expensive and terrible headshot session (that I don't want and dread) on time, each year. Since I did the hair show after the one year marked date of my last set of headshots (that were so bad I couldn't even use them), and since I was not renewing my contract, they had the right to collect the money I would have spent if I were to have had the headshots done. Following me here? ...they took the $400 out of my paycheck for headshots I never got. They also took their 20% fee along with it. So, my $500 paycheck for working 22hrs in 2 days, on heals, and getting my hair royally f*cked up in the process, was stolen. (The heals thing is a big deal to me because I've had RA in my whole body since I was 4yrs old. I couldn't walk for days after pushing through this hair show.) I lost so much money doing this job, re-dying my very long hair was outrageously expensive, not to mention the time I took off work to be there for 11hrs - 2 days in a row. But it would have been worth it for my paycheck. ***Side Issue: They promise you one year with the headshots. But they take a long amount of time to process them. It took 2 months to get my last set of headshots. The amount of time I actually got to use the headshots before the contact says they get to keep your money is only about 10 months, even though they promise you a year. JUST DON'T DO IT. THERE ARE SO MUCH & SO MANY BETTER AGENCIES IN SEATTLE. Save yourself the money and they BS and go with someone else. I could go on and on about the things they say they offer and how much they don't follow through. Including a bi-weekly improv night that comes with your contract, to help you enhance your skills, that would get cancelled more than actually happen. There was one year I stayed with the company only for the improv nights, and it was cancelled altogether for the most part of that year. Just don't do it. It's for young people who don't know how much they are being taken advantage of.

Not a great experience at all. I feel they upsell their headshots (you have to have them taken by…read morethem), and you have to enroll in classes. A lot is promised upfront and never delivered. You really get more of what feels like a sales pitch. In our situation a price was quoted and then conveniently forgotten about. So we were in an odd situation, I reluctantly paid and moved on. No receipt or contract was given to me. I have been trying for months to have our class deposits returned as I have finally come to my senses and they have not responded.

I have been with this agency for about a year or so. I have been pleased with the guidance I have…read morereceived from Emerald City Model & Talent. They have helped me to prepare for auditions. I have been cast as a principal for a commercial; a speaking part in a promotional video; was selected for a modeling shoot and have also participated as background talent. These were for local companies as well as national and one international. I have been sent on auditions where I did not get cast. It comes with the business. But each effort made to go out and try is a win-win because your perseverance will pay off. You help your ability as a performer grow as you become more experienced and comfortable with the audition process. I was with another agency for a few years before and was thankful for the training I received with them however I did not get cast for paid gigs. While on an audition I came across an old friend who is on the talent roster with Emerald City and who suggested I connect with them in hopes to get more audition notices and hopefully paid gigs. I have not regretted that. I have met wonderful people through the agency and have made lasting friendships with other talent. When I decided to be part of the talent roster I did not have any pictures for immediate use so I did have the agency take a headshot of me. It is standard to need a headshot and resume when going out on auditions or to even be considered for one. The picture or pictures you have available serve as a way for casting agents to select you from other candidates for a potential audition. I had the option of ordering a larger photo package wearing different outfits but it was not feasible for me at the time. I do have the option to slowly add to that portfolio as I have photos from my paid gigs. I can also have the agency take more photos to show a range of looks if I choose to do so to help make me even more marketable. I can't speak for others but as for myself, I am thankful for the experience I have received at Emerald City Model and Talent to focus on how to prepare for potential jobs and the opportunities to be sent on audition calls. When I had important people in my life going through rough times, they were supportive of me stepping back from auditions to focus on what needed my attention at that time. The agency has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and they have been in this industry for over 25 years plus I know other performing artists who have been cast as talent from this agency as well. All of these factors made me comfortable with choosing the agency. I have found it does take an investment of time and money plus your commitment to really aspire to make yourself better than before which really is what one would have to do for any endeavor. I look forward to more possibilities from the experience I have gained while being with this agency.

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE! I made a comment here on Yelp, and "Easa H's" reply to my…read morecomment was a complete LIE - let's analyze: In his reply here on Yelp he wrote: "We are very Melissa that you feel that way..." -----NOT TRUE - when I expressed my concerns, I was denied a refund without sympathy, and via text, the recruiter girl's reply via text was a snide "Tough luck cookie, you've learned your lesson." He wrote: "when you came in you were very excited to start the business" ----NOT TRUE - I was NOT "very excited to start." NOT AT ALL. I was VERY APPREHENSIVE AND CONFUSED. I was told I was there for a shoe/foot model interview, and the 'interview' turned into a bait and switch. "i told you we had a audition for you" -----NOT TRUE! There was no specific mention of any kind of interview for me. "so we went forward and did the comp card" -----NOT SO EASY! I WAS EXTREMELY APPREHENSIVE, EXAPLAINED MULTIPLE TIMES I DIDN'T WANT TO BE A MODEL, I FELT OVERWEIGHT, MY HAIR COLOR WAS GROWN OUT, AND I WASN'T EXPECTING ANY KIND OF PHOTOSHOOT and was CONFUSED SINCE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FOR A FOOT gig. I was coerced into doing to shoot just to get you to stop hounding me. I was vulnerable and you took advantage of me. WORST YET, I gave you my credit card but you said it didn't work, so I gave you my debit card. When I realized I was conned as soon as I stepped outside - in went into my car and cried! Then I tried stopping the payment, BUT YOU CAN'T STOP A PAYMENT ON A DEBIT CARD!! SHADY! "and as i said as soon as i saved you in our database i submitted you for a casino shoot". ----GARBAGE! AFTER I CRIED AND TRIED STOPPING THE PAYMENT I went back inside to ask you to give me my money back and you refused. You did not say anything about a casino. You said you sent the photos off for editing and your editor had already started (In less than 5 minutes - extremely hard to believe) so that's why you couldn't refund my money. Then you jumped into a fancy car with your friend and went to eat - you left your office immediately after dismissing me - you didn't keep doing any work on my stuff. "and my client replied back and he wanted for you to send him a self tape for a casino shoot" --- IF THIS IS TRUE - DOUBTFUL, YOU MADE NO MENTION OF IT TO ME - NONE, NOT EVEN A WHISPER. "and for some reason someone talked you out of going forward with our agency" ---- NO ONE TALKED ME OUT OF IT - I FELT IT IN MY BONES THAT I HAD BEEN CONNED WHEN I WALKED OUT. The entire experience was so much uncomfortable pressure, and you wouldn't hear my polite ways of saying no, you just pushed and pushed. As soon as I stepped out of your office I knew I had been worked over, and it felt awful. I looked you up on Yelp and found you have CONNED LOTS OF PEOPLE!! I cried so hard! "so i had to tell the client you were not available" --- I Would have been available if I had known anything about it - I was stuck having $700 conned from me, might as well have made the best of it, BUT YOU NEVER TOLD ME. "and when a client likes your look and i submit you for a job and i tell him you are nor available it really makes us look bad" ----THIS IS CLASSIC GASLIGHTING 101. How could I be to blame when I knew nothing of it. THIS COMPANY MAKES ITSELF LOOK BAD. "and most clients if you keep doing that they will stop calling our agency" ---- Clients SHOULD STOP CALLING YOUR AGENCY. THIS AGENCY SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN and return all the money it has stolen from people back to them. "fortunately for us we have been working with this same casting director for forty years so he keeps calling us back. We literately have thousands of auditions and jobs every year because we have over 500 clients we have been in business for forty + years". ---- I would SERIOUSLY QUESTION AND DISTRUST EVERY casting team or directors that do business with this company. "we have a A+ raining with the BBB since 1991" --- This seriously makes me think there's something very shady going on here - I mean - LOOK AT ALL OF THESE YELP REVIEWS. LOOK AT THEM. REPEATEDLY CALLED OUT FOR BEING SCAMMERS- OVER AND OVER. "but still very sorry it did not work out for you" ---- I DO NOT BELIVE ONE BIT THAT YOU ARE IN ANY WAY SINCERELY SORRY. IF YOU WERE YOU"RE DO SOME SORT OF COMPENSATION. In 5 minutes, your editor definitely did not do $700 of work. You could have given me $600 back and kept $100 for the time it took to con me, and the 5 minutes of work your editor did, BUT YOU DIDN'T CARE. YOU HAD MY MONEY, and YOU KNEW THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO TO GET IT BACK - YOU KNEW EXACTLY WHAT TO SAY AND DO TO PREVENT ME FROM STOPPING PAYMENT. YOUR METHODS OF COERSION WERE AWEFUL FEELING. I'm STILL sick about it. I wish I could sue you, but you did say I was perfect - sure - perfectly vulnerable, gullible and too poor to fight back. SICKENING - all of it. Even the smell of the grease in your hair, blech.