Pro-Image Model Actor

If I could give this place a negative review I would .
Don’t go here, do your research first,
These people are a bunch of lying crooks.

Agree with John below. I went in to see «David» and he stunk of scam, especially when he started asking for money upfront. Stay away.

Absolute scam. After contacting «David» from «Portland Talent Group» regarding film work, he contacted me for an interview. While he feigned a gentlemanly manner, the whole affair seemed unscrupulous from the start. We sat down and he showed me a website straight out of 1994 with «actor bios, which we can help you build…» As if I need help filling out a basic acting questionnaire, then to suggest I should pay this company 20% of wages because of this amazing service. David has zero interest in learning anything about you, the interview is only a sales pitch for his scam operation. After a few minutes, he began throwing out all kinds of numbers — not pay but expenses, at «discounted» rates — e.g. «$ 100 acting classes, but you only pay $ 10!» and «$ 200 photoshoot, but you only pay $ 45!». I threw up in my mouth a little bit, I felt idiotic even being there in that office with this manipulative creep. This guy has probably regurgitated this tired old routine since 1982. Finally the interview-​turned-​pitch concludes with, «you’re either a „go getter“ or a loser — which one are you?» Buzz off.

This place is, frankly, a huge scam.
I agree with everyone.
PIMA tries to break you down and purports that they will get you work… only after you pay hundreds of dollars. I, unfortunately, went along with the agency for a short time. They force you into taking new photos. It was quite possibly the worst shoot I have been a part of in my whole career. Cheesey lighting, forced poses, all the while they are saying pay $ 20 for a stylist, and then $ 20 for make-​up, etc. And the photos turned out, as I am sure you can imagine, horrifically. It was all utter crap. Real agencies do not charge you if they want your talent. PIMA does not want your talent, just your money. Do not be duped by this bullshit. You are worth more.

This company appears to be suspicious. My little sister paid them $ 100.00 before fully reading more about the company. She realized the next day what she had paid for, when she tried calling back to get a refund, David (who works there) hangs up and says «I’m in a class right now. Can’t talk!». I helped her and called back to speak with David after his class. He talked for a minute and said «I’m not a crook!» (he also may have been crying… I couldn’t tell) and hung up on me twice. He now won’t answer the phone. Professional.

They also changed their name but are still located in the same building just a floor or two up. Be aware! HUGE SCAM

I would rate zero stars if I could. Don’t trust these guys (classic bait and switch).They will try to get you to spend $ 300 in order to sign up with their services. They want money before you even leave the interview or they won’t work with you. Super suspicious. I assume this is because they don’t want you to research them before making the decision to hand over your money. I kindly thanked the interviewer for his time and left because of this reason.
You must sign papers stating that you’re not even being interviewed. I’m sure to protect them from being sued and shut down for emotional distress people go through during the «interview» process. They are very shady and everything in me says that they are dishonest and greedy. Everything from the very aggressive approach and the dirty employees. The vibe I got from this experience is that I felt like I was being pressured by a used car salesman to buy a used car. I’m willing to bet that they work on commission. Each schmuck they get hooked they get money. They wouldn’t be pushing so hard for your money if this wasn’t the case. Don’t do it. I’m positive they will be out of business soon. Don’t be a victim.

I answered the Craigslist ad via email to get more info. I got a email from them «kbproductions does its screening interviews through Portland Talent at 516 SE Morrison in suite M-​2 «and left me a number. I called the number and the most unprofessional woman answered with a «yeah? Hello?» as if I was claling her on her personal cell. I laughed and inquired more about them and the tone was lazy and unappreciative. I said thanks and hung up. I am in doubt that they can help anyone with this attitude.

I found a representative of this company using a «bait and switch» technique to acquire «clients», when in fact it was just to collect fees for «head shots»
It took very little research to learn this was a scam

I responded to an ad posted on Craigslist for a modeling and acting agency, which did not list their official name on the Ad, and only asked that you send one picture and a phone number. I received an automated email shortly thereafter, which I have copied a portion of and pasted below:
Thank you for taking the time to respond, I respect your faith in yourself. Please call our offices if you are serious enough to actually keep an appointment if we offer you one. If you find that you are unable to keep your appointment as set then we will not be able to afford you a second opportunity because we get 50 calls a day for only 8 time slots. It really helps if you know that you need a recognized agency.
— – lastly,
Did you read the whole thing? Good on you. We really need to meet if you did and if you really want to act. If you have a «know it all» buddy that claims he was an extra or a stand in and knows all about the industry and everything must be a scam, then good luck thinking for yourself. Come prove him wrong.
Yesterday, I was contacted by «Isabella» to come in at 3 pm THAT day for an interview/​screening– when their email clearly stated they wanted actors to come to them. When I arrived, I was told to fill out a page on a small table. It was a simple .Word document that asked me to circle how «serious» I was about acting. There was also a little stand-​up poster of «rules and guidelines» for filling out the paper, and the first rule read, 1. «If you didn’t mark Very Serious about acting or modeling, we are concerned.»
During my interview, I talked to both Scott, (their «head honcho» and shitty actor) who attempted pitching my on their business model and practices, and Isabella, who tried to befriend me. Scott’s creepy demeanor and lack of They wouldn’t accept any of the headshots I already had– in fact, they didn’t offer to see any of my previous work. They insisted that I buy their package of headshots and modeling classes, which she presented to me on a fold-​out paper that she WOULDN’T LET ME TAKE A PICTURE OF for future reference. She said that the price would increase if I didn’t buy THAT DAY. I fibbed and said I could only pay with check, which they couldn’t accept. Cash or Credit only. Isabella praised me over and over for my «cold read» and said that only because she liked me, she’d wait until my new debit card came in, (I told her I was part of the Target scams) and that’d she’d get in «sooo much trouble with her boss» if I flaked out on her. They made me do the ridiculous runway walk in their crappy, broken down office too. I am very happy I looked up the Unilocal reviews of this shoddy snake oil business before I committed to paying out the nose for acting classes, headshots, and website representation at an exorbitant price for an obviously fake modeling and acting agency.

Received a message regarding PIMA Agency.
Jennifer L wrote a one line «your full of sh-​t»
I wrote back, «I believe you meant to say, «You are full of sh-​t!»

Please learn from my mistake and I should have known better. These people are most definitely not honest and will most likely not get you any work in the industry.
I have worked in both theater and film locally, but I was bored and knew a few people in town who were with various agencies. I had never tried this and thought I would give it a whirl. I should have talked to local friends in the business but just marched straight ahead and signed up with this agency.
They were shifty from the start. They charged me $ 200 as a fee and required I do a photo shoot with their photographer. They told me the stylist was the «top model in Oregon.» I don’t intend any disrespect to her, she was a very nice person and attractive, but if she’s the top model in Oregon, I am Brad Pitt. Also, why would a top model work styling photo shoots?
When I got the photos back, they were terrible. While I realize I am not stunningly beautiful, I have seen photos friends have done of me and was okay with them. These were awful, completely unflattering, shadows across the face, etc. The photographer did a very poor job, used bad lighting, etc. Head shots are supposed to be flattering and help to «sell» the actor, not the exact opposite.
They also required that I attend an «acting workshop» before they would rep me. It was a joke, like a Barbizon modeling school type situation, with everyone being required to walk down a runway and be evaluated. Hello, I don’t want to be a model, just to do some more acting. I felt so bad for the many hopeful looking teens there and the parents with small kids. By they way, they also charge extra, paid in cash, naturally, for the photo shoots and the «audition training.»
I ended up walking out of the ridiculous «training» and sending them an email asking for, at the very least, a partial refund and/​or a chance to re-​shoot my photos. I thought this was more than fair. They never responded to my email, they just started emailing audition notices to me.
My next step was to send a complaint to the Better Business Bureau of Oregon asking for a refund of my money. After two weeks, they still had not responded to this or communicated with me in any way. What kind of legitimate business doesn’t respond to client emails or complaints from the BBB?
I later talked to a friend of mine who has done a lot of film work in Oregon. She told me the websites that PIMA signs you up on for audition notices will allow anyone to sign up on them, you don’t have to be with an agency to get the audition notices or information. She also connected me with a legit agent here who told me this: «You don’t have to pay to play, no real talent agency will require you to pay any fees up front. They might suggest classes they offer or photographers they use, but they will not require you to use theirs as a prerequisite for representation.» This agency declined to sign me, which didn’t surprise me as I believe it would actually not always be easy to get signed with real agents who are legit. If you’re looking to do some acting work in town, I’d advised signing with Xtras Only instead, they’re much cheaper and I’ve actually gotten work through them before.
It’s pretty lame to not even respond to emails or legal complaints, what kind of people do that. Avoid this place, they just want your cash.

I heard about PIMA nearly 2 years ago, which was represented by a 60 year old man in a 100 sq ft room in southeast Portland. Found an ad on craigslist in the tv/​radio section in jobs advertising acting and modeling jobs. Since I was a newbie to PDX and there was nothing else going on in that town, I decided to respond to the ad. When I got to his office, the man was on the phone but he handed me this blue piece of paper that said I was accepted and that I had to pay $ 100 up front for head shots that PIMA had to take with their own photographer. Then when he got off the phone, I told him that I don’t «pay to play» he responded by saying that I’m «influenced by Tyra» like 3 or 4 different times (not sure what that means) and that I will never work in portland as an actor and lastly, I should find a job as a stripper. The horrendous homely looking girl that walked in after me got the blue paper, too… hmm. But maybe things are different now. My commercial agent here in LA has NEVER charged me for anything, and in fact they have set me up with a free LA Casting account. I get out to auditions and book gigs regularly… and I didn’t even need to become a stripper! Thanks, but no thanks for the advice, PIMA!

Don’t waste your time going here. They wasted my time. I was mislead in to a «Talent Interview», instead they tried to sell me on investing in them for my agency. I was generalized and told if I didn’t make the decision to pay them «today» I was not a mature enough person to make life choices. Not only was I insulted but at the same time I was asked for money. This is not a company that you want to associate with. I’m not going to waste any more of my time on this review but I wanted to try and save other people’s time and money.
There are many «real» agencies out there that will treat you the right way and take notice of yours skills and abilities.
Good luck!