Hollywood Film & Acting Academy is one of the worst actingschools in Los Angeles. It is a scam.Do stay away from it please.
ALmost all students since spring 2009 have NOT been satisfied and have NOT gotten what they signed up for. Your money and tiime are utterly wasted, because it really is a bad schol, if you can even call Hollyowod Film And Acting " Academy" a school. Classes are not structured and led by actor's who are not the best teachers. Some come because they need to; not because they want to teach. Some are great people really but you don't learn a lot from them as actingteachers. Most classes are not even on camera,and when there is camera it is a normal consumer cam without any of the usual professional lighting. A 2 cam setup is never used, but are normal in many other actingclasses in LA.How can this even be a filmschool as well?There is no single filmstudent.In general overpriced un-structured education.
Check with state and community colleges if you want the real deal,but can't afford universities or real academies. Hollywood Film and acting academy is NOT a REAL ACADEMY.it is FAKE.It is owned and operated by one man only,and his brother.All teachers are hired externally and not connected to or on the payroll of the business "hollywood film and acting academy". Filmmaking program is not happening.There were never any filmmaking students since summer 2009. ALos this program is led by the school's owner who has not enough talent and experience as a filmmaker (he went to commerical LA Filmschool for 3 months) and has no talent at all for teaching. He never has ben a teacher anywhere, let alone at a film or acting school.
But then this man decided to start his own school.... bad idea.
Honestly, this man is also not capable of managing and owning a school.He is a glorified cameraman at best.
His name is Josh Sands, and he is really nice before you sign, because it is his living, he makes his money with this "school". To get new students to sign Josh employs a team of underpaid telemarketeers who work on commision only basis. Desperate people from the Hollywood streets, even homeless people, come to him and try to get by in Hollywood by tricking aspiring students to sign, so they get a kickback. These desperado's work on commission basis and they get money from Josh when they get you to sign.Sadly Josh even betrays a lot of these staff as well as he betrays students and I saw a lot of them leave while I was there.They had to sign a non-disclosure agreement.. Actor's House and background I lived in the actor's house with convicted criminals, and homeless bum's who were just to eager to get a place to live.Even a woman who was most wanted was allowed in the house, after a fake backgroundcheck. Josh Sands knew about her past as he did with the other criminals and some mentally unstable people whom he yet, knowingly, allowed in the house.Unsafe!!! This is no place to send your son or daughter to!! .Please people, do look into craiglist for housing or go for a cheap hotel even, just to get you started in Hollywood.But don't buy the "free housing"! HOUSING IS NOT FOR FREE, because at 1500$ a month housing is factored into the costs of the "ultimate acting program". The teachers are not all good, especially when the school's owner's brother, Larry Sands is your teacher.He does this so he can at least make a buck while staying at his brother;s because he does not get a lot of actingwork.He is not a teacher out of passion or belief or because he like to teach, he does it because he has to but he sucks at it. Some teachers are allright, but in general you might better contact them directly yourself, because at the school you pay too much as a student and those "teachers", really :actor's who make an extra buck, do not get a lot.The money is for Josh, the owner who wants a profit. Josh Sands loves money but couldn't care less about your acting career after you sign. He does not return deposits made. Josh in general is a killer of actor's dreams which is his biggest crime. A lot of false promises were made before I signed a fake contract and none of the promises were kept. No movies were shot with students.Some short video's were done but the quality of those vid' is on the level of amateurs.Have a look at YOUTUBE, type the school's name and judge for yourself.omg. My class was also promised imdb credit's but those home made vid's don't ever qualify, so that also was a false promise.
We were also explicitly promised industrycontacts and agents and managers who would come and see showcases.The recruiters and Mr. Sands all made it sound too good to be true... and it was.
Good actingclasses in Hollywood vary in price but are always cheaper than what you get here, it is way too expensive for what you get.You can meet teachers who are working actor's that is true,and some are even moderately famous, but they will not help you.You have to help yourself in Hollywood,and you will not get it just like that when you pay someone.You have to proof your skills and have to pay your dues. But that's not what you will hear at this "school". Hollywood film and acting academy is not even a real academy.
Even the name is there to fool you. You don't even get a diploma when you "graduate". How can you? The place is not even registered as a school!!! IT IS A SCAM operating as a BUSINESS FOR PROFIT. Look, if you can find any SUCCESFULL graduates of hollywood film and academy online who are satisfied and gotten what they were promised I dare you to post the results here. The reality though is: You will not find any. When you do, you can be sure they are undertalented wannabees who lost about 10.000$ on average but are so fooled they don't yet realise they are tricked out of their money. Don't become one of them. Do not sign , it is almost impossible to get money back... Josh Sands has been disrespectful too to many people at the school and has always tried to escape out of the web of lies he spun himself. I strongly recommend anyone to stay away from this place. RESEARCH BEFORE YOU ARRIVE IN HOLLYWOOD!!! Together with all of my former classmates i hope one day Josh will have to close his school and pay for his crimes. He has verbally abused and threatened students, by his doings international students got in trouble. He wouild pay 200 $ a month to a fake college so those internationals could get their studentvisa. Yet Josh asked 300 $ a month "for service" and was always relcutant to help those people from abroad. He really used them,and abused them,also financially.He has stolen items and destroyed items and personal property from on camous students as he gains illegal access to their rooms.
He willingly and knowingly allows mentally instable and even homeless and convicted criminals in the house. He was even proud to have made a short video with Suge Knight...a criminal rapper artist who was filming at the back of the actor's house. Days later Knight got arrested ,again,... Josh has lied to teachers, not paid teachers, and not returned deposits for tuition and security to almost all students. For NO REASON.Or he made up a reason.Josh is NOT ALLOWED to enroll INTERNATIONAL students,but he willl have them anyways,and has caused great legal and immigration problems for almost all internationals he did enroll tru a fake ESL college.
Josh' business is not a registered and accredited school, nor academy, so no rules apply.WHen you sigh and live there,you actually live and study in a business. At any given moment students can be asked to l eave,and will be forced to do. It happened a lot, for no particular reason in many cases.No protection at all,in those cases. And you loose your money..plus he will try to collect more from you tru a fake collection agent in Florida (you wonder,why not one from CaLifornia?)
Many students claim their tuition deposits back and compensation for the parts of oral agreements NOT FULFILLED by Hollywood Film And Acting Academy.
if you need to convince yourself of the quality of thei "movies" go to their youtube: Judge for yourself, and I hope you will find a better place.STAY away from this one please.
Research well before you arrive here. Do not believe any great promises.No one , no Hollywood Film And Acting Academy, no school no coach,no teacher, no manager, no agent , no studio, no director, no producer can and should promise you fame , success or wealth.
HOLLYWOOD DOES NOT WORK LIKE EASY DOES IT! To make it in Hollywood it is about : hard work sacrifice, dedication, inspiration (10%), transpiration 90%), no pain no gain, focus, discipline, rest (not partying like Paris Hilton or so), work out, training actingskills, meditation, auditioning, reading,planning, work work work. IT TAKES A LOT.
I hope Josh SAnds will one day realise what he is doing and has been doing, taking money from unaware aspiring actors.You could say he is preying on actor's dreams as a parasite.He really cares about money and not much more.One day he will pay.
God will take care of it.
I hope you will find your way in this crazy funny town and have success.
IF IT IS TO BE IT IS UP TO ME
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