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| The Exposure Studio SCAMS, LIES, FALSE PROMISES Los Angeles, California |
| 20th of Nov, 2011 by User344271 |
| I was new to Hollywood. I had no idea. I was completely sucked in by this scam - this business that sells hopes and dreams to those who don't know any better... I was only visiting LA. I had never even considered acting until one night while walking the Third Street Promenade, a woman approached me and asked if I was an actor. I said no, but that I could be (I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life anyway, partially why I was visiting LA...so I was particularly vulnerable and saw this as some kind of sign). She then said she was a talent scout, and she was most interested in finding and developing “raw talent†such as myself. We exchanged information. She gave me her card – In bold letters, it said “Thexposure Motion Picture Studio,†and underneath it listed Artist Development, Studio Back-Lot, Filming, Recording, Casting, and Music. For the next few days I thought about it a lot. “Could I be an actor? Is this for real? Does it really just happen like that, a stranger coming up to you on the street and offering you a chance at acting?†I know now that the answer is clearly NO. It does not just work like that, but again I had no idea. I auditioned for a guy named Tristen Cutler who claimed to be the director of the Professional Performance and Celebrity Mentor Program at The Exposure Studio. I thought my acting was bad, but to my surprise he said that I was a very pure person that showed a lot of potential, had a great look, and could easily be trained into a great actor, depending on how much work I wanted to put into it. He said that he and his team had interviewed/auditioned over 500 people for this program and they were about to narrow that down to 200, and from that 200 they would pick twenty to be part of this program, and that they would call me in a few days. They called me back a few days later and told me I'd been chosen for the program and to come in to talk about it with Tristen and discuss if it's something I want to do. When I got there I met Jim Richer for the first time. I immediately had bad feelings about this guy. My intuition is a basset hound and falsity is a wounded rabbit. I smelled it a mile away. He told me I had a good look, then proceeded to talk endlessly about himself, his accomplishments, and who he knows. In the middle of this, he answered his phone and said, “I can’t talk right now, I’m in the middle of an interview.†I found it funny that he had the audacity to label his sanctimonious rant an “interview†when not one question was asked of me. When Tristen finally showed up a half hour later, we went upstairs to his office and sat down. He began to discuss the program. He said that it was ten months of intense foundational acting training, for which the class of twenty will be observed and then ultimately given opportunities for exposure to castings and auditions. He compared it to the training one would receive at the USC Film School and Julliard, without the years of study and outrageous tuition. I knew this was a stretch, but I let him continue. He made it clear that a majority of the curriculum was based around the “inner work†that is necessary in order to harness the ability to be transparent, honest and in touch with one’s true self. He reiterated that real directors and actors, such as Dan Ireland and Cindy Pickett, would do the training. He continued by then going into what will happen after I had been trained. He claimed to have been raised in the life of film, as he is the Grandson of Martin Ritt, an early Hollywood screenwriter and director. Because of this, he claimed to have amazing inside connections in Hollywood and the Entertainment business, to the extent that he could literally pick up the phone and have me in an audition the next day. Then he took us on a tour of the studio back-lot (the backyard). There were several mini-sets, all seemingly geared toward children and teens, ranging from a bedroom to a beach (which was essentially a sandbox). The garage had also been converted into a makeup studio that also doubled as a classroom, and there was also a “music room†that had a vocal booth and foamed walls but no equipment other than an old keyboard and computer monitor. Tristen said that they were remodeling it and were about to deck it out with all new recording equipment, and that I would be able to use it whenever I want. I am a musician and I REALLY enjoyed the idea of having a recording studio to use whenever I wanted. When we finally got to talk about what it would cost, he said they could work around a budget, and that they had several packages to meet different needs, and they range from $300 to $600 per month for ten months... This is where I should have seen the red flag waving right before my eyes. I should have said thank you and walked away from this place. But I didn’t, partially because I didn’t know any better, and also because I was so bedazzled by the Hollywood dream that I didn’t want to believe it was a scam. I wanted so much to believe everything I was told, that I was going to be sculpted into a great actor and given all the tools I need to grow and prosper in the entertainment business. I would compare the feeling to buying a lottery ticket and spending the time up until the drawing daydreaming about what you would do with the money if you had won. Even though you know it’s a long shot and seemingly too good to be true, you can’t help but dream. And when someone tells you that you have high potential to be a great actor, you can’t help but dream… So I decided that I had nothing better going on in my life ant that I was going to move to LA to pursue acting. I flew home, and within 2 weeks I packed up my car with as much as I could fit and drove back across country to LA. I started the classes once a week with about 15 other students. The teacher was Cindy Pickett and the theme of her class was 'breaking down barriers," learning how to be in touch with emotions and using the body as the instrument of the actor. I was unaware of how acting classes went, so I assumed all was normal. Things started getting fishy around the four-week mark. We were supposed to be finishing our sessions with Cindy, but Tristen came in and asked us all if we would like to continue working with Cindy. We all loved Cindy so of course we all agreed, but it left me wondering why we couldn’t progress in the way that was planned. I started to realize that there really wasn’t much of a plan in the first place, and nobody really knew what we were supposed to do next. Another thing that nudged my suspicion was that every week, we had a new student in the class. How could such an “exclusive†program, in which I was told they selected only twenty prospects out of a pool of over 500 applicants, have a new student every week? Why was I told there was this deadline I had to commit to in order to secure my spot in this “exclusive†program? Is the information we learned before the new students joined the class irrelevant to them? It became apparent that they were taking on anybody willing to pay. I noticed these things, and I asked myself these questions, yet I ignored them out of fear of the answer being something I didn’t want to hear. A strange thing, we humans do… As the weeks went on, it also became very apparent that I was not getting my money’s worth. I was paying over $400 each month for one two-hour class per week, in which most of our time was spent working on scenes. Some classes you never even got up to do anything, you sat there the entire two hours watching other students do their scenes over and over again. This is not what I was paying for. I hadn’t seen anything that was outlined in my contract for the “level 4†student either: LEVEL 4: $5900.00- SERIOUS ARTIST LEVEL (For those that want to be bookable on as many types of shows as possible) 
Due to the extreme price break and additional services offered, this level is by INVITATION ONLY
Includes: Includes:
One year or 48 sessions of Professional Artist Training
12 Casting Director Workshops-Includes Q & A
FULL Professional Portfolio with Celebrity Photographer-Face and Full Body Shots-(Professional Make Up and Hair included) and 100 Head shot Reproductions and 100 ZED Cards or 200 of either or. 
10 Retouches
Full Access to all Showcases for up to (5) years after successful completion of Training
Full Access to all agent, manager, producer, director showcases for up to (6) months after successful completion of training (green light).
Extensive Image Development-"Build your Brand"-Image Direction-"Tool Building"-"Photographic Tools"-"Treat yourself as an unfinished product"
Animation Voice-Over Elective Music-Vocal/Songwriting Elective Screenwriting Elective (5) Private acting coaching consults – to be used when a “call back†or “big†part is pending
20% Lifetime Discount on all future services offered by Thexposure Studios. I had a terrible experience doing headshots with Jim. First of all, he never remembered who I was, even after seeing and conversing with him several times. He might've remembered me if he hadn't spent his entire life caring only about himself. The only time he stops thinking and talking about himself is when he sticks his head in his lap taking a heaping whiff of his own glorious a**hole before returning to being a *ick. The photo shoot was impersonal (he was shooting several people at the same time), I was uncomfortable, rushed, and every smile I tried to muster up was forced over my desire to punch this man in the ear. And still to this day, I have not yet seen the pictures, even though I know they're terrible. Soon after this, the shit hit the fan at the Exposure Studio. I received a call from a fellow student who told me something has happened at the Exposure Studio – that there was a confrontation between Jim and Tristen, both accusing the other of stealing money. This information was coming from Tristen, by the way. Tristen said that he confronted Jim about where all the money went, and then Jim pushed him down the stairs and has suffered a minor heart attack and possible internal damages. He said that there were no more classes at the Exposure Studio, but when he recovers from his heart attack in about a month, he would be resuming classes at his own studio (which he didn’t have yet). I already knew Tristen was full of it, but this just brought it to a whole new level. The next day, we all received an email from Jim saying that the classes will in fact be resuming as normal at the studio, and that Tristen was no longer with the Exposure Studio. A few other students and I still decided that we were not getting a straight story. Both were accusing the other of stealing money - money that was ours - money they should have never got from in the first place, but they took advantage of our ignorance. We felt wronged and no longer wanted to continue taking these classes and giving money to Jim or Tristen. So as a group, we all decided to go to the studio and speak to Jim personally to get the story straight and find out how to move forward from there. We all went in and sat down with Jim, and he said there was an argument but no physical confrontation. He claimed that Tristen was trying to take over his business. He tried to convince us to stay but we all just wanted to get out and to get our money back. He said he accepted full responsibility and asked us to write out this desire along with our reasons so he could submit it to his lawyer for approval. I was beyond ready to sever ties with Jim, Tristen, and the Exposure Studio. I did what Jim had asked and sent him my request for a refund: Jim, The purpose of this email is to express my intent to withdraw from a contravened contract with The Exposure Studio, and to request a full refund of the amount paid thus far, including the initial deposit of $1,475 and two (2) monthly payments of $442.50, bringing the total requested refund to $2,360. I request this refund because the services promised in the contract were never fulfilled, nor do they show any promise of being fulfilled. I agreed to participate in an adult acting development class under the direction of Tristen Cutler, who is no longer with The Exposure Studio. Furthermore, the program lacks organization and direction and is grossly unprofessional. I sacrificed so much to come be part of this program - I left my family and my home in Niagara Falls, NY, quit my 2 jobs that I had there, and drove 3,000 miles across country just to be part of this program that has now let me down like this and violated my trust. I do not wish to continue with a program that I cannot trust. Without trust, there can be no covenant - no contract. I do wish to obtain a refund of the money I have invested thus far so I can move on and pretend this never happened. You will find it in your best interest to fulfill my request in order to ensure a peaceful severance. (end) For the month of June, there were no classes happening. There were no students, and no teachers either. I hadn’t heard from Jim, so I called him several times leaving messages with the receptionist that it was urgent to call me back. From talking to other students and Cindy, it seems that in this time Jim was very busy trying to woo everybody back into the Exposure Studio and make it seem like nothing ever happened – that his partnership with Tristen never existed. When he finally called me back and I asked him about the refund, he said that he was in no way obligated to refund me, since there is still a class and therefore no breech of contract. I knew for sure that it was not the same students, because I knew that most of the students from the original “exclusive class†had dropped the Exposure Studio after the whole scandal. So in those few weeks, he was able to find more ignorant people (like myself) who were willing to pay and bring them on into the class, freeing him from any legal obligation to refund the students who left the class and argued that there was no class – that there never really was a class in the first place. He said that the letter I sent (that he asked me to write) was an expression of my choice to walk away from the classes and therefore breech our contractual agreement. He was using something I did in good faith against me. He even told me that he could sue me if he wanted for breeching my contract, but he wouldn’t, again because he is “such a nice guy.†I was stunned and I didn’t know what to do. I had $2300 invested into the Exposure Studio and got nothing out of it. The only thing he offered were my headshots, which he said he would give to me on a disk if I wanted them – as if throwing me breadcrumbs out of pity – and even though I knew they were bad, I agreed to take them just to feel like I got something out of it. Another month went by and I still didn’t have the headshots. I called Jim to see where they were, and he said they were on a hard drive and if I came to the studio he would burn them to a disk for me. I arranged to come in the following week to pick them up. When I did, again he seemed surprised I was there. He told me that he didn’t have the pictures because someone had broken into the studio and stolen the power cord and the cable that connects the external hard drive to the computer. I found this very hard to believe right off the bat, but again I let him continue. He said that they didn’t sell the cords anywhere, and that he had to special order them and they would be in next week. I came in the next week. He said that he was unable to get the cords and in fact he had to send the hard drive back to the manufacturer so they could recover the files, and that he should have it back in a week. It became apparent that he didn't have the pictures and he was brushing me off every time I went in there... So here I am ten months later, and despite everything promised by the Exposure Studio, despite all the money I put into it, I have nothing to show. Although it was always sort of lingering in the back of my head, it has taken me this long to finally come to terms with the fact that I was caught up in a dirty Hollywood scam, and I was naive enough to be willingly robbed by people in the business of selling hopes and dreams – a dishonorable industry clearly driven by the selfish motive of profit rather than the altruistic economic responsibility to serve others. The only reason this business is surviving, other than Jim’s moral deficiency, is because there is always a fresh pool of misinformed people with the same hopes and dreams that don’t know any better when it comes to how things really work in Hollywood. Hollywood was never my dream in the first place, but the allure of it was potent when dangled in front of my face – and that is exactly what the Exposure Studio did. Jim has and will continue to label this a hiccup in his business at the hands of Tristen, who is no longer with the Exposure Studio, therefore relieving him of all responsibility for the damages left in Tristen’s wake. Jim has continually tried to act like the good guy and the victim throughout all this, but if he really was a good guy - if he really was honest and taking full responsibility for himself and his business – if it wasn’t about the money - then he would have given my money back rather than brushing me off and hiding behind his lawyer. The bottom line is - if Jim really were a good guy, if he really cared about anyone other than himself - he would not be in the business of selling dreams and taking advantage of unsuspecting people for the sake of profit. That is what it comes down to, and he should not continue to get away with it. |
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| Wow - the above review is a life story. To cut to the chase - I am now a part of the Celebrity Mentorship Program at Thexposure Studio. I feel I have to say the truth about the place. The TRUTH is - it's wonderful! Thankfully the person mentioned above - Tristan - is no longer here. I did not know him, but did hear he was not the best person. There are some bad people out there, that is definitely true. However, Jim Richer, the owner of Thexposure Studio is a VERY admirable and caring person. He cares about his school, his programs, his mentors, and above all his students. He gets THE BEST teachers in here to train his students, and he personally oversees each and everyone's progress and growth - not many big acting schools (or small for that matter) do that. He ensures all of his students not only have 9 month goals, but then helps us break these down to 6 month goals, and 3 month goals. He doesn't guarantee us agents or jobs, but he actually helps shop us for agents, holds agent showcases for us and provides us with casting director workshops (with actual CD that are REALLY casting for something). AGAIN - not many (if any schools here in Hollywood - even the BIG NAMES - do this for their students). In addition, we have peer groups with our fellow students where we all ensure everyone is completing their weekly goals. This is ALL on top of great intensive training, improve, scene study, audition technique, character work, etc. As any REAL actor in the industry knows, WE are our own business. That means we are CEO of ourselves. If you are new to being a CEO, you know it's tough to manage yourself effectively, and peer groups and overall guidance in goal setting and goal getting is important. I love all the outside support I get here at the Studio, not only the great teachers and mentors here. This place is about getting stuff done - not just wasting money sitting in acting classes for years and years, too scared to dive into the industry! Let's do this! I have to thank Jim and Thexposure Studio for helping me take the bull by the horns and become a working actor, not just a "talented" waiter!! |
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Hi Everyone,
I actually know the person who wrote this foolish comment. I in fact know thexposure studio offered to give him everything he paid for and more. Thexposure Studio offered all clients a free 3month extention on their agreement that is worth over $900 as well as everything they paid for. Nothing changed once this tristen left the company. The teachers they have there are top executives from spelling entertainment, people who have been on saturday night live and even nicolodean celebrities. They have outdoor sets that I have never seen anywhere else. They do have a recording studio run by a person that taught Brittney Spears, christina, Justin Timberlake, Alicia keyes, ect...
They offer products that no other company offers and continue to grow and add more advance resources. My daughter has been there for over a year and has been taught by 6 different mentors while there so far. The power of the internet is out of control and for this person to put them down is his point of view from his personal experieince. |
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| I was deeply saddened over the above story, because it shows the truth about a concern that I have been having for awhile now that the internet is being used as a tool to hurt and slander other people. It seems that people think that it is okay to hide behind the computer and say things about people with no regard whatsoever that their words are not only hurting the person it was viciously intended to hurt, but also their wives, or their husbands, or their children, or their very livelihoods. When a person messes with another person's livelihood, then a line has been seriously crossed. The Freedom of Speech laws were never put into place to allow blatant attacks on others, nor were they made and initiated at a time when the people who wrote them could have envisioned the internet, and what the internet can do in a simple click of a button to ruin a person's reputation. The truth is, people are human...they have disagreements, and they have arguments, but would you want your dispute between another person and yourself thrown out on the internet, with untruths and misconceptions being thrown around with it? I am imploring and beseeching whoever reads this to please be careful about what you write on the internet, what you 'say' on the internet, what you place up on the internet, and most importantly what you believe about others based on what is said on the internet. This new technology is wonderful when used in the right ways, but it can be so harmful and damage people in ways that cannot be undone when used in the wrong ways. Would you want your child being hurt or damaged in this way? Would you want to see your mother, your father, or your siblings being hurt in such a way? Of course you wouldn't, so why is it okay to do it to others? Children and teens are committing suicide over such blatant attacks on the internet...please be careful about lashing out at people in a way that you can never take back. This is my truth and what I know...my children love every single person at Thexpossure Studio. They have loved their instructors, and have been treated with respect and kindness every time they have gone to participate in the many different workshops and classes that are held there. They have met, and have been trained by some of the most highly respected industry professionals that are out here in Hollywood. We are blessed that our children are a part of such an extraordinary place. For those that are reading this and are not from Hollywood, this studio is actually smack in the very heartbeat of Hollywood. You are literally standing in historic, and nostalgic Hollywood when you are at Thexpossure Studio. The Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Studios where they filmed "I Love Lucy" is literally kitty-corner from there, and a stone's throw away. I have sat out on the steps and have seen numerous stars drive by this place, because as I said, this is the Heart-beat of Hollywood! The Studio itself is right next door to the home once owned and occupied by Lucille Ball herself. Jim has done an incredible job of restoring the historic building, but at the same time, allowing the building to keep it's original period feel. Our whole family loves the building, it's warmth and truly historic nostalgic feel. If you really know Hollywood, you can recognize immediately that this is a place that is being preserved in time, and captures the essence of old Hollywood. At The Exposure Studio the new and the old are brought together under one roof to learn the craft of acting, and to build up future generations of actors who will add to the history of everything that is Hollywood. Who are the people who come to Hollywood? Simply put...we are the believers, the dreamers, the visionaries, the artists in every sense of the word, we are the supporters of the dreamers, we are the hopefuls, the hard workers, the magic makers, the inspired, the determined, and the resilient. If you have big dreams, do not be afraid to fulfill them, come to Hollywood, but be prepared to work hard, and to pay your dues literally and figuratively...things will not be handed to you here...you have to work hard...you have to love and handle rejection with eloquence, you have to take acting classes so that you can run, play and be at the same level as the big timers, you will need good head shots because THEY ARE YOUR CALLING CARD, you have to have patience with the process, because it is a process, and do not under any circumstances talk badly about others, or intentionally hurt others because this is a glorious, lovely, historic, nostalgic, yet very small town. Thank you to all of you who work at, teach at, and take classes at, Thexposure Studio, we are very appreciative of all of you, and to us you are family. :) |
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I just found this report, after signing up at Thexposure Studio Mentor Program. There is no such person named Tristen. When I asked at the studio who he is, they said he was fired because he had taken mone from the company. They assured me that the second they find out if anyone is bad for their reputation, they get rid of them, that made me feel safe.
They have major celebrities, directors, and executives that currently teach there, but I know they used to have other celebrities like Cindy Pickett and Mathew Arkin. I'm sorry you had a problem, but everything you said here is %100 totally false. I had auditioned last month with 2 other friends and they never even got a callback.
There are kids there from huge disney shows as well as Steven spielberg.
Maybe if you spent more time on your acting I stead of writing long letters of lies, you might actually work as an actor. However, with your attitude I doubt anyone would hire you! |
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