Exclusive: “Quite a can of worms,” observed a British casting director of a scandal that, until February, was unknown to his profession. The 30-year industry veteran was talking about the practice of agents sending clients fake invitations to record self-tape auditions.
Deadline first exposed the issue in an investigation on Bodhi Talent, a boutique agency based in Manchester. Founder Archie Purnell was accused of copying legitimate self-tape invites and pasting them in emails to clients who had not been called to audition. One actor rumbled the ruse when an audition landed in her inbox 30 minutes after the deadline for submissions had passed.
Twisting open the Bodhi-shaped Russian doll revealed similar concerns about a larger agency: International Artists Management (Iam). The London-based company claims to have 400 clients on its books and is run by Luc Chaudhary, a reported millionaire once engaged to Silent Witness star Emilia Fox.
Iam went further...
Deadline first exposed the issue in an investigation on Bodhi Talent, a boutique agency based in Manchester. Founder Archie Purnell was accused of copying legitimate self-tape invites and pasting them in emails to clients who had not been called to audition. One actor rumbled the ruse when an audition landed in her inbox 30 minutes after the deadline for submissions had passed.
Twisting open the Bodhi-shaped Russian doll revealed similar concerns about a larger agency: International Artists Management (Iam). The London-based company claims to have 400 clients on its books and is run by Luc Chaudhary, a reported millionaire once engaged to Silent Witness star Emilia Fox.
Iam went further...
- 3/15/2024
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
The UK Casting Directors Association (Cda) has issued a full-throated condemnation of agents misleading clients with fake self-tape audition invites.
In a statement posted on Twitter (now X), the professional body said it was “disturbed and saddened” by Deadline’s reporting on two agents who misrepresented audition requests to their clients.
Deadline has reviewed evidence showing that International Artists Management (Iam) and Bodhi Talent sent clients self-tape audition invites that were not requested by casting directors.
Iam appeared to change the wording of emails from casting directors to make it seem as if they had requested actor Mark Barrett to tape for a role when in fact he had not been called to audition. It meant Barrett recorded tapes for roles in The Gentlemen and Shetland under false pretenses.
“Actors should never be misled into thinking they have been requested to tape by a casting director. To do so destroys...
In a statement posted on Twitter (now X), the professional body said it was “disturbed and saddened” by Deadline’s reporting on two agents who misrepresented audition requests to their clients.
Deadline has reviewed evidence showing that International Artists Management (Iam) and Bodhi Talent sent clients self-tape audition invites that were not requested by casting directors.
Iam appeared to change the wording of emails from casting directors to make it seem as if they had requested actor Mark Barrett to tape for a role when in fact he had not been called to audition. It meant Barrett recorded tapes for roles in The Gentlemen and Shetland under false pretenses.
“Actors should never be misled into thinking they have been requested to tape by a casting director. To do so destroys...
- 3/6/2024
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: International Artists Management (Iam) has been removed from the UK’s respected agency professional body after Deadline revealed it sent a client misrepresented self-tape audition invites.
The Personal Managers’ Association (Pma) said in a statement that it had revoked Iam’s membership amid concerns over the company’s honesty and integrity.
The Pma’s decision comes after a Deadline investigation showed that Iam sent client Mark Barrett at least six illegitimate self-tape invites over a two-year period.
In five of the purported invites, Iam appeared to change the wording of emails from casting directors to make it seem as if they had requested Barrett to tape for a role when in fact he had not been called to audition.
Through its attorney Carter-Ruck, Iam argued that the misleading self-tape invites were in Barrett’s interests as it pushed for him to secure work.
Barrett, who has featured in projects including Outlander,...
The Personal Managers’ Association (Pma) said in a statement that it had revoked Iam’s membership amid concerns over the company’s honesty and integrity.
The Pma’s decision comes after a Deadline investigation showed that Iam sent client Mark Barrett at least six illegitimate self-tape invites over a two-year period.
In five of the purported invites, Iam appeared to change the wording of emails from casting directors to make it seem as if they had requested Barrett to tape for a role when in fact he had not been called to audition.
Through its attorney Carter-Ruck, Iam argued that the misleading self-tape invites were in Barrett’s interests as it pushed for him to secure work.
Barrett, who has featured in projects including Outlander,...
- 3/6/2024
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: International Artists Management (Iam), the London agency that claims to rep stars including Steve Guttenberg and Gary Dourdan, has admitted sending a client misrepresented invites for self-tape auditions in an attempt to secure him work.
Mark Barrett, whose credits include Outlander, has blown the whistle on his former agent, gathering evidence showing that he was emailed at least six illegitimate self-tape invites between February 2022 and January 2024. In five of the purported invites, Iam appeared to change the wording of emails from casting directors to make it seem as if they had requested Barrett to tape for a role when in fact he had not been called to audition.
Barrett accused Iam of giving him false hope after he received the purported invites to audition for major roles in films and TV shows, including Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen and BBC drama Shetland. He invested time and effort into recording the tapes,...
Mark Barrett, whose credits include Outlander, has blown the whistle on his former agent, gathering evidence showing that he was emailed at least six illegitimate self-tape invites between February 2022 and January 2024. In five of the purported invites, Iam appeared to change the wording of emails from casting directors to make it seem as if they had requested Barrett to tape for a role when in fact he had not been called to audition.
Barrett accused Iam of giving him false hope after he received the purported invites to audition for major roles in films and TV shows, including Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen and BBC drama Shetland. He invested time and effort into recording the tapes,...
- 3/4/2024
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Russell T. Davies’ Channel 4 series “It’s a Sin” led the field at the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards and the British Academy Television Craft Awards with 11 nominations, while Will Sharpe’s Sky show “Landscapers” followed with seven. Both shows stream in the U.S. on HBO Max.
Nominations for “It’s A Sin” include for Director: Fiction, Editing Fiction, Make-up & Hair Design, Scripted Casting, Writer Drama, Leading Actor, Leading Actress, Mini-Series and Supporting Actor, while “Landscapers” scored in the Director: Fiction, Editing Fiction, Original Music, Photography & Lighting Fiction, Production Design, Leading Actor and Mini-Series categories.
The international category nominees feature a roster of global heavy hitters including “Call My Agent!,” “Lupin,” “Succession,” “Squid Game,” “Mare of Easttown” and “The Underground Railroad.”
The British Academy Television Craft Awards will take place on Apr. 24 and the Television Awards on May 8.
British Academy Television Awards Nominees
Comedy Entertainment Program
“The Graham Norton Show” – Graham Norton,...
Nominations for “It’s A Sin” include for Director: Fiction, Editing Fiction, Make-up & Hair Design, Scripted Casting, Writer Drama, Leading Actor, Leading Actress, Mini-Series and Supporting Actor, while “Landscapers” scored in the Director: Fiction, Editing Fiction, Original Music, Photography & Lighting Fiction, Production Design, Leading Actor and Mini-Series categories.
The international category nominees feature a roster of global heavy hitters including “Call My Agent!,” “Lupin,” “Succession,” “Squid Game,” “Mare of Easttown” and “The Underground Railroad.”
The British Academy Television Craft Awards will take place on Apr. 24 and the Television Awards on May 8.
British Academy Television Awards Nominees
Comedy Entertainment Program
“The Graham Norton Show” – Graham Norton,...
- 3/30/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Russell T Davies’ It’s a Sin and Jack Thorne’s Help, two hard-hitting Channel 4 shows about societal issues, have dominated this year’s BAFTA TV Awards nominations, taking six and four noms, respectively.
Incorporating BAFTA Craft noms, which run concurrently with the TV Awards, HBO Max co-production It’s a Sin picked up 11, including for Mini-Series, Writer (Davies), five actors and in the Virgin Must-See Moment for Colin’s diagnosis.
Davies’ heart-wrenching semi-biographical portrayal of the UK’s 1980s AIDS epidemic for Red Production Company has swept up at this year’s awards ceremonies and is fresh off the back of three wins at last night’s Rts Awards and two at the Bpg Awards.
It’s a Sin’s five performance category noms were joint with last year’s Small Axe...
Incorporating BAFTA Craft noms, which run concurrently with the TV Awards, HBO Max co-production It’s a Sin picked up 11, including for Mini-Series, Writer (Davies), five actors and in the Virgin Must-See Moment for Colin’s diagnosis.
Davies’ heart-wrenching semi-biographical portrayal of the UK’s 1980s AIDS epidemic for Red Production Company has swept up at this year’s awards ceremonies and is fresh off the back of three wins at last night’s Rts Awards and two at the Bpg Awards.
It’s a Sin’s five performance category noms were joint with last year’s Small Axe...
- 3/30/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
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