Did I just walk away from $10,000?

Probably not. I just got a call from someone who found my resume on Casting Connection. He asked if I still did that "acting stuff." He wanted me to be in a video about "financial services" and said it would take about 2 hours of work, but then later it shifted to not more than 7 hours of work "because the script is only 7 pages". It would just be me in a suit, talking into the camera. He wanted to get the project done in the next couple of days. He said he had a problem with a different actor because they didn't speak English very well. He said he worked for the city of Tracy so I could be sure I would be paid. He assured me that I would get paid more for this than probably anything I've ever done. But he also said I wouldn't get paid until August, when the "product" sells. This "product" remained rather mysterious. I told him I'd rather be paid with a flat fee up front. When I asked for a ballpark figure on how much I would make, he said $10,000. Already leery that this was some very amateur con scheme or a lure to get me into some sleazy situation, I politely declined, explaining that since I did not know him, his company, or his "product", I was wary of working for deferred compensation. I assured him that if he was willing to pay even one-tenth of the money he was talking about UP FRONT, he would have no problem recruiting first rate talent.

 

I guess there is a downside to getting your name out there.