Talent Agency Barred from Collecting and Garnishing, Put in Year-Long Timeout

First off, let’s look at this picture of Nancy Grace dressed to the nines for her stint on this coming season of “Dancing with the Stars.”

Is she gorgeous? Of course she is, that goes without saying. But should she have exchanged one of the bangle bracelets in favor of a simple necklace of some kind? Look, I’m not a stylist; I’m hardly qualified to give any sort of sartorial advice at all. But it’s sort of all bangs, neck, and chest up there, and maybe a locket with her fiancee’s picture would sort of break up that whole situation.

A talent agency in Utah has been given a year-long time-out by the state, as well as fined $40,000 and ordered to cease all collection efforts against its clients.

Tru Talent Management (Tru? Whoo-boy), currently based in Salt Lake City (but, spoiler alert, soon to be doing business in Las Vegas — but I’m getting ahead of myself), has been accused of misrepresenting itself as a talent agency rather than what it really is: some sort of place where the dreams of the blandly pretty and moderately talented go to die an expensive death.

In fact, let’s take a look at the FAQ on Tru Talent Management’s site:

How do I know if I am cut out to be a Model or an Actor?
Anyone can be a Model or Actor with the right tools and training.

What work has Tru Talent done?
Providing Talent for the modeling and film industry for over 12 years, Tru Talent has built a strong and immeasurable relationship with many unique and well known clients.

Why should I sign with Tru Talent Management?
Tru Talent Management is a company designed to provide full service for the inexperienced as well as the most qualified Models and Actors.

Does it cost anything to sign with Tru Talent?
There are no fees to be represented by Tru Talent.

However, at least according to a variety of complaints filed with Utah’s Division of Consumer Protection, each one of those claims is as close to being true as I’m close to being a model. (Just to put a fine point on that: I’m in no way close to ever being a model.)

Tru Talent would troll shopping malls and Targets, looking for people who they thought “had the stuff.” They’d convince those people that anyone can be a model (or actor, singer, game show host) and then, sort of against their it-costs-nothing stance in the FAQ, charge around $2,000 for representation.

And then not place anyone anywhere.

(OH! And I forgot this part: In a statement released by the Utah Department of Commerce, Executive Director Francine Giani said, “This settlement will help hundreds of Utah consumers who were pressured into costly modeling classes while never receiving auditions and other services promised to them by Tru Talent.” But how far down can $40,000 be parsed among “hundreds of people”?)

This video from KSL.com Utah is definitely worth your time. You’ll hear the sad story of Whitney Moore who thought she was finally going to make it in the fashion model industry, only to learn, two years later, that she wasn’t.

As I mentioned above, Tru Talent has to cease and desist in its collections against people who used their services but didn’t entirely pay for them. They also have to stop the wage garnishing currently in effect with several of their clients.

Tru Talent also has to take a year off starting 1 January 2012 to think about all the things it has done wrong. However, in the video linked above, it’s suggested that Tru Talent will instead, after shuttering its Utah doors, try continue trying its luck in Las Vegas [UPDATE] – the home of Dreams That TOTALLY Come True.