And, Boys, I Got It!

Katie Bogdanski took this of me.

Have you heard of "The Secret?" It's a book and a film that basically teaches people how to get what they want by using the Law of Attraction: Like Attracts Like. I believe in it, completely and totally. I found the book again recently and started reading it again. I really do believe that like attracts like. If you've got a positive attitude, then good things WILL happen to you. If you are negative and have negative thoughts (whether about yourself or about others), then negative things will happen to you. This is also called karma. I believe in it. I really, really do.

After my last two blog posts about Brenda and Paul, I decided to wash my hands of negativity. I decided not to deal with any drama that comes my way, and to just turn my back on all attacks and all gossip. One woman called me to tell me that there is some sort of website that is saying bad things about me. Fortunately, Shannon (my fabulous and amazing assistant) was the one that fielded that call, and I didn't even find out what the web address of said website is. Frankly, I don't care. Talk about me all you want-- Just make sure you spell my name right.

In taking my positive attitude towards everything, life has really turned around. My husband had a successful surgery (although there were many complications, he is alive and healthy). Things have been going AMAZINGLY for Cain Talent. My short film, Unspoken, suddenly has been garnering a lot of attention. We started a new webseries that has also been getting lots of attention, called The Kids' Table. 

Projects are moving along smashingly. Aside from our own projects, my company is working on 59 television shows around the country and 19 feature films, let alone countless print campaigns, commercials and other projects. I feel very, very blessed. I AM  very, very blessed.

Thank you to those that support me. :)

Ya either got it, or ya ain't.

I've been dealing with a stalker since August of last year, and it has just gotten out of hand. This individual has attacked me and my business. She has spread rumors about me. She has spread vicious lies about me. I literally have done NOTHING to this woman, yet I am in her crosshairs. I've been dealing with her obsession of me since November. It's starting to get scary.

Her name is Brenda Landry.

There are so many stories floating around there, I just want to set the record straight. Some man wrote a blog about me that I have never dealt with before, and every lie that he spewed about me sounded like it came from Brenda. It amazes me how people can make snap decisions about another individual without contacting that person in the first place. I contacted my attorney about legal action, and he told me that it would be VERY hard and not worth my time to pursue a Defamation of Character case due to the First Amendment, and this woman doesn't have the money that I would win in a libel suit. It was recommended that I address her publicly to set the record straight.

Let me start from the very beginning... I own a company called Cain Casting & Talent Management. It is a talent management and consultation company. The consultation fee for my company is $500. I have absolutely NO apologies for that. My staff and I work extremely hard, and our services are worth a heck of a lot more than $500. It is a fee for consultation services, not for management or representation.  This post, however, isn't about my company nor my fee. If you have questions about it, feel free to contact me via my website.

Brenda contacted me over the summer, asking me if I would accept her daughter's paychecks to pay for her $500 registration fee. I declined. She told me how badly she wanted to register her daughter with my company, but couldn't afford the fee. I introduced a payment plan thinking that her daughter would earn money and then Brenda would be able to make the installments (which is basically what she would be doing by offering me her daughter's paychecks). Brenda still insisted that the $500 was too much for her. 

At the end of October, I came up with an idea called the "Cain Talent Test Drive" where people could sign up for $50, try out my company and services until they received their first paying job. Once they worked and earned at least $50, the Test Drive would be over-- No strings attached. If they wanted to register with my company, they could. If not, they could just walk away, their money back and then some.

The Test Drive was a hit with others immediately. People started signing up for it right away. After about a week, Brenda signed her daughter up for a Test Drive. She was added to one of the FaceBook groups specifically created for people with my company. I corresponded with her quite a bit about her daughter. On November 17, a little over a week later, her daughter was cast as a photo double in a mini-series:

Her daughter was booked on a SAG photodouble rate, which was $158. The check would be mailed directly to her, so she would get her $50 back plus another $108. Yes, I knew thet she was coming down from New Hampshire, but Brenda knew that the Test Drive was only available for the NY area. As a matter of fact, she was excited about getting a hotel with her daughter (note the smiley face):

Well, I got her information over that weekend, sent it off to her, and she attended the shoot. She got there early and texted me when she arrived, as is required of all of the people that represent my company on any set. When her Test Drive was over, I sent her the standard email that I send to anyone that takes a Test Drive. She told me - well after leaving set - that her daughter was not used and was released early. PLEASE NOTE: HER DAUGHTER WAS STILL PAID THE $158.

Mind you, this was the weekend before Thanksgiving. As you can see from the note above, Brenda told me that she wanted to register her daughter after the holiday. I left it at that. We had Thanksgiving at my house last year, and I don't believe in pressuring people at all. Either people like me, or they don't. They had a good Test Drive and want to sign their kids up, or they didn't like it and want to do everything on their own. Whatever-- I'm pretty easygoing in that respect.

Then the crazy started. Before I get into the crazy, I'm going to give you a little break-- Mainly because this is such a long blog entry and this is a good place to take a place and rest your eyes. Consider this ad your placemarker:

Now, on to the crazy...

A week after Thanksgiving, Brenda started her own "company." She created a website and started sharing it in different groups on FaceBook:

I found it interesting, since I knew all of the casting directors from the shows she mentioned. I asked one of them about her, and they told me that they had no idea who she was. I thought nothing of it and moved on.

Then she started personally reaching out to people, including approximately 70 of my clients. One of these people happens to be one of my best friends, Kevin. Well, Kevin was a bit angry that this woman reached out to him, knowing full well that she had her daughter take a Test Drive with me. (Kevin is protective of his friends.) So, he responded to her and posted it in the Cain Talent group:

From Kevin's post in the FaceBook group, I learned that Brenda had been doing this since September. I reached out to her to find out what she was doing. She ignored me. More and more stories started coming to me from clients about things she was saying about me. I posted on her FaceBook page to get her attention. I posted something to the effect of, "Please stop trying to poach my clients. It's pathetic."

Well, Brenda went ballistic. She posted an angry message on FaceBook, tagging three casting companies that I work with, calling me and my company a scam and then blocked me on FaceBook. It was completely out of left field for me-- I thought she was going to register her daughter with my company after Thanksgiving. I was baffled. I tried to call her, but she didn't answer. I emailed her, but no response. The next thing I know, I get a chargeback claim with PayPal from her for the $50 that she spent on the Test Drive. I immediately called PayPal, and the chargeback was denied and found in my favor in a matter of 13 minutes. Brenda filed an appeal, which was found in my favor in 7 minutes. That was the end of it in my opinion... Or so I thought.

On December 14, I received an apology email from Brenda. I've broken it into two parts so that you, my dear reader, can see how I refute and correct what she wrote:

So, let me break this down for you:

1. I didn't want to communicate with her anymore. I didn't have to jump to conclusions-- She already prooved the kind of person that she is.
2. Rosemary, Natasha and Lisa were three other women from New England that I had never worked with before that also accused me of being a scam. Someone told me that Brenda was friends with them, and I believed her. (I still do, FYI.) I commented in the PayPal chargeback about the three women, saying that I believed that Brenda was trying to infiltrate my company to provide them with information.
3. The "casting calls" I receive come directly from Casting Directors that know and trust me to provide them with excellent talent.None of them knew who Brenda was.
4. I am not educated on Brenda's fee. I do, however, know that several people paid her $50 to join her "network."

Here's the second part of her email:

1. I never thought it was about competition. I don't have competition, because no one out there does everything that I do.
2. Aha! She admitted to wanting to find out what I did and how I did it! So she was trying to infiltrate my company... Perhaps not for those women, but certainly for herself.
3. I NEVER said "until [her] daughter films" she would have a Test Drive. I have absolutely NO control over what happens on a set. It was "until she works and makes at least $50 back." She worked. She earned $158. Test Drive = Over.
4. Yes, I think it is fair. "That's showbiz." She was paid for a job. She went to set. She filled out a voucher. She wasn't used, but she still earned her money. It happens all the time.
5. I never did anything to hurt her daughter. I would NEVER do anything to hurt a child. Ever. Period.
6. She's right-- I didn't care. I just wanted it to be DONE.
7. I couldn't believe that she was offering to both register her daughter with me AND promote my company-- including to people that were a part of her network. After all this, there was no way on God's Green Earth that I would partner with her. I don't think any good business person (or SANE person in general) would.
8. Some of the things I said? Okay, I'll just bite my tongue here...

I replied to her simply. I wrote, "Do not contact me again. I have alerted all of the casting companies that I work with about you. You are disgusting."

Should I have called her "disgusting" in my response? No. I was angry, and I felt the need to get an insult in there. My bad.

Did I actually contact the casting companies I work with about her and/or her daughter? No. I actually didn't. I vented to a very close friend of mine who happens to be a casting director for one of those companies, but she talked me back from a ledge. I genuinely did nothing. I took the advice of my friend, who said, "Candy, she's going to screw herself. Just let her do it to herself. Take the higher road."  So, I did. I never wrote back to Brenda to tell her that I didn't contact anyone. I took my friend's advice and kept my mouth shut.

Unbeknownst to me, my response to her sent her right over the edge. Again, this is a super long blog entry, and now is a good time to take a break. So, here is another placemarker for you:

The crazy REALLY kicked into high gear.

The next day, FOUR of my Casting Director friends forwarded me an email that she sent to them about me. Now, I have never addressed this epic message, so I will take the time to do so in this epic blog.

It begins as such:

• My "at-home business" is actually a different company that I've worked with since 2011. You can read all about working from home in one of my other blogs. That at-home business has absolutely nothing to do with Cain Talent, which is a registered S-Corporation. Also, what is the "fraudulent information" that she was given and by what parents? Where is the "long line, filing dispute against" me? 

• I do not charge "over $500" and I never have. I am not an agent, nor do I act like one. I have NEVER sold a casting call, WHICH IS ILLEGAL TO DO. She was not defrauded-- She received absolutely EVERYTHING that she signed up for. She was angry that her child didn't film-- Something that I had absolutely NO control over.

• I don't know why she is quoting "until she physically filmed," as I never, ever, ever said it. Ever. The "rude comments" were me asking her not to attempt to poach my clients. I didn't call her pathetic--  I called poaching clients pathetic. Kevin called her "pathetic" in a private message. I called her "disgusting" in a private email. And, as I said before, I never contacted any companies about Brenda or her child.

• The only bit of the above section that is true is that I told Brenda that I wrote to casting companies about her. As I said before, I did not.

• This is where it just gets plain weird. I own The Candy Cain Travel Company, Inc. My mother has taken it over since the entertainment industry has been so great for me. Candy Cain Travel has NO complaints against it. As a matter of fact, the company was honored by Sandals with a STAR Award two years in a row. I was a destination wedding planner and traveled the world teaching workshops about destination weddings. The Candy Cain Travel FaceBook page is absolutely still there. I have ZERO BBB reports against me or any of the companies that I am affiliated with. Produce them, Brenda. Please. What I don't understand is how she can bring up Candy Cain Travel. It's just odd. The company was - and still is - very successful. As for N.E. Kids Actors, Brenda's original email to me shows you, my dear reader, what REALLY happened with the group. A woman in the group DID comment against my business, and the other one defended me, saying that I'm not a scam. (I have those screenshots, too.) 

• I'm sorry, what? 

• Annnnnnnd there it is. The pitch for business. The self-victimization in a situation that Brenda created, hoping that a Casting Director would feel bad for her and throw business her way. 

Okay, I'll admit it. I didn't let Brenda know that I didn't contact the casting companies because I knew that she would implode somehow. But this? It's a whole new brand of crazy. Impressive crazy, actually. It's too bad that her spelling and grammar aren't as great as her lying prowess. This email was sent to many different people at many different companies, and at least four sent it to me. From different companies.

This is called libel and defamation of character. 

But, I let it go. I kept my mouth shut. My business was (and still is) absolutely BOOMING. We worked on 49 television shows and 23 feature films since August 2014. I'm a big believer in karma. I kept doing good things, and good things kept happening to me and my business.

In March, Brenda decided to write a review about my company on FaceBook. However, since I have her blocked, I wasn't able to see it. Someone sent me the following screenshot of her review:

Isn't it lovely how she creates her own reality? You can see in the progression of all of the emails what ACTUALLY happened. I had not mentioned her name AT ALL, and this review happens in March. It was, once again, out of left field. A few of my clients saw what she wrote, and defended me. Then a Casting Director defended me, and another wrote a review of my company. I didn't even know that the bad review existed, until another friend of mine pointed it out last week! Again, I ignored it. I literally did nothing.

But, as I'm sure you know, the crazy just keeps coming. Here's another placemarker for you:

Brenda has been the furthest thing from my mind. I've been insanely busy, partnered with several Casting Directors and a Talent Agency so that my talent gets more exposure. I'm working on the Second Annual Cain Awards. Business has been great! I've been really busy in my personal life, too.

Yet, two nights ago, I received the following email entitled "Move On Now. Thank You" from my long-lost chum:

She sent me this message both via email and through the contact form on my website. She used an email that she subsequently deleted so that I couldn't respond to her. I don't know who Gina is, and I forwarded her message to Noel. I have NEVER blasted her name. Truthfully, I feel sorry for her. Moreover, I feel very, very bad for her children. She ruined it for them.

Brenda, please move on. You're embarrassing yourself. And if you insist on attacking me - or anyone else for that matter - you can at least look intelligent with proper grammar and spelling. My company is doing quite well, and you're not going to change that. Find another line of work. Find someone else to attack. 

I do right by the parents in my company. Read the reviews about Cain Casting & Talent Management on the BBB. Read the reviews on the fan page. Just move on, Brenda. You're upset because your daughter isn't a star. It's sad. You can't live vicariously through your child, no matter how hard you try.

And I'll say the same thing I said to you in the "vulgar voicemail" I left for you... I hope you go to church, because you need Jesus. You need good in your life. You need something to believe in. You need light. You need hope.

You need to leave me alone.

An Open Letter to Paul Russell

Dear Mr. Russell,

You don't know me. I don't know you. I have never dealt with you before. I have never spoken with you before. I never even knew who you were, until clients of mine wrote to me with concern that you posted a completely erroneous and libelous blog about me and my company, Cain Talent. You completely trash my reputation. You call me a scam. You say that I "prey on children and their parents." You attack my business. You attack me personally.

Yet, we have never crossed paths before.

Why? Why do you feel so threatened by me as to defame my character as well as my business? Furthermore, your blog post has encouraged hate mail. I have received emails threatening me and my children. Yes, Mr. Russell, there are sick people out there that are threatening the lives of my seven year old twins. Does this please you?

What truly baffles me beyond you and I never having any contact before is the fact that you disabled comments in all of your posts about me and Cain Talent. My clients - who I happen to take VERY good care of - sprung to my defense. They told you that they do not feel that I am a scam, that I take care of them, that I have helped them go far, that their children have been given more opportunities through me and my company than anyone else that they have ever worked with before. Most of all, they said that I am NOT a scam. You deleted their comments. You disabled the comments on your FaceBook page and on your blog. Why would you do this?

In your blog, you mention that I own Candy Cain Travel, as though it is something to be ashamed of. Yes, sir, I do indeed own Candy Cain Travel. I have owned this company since 2006. Yes, I still book clients that contact me. I do not actively market the company, unless I see a great deal that I think my friends would like to take advantage of, such as free dining at Disney. My mother, who retired from her teaching job in 2008, has taken over my company. She can provide you with an excellent quote, should you like to travel. She doesn't charge a fee-- Candy Cain Travel has never charged fees.

In your blog, you mention that I owned the "now defunct" Wedding Lane with Candy Cain. That, too, is true. I was the most successful destination wedding planner in the USA for a couple of years, and even had a reality show in development over it. (You can watch the trailer HERE, if you'd like.) You make it sound as though Wedding Lane went out of business. In reality, I closed that division of Candy Cain Travel because I did not want to do destination weddings anymore. I didn't want to do ANY sort of weddings anymore. I closed it because I wanted to, not for any other reason. I didn't - and still don't - like planning weddings anymore. It doesn't make sense to keep a business open that isn't in, well, business.

You call things that you have copied and pasted on your blog "screenshot." Those aren't screenshots, Mr. Russell. It is you copying and pasting something. A screenshot looks like this:

A screenshot is a picture of a website. You have no pictures. You simply copied and pasted something from an old website. Yes, I had a Wix website. There is nothing wrong with a Wix website. The reason I had it was because my website was being designed and the Wix site was used as a placeholder. If you had contacted me and asked me about it, I would have been happy to tell you that. I'm an open book, Mr. Russell. I'm happy to tell you anything that you'd like to know.

I don't exactly understand what you are trying to accomplish with your blog. I have indeed tried to reach out to you. I really wanted to speak with you before a cease and desist letter was sent to you. The things you said about me in your blog are indeed untrue. I'm sure you got your information from someone else, and I do know who she is. Unfortunately, I believe that she is an unreliable source. It's a shame that you would put your reputation on the line for someone that isn't telling the truth.

After all, isn't it the truth that is indeed important? I'm in business to help people cultivate careers in the entertainment industry. I help people-- Especially children. I am very proud of what I do and what I have done.  I don't attack people. I don't spread rumors. I don't talk about people. And I certainly don't say anything negative about someone until I get my facts straight-- And, even then, I tend to keep my mouth shut.

I welcome you to call me, Mr. Russell. I welcome you to talk with me for the first time. I have emailed you. I have sent you private messages on your FaceBook pages. I filled out your contact form on your website. My phone number is 914.861.5437.


Sincerely,
  Candice Cain
 Owner, Cain Talent
 www.caintalent.com
 914.861.5437

Light the Lights

Me.

Life amazes me. Ten years ago, I had changed the date of my wedding from September 10 to April 9. I was still acting-- I had just landed the role of the Mother Superior in the musical "Nunsense" at Clare Rose Playhouse in Patchogue, NY. My husband-to-be was working the midnight shift as a police officer. We had just purchased a townhouse in Middle Island a few months earlier. There were two things that I knew would not change: my love for my husband and my love for acting.

Well, I was wrong about both of those things. 

Not to sound cheesy, but my love for my husband has only grown and gotten stronger. It certainly did change, especially last summer when I almost lost him. Having our twins strengthened our love for one another-- It forced us to work as a team more. I know way more about him now than I did ten years ago. Yes, there are things that are annoying about him, but I love him no matter what.  I can't picture my life without him.

I thought that was howI would feel about acting for the rest of my life.  I never thought that anything would ever take the place of it. Ever. Yes, I stopped acting in 2007 so that I could get pregnant via IVF. Once we had the twins, I said I would go back to it when they were five. I did some voiceover jobs here and there, but I never got back into it. 

Dat face. (Charles, my son)

I never expected my son to tell me that he wanted to be an actor when he was five. As you may already know, he is the reason why I got into talent management. Never did I expect that in a mere 17 months I would have nearly 300 people on my talent roster. Never did I expect to have a staff of four other people and three interns. Never did I expect requests for me to expand to Chicago, New England, Texas, Atlanta and even Los Angeles.

Never did I expect to find something that would replace my love of acting.

One of the biggest things that I love about my company is the face that I help people-- especially kids-- go after their dreams. A mom told me that she and some other mothers in my company have dubbed me "The Dream Maker." You have no idea how that makes me feel. My company is called Cain Talent, and we somehow came to calling the people on my roster "Cainiacs." We even have an official sweatshirt. Heck, Stephen Spielberg has referred my company to producers. That's saying something about Cain Talent. That's saying something about the people of Cain Talent, especially those on my roster.

Don't get me wrong-- I'm not bragging. I'm just so pleased with the way that everything has turned out. I know that I have a reputation for being really strict and having a hot temper... I don't mind. I don't need any more friends. I don't need people to LIKE me; I just need them to like my WORK. I have extremely high standards for the people on my roster, and they all know it. I have a reputation for being tough. I know that people talk behind my back. I am very much "what you see is what you get" when it comes to my personality. I'm honest to a fault-- And that's why Casting Directors, Casting Companies and Production Companies choose to work with my company over so many others out there. They know that they can count on whomever I refer to them. My talent is able to use my reputation to further their careers. And, again, I don't mind it one bit. That's part of talent management-- Building reputations of my talent so that they go further in the entertainment industry.

Gabe saying thanks to contributors.

Speaking of helping my talent go further in the entertainment industry, three of the kids on my roster (ages 10 and 11) received their Must-Join letters from SAG-AFTRA. In order to help their families get the $3200 for their children to join this prestigious union (of which, by the way, I have been a member for the past 13 years), I set up GoFundMe.com fundraisers. That way, people can contribute whatever they would like so that the financial burden is lifted off of these parents. I've been criticized for this, but I really don't care... I constantly see people running GoFundMe campaigns for trips for their kids, money for items they lost, etc. Who is to say that I can't do this for my talent? It's not fair. Frankly, if you don't want to contribute, then don't contribute.  No one is forcing you to. However, don't criticize openly, because then you will deter others that want to contribute from contributing. I have over 3500 followers. This blog has over 5000 unique views. It would be so nice if people could support one another rather than criticize. Yes, these kids might not have terminal illnesses or anything to that effect, but they DESERVE support. They are hard working children. CHILDREN. I mean, these kids weren't even born when I first became interested in show business. Their careers are moving so rapidly, and people have the change to help them.

Isabella, our first SAG-AFTRA kid

The first child that became a Must-Join with SAG-AFTRA was Isabella. Her GoFundMe.com campaign to raise $3200 was successful and completed in SIXTEEN days! She is the first Cainiac to actually join SAG-AFTRA, funded by our efforts. I (and the rest of my company) am so proud to have been able to make a difference in this kid's life. People pulled together and contributed what they could... It was absolutely amazing to see how fast  it happened for her. The money was deposited into the company bank account, we wrote a check and signed an agreement with Bella's mom, then she went into NYC and had her join the union. It was absolutely uplifting and amazing. This is something that Bella and her family are going to remember for the rest of their lives. Who knows where Bella's career might go? We will support her as much as we can, guide her, help her and encourage her to follow her dreams. We will be there to catch her when she falls, lift her up when she gets knocked down, applaud her at her successes... The same way we will for ALL of our talent.

People usually don't see this "soft" side of me, so I might as well let it all out now. I am extremely fortunate to be in my position. I watch these kids (and even some adults) grow into successes. I light the way for them. I set the path for them to follow. I give them what they need in order to become a success. Can they do it without me? Probably. I'm not patting myself on the back by any means. I'm just saying how cool it is for me to have a hand in what all of these people are doing. It makes me feel very special.

If you'd like to support Gabriel's GoFundMe campaign, you can CLICK HERE. If you'd like to support Gunnar's GoFundMe campaign, you can CLICK HERE.  If you don't want to make a choice and just want to contribute to the SAG-AFTRA fee for one of our kids that makes it, you can CLICK HERE.

You can also learn more about our Cainiacs and how you can become one by watching our latest YouTube video. And, if you'd like to buy the 2015 Cainiac sweatshirt, just visit our sales page by February 28.

Curtain Up...

Stephen Spielberg with some Cainiacs

Oh boy.

 

Since I last posted a blog entry, my company has COMPLETELY exploded... And I mean that in a good way. It has been absolutely insane. Once we finished shooting "St. James Place" with Tom Hanks, directed by Stephen Spielberg, things just got bigger and bigger and BIGGER... Since August, my talent has appeared in 49 television shows and 23 feature films. Plus, there are countless commercials, industrials, web series, print campaigns...the list goes on and on. It is really exciting for me to watch the success just snowball. It's a lot of fun watching and listening to the reactions of people that are cast and working. Some of the parents are just amazing, and their gratitude is humbling.

 

I wouldn't be able to do any of this without my trusty sidekick, Shannon. She is absolutely my foil, my counterpart, my sanity.  She lets me bounce ideas off of her every Saturday morning, and has really helped me shape what my company has become. It's thanks to her husband, Joe, that Shannon and I have been working together so well. Joe, whom I've known since age 11, was the first to approach me and tell me that he wanted to work with me. Joe is calm and warm and approachable... Just like Shannon. The three of us comprise the core of  Cain Talent.

 

I've recently added Alena for all of the resume services and Kevin to work with me AND Shannon when we get inundated with work. Stephanie and Heeral are joining on as our very first interns, with the hopes that we will open Cain Talent - LA in August of 2015.

 

Cainiacs working on St. James Place

If not for the talent roster, Cain Talent wouldn't be doing as well as we are. We have 270 people on our talent roster, and we still  run out of people to submit for projects. Over the past year, our talent has collectively earned over $333,000. It is exciting for me to watch the college funds of the young kids on my roster grow. (Including my own 6 year old twins, who have both earned quite a lot of money over the past two years!) I have plenty of room on my talent roster for people that want to join. If you are interested in learning more about Cain Talent, you can just visit the Cain Talent website. We actually introduced a bunch of different services in addition to joining the full roster: Background services for adults; background services for kids, even a Test Drive to see if you like what Cain Talent has to offer.

 

Something that we currently have in development is COMKWAT: Creative Opportunities Managed for Kids with Amazing Talents. This is a non-profit organization (we are currently applying for 501c3 certification) that helps kids further their endeavors in arts and entertainment. One of the things that COMKWAT does is raise money for the $3000 SAG-AFTRA initiation fee for the kids that become must-join status while on the Cain Talent roster.  (A must-join is someone that worked enough union jobs to not only become eligible to join SAG-AFTRA, but actually MUST join in order to work any union - or, in layman's terms, "big" - jobs.)  $3000 is a LOT of money for people to pay for anything, let alone for their child to join a union.

 

HOWEVER, there are so many benefits to join SAG-AFTRA. I have personally been a member of SAG-AFTRA since 2002. That's 12 years! The great thing about SAG-AFTRA is that once you're in, you're in for life-- As long as you pay your dues. It's sort of like the Mafia in that respect. Members can become vested and earn a pension, qualify for health benefits, etc. Plus, we get better treatment and higher pay rates when working on a production.  Furthermore, SAG-AFTRA members have a better chance of landing principal roles. (To people not in show biz, that's speaking roles.) AND a better chance of getting an agent. The list goes on and on.

 

Isabella L., age 10

Today is Christmas Eve. One of our kids, Isabella, received her "Must-Join" letter. She is the very first person on my talent roster to get one of these letters. Honestly, I didn't even realize that she was in her OK-30, and now she just has until January 15 to work as many SAG-AFTRA jobs as she can before she HAS to join. (OK-30 is the time period of 30 days from the time you work your first union job after receiving your SAG-eligible letter that you are able to work SAG-AFTRA jobs without joining. Once the 30 days is up, you have to join SAG-AFTRA in order to work union jobs.) Think about this: You're a parent that wants to encourage your daughter to follow her dreams. You just finished the most expensive season of the year. Your kid can't work because production comes to a stand-still between December 21 and January 5, so she isn't earning any money toward her initiation fee. Your child only has 10 days total that she can work in order to earn money toward the $3000 initiation fee that she MUST pay in order to continue following her dreams. And, yeah, your kid is just 10 years old.

 

That is the situation that Isabella's parents find themselves in. It's the situation that so many other parents of kids on my talent roster are going to find themselves in very, very soon. If we all pull together, we will be able to raise the $3000 for Isabella very quickly and get her into SAG-AFTRA.

 

If you are able to contribute, even if it is just $1, then please click the link below. Merry Christmas!

 

 

Meeting People Halfway

A Paparazzi pic of some Cain Talent
boys with Jake Gyllenhaal, as seen on
 JustJared.com

I have heard people saying over and over that Cain Talent is a "scam" and that people shouldn't pay to be a part of a talent agency. Well, they're half-right. While Cain Talent is NOT a scam, they absolutely shouldn't pay to be a part of a talent agency.

 

Cain Talent has never been a talent agency.  We never were a talent agency. We never will be a talent agency. Cain Talent is a talent management and consultation company. I have told this to people over and over and over again. For some reason, it doesn't get through to them. They just don't understand the difference. (You can read about the difference in my previous blog entry and even other entries before that.)

 

In speaking with my fabulous assistant Shannon, I came up with the idea of the Cain Talent Test Drive. People are hesitant to fully join my talent roster because they listen to gossip. So, I decided to meet them halfway.

 

With the Test Drive, people are able to sign up to see exactly what Cain Talent can do for them when it comes to the entertainment industry. No one on the Cain Talent staff should be expected to work for free-- EVER. So, I came up with this idea to meet people halfway. People get to see what Cain Talent can do for them without fully registering, and I get to show people that Cain Talent isn't a scam after all.

 

There are a few catches, of course:

 

1) People can only take ONE Test Drive.

 

2) Once you get a paying job, your Test Drive is over.

 

3) The Test Drive is only people living or willing to work in the NY Metro Area: Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Westchester and even some parts of Long Island, Rockland County and New Jersey.

 

Shannon and I think that this is a great idea. Parents will be getting the sage advice from Shannon about setting up trust accounts and applying for the full permit. She will also help parents get the temporary permit when it is needed. You get to see how we work, you get your money back and we get to show people that we aren't a scam.

 

Sometimes I scare myself with the ideas I come up with.

An Update Since this Afternoon

Today has certainly been an exciting day. (They really need a sarcasm font here...)

 

After I wrote my previous blog entry, I got a message from the admin that never replied to me last month, asking. "Why the rude blog post?" And then she gave me her phone number to call.

 

Why the rude blog post? Are you kidding me? How about because you and your two friends are calling me and my company illegal? You're coming after me and my livelihood. You're hurting my company. You're preventing me from doing business. You're hurting my family. That means you're hurting my kids... and NO ONE gets away with hurting my kids.

 

Fortunately, I was out to lunch with Shannon, who is my assistant turned dear friend. I took advantage of this and called the woman on speaker phone so that Shannon could listen as well as participate.

 

Apparently, this woman read my blog. She apologized profusely to me, saying that she was told by the other two women that I ran an illegal operation. Furthermore, she said that she just copied and pasted what Lisa (the "group attorney") sent her to post. Shannon pointed out that she should have done her research on Cain Casting and what she was posting about it. I explained to her how I was advised that I could sue her, Lisa, Rosemary and the rest of the admins for slander to the tune of $500,000, but I hadn't planned on doing that until now. I asked her if she had $500,000 that she would be able to fork over when I won the lawsuit.

 

The woman apologized over and over, and asked me what she could do in order to get me to take my blog post down. I told her three things: 1) Remove Rosemary from the group; 2) Remove Lisa from the group; 3) Post a retraction about calling Cain Casting an "illegal operation" and admit that she didn't do the research on it.

 

The woman agreed to it. She wanted me to write something that she could copy and paste, but I told her that she needed to write it in her own words. I wasn't going to be caught in a situation where I was accused of bullying her. She wanted me to take down my blog post, so I told her what I needed to do in order for that to happen. She said she would do it as soon as she got home from work, around 3pm. I told her that the blog post would stay up until then.

 

At 2:45 or so, she told me that she was home. I was in the car with my kids, driving them home from school. She texted me and told me that she couldn't even get her boys extra work. I had JUST gotten an email from a casting director asking me if I had 15 kids that would want to do extra work on a TV show. I called her and asked her if she would like to get them on the show-- I wouldn't take any money from her; I just wanted to prove to her that I own a legitimate company. (To those of you reading this from the NE Kids Group, were you aware that I offered her two sons to appear on a television show on Friday?) She said that she wouldn't be able to do it, and she thanked me profusely. She told me how disappointed she was in the other two women, and how they brought a lot of drama to the group. I observed that these two women are close, and she was probably on the outside.

 

She told me that she removed them from the group, and that her phone was "blowing up." She also read me the retraction that she wrote:

 

 

For some reason, I really thought that this was going to be the end of the drama. Unfortunately, it just set Rosemary off even more. Rosemary seemingly took the position of the victim and I took the position of the bully.

 

Mind you, I had been trying to reason with these women for over a month. (Please see the screen shots from my last blog entry.) So, Rosemary decided to post this:

 

 

FYI - It's Candy Cain, not Candi. If you're going to write lies about me, at least spell my name right.

 

I didn't bully the other woman-- I gave her a choice. She made her decision and apologized to me-- She also apologized to me profusely on the telephone. I gave her the benefit of the doubt and figured she was a victim of circumstance-- Especially with Rosemary calling her "spineless."

 

This is all that I have the energy to post right now, and I'm sure all you have the energy to read. I will write more tomorrow, and show more proof. I was bullied all throughout my school years. I'm not taking this crap from anyone-- ESPECIALLY someone who hasn't taken the time to learn about me and my business before making sweeping generalizations and accusations. Get your facts straight, or you will be guilty of libel. With the post above, let's add defamation of character to that.

 

I'm not afraid of you.

 

It's a shame that there are people like this in the world. What is even more sad is the sheep that follow them. I'm not a sheep. I've never been a sheep. Frankly, I eat my lamb with mint jelly.