I am relaying here a very silly experience I had today. The context: a long time ago I posted my resume to Mandy.com which supposedly helps connect production staff to jobs. Maybe it does? It certainly never helped me in any capacity. Until today, when it helped facilitate some entertainment in my life.
At around 7:00AM I received a text that, in mildly broken English, told me I am being considered for an opportunity to work on a project for Sir Alan Parker. You know, Alan Parker! Evita, Midnight Express, the list goes on - and you know, he’s been officially retired for over a decade. What’s more, they’d need me on set throughout the production and are willing to pay $1500 a day. Wow, good rates.
After a quick Google search, I found that apparently this is a rampant (and strange) scam on Mandy. They’ve apparently co-opted the names of tons of retired but living filmmakers for it. The idea being, you email them and get into a dialogue - and then it devolves into the usual crap. They send you a check, get your information, ask you to purchase something for them. By the time it’s done, the check has bounced, etc. etc. But I just find it so hilarious that this has become a niche scam. It’s as if they know how desperate people are to work in the industry that they’ll succumb to any modicum of hope that this is a real thing. What’s more, it kind of makes sense because there are no totally usual pathways in this industry. Weird people behave weirdly but then make great films. So, I guess it makes sense that someone might fall for this. Anyways, beware. And, have a good laugh.