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LA Actors list also at one point had a flurry of posts about Keith Wolfe --(that 's what caused me to question his business practices on my web site in the first place , and what made Keith ask to meet with me in person to discuss what he does). LA Actors lists him on their list of companies to avoid. I cannot say why these members were dissatisfied, but Keith Wolfe assured me that he would always make every attempt to work through issues people had on a one-to-one basis. He also noted that no complaints had been filed with the BBB or with Dramalogue, where he has placed ads for years (and once they know something is a scam, they do refuse to accept the ad) Again, I have no personal experience of any of this, all I can do is repeat what I have heard from both sides of this issue. I also encourage anyone one else who has comments to mail them to me, and I will see that they get published.

1) He advertises himself as a famous Hollywood casting director, and he's not. No question about it, he not. And he's not a member of the Casting Society of America (CSA) --- SIDENOTE: I don't have a lot of regard for CSA, but the CD's themselves suggest that membership is a badge of respectability.

2) He lists a bunch of testimonials from people I never heard of and whose credits are minimal.

4) He is making a big thing of providing cast breakdown info to members of his organization. He is definitely suggesting that he has stuff that is supposed to be private dialogue between CD's and talent agents. If he does, it is because he is siphoning off info from Breakdown Services, which Gary Marsh will sue him for.

In Reply to: Keith Wolfe/finding an agent posted by Scott on January 14, 1998 at 07:23:32:

What I know of Keith is that he clearly knows his stuff (I do not care for his internet site, I do like some of his publications) and that he writes reasonably well. I agree, in terms of marketing, with many things that he does.

My understanding of his agenting services is, that for some people, they surely work. It is also my understanding that they are absolutey not cheap.

I am not going to quote the prices I heard, but unless cost is of no concern to you, I would certainly want to consider trying some cheaper, extremely labor intensive ways of achieving the same objective before I tossed down a whole bunch of cash that you would surely need. Maybe even try some of the suggestions that he puts in his own less expensive publications, which can, as I always say, be found in a bookstore catering to actors near you.

Personally, and I do not give a flying fruitloop if he is reading this, even though, Keith is someone with whom I most certainly do not want to make enemies, since he knows a lot of people. But I am ALWAYS edgy about somebody who just does so many things SIMULTANEOUSLY in this business, and believe that either somebody has to be a progidy, or it probably not doing all of them well.

Unlike Keith, for instance, Mike Fenton, Robin Nassif, Barbara Claman, Marion Dougherty, Francine Maisler, Junie Lowry Johnson and a host of others are not simultaneously trying to be Casting Directors, managers, actor consultants, authors, workshop hosts, and whatever the heck else it is that Keith is doing simultaneously these days. Maybe he's the best thing since sliced bread at each and every one. I do not know the man, and I readily admit to sharing several of his significant views, and was glad to hear him express them.

... all I am saying that any time I see somebody wearing 7 different hats, I have to merely SUSPECT that they are not wearing any one of them particularly well.

best of luck, and if you work with Keith, I hope that it works out to your satisfaction.

: I'm going to take Mr. Turnbulls advise and make a post. I'm 43 have been : paid for the last three shows I've done and have decided to go about : finding an agent in the Los Angeles / San Diego area. I have a meeting : in Los Angeles Thursday with a Mr. Keith Wolfe, he apparently helps : people to find the proper agent among other things. Anybody know : anything about him? Any input would be appreciated. His home page is http://www.keithwolfe.com

Posted by sterling wolfe on May 21, 1998 at 15:32:10: max6-83.wavenet.com < 206.117.206.83 >

The following is necessary background. The post is lengthy, so please, as happens most of the time, do not read my entire lengthy post then saying that you did not want to read my entire lengthy post. It perpelexes me that I have to say things like that.

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away ... looked like mysteriously like the old CastNet boards, somebody posted a request for information about Casting Director Keith Wolfe's agent-finding-consultancy services.

At that point, Keith Wolfe sent me the most serious response that ANY post on the CastNet boards has ever received, bar none. To be circumspect, let's just say that I found his approach both dreadfully serious and wildly unproductive. At this point, I e-mailed back saying in so many words that he should go cordially **** himself, that I stood by my post, and that he should take any responsive action that he felt appropriate and/or necessary, and that perhaps some research on what I had actually posted, and my personal background and reputation (checkable by calling probably 50% of the industry folk he knows) would be in order.

At this point, undoubtably after having researched the matter more thoroughly, his tact mysteriously changed 180 degrees, and he requested a meeting with me to set the record straight in regard to his services. I agreed to meet, feeling that I very well might find myself in a position to opine about his consultancy services, and it would, therefore, not be fair of me to not listen to what he had to say.

Fact 1) I am not doing this to promote Keith Wolfe's consultancy services, or to detract from them. I am simply updating an "event" that began on the CastNet boards. If you feel like help in getting an agent MIGHT be beneficial to you, then simply do a vast amount of research and homework on Keith and others, and make your decisions that way.

Fact 2) Keith Wolfe, who is also a Casting Director who has cast boatloads of commercials and who started his career as a CD with Francis Ford Coppola, believes in CastNet, and recommends it to his clients: A) I explained to him several times that contrary to popular perception, that I in no way, shape or form, am anything but independent from CastNet, so therefore, he should not feel the need to make "nice nice" with me on the subject, but should feel free to blast CastNet if he thought it the thing to do. Given that he new the state of affairs, I have no doubt that he was not telling the truth when he spoke so favorably about CastNet. B) Once again, this belies the RIDICULOUS charges that CastNet's competitors have made that the only CDs who use CastNet are those who have a "financial interest" in it. That's just plain stupid and untrue. Here's just one more example of a Casting Director who believes in it, recommends it, yet has NO financial interest in it. That other controlling powers of other services feel the need to publish easily disprovable falsehoods about CastNet is tremendously sad.

Fact 3) Keith Wolfe has far more clients seeking agency consulting than he can possibly handle, and routinely turns people away whom he feels that he cannot help. As with all other facts, make your own evaluation of how that would influence, if at all, your views of his services. He is getting more selective about consultancy clients as he shifts gears into commercial direction/production.

Fact 4) Drama-Logue is rabid (in a good way) when it comes to policing people who advertise in it, as Keith has. In all the years he has advertised, there has been not one complaint to them about his services, which he strongly encourages people to do with services advertised in Drama-Logue (now B.S. West) with which they are dissatisfied.

Information point 5) Keith tells me that OF COURSE, he has not always been successful with placing every person who consults with him, but also says that there has never been one situation in which somebody expressed TO HIM that they were dissatisfied with his services, and he did not work to resolve it. He mentioned to me 5 occasions (out of the hundreds and hundreds of people who have used him as consultant). That somebody came to him and was unsatisfied, and he refunded their money.

Fact 6) Keith Wolfe's consultancy has helped hundred of actors get agents. What percentage? Did not ask, don't know. If you were interested in possibly using his services, I would darn well want to know. I can tell you that in terms of who sees him, it's 50 percent union, and that 50% have current representation.

So basically, this is what saddened him about the thread requesting info about him a while back to which I posted simply what I knew from first hand experience, which did have posts from some "anonymous" that expressed negative opinions of his services. He was just saddened that nobody was coming to him expressing anything negative about his services that he was not working hard to resolve, and yet, there were things expressed on CastNet boards (not by me, which I thought to be patently obvious from what I actually said in context) that implied some factual basis of personal experience with his services, yet gave him no way of finding out 1) If there was actually somebody out there who had been dissatisfied; 2) What he could possibly do to resolve their alleged dissatisfaction.

My overall impressions of the meeting? Basically, that he was not trying to blow smoke up my assets, but rather, that he simply feels very, very strongly, that he loves actors, has dedicated his professional life to working with them (he was one once too), and gets sad when things hit the press that even remotely imply that his motivation is to take their money for services that don't work on a high percentage basis. I found him to be smart, knowledgeable, personable and open. Realize that I am exactly the same person who said that I would stand by my previous post based on the information that I had at that time, consequences be damned, so that I do not feel some obligation to say nice things because I give a hoot about potential repercussions to my own career. On a related note, as a working actor, if you don't get told at least 3 times a year that you'll "never work again," then you aren't fighting hard enough for your career or challenging nonsense that, IMHO, should be challened.

Where does that leave us? Well, like I said, to me this whole thing started on the CastNet board, so let me direct it to the CastNet board. I am amused of the fact that surely, the people who I would like to reach with this message will surely never see it. But in the future, somebody will definitely be seeking information about Keith Wolfe. When that time comes, all I can hope is that if anybody has anything negative to say (and this applies to other services and individuals in control of their services as well), that 1) it come from personal information, not second hand stuff; that 2) it be founded in fact; that 3) they have the decency and the courage to stick their name to it, despite the fact that the man is a known Casting Director; and that mainly 4) if anybody has had negative experiences with the man -- the same people, if they exist at all, that have mysteriously not come forth -- for God's sake pick up the phone, make an appointment, and try to resolve it with him. I assure you not that the potential differences will be resolved, or that you will somehow get an agent if you are "unplacable" for one reason or another, but simply that if nothing else, the man sincerely wants to do everything that he can to keep actors happy, not only from a business perspective, but for other more altruistic reasons, and that I do not doubt for a hot second that he is not sincere in this endeavor.

And once again, based on recent or previous posts, if anyone should want to sue me for my expression of personal experience, and my opinion based on that, please, please, be my guest. All I ask is that you do your research on what I did before acting if you really want to try to intimidate me in such a ridiculous fashion from sharing information as it comes to me with others who use the boards. Threats to sue a former high profile trial attorney for the publishing of first-hand knowledge and opinion based on that, to me, is about the height of absurdity.

C. Sterling Wolfe, Esq. CA State Bar No. 158774 representative case - Looney v. Herman, et. al (CA Supreme Court)

Sterling, Thanks for saying what I have been saying all along. I have had first hand experience with Keith. My name is also Keith Wolfe. I often get asked if I am the same Keith Wolfe casting director, and it's alway said with a foul taste in their mouths.

I met with Keith many years ago when I was inexperienced and naive, I gave him my money, if I remember right it was $400.00, and he guaranteed to introduce me to CD's and agents. Well in the few months that I was contracted he did what he said. I had 2 auditions with agents. I got the feeling that they were all working tohgether. Needless to say, I didn't get an agent through him. Just a kind word to "keep up the good work."

I do have to add, I know for a fact that I have not gotten auditions and sometimes return phone calls because people think I'm him. I have done some investigating and he doesn't have the best reputation in the business. He may like actors, but I think he likes their wallets alot more. I have many time considered changing my name because of him. I have no desire what so ever to meet with him and "fix" things.

Oh, and by the way, with no thanks to him, I have a great agent and I work alot!

Well, I met with Keith Wolfe also. The first time I made an appointment with him, he was a no show. I got to the studio and they told me he wasn't in that day. I confirmed with him the day prior and he had all my numbers if he had to cancel. No big deal - it was on my way home.

When I finally did get with him, about 10 of us hopefuls were herded into his office and the bullshit started to rise. He went on and on about all his successes and what he could do for us. We went around the room and told him of our experience and where we were in our careers. I noticed (like a beacon) that he zeroed in on the people with no experience or people who had just moved to the area. There were a few of us who had been here for awhile, had agents, but were just a little frustrated and needed a nudge in the right direction.

The only reason I did not pick up and leave was because I'm smart and know not to burn any bridges - even old useless, rickety ones.

He lectured for a while and then bragged for a while and then told us what his services cost. He then tried to push his computer services, bragging that he had the best in town, etc.

Maybe he did do some great things for some people, but I felt like he was going through my purse the whole time I was there. The people he did do things for were real strong character types I noticed too, or really good looking people.

He's just like any other crap shoot in this town. If you have the cash to throw at him - do it. But definitely investigate other possibilities.