ASA raps ‘misleading’ casting agency

Published Wednesday 11 October 2006 at 12:05 by Nuala Calvi

Talent agency Hidden Faces has been censured by the Advertising Standards Authority for a string of claims used to lure aspiring performers to join its books.

The watchdog said Hidden Faces, which has since changed its name to Hidden Talent Model & Casting Agency, could not prove that its main clients included the BBC or that it was “one of the UK’s leading casting agencies”.

It also failed to substantiate the assertion that leading casting directors and production companies viewed its artists “constantly” and was found to have made misleading claims about its Pinewood Studios HQ and the extras industry.

This week’s ruling does not mark the first time the company has come to the attention of the ASA. Hidden Faces has also been the subject of investigations by The Stage, Daily Mirror and the BBC itself.

Equity councillor Clive Hurst, who lodged the ASA complaint, said: “I’m delighted that this complaint has been upheld. It was clear that what they were saying was totally untrue and that performers entering into our industry would be misled.”

Hurst is now organising a demonstration on November 9 outside the DTI to urge government action against talent agencies that mislead the public.