BARBIZON: Readers Dispute Dateline Expose

Yesterday’s post (BARBIZON: Dateline NBC’s Scathing Expose) about the Dateline NBC undercover expose on the franchised Barbizon Modeling & Acting Centers provoked some strong reactions from FranchisePick.com readers.

One woman claims that footage of her daughter was shown on the Dateline NBC spot without her or her daughter’s permission.  She claims that Barbizon and IMTA are making her daughter’s dreams of being a model come true.  Fran Private writes:

Our daughter was shown several times on a Dateline episode on Sunday, 4-12-09, which featured a negative story against Barbizon and the IMTA convention. Contrary to the story line of disappointment and scams, our daughter was discovered through a local Barbizon and did very well at IMTA (last IMTA attended in July 2008). Barbizon of Ardmore, Pennsylvania is the modeling school where she attended her classes.

Since attending IMTA, she has been signed in 4 countries. Has been modeling full time, signed in New York with a top 10 modeling agency, and has traveled to and modeled in Tokyo (4 separate trips to Tokyo), Paris, and currently in Singapore. She has done work for international and national magazines, advertising and has been on famous designer runways. All of this, by the age of 16.

Barbizon of Ardmore, Pennsylvania, has always treated our daughter and managed her career with the utmost level of professionalism that has always gone above and beyond expectations…Our daughter would not be doing what she is doing today if it not for Barbizon of Ardmore and IMTA! She had a terrific time attending IMTA… It was at IMTA that Elite saw her and signed her along with many other top ten agencies that are still currently interested.

I have to keep our name anonymous for many reasons but can assure that our decision to use Barbizon and attend IMTA was very positive. There truly are success stories that exist, as we are one of those stories. It is very sad that our daughter had to be shown on national television in such a negative story, as we 100% disagree with the broadcasted show. While perhaps it is a fact there is a small percentage that will get signed or work as models, it can and does happen, we are proof that it really can!

Another FranchisePick.com reader claims that the Dateline NBC expose was deliberately run in order to damage Barbizon and advance a competitive school’s program.  Conspiract theorist Vee writes:

open your eyes…this was a slander againt Barbizon (founded in 1939) a 70 year old company that belives in young women…The director (Neal Hamil) of Elite agency never mentioned that Elite agency was founded by John Casablanca who also founded John Casablanca modeling and acting centers this school patterend their business plan after Barbizon in 1979. Barbizon is John Cassablanca’s biggest competitor. Barbizon is up 70% in a bad economy not only in enrollment , but with success storys of many models and actors that have graduated from barbizon. This was delibrately aired to hurt Barbizon for the benifit of another training center. Dateline did not reserch this story or maybe they were paid to do this because Neal Hamil is also involved with NBC reality TV! Not one other traing center was mentioned and their are many accros the country that charge money for training. A matter of fact look up Neal Hamil he also owned a traing center himself that he chared aspiring models to attend.

FranchisePick.com reader becky claims that the story of the father who dropped $30K to make his cute but chubby little daughters supermodels omitted a significant fact:  that the daughters were not admitted to the modeling program, just the acting program.  becky writes:

THis story also focused on high fashion models. they guy with the 2 girls neglected to mention that they did not go for modeling only acting and did not participate in any modeling competitions at imta!! Obviously those girls are not high fashion material and were directed by Barbizon to compete in acting. Barbizon has a foundation with confidence building and professional skills as well as modeling and acting. All barbizons are independently owned and operated. With any franchise you get the good and the bad. this show was misleading and no regard for the truth. shame on you chris hansen!!! go back to catching real predators.

There’s always a highly sensitive and articulate intellectual in the crowd to add the sophisticated analysis.  Writes anonymuz:

its the parents fault, the truth is if your kids are ugly, deal with it

IS BARBIZON MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE… OR IS IT A SCAM?  WHAT DO YOU THINK?

logo:  Barbizon

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