Just like all great companies we still have our skeptics and so we wanted to share a recent email from one our new talent. We believe in full transparency in today’s world of social networking and we feel letters like this need to be addressed in a public forum for the benefit of our community. With that being said, please learn from the following situation.

Hello,

My husband signed up for your VIP Summit last week. We are very excited and look forward to this opportunity, but as we were looking for more information online we came across several scam reports that have us feeling very uneasy. Why are there so many negative reports about The “It” Factor as a scam and why are you rated so low with the Better Business Bureau? To ease our minds, could you please give us at least one reference we could call, someone who has been to a VIP summit through you? And could you also give us a list of names of the speakers who will be there and who the “top decision makers” will be that we will meet in the afternoon on May 19th?

Thank you,

Caitlin and Chris M.

Dear Caitlin and Chris:

Thank you for your email. I do appreciate your concern as anyone who is new to the industry should always be wary of any product that is offered to them. I congratulate you on having the social intelligence to seek out the truth. I have provided the following information in order of your questions.

Testimonials and Access to Privacy

Here is a link to Google Images http://goo.gl/ue5Z3, which provides well over 1,000 links to various articles and testimonials – that might not have been included on my main site.

In addition, here is a link to the speaker list from the last summit on December 10^th: http://goo.gl/tih7u, which is available on my home page, but I have provided it here to make it easier for you to find.

The list for the May 19^th 2012 summit is not available to staff or talent until the morning of the event. I am not quite sure of the logic of knowing who is attending other than to satisfy the fear you are going through submerging yourself in online gossip by adding scam to any name in a Google search. As a test of faith try this, pick three of your most favorite items or companies in the world and add scam after the name in a Google search and you will see my point. I actually just tried it with my favorite characters from the Muppet’s and almost fell out of my chair.

As far as speaking to a talent to verify our creditability, please see http://www.alyciakaback.tv for a list of various videos and testimonials. If you feel anonymous postings online were reason enough not to attend a VIP Summit compared to the names and faces of real individuals in these videos, I can assure you this: your path to fame will be full of disappointments. You can read TMZ.com to see a daily list of celebrity gossip stories that are quite unflattering. Now I do not mean to sound harsh but with the amount of individuals we see, I have an obligation to protect the privacy of all the people we work with and do not give out phone numbers of either talent or speakers for respect of privacy.

The Better Business Bureau

While the BBB was meant to be a trusted source of research, we found some rather disturbing news on how they operate and prey upon local businesses.

FACT: Companies can achieve an A+ rating ONLY IF they pay the BBB’s membership dues. These dues start at $425/year and go up to $10,000 for large companies.

FACT: If you do not pay BBB for membership you will receive a very low or F rating. Chef Wolfgang Puck’s businesses receive F’s because he refuses to pay a fee. Ritz Carlton, which does not belong to the BBB either, receives an F rating.

FACT: The BBB is a private company and not a government entity. The BBB is a business, and while it is organized as a non-profit, it does collect fees from the members who are included in its listings.

FACT: To prove the point, a group of Los Angeles business owners paid $425 to the Better Business Bureau and were able to obtain an A minus grade for a non-existent company called Hamas, named after the Middle Eastern terror group.

I have provided a link to a recent 20/20 special exposing the BBB and their practices.  http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/bbb-members-ratings-12129596 I would like to think that you were not aware of this as I have close friends that lost dear family members on that day. I sincerely hope this information at the least helps provide a better understanding of the world we all live in and opens your eyes so slightly. You did the right thing in contacting me and I look forward to seeing your success.

“There are no failures – just experiences and your reactions to them.”

To your success,
Alycia Kaback – Founder and CEO
The It Factor – Productions
So the question remains “Do models need to be intelligent?” The answer is yes they do. Modeling is a business and just like any business, needs to be run based on well-researched facts. We hope you, our readers take away some valuable information and we look forward to your feedback and comments.

“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

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Hello Alycia Kaback!

Hope you are both well, and crunching around on beautiful leaves up in your idyllic fantasyland!!

I just wanted to reach out and thank you again for including me in such a wonderful event. It was pure joy–so much so that I found myself there well in to the day beyond my morning speaking time, just not wanting to leave! I really want to give you the acknowledgement for having created something truly special. I don’t usually accept invitations to participate in similar functions, since I have found most of them to be unscrupulous, unpleasant, or simply not worth the attendees’ time and money. So, all in all, things I haven’t wanted to team up with or endorse. But what you’ve come up with is wonderful, and I am proud to be part of the team! Please let me know if there is ever any other occasion we might partner up for. I am also available for travel, and anxious to give back to folks starting out, after I have received so much, myself.

I would also love to introduce you to my husband! He is a multi Italian TONY award winning actor and singer, and is now here based in NYC with me, and is the hot, new item on the market around here! He works consistently in Italy as a master class teacher (acting and singing) as well as a motivational speaker for young performers, so he would be perfect. His passion and love for performing and desire to encourage others is overwhelming, and he passes on all his enthusiasm to anyone around him! His career began when he was discovered and mentored by Luciano Pavarotti (!) and has become Italy’s hottest musical theatre actor, with active tv, film and music recording careers as well. You can check him out here (at the top click on “bio” for his story!):

www.michel-altieri.com

That’s all for now. Wishing you an amazing holiday season and sending love!!

Jessica Polsky

This is what networking is all about! Alycia Kaback is honored to have friends like Jessica Polsky and can’t wait to start working with her and her husband.  Read more about Jessica Polsky on Alycia Kaback’s Career Blog.

The “It” Factor Productions and KMM is currently casting and looking for a wide variety of looks and age ranges from kids to adults. To take the next step, fill out the following information by visiting http://modelingagenciesinpa.com/

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Artists make sure your at the conference early and ready to go. There will be a special Tribute to Founder of the Hip Hop Awards, Dwayne Muhhammad 360 Entertainment.

Pmp Worldwide,O-Zone Magazine, BCS Records, The Industry Alternative, Celebrity Publicist, DJ J-Ski, Hip Hop Weekly Magazine and so many more..

Seats and performances are still available.. Tix are $20 general admission for the Conference, $30 for the Award Show $100 VIP incl/ Dinner and Special Gift Bag… be apart of this historic event.

Alycia Kaback will be offering the winner a seat at the VIP Talent Connect Summit in May and airtime on the premiere of the relaunch of The IT Factor with Alycia Kaback on WNJC 1360 this Wednesday, December 21 at 7PM. Follow this link for more information on The IT Factor with Alycia Kaback.

The “It” Factor Productions and KMM is currently casting and looking for a wide variety of looks and age ranges from kids to adults. To take the next step, fill out the following information by visiting http://modelingagenciesinpa.com/

I am in an Off-Broadway play written by the hilarious and talented Molly Smith Metzler and directed by the incredible Leigh Silverman. It stars David Hyde Pierce, Rosie Perez, Michael Chernus, Colby Minifie and of course, me.

We open on December 19th and run until the first week of February. Here is the link with a synopsis and ticket information…I better see you all there! http://www.nycitycenter.org/tickets/productionNew.aspx?performanceNumber=6317

In addition to rehearsals for CLOSE UP SPACE I have kept myself busy these last three months with Voiceovers and a few short films.

I am also very excited to announce that my website has been updated!! Check out…News, Bio, Resume, Productions Photos and Three Brand New Reels!

Here is the link for the Reels. Enjoy! http://www.jessicadigiovanni.com/reel.html

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend filled with laughs, absurd amounts of food and most of all, love.

Wishing you all the best!

Jessica

Jessica shared a quote, which Alycia Kaback loves: “Belief in oneself is the key to a successful career, and indeed, self-destructive behavior comes from a lack of belief in oneself”-Frank Langella

Follow this link to ready more Alycia Kaback Success Stories.

Follow this link to read another VIP Talent Success Story Update.

Alycia Kaback will now review every book she finishes, which might be used by aspiring entertainers to gain knowledge and develop strategies to achieve success in this industry.

Alcyia Kaback has created alyciakabackbookreview.com out of her love for the entertainment industry and of helping people who are pursuing their true calling. Alycia Kaback said, “I love knowledge.  I love helping aspiring entertainers connect with legitimate resources full of helpful industry knowledge. I want to introduce books and authors to readers. This blog connects me with a community of readers, knowledge seekers, and yet undiscovered talent.” Alycia Kaback has reviewed 5 books so far. Keep checking back for more entertainment career book reviews!

What is your personality and style like?

Personality wise, I’m I jokester.  I try to be funny and don’t tend to take too many things seriously.  I like to go out to bars and hang out with friends when I’m not working.  If I’m going out on the town, for a nice evening, I like to dress up in suit and a bowtie, but that’s not often.  Most days, I’m a jeans and t-shirt guy and I like wearing topsiders because they’re comfortable.

What do you like to do outside of acting and modeling?

I run a company that runs software design.  I like to go out and have fun, and play tennis.  I also have 2 cats, so I play with them.  In high school I played lacrosse and played some in college as well.

What are some jobs that you have done already?

I’ve been an extra and a featured extra on Law and Order SVU and Law and Order Criminal Intent and I had a fitting for Pan Am yesterday.  I’ve done work for Diesel Jeans.  I was also on Mr. Popper’s Penguins.

I heard you just signed your AFTRA card, that’s exciting!  What are some roles you hope to get?

Now I can do speaking roles, which is something that I want to do.  I won’t just be the 6’0” guy who is just in the background.  My personality would be able to come through on its own and that is a big asset to me.  I just picked up my card yesterday and had a fitting for Pan Am, and the shoot is this week.

What are you looking forward to in the future?

I’m at a pressure point in my life, where I worked on Wall Street for a lot of years then stopped to start my own company.  Now, I either have to get back into that, I’ve applied to law school, or if acting/modeling pans out then I can do that full time.  The next 6-8 months are crucial.  Hopefully modeling and acting pans out for me because I don’t want to be a lawyer or go back to banking.

If you could be on any TV show or in any movie what would it be and why?

I would love to work with Jessica Biel because she is hot and it would be fun to work with James Franco or someone like him because he can be super funny or also super serious in a drama.  I wouldn’t want to work with Brad Pitt.  I would want to be in anything with Tom Hanks, because he is amazing and everyone might say that, but he can do anything.

Who are your favorite models?

Marky Mark (Mark Wahlberg) because he went into acting, which is what I’m trying to do.  Heidi Klum because she is the coolest person I’ve seen on TV who isn’t self-centered and seems down to earth.  Models in general are pretty competitive and are hard to talk to.

You have a lot of resemblance to Jake Gyllenhaal and I hear people tell you that all the time.  What do you think about that comparison?

I was at the AFTRA office and one girl who was in the casting, told me I looked like him.  It is one of the first things that people tell me after I shake their hands.  It is what it is, and I don’t know if that will help or hurt.

How did you get started with Colby models and what are your thoughts so far?

In November of last year, I went to visit a friend in DC who Ryan Colby was representing and I left my phone there.  Ryan Colby brought my phone to NY for me and when I went into the Colby office to get it, Ryan told me I would be perfect for Colby.  Two days later, he called me to go to Yankee Stadium for a job.  It’s been pretty good so far, but it is trying on your psyche because everybody is either on your side or not.  Everyone has some sort of motivation on all sides, and I like that competitive atmosphere.  It’s easier to look at it and not take things personally because I am older and have been in another industry.  You can’t take things personally here, because it’s not always the truth.  There are a lot of egos going around.

Can you imagine yourself being the next huge star?

You always think about it.  It’s a genetic lottery and a lottery about being at the right place at the right time.  I really feel like it’s the work that you do to get to that spot-working out and doing as many things as you can-in order to get there.  If you don’t do anything, you’re not going to get there.

Are you a romantic?

Yeah, I’d say so.  I was born that way.  I like dinners and flowers, so my idea of a night out would be to go to one of the local restaurants that no one knows about.  Bring flowers, dress up, maybe go dancing.

What is the best way to get someone’s attention?

Raise your hand or shout at them, but you have to be careful not to be annoying.  If you’re the loud mouth, they will hear you at first, but if you keep being annoying and saying whatever comes to your mind, then it could go wrong.  You need to be comfortable in front of the people, shake hands and keep eye contact, but if you brag about everything you’ve done, you’ve become the jackass.

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

When I was in college, I met this girl and a week later, I decided to go to Africa with her for a couple months.  I only brought a tiny backpack with me and while I was there I got robbed at gun point and only came back with my passport.

Do you have an unforgettable moment?

I just want to become famous, hasn’t happened so far.

Do you have a favorite job that you’ve done?

Not yet.

Boxers or Briefs?

Boxers because there’s  room to breathe.

What type of music do you listen to?

Indie or underground New York.  I like going to see guys or gals in New York that haven’t made it to iTunes yet or they have but haven’t gotten noticed yet.

What is your favorite food?

Indian food.  I would murder it every day and then it would murder me back.  I could eat it every day for the rest of my life, but live on the floor doubled over.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Long Island Ice Teas because I love those things.

If you weren’t a model, what would you be doing instead?

I would be a lawyer, which I don’t want to be, or I would continue on in the computer science world.

What upcoming projects do you have?

I have Pan Am this week and I am auditioning for a part in One Life to Live in about a week.

Do you have a motto you live by?

Sic semper tyrannis, which is the Virginia commonwealth motto.  It means Thus always to tyrants.

What are your goals and dreams for the future?

To be happy.  I wouldn’t want to make a zillion dollars, but enough to be comfortable.  I want to be able to do a few things and not have to worry about credit card payments.  As long as I can reduce my wants, I can live within my needs.  I need to want less and make more.

After Cycle 14, she moved to New York City to continue the pursuit of her dream.  Angelea began earning her stripes as an editorial/commercial/runway model, walking for Richie Rich, LaureLux, and designer Willie Hall for NYC Fashion Week.  Her other Post ANTM credits include the expansion of her brand into acting, hosting and motivational speaking.  She continued to exude beauty and personality with television appearances such as her segment on The Tonight Show and a commercial for a Brazilian hair car product.  Angelea even has a movie credit to her name.  In 2011, she was cast as Adrenia in the film “Breathe” starring Robin Givens and Miguel Nunez, which was one of the featured films at the American Black Film Festival.  Angelea most recently served as a Red Carpet Correspondent at the AKOO 2011 Fashion Week Presentation.   She continues to prove how far determination and self-confidence can take you.  “I want people to know that your dreams are possible.  I can do it, you can do it too.  Just believe in yourself and don’t give up.  I don’t do what I do for me. I do it for my family and for Buffalo.  I love my city – 716.”

She also returned to America’s Next Top Model Cycle 17, also dubbed the All-Star Cycle. She joined other alums for another shot at the title. The winner will be receiving a special spread in Vogue Italia and a contract with CoverGirl cosmetics, in addition to joining the Express fashion campaign and a chance to become a correspondent on Extra. The Talent at the VIP Talent Connect Summit felt so privileged to gain insight into the industry from such an experienced person like Angelea.