Codey Cooke, an ambitious 10-year-old from Hanover, Ont. is crying foul after his acting dreams were dashed following an event in Toronto.
Codey says he wants to be a star, “I want to try it again, maybe try to get noticed,” so after hearing a radio ad for ‘The Event,’ a talent showcase in Toronto, he was excited.
The audition was supposed to lead to spots on commercials and in Disney Kids shows, even cash prizes for winners, but instead of a ticket to the top, it turned out to be a ticket to nowhere.
Lynn Cooke, Codey’s mom, says “He was so upset.”
After a brief audition in front of a disinterested camera man, Codey got a ‘call back,’ but instead of being offered a pay cheque, his mom was told she would have to pay.
Codey says “She said ‘Can you come down?’ And we were like sure, [she said] ‘Oh yes, do you have a credit card handy or your cheque book,’ and we’re like yes, [she said] ‘Okay then we need $5,000 today,’ and we’re like excuse me.”
The Cooke family didn’t pay, so Codey didn’t move on to the big acting showcase with talent scouts in Orlando, Fla.
Brochures for ‘The Event’ profile success stories, but the Cookes say it sounds like a scam. In fact, news reports from Detroit to Australia say others feel the same way.
Disney also says they don’t, and never have, had any affiliation with the organizers.
CTV News attempted to contact ‘The Event’ through their website and email addresses, but never received a reply.
Lynn says “People are saying they spent lots of money and they never even got an agent or even a spot even on a commercial.”
Meanwhile Codey isn’t abandoning his plans for stardom, but he’s going to start closer to home, “There’s the [Hanover] Community Players and I’m going to go try for that.”
