Mike Pointer/Hey I Saw Your Commercial review: Fraud/Scam/Rip-Off 32

I signed up for Coach Mike's 'Hey! I Saw Your Commercial' online webinar recently, as an experienced working actor, purely for curiosity of what he had to share. Much of the information he "teaches" is plain common sense if you are an experienced actor. How to conduct yourself in the audition or waiting room. How to slate. Learned camera techniques, etc. However, a few of his pointers I had issues with, bc they weren't necessarily science nor truth. First, his claim that Commercials are really the only way to go in the business, for sustaining a professional career. This is utterly untrue, as plenty of actors and big names have never done a commercial, and are quite successful. Second, was Mike comments about cut footage. Insinuating that an actor sucks bc their scene ends up on the cutting floor. Sorry, but that's mostly about time, budget, and storytelling. Mike knows this but felt it congeal to state it as truth. It's purely about having facts straight, as time changes with the industry. What applied years ago, no longer applies today.

Coach Mike's classes are filled with wisdom you can put to immediate use. $45 for a three hour class limited to 20 people is far from a rip-off. Starting from ground zero, before I finished his 4 class Level One program I booked my first job. I took his Level Two course (also four classes) and was booking one job a week halfway in. He is available via email to answer any questions and has been really helpful. He is the real deal and those who can't recognize it probably aren't serious about developing their career. Anyone who suggests he is a thief wasn't paying attention to his clearly stated-and fair- ground rules. He gives you lots of on-camera practice with solid feedback. He is an excellent teacher.

'all of these negative comments is a bunch of bs! mike's class is amazing, there is no other class or teacher like it in los angeles that cares about his students, that guides you step by step to ensure that you succeed in this industry.
No one at all! so just ignore all these bs comments and run, no fly to mike's pointier free class now you will be glad you did it!

2017 - This is Hollywood... time is money. Everything is stated on the website and you are even given a hand out that tells you that you must contact Mike if you cannot attend your regularly scheduled class. If you cannot follow directions, you are in the wrong business. His classes are full and he has to limit how many people he has so I would say that it is MORE than fair! You want a private class, go somewhere else. He does a great job single-handed... This is a CLASS - you either learn and move on to greater things or it just isn't your niche... do not blame the instructor! I think it is petty and childish of those who have complained... you wanna act like an A-lister... get there first!

Waste of your money. Mike unfortunately will promise you and lead you on but after spending hundreds of dollars you will feel ripped off. First of all Mike says his classes are cheaper than other commercial classes. For good reason. Usual classes have 10-12 students whereas Mike has 20-25 students. You will be lucky if you get 5 minutes of camera time in each 3 hour class. Individual exercises are non-existent. Because there are so many people, Mike always puts 3-4 group exercises. No proper feedback or anything. Second Mike is highly political and loves to discuss his views and impose it upon you. Most people just wanna learn commercial techniques not his political campaign for an hour. And Mike himself is a very unlikeable person. As he himself will tell you most of his students drop out after couple classes. He seems oblivious as to why and blames the students. The reason is because Mike runs his classes like a hustle than an actual business. Now you will find some good reviews about him. Those are from actors who just got off greyhound bus and don't know any better. So friends don't waste your hard earned money on this class. There are plenty of reputable acting coaches who you can go to. Now If you don't trust what I am saying, just remember one thing: Go to one of his sessions and check it out yourself. But never pay the whole amount upfront. That way if you don't like it, you can drop out just like most other actors.

As a baby boomer to the max, I've taken all of Mike Pointers classes. From the beginning of his level 1 class, Mike was excellent in introducing the necessary vocabulary, used in show business. He didn't talk to hear himself, he made sure his students understood how to stand and react before the camera. He introduced words, I never heard before like...Cheat the camera, Slate your name. This was important for us first time students who never heard of those terms. Mike's class was also interesting, because of his humor and comedic ways. He was patient, allowed students to pay a small deposit for the class, and he was always professional. To top it off...Mike brought in three top agents to see our headshots, perform a cold read and improve on camera. Many of Mike's students have signed with these agents and are working. All of us have different experience, but for me, I had no problems.

I took his class and saw first hand him treating his clients like cash cow/sales leads and not human beings! He said horrible things about the transgendered community and will dismiss you if you don't IMMEDIATELY SIGN UP for his class- he won't even allow you time to think about it. mike Pointer is a liar a fraud and a ripoff- he'll steal from you while smiling to your face. Beware!

Mike Pointer, he is a good teacher, or at least appears to be a nice guy as well, (a nice guy in class anyways) but when it comes to the business aspect and money aspect of his classes, that's where he screw you. If you don't pay in full and instead you pay in bits using a credit card, chances are he will just help himself into your account and take your money without your consent first. An agreement was made that an email was going to be sent to him first confirming that he takes a payment but he without warning, charged us. He did this and in result put my friends account in the negative and ended up putting us in a bind. Sense the person who was charged was not the one taking his class and the payment was not authorized by that person with no one else having authorization over the account, we were able to legally dispute it. Almost a week later Mike found out and sent an email and various calls, we called back and believe it or not, to my surprise he started yelling, yeah I know he doesn't seem like the type but his personality totally changed! We had his money at this time were trying to get a word in to ask for instruction on how to pay him but he wouldn't stop yelling. Immediately after the call we sent him a message asking for instruction but he never messaged back. If he really wanted the payment he would negotiate with us, we were ready and willing to pay up whenever was good for him but instead it looked like he was angry he got caught and things didn't go his way. So again, if you do decide to ignore my warning, please don't ignore this one, DON'T GIVE HIM YOUR CREDIT CARD INFO. That is all.

Mike Pointer is GREAT! He is very straight forward in his approach and he treats everyone like professionals. If you are looking for someone to cater to your ego or tell you what you want to hear, than you have picked the wrong business to be in. Mike treats you just like a casting director, agent, or any director would treat an actor, like an adult with common sense who can take direction. So if you write a complaint about Mike because you didn't like something he "said" or his "tone", I suggest you do not continue with pursing a career in the entertainment industry because you have to have TOUGH skin and not be easily offended to survive in this business. .

I think the most important thing about studying in this industry is that there are so many coaches and classes, and most won't work for you. You have to find the one that suits your specific needs. I took Mike's class, and although it was a bit packed, he made sure we all went up. I like his method of teaching and when I left his class I was confident in my ability to book. Not only did I get a commercial agent, but I began booking. I honestly think he should just stick to teaching commercial technique, all the other things he offered I skipped right over. Bottom line is he knows commercials, and knows how to book them. I would recommend Mike for sure, and if you have a problem with him being one of the few teachers to offer pay as you come classes, then do it the traditional way and pay it all at once.

I have studied with Mike Pointer and he is great! I'm sure that some people may take the good things that people do in a bad way. Mike Pointer is knowledgable, funny and entertaining. I am still studying with him and would recommend him and his classes to anyone trying to get an advantage in this crazy place we call Hollywood.

I am currently studying with Mike Pointer, all i have to say is he is Awesome...
he is one of the few legit people in Hollywood. He does't charge alot of money and you pay as you go, and on top of that he knows his stuff...

Cheers...

I had read all these so called "complaints" before I took his free workshop classes, and I thought oh no maybe I shouldn't. However I wanted to be my own judge. And it's funny really, I heard mike talk about all these accusations you all say, however he's so forward. he explains everything down to a T. number one, down payment is $30 for a class, boom. it's awesome you can pay a week $30 pr $45 dollars.and he charges your card whether you come or not just like they'd do at a gym membership or non-profit organization. So for people to be like mike stole from me, he's not legitimate blah blah you clearly didn't pay attention in class and I just laugh at this. I just began my 1st week on his first set of classes, and I love it. His teaching styles are very informative and he has a lot of insight. He has proof of his work and teaching credabilities and success stories, whoever complains just has no life. there was a guy in my class 'last week who like blew up at mike for no reason lol. i love and support mike pointer

I understand that misunderstanding happen and personalities clash. This can be unfortunate, but out of the 13 entries here, 9 are defences and positive recommendations of Mike Pointer's work ... which makes this "complaint" thread fairly irrelevant. Just sayin'.

However, let this be endorsement number 10. I have taken 2 courses with Mike Pointer. He has a no-nonsense style and a positive approach to the business of show business. He teaches practical strategies, tips and tricks that are invaluable in this business. I always come away from his class feeling empowered and inspired to go after my career goals with gusto. I would recommend his class to anyone. At the very least, check out his free class and make up your own mind.

Much Success,
Michael Coady

I'm sorry for those who've had difficulties with Mike Pointers "Hey, I saw your commercial!" class. After working with Coach Mike over the last two months I believe all difficulties to have been misunderstandings of Mr. Pointers procedures and NOTHING else. From the first FREE class to the end of his level II training program Mr. Pointer has shown exemplary form and model behaivior every minute of the over 26 hours we've shared together. This illustrates a practiced lifestyle not just an "act" to be displayed when students are around. The amount of relevant and productive information I've received during his classes is astounding! Coach Mike has so much perspective and hands on knowledge that he walks your through a detailed accounting of EVERY aspect of a successful commercial career in Los Angeles. I've learned everything from maximizing my media kit, step by step plans of action, posturing during reading, deciphering copy, when to punch up lines or throw them away, freezing cold reads and SO much more. Coach Mike even covers how to walk into the audition lobby and sign in (yes, there is a way to make this simple task work to your advantage!). Through Mike Pointers powerful instruction I have become a fully prepared commercial acting force and a better more happy person along the way. Please don't be dissuaded by the negative comments listed here! Just take the free class (deposit not required) and see for yourself if Mike Pointer can be useful to YOU. Best hopes for your success! B-

I attended one of Mike Pointer's free “Hey I Saw Your Commercial" classes. For over three hours, Coach Mike, as he's called, talked about the business of acting in commercials with obvious experience and expertise. Coach Mike has years of experience in commercials, and he told us that he and his wife have made over $800, 000 in commercials, and he showed us the cheques to prove it. As soon as Coach Mike's class ended, I immediately plunked down my credit card and said "Sign me up!" That's because I knew a fantastic value when I saw it.

I've taken commercial classes before, both in New York and Los Angeles. Although the other classes were somewhat helpful, they were nothing like Coach Mike's class. The difference is that he tells you every single thing you have to do in order to get booked on commercials. Not only will he show you how to slate, how to stand, where to look, etc., he'll tell you everything you have to do, from how to act in the waiting room, to having the right kind of head shots, how to format your resume, how to staple your resume correctly (even where to put the staples), what kind of mailing labels to use, everything! I never got any kind of information like that in the other classes. It's absolutely fantastic!

As a side note here, two years ago, I took a commercial class in LA from another teacher who will remain nameless. When I returned to LA, I wanted to take an intermediate class from the same teacher, but she told me since it had been two years, I would have to start with the beginning class again. What a ripoff! Since I enjoyed her first class two years ago, I decided taking the beginning class again was better than taking no class at all, so I left a deposit... and then I had the good fortune to go to Coach Mike's introductory class, and boy am I glad I did! I canceled the other class right away.

Coach Mike's classes are about half the price of other commercial classes. On top of that, he doesn't require that you pay the whole amount up front like all the other classes. He'll take your payment for each class before each class.

The on camera exercises in Coach Mike's classes are extremely close to real-life audition situations. I know, because I've been on a large number of commercial auditions myself. The exercises in the class prepare commercial actors for just about anything that could be thrown their way.

Coach Mike has a very abrupt, honest style, which is great, because the one thing that we need as actors is true, honest feedback and constructive criticism. Coach Mike is fantastic at this. He will never negatively criticise anybody in class... quite the opposite, he is extremely encouraging and positive. However, if you're doing something wrong, he will let you know, as gently as possible, what you're doing wrong, and he will drill you again and again until you get it right. Again, some people might be turned off by this very honest approach, but in the long run, it will be much, much more helpful to their career.

Despite all the online naysayers, every single one of Coach Mike's classes is packed to overflowing, and people try and get there as early as possible so that they can get a front seat.
The class often runs over, sometimes by as much as one half hour late, and yet everyone stays around, riveted to their seats, because the information is just so incredibly informative. You can tell that Coach Mike has studied other great motivational speakers, and he routinely weaves motivational snippets into his classes. For example, he's always telling us to say away from negative people and naysayers who don't believe that we could be actors.

Coach Mike is always open to questions. At least 20 times a class, he will ask, "Who has a question for me?" His knowledge of the business of commercials seems boundless, and yes, Coach Mike is a businessman, but you can just tell that he, from his heart, wants you to succeed doing commercials. The reason that I know this to be true is that if you don't have a manager, he will let you use his business address and represent you as your manager and actually let you keep the 10% or 15% or whatever and not ask for a single penny! Who on earth does that?! And I honestly can't think of a better person to learn from someone who's actually a successful commercial actor.

Coach Mike is a very kind, honest, upright, God-fearing, highly positive family man. You can tell that he's read a lot of motivational books, and he tells us to work hard, to practice, to honor our commitments, to avoid profanity and to stay away from negative, cynical people. Taking his classes has changed my life. He has made me believe in myself, not only that I can be successful in commercials, but that I can be successful in many other parts of my life as well.

In conclusion, I highly, highly recommend that you take Coach Mike's class. I honestly think it will be one of the most helpful things you can do for your career, and for your life in general.

WOOOOOOWWW ! We are all entitled to our opinons so here is mine. I've gone to many classes throughout my lil acting career and I must say that Mike Pointer's class has been above all the BEST! I've done actors boot camp with Bill Duke, I've done acting classes with Chip Hurd and various other acting workshops but Mike actually teaches you the technique you need to get through any and all auditions. I am a VIP member and don't even live in LA anymore yet when I do go back to LA I always am welcome to his class. At the end of the day it's all about a business and yes, he runs his as a business so things start on time and also finish on time. I am always telling people they should go to his class!

Sincerely,

Olivia D. Robinson

Pardon. It's the first article (A Call to Sever Arms). Ignore the other articles.

I have heard nothing but complaints about him. My friend recently went to one of his seminars on unions. She ended up walking out, and he not only refused to reimburse her, but he called her filthy evil, and a very dark character.

She related the experience here:

http://vladsprincipality.wordpress.com/

I am not concerned with the deposit as much as the damage and union busting this man, Pointer is engaging in at this time. To promote a "FREE CLASS" about how Fi-Core is the way to go is not only belligerent but more over completely a classic example of union busting. He should be ashamed and I hope that enough actors that have worked their ### off to become union realize this guy has now completely crossed the line from being motivational to being a detriment to the future of SAG protections for actors.

I do not see anything wrong with Mike Pointer's classes. He gives you the tools you need to be a successful commercial actor. He has an excellent memory and it keeps the class moving along because he can execute corrections quickly and you should take the corrections quickly. He doesn't hold your hand through the process and neither will the casting director in an audition. After the first class you should be practicing copy and duplicating all of his exercises on your own so you will be on top of it for your next class. As far as his sales pitches, they are a perfect example of what a commercial actors your pitch should be.

My advice to those that are paranoid Mike Pointer will keep your money for classes you didn't take, is to pay at the beginning of every class you take. That way if you don't agree with his technique then don't come back. And make sure you come early!

Mike's class jump started my careers, and I've been going back regularly to keep my skills fresh for year (he offers a VIP membership at an affordable fee that allows you to come back for a free class each month for the rest of your life!). He is always adding new information to his class to reflect that's currently happening in the commercial world and coming up with ways to better serve his clients/students. And he makes sure his VIP members get to do different exercises so they always learn something new. I audition commercially 3, 4 times a week, and i have to say what he teaches really reflects what's going on what there. At the audition for the first SAG commercial I booked (and I got taft-hartleyed on), they had me do an exact same exercise that Mike had us do in class.

Someone mentioned he rushes students through the exercise, but he actually just runs in as if it were a real casting session, and that really prepared me for all these commercial castings. I am signed with top agents, and I am oftened called in on projects where the casting directors specify to "send in your best actors." And I use Mike's techniques in these casting rooms, all the time.

I find it funny the current working Professional spelled professional wrong. I wonder if Mike Pointer spells Professional the same way. hmmmmmm

All I will say is that MIKE POINTER is an awesome teacher. In 3 short weeks I have learned fundamentals that have help guide me in both my commercial/theatrical career.

Andrea

I am a current working professional and have been in the in industry for over 9 years working here, Chicago and New York. I have to say that Mike provides key information and support whereby I have not scene with any other instructor. Your career is a definite investment. I am the first to say if someone is scamming as I know all the ins and outs of the business. Mike's got it. He got the knowledge and the experience. If you cannot manage your own funds and career and keep complaining creating these false scams then stop taking the classes or manage your credit card better. As far as I am concerned he is very valid and I have seen nothing but success in the skills that I have obtained from him. Sorry you have had a bad experience, but I must say that I've had a great experience that have proven finacially rewarding...

Warmest Regards,

Current working commercial professionall...

Ciao

Does this business even deserve one star? Perhaps one, for he does offer a lot of information in his class. And the way in which he delivers the information is incredibly believable. After the fact, I don't hold much merit to anything that was said in the tiny room packed with 20+ people where he rushed us through our excercises. You see, if all else failed, Mike Pointer could have a successful career as a used car salesman. Every class started with a sales pitch for his next class, his great headshot package, his "VIP" membership offer. But regardless, I kept going back, that is until we scheduled a photoshoot. $250 for 4 looks, in an hour. I should have known. Lets just say it was a catastrophe. His demeanor was similar to that of a drill sargent and my discomfort came across in the photos. When the whole train wreck of an ordeal was over, he handed me the disk. When I got home and started to look through the images, my heart sank . There were 150 + images of me in a putrid orangey yellow shade and many were out of focus. I tried to maintain an upbeat attitude. I printed them out and took them to him to help me "pick out the bests" and I told him I was a little upset that they were all shot with the wrong camera settings. He had the oddacity to tell me that I will not get far in life with an attitude like mine. I needed to follow through, hire his retoucher, and they would fix my little upset. Mike Pointer said it was common for photographers to take over a hundred photos and the subject look like they had jaundice. They just had to hire his retoucher! When I asked for a refund this was his response:
All I can say about the photos is that you should have COMPLETED the order by doing photo shop, MOSTLY EVERY FEMALE I SHOOT has issues with the photos until their mind is blown after photo shop. Your lesson should be ALWAYS FINISH WHAT YOU START.
Thank you Mike Pointer for your earth shattering revelations.
I actually got them professionally retouched, but they were shot as low quality jpgs and couldn't be salvaged except for maybe a nice framed photo for grandma, but not a professional headshot. After this I immediately dropped out of his classes. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this man unless you are looking to hire a used car salesman.

I agree with Sherakay. I don't think there was any substance in this rip-off. The deposit you pay online in this report is probably speaking of the one to reserve your spot in the free class, which is $29.99 or .95... and if you don't want to begin the 4 week session after reserving your free class, you can have it refunded to your credit card. I also noticed that people came to the free class without even paying that $29 holding fee online either. I guess it only counts if you want to make sure you have a seat, otherwise you can pretty much just show up without paying that. As far as the actual 4 week course, you can pay with cash if you're uncomfortable with paying with credit card. And I don't think he's super nice, he's blunt and straight to the point. He doesn't mess around. Anything in life you get what you put into it. That's too bad that all someone could get out of the course was the problem of using a credit card. I'm almost done with the Level 1 classes, glad I didn't see this before signing up!

I am currently studying with Mike Pointer and everything "Brian" said is unfair. You can pay by cash, check, or CC. If you attend a class and NOT pay, then that's like stealing, and then yes, I'd say it's fair that you get charged for the class since "you" got your end of the deal. Mike Pointer is one of the FEW classes that allows you to "pay as you go" unlike MOST classes/coaches where you pay EVERYTHING up front before you even get a minute of classes.