More Lies from Actuality Entertainment (the Firstline Puppet)

On the Prodigy page describing how they came up with the idea of filming a reality show, the principals claim:

We are Actuality Entertainment. We discovered the young company on a research mission to find a compelling human interest story for a reality TV show. We wanted to find real stories that produced real results. We wanted our story to be one of courage and determination. We wanted to document on film the possibilities in store for every American with a firm resolve to beat the odds and win in the world of business. This young company was a perfect match.

Some research mission.  Almost  all senior management at Actuality have been previously employed by Firstline.

August 8, 2007: edited to correct an inaccuracy.

At http://www.actualityentertainment.com/meettheteam.html , Actuality Entertainment's principals are listed as:

Ed Anderson, Director + Senior Executive Producer
Bryan Ferre, Executive Creative Director
Todd Farris, Executive Producer
Jared Neilson, Art Director
[deleted]
Ben Ferre, Production Manager

Anderson and  Bryan Ferre worked together in the late 1990s at Euro RSCG, and formed a company together,  CIMBEO.  Ferre has been the Chief Marketing Officer for Firstline since 2005,  and currently serves on its Board of Directors.  Todd Farris  was Firstline's Vice President for National Recruiting in 2006.   Less is known about  Jared Neilson's connection to Firstline.  [deleted]   Ben Ferre is not Bryan Ferre's son, but  may be a relative.

Other Stories About Firstline:

Karoli's son's story starts here and continues here.

My previous posts:

A New Scam Targeting College Students

Door to Door Sales and College Students

Reality TV and Summer Sales

Other bloggers

Ivory Power and here and here

Steven and LaNelle Simons:  here and here (they are Firstline employees in Washington State)

West Seattle Blog on Firstline (read the comments)

Mikey Preston's Evolving Impressions: here and here

Natalie's Crazy Life: here

Otterstorm: here  (he was selling in Pittsburg and quit after his Firstline-provided apartment was without power for a week).

Rita's Space: Firstline and ADT Suck!

Firstline Wall of Shame (this appears to be a blog by a motivated Firstline manager, cataloging poor installations.  It runs from 4/03/05 to 6/04/06 and is not updated thereafter.  See the techs' apartment

The Ripoff Report: Ariel, Oakland CA, 7/14/07, Steve, Salt Lake City, Utah, 7/14/07 Dawn, Holladay Utah, 7/11/07,  Matt, Santa Rosa California, 7/10/07, Scot, Raleigh North Carolina, 6/25/07

epinions: Beware of Firstline Security

MSM reports

ABC-11 from Durham, NC, July 9,  2007: Firstline not licensed in NC, but selling door-to-door

Orlando Sentinel: Security Ripoffs in the South July 15 2007

Comments

[mike]

Here is a new post concerning the dishonesty of Firstline. Click here to read.

-Mike

[Katherine Young]

How does someone who worked for Actuality Entertainment contact them when they don't send out W2 information? The web page is gone, is this company gone?

[Karoli]

Hi Katherine,

As far as I know, no tax information has been sent from Firstline or Actuality Entertainment and given the way they packed up and left quickly, they may not be coming for a long time.

To file your taxes without a 1099, just add up everything you received from them during the year and report it on your Schedule C (self-employment income). By doing that, you have fulfilled your obligation to report all of your taxable income, and if 1099's haven't been filed, the IRS will request them from Actuality, but you will be off the hook.

I hope that helps a little bit. I wouldn't hold up your taxes waiting for them.

[Liz Ditz]

This is the text of the email I sent to Katherine:

I'm not an attorney or a tax specialist or any of the above. The IRS says in part (you should go read the whole article)

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=106470,00.html

If you still do not receive your W-2 by February 15th, contact the IRS for assistance at 800-829-1040. When you call, have the following information:

*Employer's name, address, city, and state, including zip code.*
*Your name, address, city and state, including zip code, and Social Security number, and
*An estimate of the wages you earned, the federal income tax withheld, and the period you worked for that employer. The estimate should be based on year-to-date information from your final pay stub or leave - and - earnings statement, if possible.

If you misplaced your W-2, contact your employer. Your employer can replace the lost form with a “reissued statement.” Be aware that your employer is allowed to charge you a fee for providing you with a new W-2.

You still must file your tax return on time even if you do not receive your Form W-2. If you do not receive the missing information in time to file, you may use Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement. Attach Form 4852 to the return, estimating income and withholding taxes as accurately as possible. There may be a delay in any refund due while the information is verified.

Brian Ferre, who was listed as the Executive Creative Director at Actuality, seems now to be associated with a limited liability company in Mount Pleasant, Utah, Kings Outdoor Ventures, which got a $997,000 loan from the federal Small Business Administration, the office in Utah

www.sba.gov/loans/businessdetail/output/2007/busut.html

You could try contacting the SBA office in Utah

Utah District Office – Mail Code 0883
Steve Price, Deputy District Director
steven.price@sba.gov
801-524-3215
Nick Newbold, District Counsel
nick.newbold@sba.gov
801-524-3215

Hope that helps

[Liz Ditz]

Also see the Firstline chapter 11 post by Karoli, especially the comments, where some stooge claiming to be an attorney plays the tiny violin for the Firstline principals, Trevor Keyes and Wright Thurston

[Donald]

The "Prodigy" speaks out about the allegations against Firstline Security

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=29861382