Watch Out For This Guy

[lordmanji]

just got a very shady call from Eddie Kritzer. you should know its shady since its saturday night and what kind of producer would call at that day and time?

anyway, from the first few sentences he spoke he seemed not to be someone you could trust. his voice had a bit of a new york accent, he seemed to be trying to sell himself more than i was trying to sell him on me on how many contacts he had, how hard it is to get any script made - he was condescending, AND he asked for FIVE HUNDRED BUCKS ADVANCE for a three-week "exclusive" read.

oh yeah, he tried to lecture me on how i should query, such as u dont want to send multiple queries out cuz what happens to the producer if u get a few responses? and the producer is on the short end of the stick? i see a point there, sure, but its like discounting an entire area of ways to break in for a drop of spilled milk.

also, he tried to make a connection with me by saying he knew some of the guys i used to work with. but now i just realized that he never even brought up their names. he just kinda left it open waiting for me to fill in the names. boy, was he trying to be real slick and im sure he's done this quite a few times.
anyway, shady guy. stay away from him. i dont know how i even got his email. go to eddiekritzer.com like he told me to and check him out for yourself.

im supposed to send him my script. yeah right. beware people. this is the first time ive ever met someone so obviously shady. they are out there.

[hollywood_slave]

My roommate and I, both 20-something film guys in LA, are looking for a third roommate. You know who called us today wanting to check out the place? Eddie Kritzer. No joke. He gave us the same website and everything. He seemed a little old (and creepy) so we passed. Small, small world.

:rolling:

[Minibrain]

Wait, run that by me again.

He asked you to pay him $500 -- to read your script?

[elephant1978]

Um...is that a picture of him photoshopped in with Bill Cosby?

Ele...

[ihavebiglips]

Best thread in a long time! Hilarious ****.

[CottonFitzsimmons]

his voice had a bit of a new york accent...

A dead giveaway!

[odocoileus]

An old guy groping Xtine Aguilera under a sign that says "Fetish".


Priceless! :rolling:

[qualitycontrol]

A dead giveaway!

Totally. Only ****in' scum from New York.

However, this was funny all in all.

[R.D. Wright]

Sounds like you're passing up a wonderful opportunity:

http://imdb.com/name/nm0471742/maindetails

If you live in another century.

[Jason Hart]

I'll find out of he is legit... send me his email addy (privately of course).

[Mac H.]

> I'll find out of he is legit... send me his email addy (privately of course).

I'll save you the trouble. He isn't.

He's been doing this for years.

1. He used to get kickbacks for referring people to the scam editing service 'EditInk'. You don't believe 'EditInk' was a scam?

In 1998 the Supreme Court ordered Edit Ink to pay an estimated $6 million in restitution to more than 3,600 authors, plus $500 for each deceptive act, plus $2 million in civil penalties, plus costs. They shut down.

2. After that, he switched to getting kickbacks for referring people to Martha Ivery. You want proof that Martha was dodgy?
In November 2006, Martha Ivery was sentenced to 65 months in Federal prison for her scams !

3. And now he's asking for $500 to read your script, while looking for a cheap room to live.

Mac

[Trutopian]

Is this guy the same Kritzer on IMDB? Ask to see his identification! Also, check him out on the WGA site watch list.

[WritersBlock2010]

This guy is a complete loser with a capital L.

He's been doing these scams for years.

He tried to scam a friend of mine back in the late '90s... So I got him on the phone and verbally tore him a new a-hole. I think it was the first time he'd ever actually had someone speak to him in that manner -- Being used to newbies and being in control and all -- And physically couldn't respond. I hung up on his sorry ass and haven't thought about him since.

It is a tough town and business, but EK is a victim of his own doing. He doesn't want to work like most do. He wants to scam, lie and freeload his way through life. He could be in Boise, Idaho, working in Tractor Sales, and he'd still be a loser I bet.

[kahunadude]

Must be New York hacks. I had the same experience with a fast talking guy named Lee Levinson. He loved the log line and synopsis. Called me at like 6:30 in the morning and gave his list of imdb credits. Blah. Blah. Blah. Then he had the balls to say, I love the idea, send me your script along with $350 for my NEW WRITER reading fee. I laughed on the phone. He e-mailed me with his reading fee's and his so called consulting scam he runs.

The bottom line, tell this a-holes off and never ever pay anyone to read your script. Legit producers will gladly read your script for free. And you know what if it's good, they will actually pay you.;) Imagine that.:wideeyed:

[Slappynipsy]

Pull the old customs scam on him if you know anyone overseas.

[Jason Hart]

Dave Mocknick

I take it this guy falls into the same category? $450 annual contract fee?
Yea or Nay?

[adam612]

That's a real pic of him and Cosby. He exec produced "Kids say the Darndest Things" in the 90's. A friend of mine used to intern there. The pay to read thing is new, though. I've always heard of him as being kind of sad... not a scam artist.

[La Femme Joyeuse]

these types of scams aren't in any way new but they are so upsetting. I have a client who, as it turned out, was quite elderly. when I found out how old he was I refunded his money and now give him "senior citizen rates" meaning as close to free as I can and still spare his dignity. he writes as a hobby and he just needed a little bit of feedback. it breaks my heart to think people like my client would totally hand over any amount of money to someone with absolutely no ethics. more than breaks my heart, it makes me angry.

[ComicBent]

La Femme: I have a client who, as it turned out, was quite elderly. When I found out how old he was I refunded his money and now give him "senior citizen rates," meaning as close to free as I can and still spare his dignity.

You are so kind, Julie. Seriously, that is really nice of you to do.

I never cease to be amazed by the scammers out there who pose as producers or managers or something of that type and want people to fork over money. I have not personally dealt with any of these lowlife characters, but as a long-time member of this board I have heard a zillion stories.

[lordmanji]

here is a snippet from our conversation when we were about to hang up:

him: "you can email me at my address, producedby@aol.com tell me that isn't the best screenname you've ever heard of.
me: "uh okay. why?"
him: "because it says 'produced by'. who else would've thought of it?"

and another:

him: "so email me your script and we can discuss a payment plan for the $500 later."
me: "well, im gonna have to check you out first."
him: "what do you need to do that for? go to eddiekritzer.com. that's all you need to know."

[La Femme Joyeuse]

Totally off topic: I live right cross the street from CBS. I see this car pull up to park and ostensibly head in to work (don't they have enough parking in CBS??) and her license plate said: INT CAR

which I thought very funny :)

[Mac H.]

Just as well it isn't a convertible. She'd have to change license plates on sunny days ...

Mac

[Terrance Mulloy]

What's his phone number? PM me.

I'll call the jag off from here in Oz and traumatize him so badly, he'll need to be fed through a drip for the term of his miserable life.

And next time I'm in the states, I'll leave piles of wet Buffalo and Kangaroo dung on his mothers doorstep.

Although it may be a little hard to get that past LAX quarrantine? :D

[qualitycontrol]

Totally off topic: I live right cross the street from CBS.

On behalf of the CBS corporation, I apologize.

[Trutopian]

It's a question of degrees of success--Kritzer is well-versed in the "succ" part of the equation, or maybe it's the "cess" part, but...would you actually WATCH something he's done? Frankly, I'd rather stick my BLEEP in a wood chipper!

[SCanfield]

My roommate and I, both 20-something film guys in LA, are looking for a third roommate. You know who called us today wanting to check out the place? Eddie Kritzer. No joke. He gave us the same website and everything. He seemed a little old (and creepy) so we passed. Small, small world.

:rolling:


Bahahaha....