Are Aspiring Writers Being Lured With Promises Fade In Can't Keep?

Not to beat a felonious horse, but I'd like to know if there was any fallout from all the media attention to Audrey's scam. I know that some posters had mentioned a website for all the winners scammed by this competition, and I heard the police were also contacted. At the very least I'd hope there was a dip in entries for next year's "contest".

RE: writersnet@aol.com

It's all part of the same Kelly scam. All a shell game between the two companies. All controlled and run by no one other than Kelly and her aliases.

I'm yet another writer who was a winner in last year's competition who has yet to receive my cash prize. The only thing I've received is one copy of the magazine (a subscription being part of the prize) and notes on my script, which were actually quite good. Although when I emailed the writer back that provided the notes (as I was invited to do) for clarification, never another word.

What I haven't seen in these posts is Fade In's connection to Writers Network screenwriting competition... (advertised on Fade In's site) interestingly, the Program Director is a "Kelly" also, but her first name is listed as Sarah, I believe. A 'semi-finalist' list for the competition has been posted for many, many months with no information on when the contest ends - if it ever will!

Anyone know more about this competition, it's connection and similar problems?

writersnet@aol.com

In response to the ANONYMOUS POSTER who is trying to disparage my name... Audrey, please. No one believes your lies any more. You are a 1st class liar and I will no longer even bother to respond to your insane comments any more. It's like trying to reason with a rabid dog... I really feel sorry for you.

Here's a novel suggestion... apologize, pay people and run a ligit contest.

Patrice

--------
Patrice wouldn't send in her required tax form. I know as I had to call her for it again and again. She also didn't care that Fade In had gotten her a meeting with an agent and was sending out her script to agents and managers in an effort to help her and all she had to do was get us her tax form. She is off her rocker.

Hey there,

Any of you with more to say about Fade In and any developments surrounding it can feel free to contact me at amy@thewrap.com

Thanks for all your continued feedback on the story,
Amy

I don't expect any media follow up either, but there is a storm brewing on the horizon for Ms. Kelly and that will be covered by more media than The Wrap. Stay tuned.

to the prev poster:

You're 100% right and your post is well taken.

The Wrap's story was excellent, though I would guess that we won't see any follow-up from The Wrap or Amy Kaufman, as they probably had no idea of the rain of craziness Audrey would unleash upon them for exposing her illegalities in the first place. Audrey is well-known for her practically Nixonian revenge tactics.

The "former employee" post was definitely Audrey. Or she had someone who's working for her now write it for her.

I know from experience, NONE of Audrey's former "employees" would stick up for her. Especially since many of them did not get paid either.

I hope this thread keeps going, as I am curious as to how things unfold with this situation.

I hope the Wrap and Amy Kaufman keep following the story, as it appears they have nothing new to say about it. But trust me, there's probably more to follow up on. They need to dig deeper.

But something that should be said about this situation-- many of the scripts that are sent in to the contests really suck. Sometimes, even the ones that win, suck, though they suck less than the ones that didn't win. You can't show sucky scripts to agents and managers, even if it did "win"... But everyone should have gotten paid. Really. And there should have never been any hassle at all about getting paid. No long waits, no drawn out BS. Just pay as promised and let it be. it would be so much easier that way. And as far as the promise to introduce even the sucky winning script to agents and managers, a synopsis of the sucky script is usually sent over. And like everything else in Hollywood, the agent/manager usually doesn't read it. That's not Audrey's fault. She can't FORCE a person in this town to read your sucky script. It's laughable to me that the writers take umbrage to that part of the contest. I know writers who have won Oscars and Emmys... and not even THEY can get a read. I mean, come on. Welcome to Hollywood, folks.

Bottom line, everyone should have gotten paid in a timely manner. And that is where Audrey totally does wrong by all here. And that is also why no one can take her seriously anymore. No one can respect someone who does this to people... no one can respect someone who drags out the BS, going into court all the time, filing false claims, outright lying and manipulating. She thinks it's so Hollywood to be a b*tch, to be a liar. She thinks she's playing the Hollywood game by acting this way. But really, this is not how the Hollywood "game" works. (at least it does not work that way for people as small as she is.) I know and work for people in the industry now who are bigger than Audrey could ever fathom, and who are good to their word and are kind. And they don't run their business like Audrey: constantly screwing over hopefuls, throwing temper tantrums, lying, cheating, ripping off people, lying about connections. The list can go on and on. I don't understand, I don't even relate, to her nonsense. It just seems more difficult to go about matters in that way-- than it is to just be honest and nice. Truly, she is her own enemy.

But my advice to the disgruntled, screwed over by Audrey writers out there, keep writing, because most of your scripts are not that great. Work to improve yourself and move beyond the Audrey BS. She's really not going anywhere in this town. There's better places for you to be. And there's a reason why it wasn't working for you with Audrey, anyway. It wasn't meant to work, so consider yourself lucky that it didn't.

Man, Fade In is such a mess. They've been "contacting" their finalists for at least a month now... And I just got an email announcing the Quarterfinalists of the 13th Annual Competition -- which is odd, considering we're awaiting the results of the 15th Annual Competition finalists.

At the every least, the competition is a big fat joke.

Here's the excerpt from the email:

"FADE IN AWARDS ANNOUNCES QUARTER FINALISTS

http://www.fadeinonline.com/Contests/2003_SWA_Quarter.html"

Yes... I received this in April of 2009.

It was Audrey, she has no pals. Sad.

There's no doubt in my mind the last post was from Audrey or one of her few pals.

The post mentions "3 disgruntled winners" being the impetus for this story, but Audrey must know by now that the contest's former "winners" are in contact with each other via the magic of the internet (sort of a makeshift support group for unpaid winners!). Our group totals many more than 3.

I previously worked for Ms. Kelly and can attest that this story is 100% false. In fact, one of the reasons I left the magazine was because I had to deal with these same CRAZY contest finalists (and freelancers) that are posting absolute slander here - the same 3 contestants who took part in the article. These freaks didn't deserve to be introduced to anyone in the industry because they are NUTS! Patrice Williams wouldn't send in her required tax form. I know as I had to call her for it again and again. She also didn't care that Fade In had gotten her a meeting with an agent and was sending out her script to agents and managers in an effort to help her and all she had to do was get us her tax form. She is off her rocker. This last post among several others here are without a doubt by Mr. Schumacher who's emails to Ms. Kelly I was privy to. He is a wannabe screenwriter who filed bankruptcy and in an effort to score some cash decided to attempt extortion from Audrey personally by sending her threatening emails. The fact that he is still posting here - is telling. It's all he has to hold onto. He goes around claiming to be friends with one of the magazine's board members, which, according to the board member, is completely false. Why would any legitimate contest introduce such horrible people to anyone in the industry? They wouldn't. You only need half a brain to read the contest's long list of testimonials/success stories (second only to the Nicholl's) to know that this article was premeditated B.S. by a group of 3 disgruntled individuals who were rightfully excommunicated. I've never seen anyone work harder to help aspiring writers and directors than Ms. Kelly - even the crazy ones. And I've never worked for anyone that had to deal with such nasty, untalented freelancers (one of which i'll never forget: she couldn't turn in her work because she had forgotten to have a baby. I kid you not!) And you Mr Dretska are just an asshole to deal with. I know. I had the displeasure of speaking to you on more than one occasion. There's a reason no one sees your byline anymore. Look in the mirror.

I just went to the Fade In website to see if they had a new issue (since they never meet their production dates) and saw this strange posting by Audrey Kelly ( http://www.fadeinonline.com/articles/wrap-this/ ), which led me to this article.

I can tell you from personal experience, and the same for a few friends, that Audrey is considered a joke within the industry and this is the feeling of many I've met at the screenwriting events. The magazine is a nice glossy magazine and has interesting subject matter, when eventually published, but it's more known for the bizarre bi-polar behavior of Audrey Kelly.

Although I never placed in the contest, a friend of mine did, and they had to sue her in small claims court. According to my friend, Audrey was pure "white trash" outside the courtroom and even tried to convince the court she wasn't the responsible party for the failure of the magazine to honor its obligation, her 90 year old mother was! Audrey, uses aliases, even her mother's first name, to hide from creditors and hides behind a post office box.

It's bizarre she would write what she did on her site. I guess it's for all those who don't know about The Wrap article. I did a little Google and also found her radio interview, and bravo to the host, who clearly didn't buy into any of her defenses and when cornered she had the typically guilty response, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you... or, I don't understand your question..., or the best was the long beats of silence while she scrambled to formulate a response.

Let's make no mistake, Audrey Kelly has been hustling Hollywood for years. She's burnt so many bridges it's clear she is milking the last of the fees from anyone she can before she ends up in jail. The Agents, Managers and Publicists are all whispering and rarely deal with her more than once, which could explain why she has so much trouble getting the issues out on time.

I do believe posters here are telling the truth, how else could so many, all of them to be exact (but one and I agree this was Audrey herself), be telling the same story. She will see jail time, no doubt, too many have for far lesser offenses.

Audrey is a Grifter. A con. A cheat. Who, until now, was only a whisper and joke within Hollywood circles. Thank you The Wrap for saying what so many wanted to say publicly but didn't have the avenue.

i entered this contest several years ago, and they never read my script. how do i know? i never received any notice from them for not winning, which they send to everyone. when i called and asked, they said they have no record of my email address. i said, well you have my money. pause... she just repeated what she said, and then hung up. total scam!

"Are Aspiring Writers Being Lured With Promises Fade In Can't Keep?"

This title reminds me of a little piece in 2001 by Bethany McLean for Fortune magazine titled "Is Enron Overpriced?" She was met with the same virulent reaction demonstrated by Kelly and her legal machine.

Sounds like Amy Kaufman has scratched the surface of another smoke-and-mirrors corporation run by a self-serving cowboy. And yet another house of cards will collapse despite all the delusional chest thumping.

I heard a writer made the semi-finals or whatever at FADE IN and HADN'T EVEN ENTERED A SCRIPT THAT YEAR.

WHAT A SCAM.

KARMA'S A BITCH Kelly will have some coming her way...

but those writers on the Advisory Board should be totally ashamed!

While I don't know much about this particular contest, I want to urge people not to throw the baby out with the bathwater and stop entering contests altogether. I have been a working screenwriter in Hollywood for about 3 years. Prior to that, I was an aspiring writer supporting myself as a telemarketer. I won a few competitions, not really getting much out of it but the prize money. But hey, money is money. Then I won a very small, now defunct screenplay contest. About 4 months later, I ran into a woman at a film festival who was a judge in the competition. She told me she'd been meaning to call me to see if I was interested in an open writing assignment she had. Not a tough call for me. It didn't pay well, but it paid, and it wasn't telemarketing! That led to a gig on a TV series, which led to my current wonderful representation. They're not all scumbags out there.

A rule of thumb for contest entries: don't enter any contest where the top prize money is less than 10 percent of the entry fee.

Anyone listening to Screenwriter's Utopia interview last night with the notoriously ill-tempered Audrey Kelly must have felt a twinge of pity for Kelly's grilling on the subject of Fade In's unscrupulous screenplay contest. One could almost hear the steel jangling of the barbed-wire snaffle bit inserted in Ms. Kelly 's mouth by her attorney before the show as she strained to contain her responses from profanity-laden embarrassment. The persistent interviewer never knew how close he was to a full out explosion of incessant rage or hang up by her. Especially when pressed on the disqualification of a contest winner who apparently unearthed some incriminating and disquieting rumors about Fade In's bad reputation for stiffing writers. Those of us who have entered contests know there is NOTHING on the submission form that would be cause for false information leading to disqualification. Nice try, Audrey!! We're not all as dumb as you think we are. I wish Screenwriter's Utopia had asked her about all the lawsuits pending against HER, clogging up the LA County Courts system like newspapers in a sewer drain. These records are public information and can be obtained through basic inquiry.

The truth is out there!!

Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting. For those who are interested, both Audrey Kelly and I are going to be speaking about my article on this radio show this evening, March 18th, at 6 PM PST. Tune in here:

http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/ScreenTalk/

Seeing the court documents with my own eyes, I find it hard to believe one consonant or vowel than emanates from Audrey Kelley's pen, lips, or computer, not to mention her so-called attorney's spindoctoring secretaries culled from ghetto temp agencies and paid minimum wage to conceal the truth from well-meaninged writers. She is a common thief. Nothing more.

I just read the letter from the attorney. I met both Michael and Audrey when I filed suit against Fade In, 11/2008. I got a default judgement when they did not show up. They then appealed and I had to go back to court. (But that was fine as I had all of my documentation proving my case).

Next court date, they showed. We talked. I agreed to drop the case if they came up with the prize money and court costs and promised to submit a press release on my win.

They keep holding onto the falsehood that I somehow "refused" to turn in a W-9 and that is the only reason why I did not get paid. I submitted my screenplay in 2006, was notified I won Summer 2007 and sent in the W-9 at that time. Finally took them to court in 11/2008. I completed "another" 2009 at court and gave to them in front of the Judge as proof. They handed over the payment.
They did agree to "promote" my screenplay (and other 2007 winners) in Variety or Hollywood Reporter through a press release or pay me $119 by Spring of 2009.

When I approached them a month ago regarding the press release agreement, I was told they owed me nothing (to put it in a nutshell) and refused. Our agreement is part of the official court documents we BOTH signed (Beverly Hills Superior Court #08S01601).

Screenwriters, this is what you are in for if you submit to this contest.

PS "J" If we are to believe your story, you need to give us your name and winning screenplay and year. Otherwise, it looks like a fabrication.

The LA District Attorney says they would like to have a list of all the contest winners and or people who ENTERED the competition.

Will someone who is good with creating websites, blogs create one where people can register their complaints? They would need to put their name and contact information. If they are out of the state of CA, then it is a federal offense as well.

LETS GET GOING!

I'm with "Anonymous | March 16, 2009, 4:10PM PDT"... You make your own destiny in this town (Hollywood). Your big break isn't going to be handed to you -- you need to work and fight for it. Getting introduced to an agent via a contest can help, yes, but as USC's Howard Rodman states "...when you regard them (contests) as your ticket to a new life -- it's a slippery slope."

I'm presently a semi-finalist in this year's Fade In (Writers Network) competition and forgot I had even entered. I'm actually more interested in winning now not to collect the prize, but to see how Audrey handles this year's competition winners.

At the end of the day, if you've got a great script YOU are the one with the power. You may have a well written script or a great writing sample - and that will win you some contests -- but scripts that "have it all" are a rarity... Really.

If you are going to rely on a contest to give you your big break, stick to the Nicholl Fellowship. It's the only one that will get you an agent.

I disagree with the post below. While it's absolutely true that there are no shortcuts and a contest win isn't an "in", it is a nice feather in the cap of the creator, a method of getting a little bit of industry attention, and a way of nudging one's foot in the door.

I know someone who won a totally obscure horror screenwriting contest and as a result got a major agent, an option, and a feature writing gig out of it. Sure, it's not the common experience, but it happens.

I'm just saying don't damn all screenwriting competitions; I'm sure there are a few that are shady, but they can also be positive, even if they're not always career-makers.

That's why The Wrap's story is so important - Fade In gives a bad name to most contests, and there's a special place in hell reserved for a scam artist like Kelly.

What writers entering the industry need to understand is that writing competitions are mostly bullshit. The people who run them pay their rent and bills with the entry fees.

I hate screenwriting competitions. Very few "winners" of any competition get their scripts before influential people.

Don't believe anything you read or hear aboput them.

There is no substitute for getting a good script to a well connected manager or agent who can then pass it onto a producer.

There are no short cuts to success.

Avoid all writing competitions. They are the greatest scam on Earth.

And while you're at it, avoid paying fees to enter most festivals, too. Apart from about nine or ten global festivals, nobody in distribution (who matters) gives a damn about them or who wins prizes at them.

I always thought that personal expenses were supposed to be kept strictly separate from business expenses.

The Internal Revenue Service might be interested to learn that this company pays for the rent, car and meals of the owner.

J --
I'm pleased you have an agent, manager and wonderful notes that enlightened you and your writing, and if true, it's more likely you landed those people on your own talents without the assistance of Audrey Kelly.

For the few who have commented here and the 10s of thousands across the globe who haven't commented because they haven't yet seen or heard about this article but are right now writing out their entry fees to Audrey Kelly... I suggest the following:

Post your name and credits -- allow us to see your career is off and running.

Since it's no secret who reps who in town and who has what deals, the very reason for IMDB, share with us the name of your agent and manager that you were able to get through your relationship with Audrey Kelly? If you're real and not put up to this by Audrey Kelly, then GO NOW MY CHILD... buy a Mega Super Duper Lotto Ticket, because you clearly are the luckiest person on earth.

I doubt you'll do this (provide the info or buy the ticket), since nearly everyone who has come into the same airspace as Audrey Kelly either tells a similar story of her evil ways, or ducks and hides, fearful of saying anything that will unleash her wrath upon them.

This article made me remember something I found really surprising me when I first came here:

You hear so much from pretty much everyone about the lying crooks in Hollywood, but once your career is up and running what you mostly come across are smart, ambitious yes but on the main decent people, who are too busy to rip you off.

It's when you're first starting out that you cross paths with the Audrey Kellys of the world, all of them fighting for scraps.

Look, I respect your right to say whatever you like, but you should also respect mine. What I said is completely true and you should not kick my experience to the curb just because it does not go along with yours. I believe every american has the right to voice their opinion regardless if differs from or seems to hurt a few peoples feelings. The truth is Fade In, helped me greatly! The notes they provided help me get outside myself and re-write my script. The direction they provided helped me avoid alot of pot holes other writers had falling into before me and their dogged hustle resulted in getting me representation. So forgive me for not joining the club, but I can only tell you all the truth and express my gratitude to the Fade In for helping my career.

(P.S. and yes I am aware that several Fade- in winners keep in touch, Because I was contacted by one, but when I told the person of my positive experiences they seem to loose interest and never called me again.

Thanks,
J

I submitted my complaints with Fraudrey - uh, Audrey - using the links below.

Amy, I will be listening Wed night to your interview and perhaps even calling in. I fully expect a minion of Voldemort may be calling in too, but keep fighting the good and honorable fight! What you're doing is awesome.

if their lawyer ever lets this get in front of a jury it’ll be a huge mistake on their part. You have overwhelming testimonial evidence from regular citizens who are being systematically wronged by a corporate interest, no way do Ms. Kelly or her schmuck lawyer come out of that one on top, not to mention the terrible PR they would receive and of course the First Amendment issues. Thank G-d that you are standing up to Kelly, she usually gets her way via intimidation so it’s good to see someone who won’t back down.

FYI, from one who's been online a long time. And the scuttlebutt predates
these newsgroup threads (now hosted on Google):

http://tinyurl.com/misc-writing-screenplays-1999
http://tinyurl.com/misc-writing-screenplays-2000
http://tinyurl.com/misc-writing-screenplays-2002

Sometimes it can be a bit creepy how the Net never forgets!

Listen to our interview with Amy this Wednesday night!

http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/ScreenTalk/

All these comments mean nothing unless we do something about it. If everyone here just made a phone call to all these, we can finally get rid of her. Audrey Kelly is a horrible person and needs to be stopped.

Take 5 minutes of your day and do it.

L.A. District Attorney Fraud Complaint:
http://da.co.la.ca.us/cpd/forms.htm

LAPD Commercial Crimes Division, Fraud Section
213-485-3795

California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General
916-322-3360 or 800-952-5225

File a Complaint with Better Business Bureau here:
http://www.bbb.org/us/consumers/check-out-a-business-or-charity/

It was inevitable that a post like J's below would show up here eventually. Audrey is a schemer through and through and I wouldn't be surprised if that's her or one of her friends posting.

"J", if what you say is really true, I do apologize. But if so, you should know yours is a TOTALLY rare and anecdotal experience and not the interaction most people have had when dealing with Audrey.

How do I know this? Because although Audrey probably wasn't aware of this, winners from previous years who never received their prizes are in contact with each other. All the names are easily found online and there's a whole group of people who have one thing in common: Audrey Kelly swindled them.

Sorry not to jump on the bandwagon! But I won Fade-In a few years back and I received everything I was promised. I have an agent and manager and i'm in the game now because of the Fade in contest. I also have had dealings with Audrey and I have found that she is definitetly a pit bull in a skirt. Half of the agents and managers we met had hundreds of scripts in their office, but somehow my script seemed jump the pile and get a quick read. When I asked them how this happened. They all said they recieved so many calls from Audrey pitching my script that they had to read it and the rest, they say is history.

Thanks

It seems federal mail and wire fraud charges are inevitable for Miss Kelly and it couldn't happen to a nicer person. She should title her new prison tell-all ""Burn Before Reading."" All good things to those who wait.

Anyone with a good enough idea and a functioning brain in their head could have saw through this. Honest question; if you have a great idea for a screenplay why would you publish it for all of the startving wolves in Hollywood to look at? $750 is a shit amount for a quality screenplay anyways. Nobody should have taken this seriously.

I second the emotions expressed in all of the above letters to the Wrap. I took Ms Kelly to small-claims court six years ago, but had to hire a P.I. to find ways how to collect the judgment that was rendered in my favor (three times). It cost me half of the amount owed me. In addition to the lack of respect Audrey shows the people who toil in her name, she has made a mockery of the legal system. She's learned how to tweak the system -- including the IRS -- and get away with it. (Maybe it's that swanky Beverly Hills mail-drop address that impresses the court.) All of this is widely known within the freelance community, if not the Wrap's crack staff. Today, however, the economic doldrums regularly provide Audrey with a fresh crop of suckers, who have yet to learn which editors to trust. (She's far from the only one, by the way.) Neither will the Cali Attorney General's office be of any help. I tried. Ultimately, the question becomes: why aren't editors and publishers, who repeatedly fail to pay the money owed to freelancers and vendors, in jail? How is stealing money from investors (Mr. Madoff) any more criminal than stealing intellectual content -- already published -- from writers? Fraud is fraud, theft is theft ... except when it applies to people who can't afford lawyers or make generous political contributions, apparently. And, by the way, FadeIn isn't a magazine that suddenly went bankrupt and had no money to pay its writers. It continues to published, even as the lawsuits and unpaid judgments mount. Again, how is this possible? Forget it, Jake. It's Beverly Hills. I'm reminded of something Woody Guthrie once observed in ""Pretty Boy Floyd"": ""Yes, as through this world I've wandered/I've seen lots of funny men/Some will rob you with a six-gun/And some with a (Waterman) fountain pen.""

A real sham... I meant shame! Why is there no mention of the dozens of lawsuits filed in LA County against this woman and her organization? Why no mention of the Illustrators and Writers who have provided the content for this magazine over the years who either sued or gave up begging for payment? Why no mention of the false police reports Audrey Kelly files to intimidate those trying to get paid? Why no mention of the lawsuits required to collect payment for the venues leased to hold her seminars, or by one of the larger PR agencies in town she hired to generate press for the magazine? And shame on the Advisory Board for tap-dancing the issue; first denying any involvement, then offering an excuse of being reminded it was something they got involved in many years ago and have since forgotten. I think it's time to now remember and step away, or act as any other legitimate Advisory Board would and oversee and participate in the product your name promotes.

It seems to me someone should have brought this to the attention of the California Attorney General's office and shut this scammer down. Jerry Brown, are you on the case? If the allegations are true, this is probably a violation of federal law, too. Seems more like an illegal lottery than a real contest.

I can't believe The Wrap spilled this much ink on a stupid contest. The real story is how Audrey Kelly conducts her business. She is one of the most sleazy, underhanded people and no one can understand how that rag stays in business. Most writers are not paid, she bullies agents, etc. to work with her because she is also a ""producer."" Once again, The Wrap misses the real story.

Audrey is a pathetic scammer who will get hers in the end. I had entered this Fade In content many times and feel she owes everyone a tremendous apology. But she spends so much time in court fending off her enemies, that will never happen. I was at Starbucks this morning and overheard a conversation between two screenwriters, ""Want to know the difference between Bernie Madoff and Audrey Kelly?,"" one says to the other. ""Come on, that's old, everyone know that one,"" responded the friend. ""Audrey will kiss you before she F*UCKS YOU!""

3 illustrations for that ran in her horrible magazine and I never saw a cent. I called and called and called and was never able to speak with her. She called ME about a month ago angry and screaming.......""YOU WILL NEVER BE PAID BY ME!!!"" AVOID this magazine and everyone connected to it. DOES MY HEART GOOD TO SEE THE WORD GETTING OUT ABOUT THIS WOMAN. DINSER

I felt the need to clarify, so I forwarded your article to executives of both Apple and Waterman Pens, hoping for their response or reaction to the article. I have not heard from Apple as of yet, which I will also post, but I think we can determine for ourselves as to whether Kelly has, "...maintained a relationship...over many years" with Waterman Pens.

From: Davidson, Adam
Date: Fri, Mar 13, 2009 at 8:37 AM
Subject: RE: The Wrap - FadeIn Awards

Thanks for your email-I’ve forwarded it to our attorney for review. I take this seriously, not only as a brand steward but also as a person who strives to act with integrity. This type of behavior is despicable.

Best regards,

Adam Davidson
Brand Manager, North America
Fine Writing & Luxury Accessories
Newell Rubbermaid Office Products
2707 Butterfield Road
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Phone: 630-481-2311
Mobile: 312-479-4690
FAX: 630-481-2081

mmmmm seems this is all snowballing.........a few post on the internet and seems
a lot of strangers have a lot in common. Way to bring people together A!.

The comment by Consumer Lawyer is right on the money, so I've attached a list of contacts to easily report this fraud to authorities.

Fade In:
287 S. Robertson Blvd #467, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(310) 275-0287

L.A. District Attorney Fraud Complaint:
http://da.co.la.ca.us/cpd/forms.htm

LAPD Commercial Crimes Division, Fraud Section
213-485-3795

California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General
916-322-3360 or 800-952-5225

File a Complaint with Better Business Bureau here:
http://www.bbb.org/us/consumers/check-out-a-business-or-charity/

I've waited a LONG time to see someone write an article about Audrey and Fade In. I have yet to meet or hear about one single winner of the competition who received their prize. The amazing thing is how many years she's gotten away with this.

This is outright contest fraud, Audrey. Since you have several judgments against you and still refuse to pay, perhaps a bit of jail time will make you rethink your scam.

The comments have not been deleted, they are just waiting to be migrated from the older server. This will be done tomorrow.

Arnold
www.appnovation.com

last comment got deleted... this is a great article -- i wonder how long she thought she'd be able to get away with this - and how long she'll continue to. hopefully the contest will be canceled. you expect a lot of contests in this industry to be a scam, but i wouldn't expect it from a (generally) well-respected magazine like Fade In.

the fake sponsors are particularly suspect. have any of the winners received the waterman and/or apple products promised to them?!

My good friend won the Fade In contest a few years back and the EXACT same thing happened to him. He was promised a new Apple lap top, cash and meetings with top agents and execs. He got nothing and Kelly gave him the runaround. He finally took her to court where the judge insisted Kelly produce the new computer right there in front of him in the courtroom. She had to send an assistant out to go buy one for him. Audrey Kelly is a one of the biggest bitches in a town already filled with them. The only difference is, most of those bitches actually work in Hollywood. Kelly is a wanna be on the outside looking in. I say we kill her.

BRAVO SHARON!
FAITH RESTORED!!

Commenters: we switched servers today, and some comments were deleted in the changeover process. they will be retrieved and reposted overnight. thanks for understanding,

sharon.

looks like the wrap is having some server issues, huh? nice piece. why hasn't anyone written this before? none of the other news sites found it noteworthy? where will all these writers before, why did no one come forward?

Seems my prior comments were deleted, and I can't understand why.

I wonder if anyone has gone to the Attorney General's office in California with this.
This is something Jerry Brown should be interested in.

These "contests" with a steep entrance fee seem more like an illegal lottery rather than a legitimate writing competition.

Except the lottery "official" here only seem to pay part of the prize.

I second what Dan Cox said so well, though I choose to remain anonymous.

I also used to work with Herself, and I'm here to tell you that Audrey Kelly remains the single most unethical, manipulative, paranoid, phony, nasty, petty, all-out loony excuse for a human being I have ever met in Hollywood -- and that, as you all know, is really saying something.

Now, Kelly did do a good thing in creating "Fade In" magazine itself (which, incredibly, is still going) and her "pitch fests" have indeed yielded results for many participants.

But everyone here is absolutely right when they say that Kelly's "contest" is an absolute load of shit, an utter scam designed to do nothing but take advantage of the dreams of aspiring screenwriters, turning them into cold cash to keep her other "Writers Network" operations afloat, legit or otherwise. In fact, I'd wager that every penny not put toward the magazine and Kelly's own bank account goes straight to lawyers.

I won't go into the tawdry details, but trust me on this, from one who knows beyond any doubt...I repeat: THE "FADE IN" CONTEST IS A SCAM.

Audrey Kelly is full of crap, as your writer has found. I'm a journalist, who aside from having worked at Variety as a top writer for nearly a decade, wrote a number of interviews and articles for Fade In in the 90s. The first few were paid and well worth it. Then, they either went into bankruptcy or they just developed an attitude to paying people.
Audrey stiffed me on the last three and the ugly arguments threatened to be settled in court. To this day, as far as I'm concerned, she still owes me. And I've had numerous discussons with other writers and editors to whom she still owes money.
It doesn't surprise me one iota that she has stiffed the prize-winners in her so-called writing contests. In fact, it's always been a question where she was coming up with money for any payment whatsoever.
Your writer was right to point out that entries into her "contests" demand a fairly healthy fee (as much as $45 per entry). Is that where her money was supposed to come from?
Is it now residing in a Malibu beach house or a BMW or even pricey plastic facial surgery.
I"m glad that The Wrap was smart enough to do this story as the trades have totally avoided it.
I appreciate your take on it.

Interesting Post.

Audrey Kelly doesn't pay her vendors either, you need to add graphic artists and distributors to this story too. LAPD must have gotten tired of taking police reports from Kelly since her MO changed and her choice of revenge on schumacher for confronting her was to remove his victory from the contest? That's just cold, girl, just cold.

She is completely, certifiably nuts. She is dishonest and just doesn't feel the need to pay people. She gets away with anything she can and lies about everything. I think she actually believes her own lies. Hopefully some justice will come of this and her magazine will cease to exist and Hollywood will know she doesn't belong here.

My daughter wrote a piece for Kelly's magazine over a year ago and still yet to be paid. When I had a lawyer contact Kelly about the payment, Kelly cursed him out and swore never to pay her. Audrey Kelly has some sever mental problems. Or maybe she is just a gonif.

I read this with great interest as I also "won" the Fade In Screenwriting Competition several years ago and didn't receive the cash part of the prize until I told Audrey Kelly that I had contacted the Better Business Bureau (I had).

Audrey is a scam artist facing multiple lawsuits. I hope the magazine gets shut down. She gives most screenwriting competitions a bad name.

TheWrap investigates? Really? Where? Hopefully, the follow up will expose this charade as the darkside of the Industry it truly is.

it's about time someone shed some light on this kind of practice - "contests" like this happen very often in both the film and music industries.