Students Claim Film School Not Delivering On Promises

September 22, 2011 11:05 PM

Reporting David Goldstein

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LOS ANGELES (CBS) — If you want to be in show business, L.A. is the place to be. But a CBS2 undercover investigation has found that there is a film school in town that is cashing in big on Hollywood dreams and not delivering.

William Wesley is the owner of the Los Angeles Feature Film Academy. According to its website, the school seems like a dream come true for students trying to break into Hollywood, promising in bold letters, “our students make feature films for worldwide release.”

“You’ll get screen credit on these films you’ll graduate with more than a degree; you’ll graduate with a career,” it continues.

But some former students said that the promise was too good to be true.

“We didn’t prepare a movie there; we didn’t read script there, just nothing. Eyebrow raising,” said Aj Hordijk, who we interviewed via Skype from Holland.

He claims he paid Wesley about $15,000 in tuition last year and came to L.A. just to attend the school. But he said the classes were held in Wesley’s apartment in this building in Downtown L.A. and there was no movie.

“He’s really banking on people’s dreams and it’s an easy dream to sell, you know? Everyone wants to be in the movie business, especially in L.A. I crossed the ocean from Europe to do this,” Hordijk said.

“He told me I was going to get a lead role in one of his comedy films,” said Jonathan Villalvazo, who paid over $11,000 in tuition last year.

Villalvazo said that Wesley promised him a starring role in a feature film. It never happened.

“Basically, I’d been lied to,” he said.

Because of complaints, California’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education ordered the school to cease operating, hit it with a $50,000 fine and ordered it to pay back just over $30,000 in tuition.

The website disappeared. But like a Hollywood sequel, it’s now back under another name.

Now it is called the American Feature Film Academy, but it seems only the name has been changed.

We wanted to see if he was making the same promises, so we had two people contact Wesley to get more information about the school. He did not meet at his apartment, but instead at the L.A. Center Studios in Downtown L.A.

Our undercover cameras were rolling when Wesley gave a tour of the studio, claiming students would be filming there.

“We’d be on this lot filming everything,” one of our undercover would-be students asked.

“Lot, wherever the script calls for. If it’s a desert, we’re out in the desert,” Wesley replied.

He said they “would” be making a movie.

“You get screen credits on the 12 weeks. There’s a collaborative feature film that you will all be making with the professionals and then you get screen credits,” he told them.

“Were you ordered shut down by the state,” I asked Wesley?

“No, not shutdown,” he replied.

At first Wesley denied being shut down, then claimed the state had no right to do it.

He defended the school, claiming that classes are held at L.A. Center Studios. The studio said that he rents space there, but could not say if he taught any classes.

But when we asked, Wesley could not name a single movie that his students have produced.

The state has now ordered him to get a license for American Feature Film Academy or risk a $50,000 fine.

This comes as good news to former students, who hope their experience will be the closing act for the school.

“It’s not very easy to be an artist out here. It takes a lot of guts and for someone to take advantage of people like that, makes me very angry,” Villalvazo said.

Students Claim Film School Not Delivering On Promises

David Kaplan

I like to make 3 comments on the film school.
# 1 The owner of the film school should get nailed by a judge and a grand jury.
# 2 The owner of the film school should be investivagated by the B.B.B.
# 3 The owner of the film school is a con artist crook and he will go to jail. He is a rip off business man.
David Kaplan

He is a naughty crook !
CBSLAFan

Where’s the undercover video your team shot David? I’d like to see it posted.
BSR

When is someone going to investigate the New York Film Academy in Burbank. I’m willing to bet they’re just as crooked. And for god sakes, stop making those kids wear your ridiculous t-shirts & carrying those dopey bags. They’re supposed to be students, not billboards.
linda

Hahaha BSR! They do need to be checked
Austin

I got scammed by this guy! When I started asking questions I was shunned out of the program! Would love to help shut this criminal down! Contact me if you wish, I am VERY willing to tell you everything.

JROSSJR

When did this happen to you, Austin? He’s conned so many students, it’s hard to keep track at this point. I had friends that he conned and it sickens me! This is the slime of the movie industry. They want to be apart of the industry so badly that they become legends in their own minds. It’s sick!
serious scammed

I also got scammed by bill wesley. But i got scammed for more money than is listed in this article. I want to tell all and get this guy behind bars forever.

americanbeauty

This man needs to be stopped and put away. The best way is to help is to write a complaint about Wesley to the bureau for post-secondary education. here’s the link if you haven’t already done so.

http://www.bppe.ca.gov/forms_pubs/complaint.pdf

JROSSJR

Thank you for listing this. I’m sure there will be many more reports before all is said and done. I heard this owner’s real name is Jose Rolando Rodriguez and he’s from Cuba! The nerve of someone coming here from another country and doing this. Instead of being grateful for coming to the US and doing honest work, we have to deal with this type of behavior. I just don’t get it. My friends were conned and I can’t believe he thinks he can keep on doing it. The authorities are going to have a field day with this one!

john

This guy is a low life creep who preys on the dreams of innocent victims. I takes away their ideals with empty promises, and laughs all the way to the bank on their tuition fees. He is nothing more than an embarrassment to the Hollywood tradition of film making.
Karen

I know that I would have never fallen for this nonsense. To a certain extent, I think these kids deserved what happened to them. Did they not investigate the school? I work in entertainment and most people know that you start in the mailroom and work yourself up. To think they think they would be making a feature film for worldwide release is laughable.
Igor Doublebubblevich.

Reality shows are much better and much more popular than movies, film schools have always been a crooked scam, taking advantage of people from out of state, like Iowa.

Duh!

“I’m from Iowa, but I work in outer space.” – James T. Kirk

http://www.hollywoodoracle.com/hollywood-field-dreamers-vs-schemers/ Hollywood – The Field of Dreamers vs’ Schemers | HOLLYWOOD ORACLE

[...] Go To The CBS News Story >> Students Claim Film School Not Delivering On Promises [...]
Scammed Student

Looks like this place is now targeting international students! I think a call to INTERPOL is in order to forewarn countries of this scam. This place needs to be shut down.
Jeffery Goldberg

Arrogant con artist! Let’s put this William Wesley behind bars! I’m for all the students. If there’s anything I can do to help you guys out let me know. I love seeing guys like this get what they have coming! You should notify all the industry organizations about this con artist so you can have him blacklisted in Hollywood!
Richard Strauss

I’m writing a book on the deception that takes place in Hollywood. Here’s the article the LA Times featured on William Wesley and his school:
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/09/business/la-fi-film-school-fine-20110910
Students for Justice

When is the follow up report going to be done? Five more students are coming forward with their horror story about this school. This school has never completed one film. This is false advertising. If this place couldn’t make a film with the amount of money they received from all of us, they’re definitely not going to be able to make a film now by charging only $2500.00. I guess this place intends to keep taking money from people until they are criminally prosecuted. Regardless of any contract, a business can’t continue to fraudulently take money from consumers and expect to get away with it.

Jennifer

I did some research on this school after considering attending, but what I found was rather disturbing, the phone number for this school was listed on craigslist attempting to solicit for prostitution! I’m not surprised this school was shut down, and is now trying to start another school under a different name.

OMG! Gross!

OMG! I was talking to this guy a few months back about going to this school! I KNEW there was something creepy about him! I just checked out what you said Jennifer and OMG you’re soooo right! Is this guy a pimp or is that him in drag?!?!? Same phone number!!!

Here’s the link, check it out!
http://www.theeroticreview.com/reviews/show.asp?id=46788
Let’s take the trash out of Hollywood!

Hi Oracle! Boy, do we have some news for you to include on your site about this bogus LAFFA and AFFA! I’ll send over the information! Post it everywhere you can so others won’t be taken advantage of by this crook!
Thank You CBS!

I just came across this story from another film site. Thank you for exposing this place for what it is! There’s so many wannabes in Hollywood with zero talent, and it’s a shame that those kinds of people make such desperate attempts to be apart of the industry in this way. I can’t wait to see the follow up story! Go get em CBS!
Cartman

Don’t forget his daughter Monika Wesley, she is officially the president of LA Feature Film Academy and she is also scamming people. Plus her boyfriend Kevin Johnson.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Feature-Film-Academy/214175295270982

Sandra Cohen

Cartman, I had a run in with these people not too long ago. They were trying to rent our production crew a shabby, broken down RV through a company called Indie Wagons. I saw their ad on Mandy.com. They wasted my whole afternoon! Looks like all the businesses these people run are all based on lies and deception.

http://filmmakeriq.com/2011/11/students-claim-film-school-scam/ Students Claim Film School Scam

[...] Angeles CBS2 News undercover investigation has found a film school in that is cashing in big on Hollywood dreams and not [...]
Sanchez

the school should give me free lunch and health care too. we need a free health care for family and my baby. One more year i should finish high school, should no longer need your help. if you can give me free loan to buy car, that will be great too.
Students for Justice

Finally justice will be served! The Los Angeles Fraud Unit is going to finally put these criminals where they belong… Behind bars! I guess they forgot to do their homework on the illegal terms of their switch and bait fraud! Bill and Monica Wesley are getting just what they deserve – to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law!
IH

Hear hear to what BSR wrote. Although it’s a much bigger operation, I’ve heard that the New York Film Academy is also rather sketchy in terms of what they provide for the amount of tuition they charge.
http://www.nfashn.com/fashionmag/acting-school-scams/ Acting School Scams | N Fashn Magazine

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