Music Biz tagged interest

Controversial pay-for promotion organization iPOP! kicked off the first ever virtual showcase and networking event, called iPREP! iPREP!, which ran in early January, brought together 100 aspiring performers from all over the world, celebrity coaches, and some of the entertainment industry’s top agents, managers, and record label reps. The two day event featured celebrity coaches James Lugo, (singing) Suzanne Von Schaack, (modeling) Ryan Kelly, (acting) and Tiffany Tahan (dancing).

The event kicked off with coach Ryan Kelly, best known for his role in MTVand#39;s "Teen Wolf" as Sheriff Jordan Parrish, and "Ben 10." Heand#39;s also appeared in "Boston Legal," "Ghost Whisperer," "Law and Order" and "Smallville." He has over 1.5 million followers on social media.

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James Lugo worked with young singers. He has a decades long career in the industry as a Master Vocal Coach, Record Producer, Guitarist andamp; Songwriter. He was a head coach on "American Idol" for 10 years. He now owns a studio in Nashville producing top talent.

Related Article: Vocal Star Music Showcase Brings Hope and Inspiration to the Music Industry

The second day, models learned from Suzanne Von Schaack, who started her career as a Ford model gracing the pages of "Vogue" "Bazaar" "Cosmopolitan" and "Land#39;Official" Her TV career included shows such as "Dallas" and "The Young andamp; the Restless" Recently she has started producing.

The training sessions concluded with Tiffany Tahan, who has a lifelong career in dance and is currently with the top-rated Clear Talent Agency booking dance talent.

Attendees also heard from the prestigious New York Conservatory for the Dramatic Arts, which has been a longtime supporter of the live iPOP! event.

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Auditions followed training sessions with agents from LA, New York, and Chicago. The 100 attendees received over 430 callbacks from interested agents and managers.

In a recent interview with iPOP! President Kirsten Poulin, she stated, “The last year has been an incredible challenge for our nation, especially our young people. We wanted to provide an outlet for young performers to receive expert training and meet with top industry professionals, even if it can’t be in person right now. We are looking forward to the day when we can join together. In the meantime, we will continue to support youth in entertainment in every way we can.”

iPop promotes emerging talent to leading agents, managers, casting directors, and music industry professionals. Approaching it’s 16th year, iPOP! is held in Los Angeles every winter and summer. Performers attend from over 30 different countries. At the event, they work with industry experts, and participate in competitions in front of the many agents and managers who are looking for the stars of tomorrow.

Editors note: While we feel these types of organizations can be harmful to aspiring artist careers, we feel the need to give some of them the benefit of the doubt. Please note: Ipop requires upfront fees to get performers in front of industry professionals and more often than not, these types of arrangements are not good for artist careers. Proceed with caution.