Creators & Artists Beware: How Talenthouse Rips Off Creatives
In October 2022, I entered a contest hosted by a company called Talenthouse in partnership with Peacock. It was a cosplay contest asking cosplayers to submit photos of themselves as characters inspired by shows and creative properties on the Peacock TV streaming platform.
Since the Chucky tv series was on the list of approved shows, I decided to enter. I’m a longtime cosplayer and a huge Chucky fan (with the DVD box set to prove it!), so it was a fun way to cosplay one of my favorite characters and maybe even win one of the $2000 USD grand prizes. I even shot some videos of myself creating the cosplay and doing the makeup.
As fate would have it, I ended up being one of the winning creators. I feel silly for it now, but the victory really helped me out during a time in my life when I was struggling and feeling like I couldn’t do anything right as a writer, cosplayer, or even just a human being. A few months prior, I walked away from the most consistent money I’d ever made as a writer because the job just wasn’t right for me anymore. It hurt, but I knew it was the right decision. At the same time, I’d poured so much into writing that my other passions and hobbies fell by the wayside, including cosplay. Winning the contest felt so validating during a time when I felt like I had lost my “spark” as a cosplayer, and it served as a nice pick-me-up while I was trying to regain my confidence.
Peacock TV posted my cosplay on their social media accounts alongside the other winners. Talenthouse requested my info for payment and assured me that I’d be paid on or before January 29, 2023. The three-month payment window was not ideal, but I had no reason to believe I would just never be paid at all. I mean, Talenthouse had legitimately partnered with a well-known brand like Peacock for the contest, so I wasn’t worried. Additionally, I saw that Talenthouse routinely partnered with other large, recognizable, and reputable media entities like Sony and Dreamworks, which led me to believe that things were on the up and up. In the meantime, I was just happy to be recognized for doing something I enjoyed.
Talenthouse Doesn’t Pay Creators
As the January 29 payment deadline approached, I found it a little odd that Talenthouse didn’t send any sort of follow-up email or indication of when I’d be paid. Eventually, I reached out to Talenthouse support via email, only to get an automated response. Eventually, I was able to connect with someone at Talenthouse via email, who quite literally told me that they didn’t know when I would be paid and that Talenthouse has experienced financial issues that prevent them from sending payments.
Despite this admission, Talenthouse has continued to acquire new partnerships with major brands, often offering cash compensation to hopeful artists and creatives with funds they either do not really have or have no intention of actually paying out. I’ve even noticed that Talenthouse has purchased ads on Facebook to promote their latest “creative brief,” even as selected creators from their previous creative briefs remain unpaid. Frustrated, I detailed the issue on social media.
Not Paid and Not Alone
Eventually, I began speaking with other artists who have worked with Talenthouse and were not compensated for their work after being selected as winners of the creative briefs they entered. I was also able to contact a journalist who was covering the story of Talenthouse’s misdeeds and injustice toward the hardworking creatives and artists who produced content for them and the brands they partnered with.
While reading the resulting article, I learned that Nationwide, one of the brands that worked with Talenthouse in the past, paid selected creators directly after learning that Talenthouse had not released the funds they had already allocated toward paying them. This means that although Nationwide had already given Talenthouse the prize money to distribute to creators, Talenthouse failed to do so, resulting in Nationwide basically picking up the slack in the wake of Talenthouse’s unacceptable negligence and excuses. In the case of Peacock’s Cosplay Contest, my attempts to reach out to someone at Peacock concerning the issue via Twitter, Instagram, and private messaging have gone unanswered.
It’s Frustrating.
The entire situation makes me feel angry and foolish, although I know it isn’t my fault any more than it is the fault of other artists who were disrespected and left unpaid by Talenthouse. What really bothers me is that if an individual fails to pay a company on time, they are hit with late fees and potential legal consequences almost instantly, so I don’t understand how it’s acceptable for a company to be so careless and lackadaisical about paying artists and creators on time. Where are the consequences?
What makes things worse is that I tend to be pretty vigilant in terms of avoiding scams and unreliable partners as a freelancer. I have even written guides to help other creators avoid being taken advantage of and ripped off. The fact that Talenthouse looks so legitimate on the surface — complete with partnering with reputable brands like Peacock TV — makes it so much worse because it’s not an obvious scam. I even don’t think it was an necessarily intended scam, but the lack of communication and the trickery involved in promising payments that they were never sure they could fulfill is especially disgusting no matter the cause or intent. I also find it very unfortunate that multiple attempts to get in contact with someone at Peacock TV concerning the issue have gone completely unheard thus far.
Long Story Short…
I’m hoping that this story eventually has a happy ending for me and everyone else that Talenthouse has ripped off, but in the meantime, I can at least do my part to warn fellow cosplayers, writers, artists, and any other creative individuals to stay away from Talenthouse. Seriously.
~DeLa Doll
DeLa Doll is a culture writer, cosplayer, and artist based in Florida. She has been writing professionally since 2016, with some of her work being featured on sites like HuffPo and /Film. She is an advocate for meaningful diversity and representation in media, a gamer, a mom, and an avid user of DIY hair dye.
