What do you know of US Media Television (Platinum Television Group)? at DVinfo.net

Chris Davis · July 9th, 2009, 07:32 PM

My office is located in a technical campus - kind of like an industrial park for hi-tech companies. Recently the manager told me the place was going to be featured on "Inside Business" with Fred Thompson. However, the campus had to pay $19,700 for production fees and such. He explained that they didn't have the option of hiring me to produce the video, since "Inside Business" required the production to be handled by one specific vendor.

Well, a few days ago, they found out the "crew" was one lone guy. Today he showed up. Just an average looking videographer with a Canon XL-H1. Being the curious type I am, I googled to see if I could find samples of his work. Well in the process of googling, I found lots of info that this is possibly a scam.

Obviously, they're not a total scam, since they paid to have a hired gun come and shoot here, but they've got lots of bad reports.

Anyone have any dealings with this outfit?

Craig Seeman · July 11th, 2009, 04:21 PM

One should not pay to be in a program.

One might pay to have a VNR (Video News Release) done and PR firm can TRY to get that placed.

Craig Seeman · July 11th, 2009, 04:52 PM

A worthless website with 4 clips and no explanation of what they do.
Welcome to usmediatelevision.com
No list of key personnel, company history, approach to marketing, explanation of connection to the clips they're showing.

Tell me what you see on their web page
Platinum

Try This
New Line Media TV FRAUDSTERS - BEWARE Platinum Television Group on Yahoo! Video

Bogus YouTube Videos
YouTube - Platinum Television Group Presents Barnard College
a total of two videos posted two years ago. Not the misspelling of the name.
YouTube - PlatinunTelevision's Channel
note on the left in the description it links to the above website.

Then there's this website
PTG Studios | Platinum Television Group| TV Production Forums
Does this look like the site of a professional media company?
and the "learn more" points to is this
http://www.platinumtelevisiongroup.com/profile.html
and that points to this more developed YouTube page
YouTube - ptgtv's Channel
With no video newer than a year old.

There's this site too.
Platinum
Tell me what you see.

Try this one and test the links on the site as well
Platinum Television Group

and a mysterious employee
Platinum Television Group Jobs, People, Culture, and Opportunities | Jobster

And
Platinum Television Group - Web Hosting Forum - Web hosting discussion at SiteGround.com

Platinum Television Group - Ad Space for Sale

Platinum Television Group

Platinum Television Group

Platinum Television Group - Deluxe Martial Arts Forums

and many more like the above.

Have fun playing that ancient marketing video on the left and note the many missing ones.
Platinum Television Group

A press release. Note the link at the bottom.
Platinum Television Group Announces Plans for New State-of-the-Art Studio in the Middle East | Market Wire | Find Articles at BNET

It's all a bogus scam to build up site links to rank high in search engines. A bogus employee using such page to describe the bogus company so it appears to have history and size not listed on any site. Videos which might not have been done by such a company or using a previous company with a similar name. It seems they higher a videographer (note the site with social networking stuff) and abscond with the money.

____

Rick L. Allen · July 14th, 2009, 06:43 PM

Unfortunately, your guys threw away a lot of money. There are several "production companies" out there that charge companies like yours $20K-50K to do a feature piece about them and receive little or nothing in return. They do produce a piece but it's hardly worth what they charge. A great many of us full time freelancers hang up when they and companies like them call because they also rarely pay us for our work too.

http://www.ripoffreport.com/searchre...submit2=Search!

And,
http://www.miraviroc.com/

Chris Davis · July 14th, 2009, 07:20 PM

What really chafes me is that we had been talking with the manager about producing a promotional video. Then these clowns came along with grand promises and took the gig.

I did find the shooter they hired on the internet and he does have a pretty impressive list of credentials. I sure hope he gets paid.

David Barnett · July 15th, 2009, 09:59 AM

It looks like Direct Response ads that are formatted to look similar to news programs. Interesting they mainly bought Time Warner Cable markets only, and a few local morning buys. Also, being DR the spots don't air in prime (7p-12m).

National Airdates

Honestly, you should get in touch with your campus' landlord & tell them they got hosed, but I understand if you can't/won't.

Chris Davis · July 15th, 2009, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Barnett

Honestly, you should get in touch with your campus' landlord & tell them they got hosed, but I understand if you can't/won't.

Oh, I told them. But they said so far the company has done what they've said they would so they've got nothing to complain about yet. They will keep a very sharp eye on the process from now on.

...and Inside Business should deinterlace before posting on the web!

David Barnett · July 15th, 2009, 11:05 AM

Understandable, with 'yet' being the operative word. In dropping $20G's I imagine they expect a return on investment in way of leads to new tennants. (Assuming that is what they are advertising for). When they get zero inquiries as a response, I think they won't re-up on the contract.

Commercial real estate is struggling big-time nowadays, and I dont see advertising on CNBC as a solution to gaining tennants. Who knows though?! Anyway I'm guessing $5K went into production, $10k into media buying, and $5k was kept as a profit. Myb not a scam per se, but I doubt your campus is truely getting their moneys worth, it seems like a group of sheisters.

Craig Seeman · July 15th, 2009, 11:43 AM

The problem is whether they "promised" the program placement in the contract.
NEVER accept a "promise" unless it's contractual.

The cost is not out of line for some Video News Releases but those who do them don't "promise" placement. They will try and they include that in the contract and may range from file or tape delivery and follow up pitching and sigma encoding to track and verify effectiveness.

Certainly the video can be repurposed too such as web or DVD to perspective customers.

The scam is the "promised" placement as if it were a guarantee and my bet is that's not included in the contract.

Chris Davis · July 15th, 2009, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Barnett

Commercial real estate is struggling big-time nowadays, and I dont see advertising on CNBC as a solution to gaining tennants.

I don't think they expect to get any tennants who saw the video on CNBC, but instead expect to have a video they can show and say "as seen on CNBC..." So even if the segment ends up getting aired during a purchased time block at 2:30 AM, they'll still get what they want.

Rick L. Allen · July 30th, 2009, 05:04 AM

As an update to this thread. Just received this email from a video crewing service that used to service this company;

This is just a word of caution to all crew members out there:

BEWARE of working for Multi Media Productions of Boca Raton, FL.

We have just been forced to accept a settlement of 60% of monies due to
us.

They will no doubt be trying to find crews to replace us in NY, PA, MD,
DC, VA, NC, SC, TX, FL and elsewhere that we have already shot stories
for 21st Century Business News.

Chris Davis · October 14th, 2009, 02:56 PM

Just wanted to update - the segment in question aired today on CNN. No doubt it was a paid spot, but the company delivered what they promised.

Craig Seeman · October 15th, 2009, 08:50 AM

Video News Release. It's very common but a company that does them should be upfront and call it that. Modern news is filled with them. One should never "promise" air time. There are always things out of the control of the company producing them no matter how high the interest may be from a broadcaster/cablecaster.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Davis

Just wanted to update - the segment in question aired today on CNN. No doubt it was a paid spot, but the company delivered what they promised.

Ed Kukla · October 15th, 2009, 10:19 AM

There are not VNR's. VNR's have no specific air date. VNR's are a package of material to be re-edited by the stations as they see fit. I don't think the piece at hand was re-edited by CNN. It was a paid advertisement made to look like a news clip.

Craig Seeman · October 15th, 2009, 12:12 PM

Paid advertisement is another story. At $19,700 that sounds like it doesn't include the airtime though.

Not all VNRs are re-edited and that can get some stations in trouble if they get caught.
VNRs are not necessarily for a specific time. They can be "Evergreen."

I spent 5 years editing VNRs for some major national and multinational corporations so my experience of the process is first hand.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed Kukla

There are not VNR's. VNR's have no specific air date. VNR's are a package of material to be re-edited by the stations as they see fit. I don't think the piece at hand was re-edited by CNN. It was a paid advertisement made to look like a news clip.

July 9th, 2009, 07:32 PM	#1
Chris Davis Trustee Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Willmar, MN Posts: 1,400	What do you know of US Media Television (Platinum Television Group)? My office is located in a technical campus - kind of like an industrial park for hi-tech companies. Recently the manager told me the place was going to be featured on "Inside Business" with Fred Thompson. However, the campus had to pay $19,700 for production fees and such. He explained that they didn't have the option of hiring me to produce the video, since "Inside Business" required the production to be handled by one specific vendor. Well, a few days ago, they found out the "crew" was one lone guy. Today he showed up. Just an average looking videographer with a Canon XL-H1. Being the curious type I am, I googled to see if I could find samples of his work. Well in the process of googling, I found lots of info that this is possibly a scam. Obviously, they're not a total scam, since they paid to have a hired gun come and shoot here, but they've got lots of bad reports. Anyone have any dealings with this outfit?

July 14th, 2009, 06:43 PM	#4
Rick L. Allen Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Fayetteville, NC Posts: 536	Unfortunately, your guys threw away a lot of money. There are several "production companies" out there that charge companies like yours $20K-50K to do a feature piece about them and receive little or nothing in return. They do produce a piece but it's hardly worth what they charge. A great many of us full time freelancers hang up when they and companies like them call because they also rarely pay us for our work too. http://www.ripoffreport.com/searchre...submit2=Search! And, http://www.miraviroc.com/ __________________ "The good thing about science is that it's true whether you believe it or not." Neil deGrasse Tyson https://www.nautilusproductions.com/

July 15th, 2009, 09:59 AM	#6
David Barnett Major Player Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Philly, PA Posts: 951	Dr It looks like Direct Response ads that are formatted to look similar to news programs. Interesting they mainly bought Time Warner Cable markets only, and a few local morning buys. Also, being DR the spots don't air in prime (7p-12m). National Airdates Honestly, you should get in touch with your campus' landlord & tell them they got hosed, but I understand if you can't/won't.

July 30th, 2009, 05:04 AM	#11
Rick L. Allen Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Fayetteville, NC Posts: 536	Update: Beware! Multimedia Prod., US Media Television, Platinum Television Group As an update to this thread. Just received this email from a video crewing service that used to service this company; This is just a word of caution to all crew members out there: BEWARE of working for Multi Media Productions of Boca Raton, FL. We have just been forced to accept a settlement of 60% of monies due to us. They will no doubt be trying to find crews to replace us in NY, PA, MD, DC, VA, NC, SC, TX, FL and elsewhere that we have already shot stories for 21st Century Business News. __________________ "The good thing about science is that it's true whether you believe it or not." Neil deGrasse Tyson https://www.nautilusproductions.com/

July 11th, 2009, 04:21 PM	#2
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	One should not pay to be in a program. One might pay to have a VNR (Video News Release) done and PR firm can TRY to get that placed.

July 11th, 2009, 04:52 PM	#3
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	A worthless website with 4 clips and no explanation of what they do. Welcome to usmediatelevision.com No list of key personnel, company history, approach to marketing, explanation of connection to the clips they're showing. Tell me what you see on their web page Platinum Try This New Line Media TV FRAUDSTERS - BEWARE Platinum Television Group on Yahoo! Video Bogus YouTube Videos YouTube - Platinum Television Group Presents Barnard College a total of two videos posted two years ago. Not the misspelling of the name. YouTube - PlatinunTelevision's Channel note on the left in the description it links to the above website. Then there's this website PTG Studios \| Platinum Television Group\| TV Production Forums Does this look like the site of a professional media company? and the "learn more" points to is this http://www.platinumtelevisiongroup.com/profile.html and that points to this more developed YouTube page YouTube - ptgtv's Channel With no video newer than a year old. There's this site too. Platinum Tell me what you see. Try this one and test the links on the site as well Platinum Television Group and a mysterious employee Platinum Television Group Jobs, People, Culture, and Opportunities \| Jobster And Platinum Television Group - Web Hosting Forum - Web hosting discussion at SiteGround.com Platinum Television Group - Ad Space for Sale Platinum Television Group Platinum Television Group Platinum Television Group - Deluxe Martial Arts Forums and many more like the above. Have fun playing that ancient marketing video on the left and note the many missing ones. Platinum Television Group A press release. Note the link at the bottom. Platinum Television Group Announces Plans for New State-of-the-Art Studio in the Middle East \| Market Wire \| Find Articles at BNET It's all a bogus scam to build up site links to rank high in search engines. A bogus employee using such page to describe the bogus company so it appears to have history and size not listed on any site. Videos which might not have been done by such a company or using a previous company with a similar name. It seems they higher a videographer (note the site with social networking stuff) and abscond with the money. ____

July 14th, 2009, 07:20 PM	#5
Chris Davis Trustee Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Willmar, MN Posts: 1,400	What really chafes me is that we had been talking with the manager about producing a promotional video. Then these clowns came along with grand promises and took the gig. I did find the shooter they hired on the internet and he does have a pretty impressive list of credentials. I sure hope he gets paid.

July 15th, 2009, 11:05 AM	#8
David Barnett Major Player Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Philly, PA Posts: 951	Understandable, with 'yet' being the operative word. In dropping $20G's I imagine they expect a return on investment in way of leads to new tennants. (Assuming that is what they are advertising for). When they get zero inquiries as a response, I think they won't re-up on the contract. Commercial real estate is struggling big-time nowadays, and I dont see advertising on CNBC as a solution to gaining tennants. Who knows though?! Anyway I'm guessing $5K went into production, $10k into media buying, and $5k was kept as a profit. Myb not a scam per se, but I doubt your campus is truely getting their moneys worth, it seems like a group of sheisters.

July 15th, 2009, 11:43 AM	#9
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	The problem is whether they "promised" the program placement in the contract. NEVER accept a "promise" unless it's contractual. The cost is not out of line for some Video News Releases but those who do them don't "promise" placement. They will try and they include that in the contract and may range from file or tape delivery and follow up pitching and sigma encoding to track and verify effectiveness. Certainly the video can be repurposed too such as web or DVD to perspective customers. The scam is the "promised" placement as if it were a guarantee and my bet is that's not included in the contract.

October 14th, 2009, 02:56 PM	#12
Chris Davis Trustee Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Willmar, MN Posts: 1,400	Just wanted to update - the segment in question aired today on CNN. No doubt it was a paid spot, but the company delivered what they promised.

October 15th, 2009, 10:19 AM	#14
Ed Kukla Major Player Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: All over, USA Posts: 512	There are not VNR's. VNR's have no specific air date. VNR's are a package of material to be re-edited by the stations as they see fit. I don't think the piece at hand was re-edited by CNN. It was a paid advertisement made to look like a news clip.