David O Neal

Hello i recently answered an add for a guy that called himself David O Neal. He wanted stock footage around the L.A., Santa Monica, and Hollywood area. After I filmed what he wanted and he said he would send me a harddrive to transfer the files onto. He kept telling me it was on the way. Kept telling that. It was the holiday season so I gave him the benifit of the doubt. The harddrive never came and and he stopped returning the emails and phone calls. He is a scammer.

His email is editingbydave@aol.com
The title of the add was "2 day Stock Footage shoot Camera Person wanted (LA)". He also did one in Las vegas too I saw later. He said he would pay $950.00 Thanks and beware.

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Date: 2009-01-18, 6:12PM
I feel for you... David Oneal hired me on Dec. 17, 2008 to do the shoot and he asked me if I can deliver the footage to him before the end of the year? Then he wrote again (the same day) saying it would be nice to go out and get some footage in the rain and if I can start that day(it was raining that day). I thought that was odd since we haven't even spoke on the phone. So i told him i can start the next day and I would be happy to drive by his place in Burbank to introduce myself and also to pick up deposit since this was a big job...He never responded so i never did the shoot. I learned my lesson last year when a friend of mine friend ask me to shoot and edit his corporate event. We agreed on the fee of $700.00. I sent him the final and he said the check was in the mail. That was January 2008.
Good Luck, sorry you have to go through this just cause some idiot is out there trying to rip people off. This is one reason why us (camera ops) need to stick together and 1st stop taking work that pays peanuts and 2) get some kind of deposit up front. I know it's hard to ask, cause so many cameramen just are so hungry to get work we don't want to rock the boat.

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Date: 2009-05-01, 11:43AM PDT

Due to the many responses regarding this clown I have to tell you to stay away. It's obvious he has done this to many of us free lancers. He hired me and quite a few others to shoot for some show on discovery about theme parks and stock type footage. I was stupid for starting the project without a contract, my mistake. As free lancers sometimes you take the work that way....Most of the people I have worked for are professional and appreciate the work that we do.

I shot some stuff and he kept telling me to send it to him on a drive. I told him to buy the drive and send it to me with the deposit. This he agreed to and even asked for the paypal account. After 3 months of "Oh yea I will send it over right away" I gave up knowing my work was a loss. I told him I was going to file with small claims and he kept saying "Don't do that, let's talk" HE NEVER DID WHAT HE SAID HE WOULD IN ALL OF OUR CONVERSATIONS.

I got some emails telling me that some of you were hired by him and even got paid while some of you did not. Feel lucky he paid you. I imagine he just hires a bunch of us to go shoot with for a steady rate then the first one of us who sends the footage on the drive either gets screwed or partly paid, while the rest of us who have worked get nothing.

I found postings on craigslist from other free-lancers that said they were hired for the same exact job as me and they were not paid either.......

LET MY STUPID MISTAKE BE A WARNING TO NOT WORK FOR THIS SCAM ARTIST WHO DOESN'T CARE ABOUT OUR INDUSTRY....

daveoneal.com
DAVE ONEAL
DAVID ONEAL
DAVID SHANAHAN