Probably a Stupid Question, But Hey... I'm New

I'm filling out an application for a MSC that does theater shops. Within the theater application portion, they've made it clear that you can't have any affiliation with theaters past or present, or have friends or family with affiliations past or present. They specify that I'm not to divulge to anyone that I'm working for them as a MS, etc. Then, they ask if I'm contracted elsewhere. I'm not sure if they're talking about being contracted anywhere else as a MS in a theater, or just with any other MSC. They want to know the name of the company. In your opinion, are they speaking of any other MSC, and if so, am I allowed to tell them the name of other MSCs for which I might be working?

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I'm guessing that they're asking about the other MSCs you work with and it is your choice to tell them or not. When I worked as a scheduler, my company sometimes looked at this list if a shopper was new in order to determine whether they were experienced enough to handle a big client. For me now, I work with 90+ different companies and it would be a hassle to include them all. I usually list three of my active companies that have the most complex reports so that they can see that I am able to handle whatever shop they may have. In the past, I used to list "Confidential" and had no problems being assigned shops.

Shopper since 2009
MSPA Gold Certified

Thanks, melijohnson. I'm probably overthinking this, but I wondered if they asked me to divulge to them the names of my other companies to see whether or not I might divulge THEIR name to other companies. Maybe I should give my brain a rest. lol

I've seen this exact same question from other posters on this forum, so you're in good company, @touchshopper. I do what @melijohnson used to: just type something like "I'd prefer not to list the other companies I work for at this time". If I'm not getting jobs, it's probably not because of that.

Shopper in California's Bay Area

You are allowed to say which MSC you work with, just not the clients. There shouldn't be any problem with divulging a few, unless you are in Nevada. I heard secondhand about a company that had a problem with shoppers working with competitors (MS in Nevada is different and requires special licensing). Really, the question is not a trick, just them trying to gauge your experience.

Shopper since 2009
MSPA Gold Certified

Thanks for your replies. I did actually put "confidential" where they asked for the company name. If they have a problem with it, so be it.

I never name any company I have worked with. I just say I've done shops for too many to list, or something like that.

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Probably a Stupid Question, But Hey... I'm New

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