Webcam Studio Los Angeles Legalities
 

I want to buy or rent a very large facility in the Los Angeles area where I have rooms dedicated for camming. I would have models camming in each room in a office building in Los Angeles. Would this be legal? Do I have to worry about zoning? I mean on a much smaller scale people are camming from there apartments no one seems to give a shit, couldn't I rent a office building or a house on very large property lot and start a camming studio?

I would ask a lawyer who knows rather than people on GFY.

I do know a license to film or photograph porn professionally was required and it would depend what you models do. Also businesses have to licensed and registered.

I would ask a lawyer who knows rather than people on GFY.
I would ask a lawyer who knows rather than people on GFY.
I would ask a lawyer who knows rather than people on GFY.

Bad idea for many reasons :2 cents:

:2 cents:

There are lawyers on GFY, 2 or 3 are writing posts at times.

Except the legalities, you should also consider the economies... there are thousands of cam girls online at any moment, especially the new ones got no returning regular users, and some of the new ones, whatever pretty and best cam and settings, are doing $1 per month.

Maybe Mike ''Pornlaw'' will drop in to explain the folly of this idea being done in Los Angeles County ... Mike is a lawyer in LA County familiar with the following:

Apart from a city permit being required for every webcam performance as the city considers it the same as a porn shoot you will make yourself subject to wage and labor regulations, workman's comp insurance, fees and bonding for your permits.

Los Angeles county is probably the highest cost venue to run a webcam studio business legally from a known business location (perhaps in the world).

Bottom line you will go broke competing with cam studios in low cost foreign locations and the independent camgirls in the USA, UK and Canada that have their own personal space (apartments or other residential facilities) and modern high quality computer and cam equipment. Save your money and get a better plan.

This idea has "genius" written all over it. The only way it could be done better is to lease a penthouse in Manhattan or maybe even someplace more practical and cost efficient like Monaco or Bahrain. Really, what could stop you from making millions? It's not like models in the USA can just work from home and keep all their money. It's new, unique, "never been done before" and cutting edge ideas like this that restore my faith in humanity. Brilliant stuff.

Are cam studios even needed or relevant anymore? Can't most girls just log on from home for the most part?

I know a few people that run successful webcam studios in LA.

They don't rent in high rise office buildings in downtown, more like converted wharehouse space in Chatsworth.

It can be done - definitely more expensive than Columbia though.

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

Chatsworth would be a good place, they are use to it. You only have to get the permit once I believe as it would be a studio.
Been done a lot, Video Secrets use to do it years ago.
You would have to do it in an industrial zoned area, no schools near by kinda thing

Before I forget, can anyone tell me a good military base in Calofornia to open a cam studio in?

LA would be the last place I would recommend to open a webcam studio. The reasons are too numerous to list here though. Expense is probably the largest issue but Barry hit many of them as well.

Cali is not an employer friendly state. And unless you're renting rooms to girls/guys to cam then you would probably considered the employer of all of your models. And once you're an employer there are numerous regs that you have to be very aware of or you can find yourself in wage & overtime hell. The Labor Commissioners Office is very pro-employee and very anti-employer.

fuck yeah man... all legal but film outside in public view bro

Hi Dave,

Definitely check with a lawyer on this. And if you're a brand new business, renting space for studios can be financially risky too if you're not careful.

It depends. Cam models can login from home sure, but having models login from your own studio gives you much better control over the quality of the content (Looking good, following your rules, controlled schedules, etc) and is also good for things like video and audio quality since you can control the kind of computer and cam hardware used, and spend extra money on things that matter such as fast computers, quality cameras, quality audio, etc. End users will notice and appreciate the difference.

I should have stated, do webcam models need studios anymore?

there is more to it than just "go online"
 

"I should have stated, do webcam models need studios anymore?"

The negativity about Studios is totally misplaced.

Of course, as in any other business, also in webcambizz you can find "bad ones"...
but any self-respecting studio-owner is running it professional and let me add, MORE than correct !
To answer your question : YES, studios are still relevant and have an added value to the quality you "get" as a client !

Studios :
recruit > train > support > provide up-to-date tech infrastructure > monitor > organize >
pay correct > give incentives > advice > financial advice & help

The Studio :
is perfectly equiped & designed > a safe place to work

Sites get higher quality, regular new recrutes & regular online content

The client surely benefits from the fact there are "studios", no doubt !

The models ?

Yes we have models working from home for personal reasons (distance to office - difficult transport - have to be home to care about family-members etc)
but when they have the chance, they prefer to work in office > nice group atmosphere, our gym, our equipment etc etc...

YES we have models leaving us (cause a client made her crazy better to work for herself, etc) BUT from these I can tell you, minimum 50% come back after a while

Do we make a profit on our models ? YES we do, of course we do !

One reporter ever asked me once if I was offended by the title "cyber-pimp" ?
Because we "make money on the work of the models"...
Sorry but we provide training, support & management (and way more), and that has a price, like any bizz !

I told the reporter...compare it with a car-dealership where salesmen sell cars in the showroom. The brand makes the cars, the dealer buys them to sell, the sales-crew sells them in the showroom.
The salesman/woman sells a car and gets a % commission on the sale, right ?

Yes, the salesman can start on his own right ? But for this, he will have to invest in a showroom and cars...and give after-sales-service and do all himself...or, probably, when successful, he/she will have to hire...salesmen/women...follow me ?

If run professional and correct, a Studio is a bizz as any other !

Are they needed ? Do models need studios ?

I guess you understand the answer better now :)

Greetz

Cam studios are an Eastern European phenomena for the most part.

There are wage labor laws in the USA. There are very expensive business licensing, tax laws and public liability statutes in the USA.

You cannot claim that your camgirl ''workers'' are independent contractors when they work in your studio business property using your equipment -- they become statutory employees. As statutory employees you must pay FICA payroll tax on their wages, pay their workman's compensation insurance, state and federal unemployment insurance ... In some cases healthcare insurance costs or contributions. In all, this amounts to maybe 40% of the wage you would pay. So, $20.00 an hour becomes $28.00 an hour.

There may be some fly-by-night studios in the USA but any that operate as a legitimate business in the USA have a tough row to hoe ...

Streamray still operates can studios on Las Vegas I believe ... Other than that I am not aware of any other obove-board operation in the USA of any size.

You nail it !

Hi there!

I can't give you any opinion on legal issues in California, but we looking to open a live ca studio in Los Angeles also, so maybe we can talk about it. I am in Vegas now but will be in LA on 24th, so skype me: mugurfrunzetti