Anyone Shooting Adult Content in L.A. Needs To Read This
 

The full story is on my site

www.mikesouth.com

but in short, L.A. Direct, Goldstar, Type 9, Lisa Ann, Shy Love and other agencies are all conspiring to form a "Trade Association" not for talent but for agents.

They are planning to target talent and producers for all sorts of things.

It was supposed to be top secret but i have someone on the inside.

I dont think they are going to like that this got out.

interesting:2 cents:

Wow, that is wild.

as per Mike, Reckon some phones are gonna be ringing when this gets read?:1orglaugh

LOL this guy gets deeper and deeper into the "business"! He's vying for that coveted '#1 creepy porno writer' versus Gene Ross.

Do you know who Mike is? He's been shooting porn for longer than most of the guys on here have been alive. Mike isn't just a "porno writer" He is very much a real player in this business. Unlike 99.99% of the people on here who are barely even salesman for porn.

Mike actually creates it and has done so very successfully for many years. :pimp

Hmmmmm... sort of sounds like that game... what was it called? Oh yea, Monopoly.

I wish them luck with all of that.

Good shit Mike.

I understand that, but I really don't get why people gossip about smut. I've been in the business since 2003 and most of everyone on the video side can't stand the gossip writers. Being a 'producer' or 'director' he should know that somethings he shouldn't write about LOL.

I hope it would be for the best interest of the industry

Well... so far in my time in this industry if there is one thing I've noticed is that we as a group can't come together on shit.

I've heard of unions and associations before, none of it ever panned out.

However, that being said it sounds like those people want to start an adult mafia.

:2 cents:
Won't work long term. The moment girls stop getting work they start looking around for more.

I propose that all studios and content producers form an alliance and decide to not book any talent coming from any agency known to engage in Talent Agent Associations.

Let's call it "The Fuck You For Thinking About Biting the Hand That Feeds You Association" FYTABHTFYA in short.

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

I like that......:thumbsup

The industry pretty much started out being ruled by the mafia, it may as well get back on the wagon and clean some shit up.

It's a good thing my uncle is Tony Soprano. :thumbsup

A few of the stated goals were very reasonable, but there is also a huge concern about the monopolistic nature of the organization.

A reasonable idea if run by reasonable people. Not likely to succeed.

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

so what will be the plan for the agents that are dropping their prices in reaction to the work slowdown?

and if the agents plan to shut out the small players, how about some protection from out of town shooters for us content producers :)

i miss the sfv lol

Interesting development ...

I woudl be interested to see if they could actually pull it off.. There are alot of egos in that group...

So "the five families" have a sit down. LOL

Seriously how many people in that room have taken at least a business 101 class. Oh wait they are too busy extorting the talent for free BJ's or figuring out how to one up the other.

Comical to say the least.

Sinclair

KookMan to the Rescue!

yeah pretty much... when the price of models more than doubled the other shooters in LA were too busy trying to fuck me out of $600 to try and do anything about it :)

Mike thanks for the update, i've been shooting porn/glamour/nude for around 38 years and seen a lot of changes both in the Uk and USA, at the moment i'm getting e-mails from agencies pushing models at discount rates and I take advantage of that. If this conspiracy results in higher rates or other unfavorable terms i will just pay a scout to find more models and drop the agencies completely.

Hmm not sure you got that right. I believe Shy has a Master in business.
Derek (= Ben from ladirect) has strong business ethics.
Joel (goldstar) has recently purchased east coast agencies.
Kevin is a breakout from LAdirect and so is Lisa Ann (both were purportedly tired of dealing with Derek).
This business is making millions, definitively these guys are all business savy.

I dont have a problem with this association as long as it is productive and not a money/greed union trying to drive the model rates higher and higher.
If they were really smart they would set up rules concerning models escorting and banning those models and punishing the agencies allowing such illegal activities.

"I've got nothing to do with it!"

http://www.mergersandinquisitions.co...007/11/ari.jpg

i just formed a kite association. we fly em on saturdays.

Oooo will this include torches and burning villages? Count me in!

If they truly plan on doing this I would not be surprised.

The agents and models are really feeling the effects of the slow down in production out here. Prices that models are getting is falling, as they well should be given the current state of our industry.

More and more models book them themselves on their own. Many of the models I know prefer to do this, and some producers view the agents as a necessary evil.

Agents are doing anything possible to try and get business; two of the agencies you listed have expanded their operations to the East Coast and Europe.

I would be very interested to see if this happens.

Yes I have been in the biz a very long time, yes there are some things I wont report about but the bottom line is that fore warned is fore armed. Did you catch the part about where they were going to bait producers to hire non agency talent and then take action against them? Or the part where they presume that they can garnish talent wages for their fees without a court order?

To say that Derek Hay has strong business ethics is a lot like saying that George Bush was an ethical president, or Richard Nixon, I doubt Derek could even spell ethics.

Adult industry and organization never go hand in hand and thus they're doomed to failure anyway.

PornoDan

they fully plan to make it a reality the next meeting is Dec 6. But I get a feeling there will be some new items on the agenda. As for me I dont deal with agencies so Derek nor Joel has any kind of influence over me, they can kiss my fucking ass I aint afraid to out them like most Porn Valley shooters are.

I hope they try to make an example out of me...

Warchild...this isnt talent we are talking about this is a handfull of people who control access to the talent trying to set up a monopoly. Done in secrecy it had a chance to succeed, a good one even, now....not so much.

I'm not talking about talent, I'm talking about adult industry trying to organize anything period. Always a failure.

Whenver I hear the words "conspiring to", "having a round table", or "working together to" I just write the whole thing off as doomed to utter failure. So far that's been correct 100% of the time.

Most agents are even LESS capable than the average industry joe, so that's the final nail right there for this plan.

if were talking about a union I got some suggestions...


who the fuck tells these girls what their rates are? ive had girls come in and say well so and so paid me this so I want this ....

we need to band together and set some cheap prices.. and just stick to them... if were all paying cheap not to cheap but not LA rates.. then the girls have no choice to work more... see if a girl is getting 600 for a bj scene vs 300 thast half the work the whore will do.. half the dick she gotta suck... thats not right... you gotta remember these girls are very easily "molded" so when a director pays them 1500 for a normal b/g scene it fucks it for every other producer.. now I know you want to say well that just secures me to shoot her exclusive... fuck that... lets set rates here ill start


300 oral

500- b/g

800 - anal/ bg/ bbg/ gb/ dp/ you name it.... bottom line...

like journeyman in the union you top out at a certian scale well if we all have caps on our scales then everyone knows whats up...

id rather give 100 to the agent than the girl 100 more

This thread could get huge......

warchild you do have a point there. But remember sooner or later it's gonna happen even if by accident. This one has a chance or had a chance. Its best for all of us to shine a light in the dark corners, that way nothing jumps out and surprises us.

i speak from experience. you are correct.

renegades. derelicts. self proclaimed icons.

losers.

oh wait, i think i just called myself a loser. :(

You know the challenges better than anyone. I mean, you were pretty ideally suited for trying to organize something. Right character, right contacts and even a pretty industry wide important issue and you still got fucked right over. I swear, this industry is like Special Ed Kindergarden.

Word. And... is this going to stop you and I from scouting our own talent and using them like I have for 15 years? There's hardly any girls I got from an LA agent on www.POVPorn.com - out of 225 of them. I do use agents, don't get me wrong, but I will not behave according to anyone's rules that came after me. I built this fucking ship with the longshormen of the industry 15 years ago. Myspace aint gonna obey any union rules and if you can spell a porn star's name then you can find her or him and book them on myspace anyways.

I find talent - shoot them, and then send them home or send them to an agent. If they don't want girls from me then I'll just make more money shooting them myself and sending them home, or working them around to the Non-Union players. Anyone want any talent you can't find all over the internet on everyone's website??? I think I'll start a REBEL agency for all the producers not in the UNION. Who wants a fresh one?

Read my post - I am available. Wanna fresh one? Check out www.POVPorn.com - see anyone you like?

with a union there could be set prices...

business ethics = hard working driven person who manages and grows his business 24/7.

For once we agree 100% on something.

This is my price list:

$$$ Between me and the girl - Hand Job or Blow Job depending on how bad I need the content or update and how slow the industry is. This price has nothing to do with how pretty the girl is - that should have already been established when you looked in the mirror and decided to be a model. You better be pretty and do a good job or the shoot is over and you get on the bus home.

$$$ Between me & the girl - Full Sex Scene. See above for terms and conditions. Don't like it? I didn't even ask you so why negotiate with me. I don't care how great you think you are or actually are - I can go into ANY STRIP CLUB IN THE USA AND FIND A HOTTER GIRL TO DO IT FOR THIS PRICE. Take it or leave it I shoot every single day.

$100-$200 more for anal.

I was going to put my price above but that's none of anyone's business - the point is... that it's my money and my fucking price and I shoot every single day. PERIOD. Don't like it? Go tell your union agent to FORCE PEOPLE TO HIRE YOU!!! But, I'm no-one's bitch boy.

So what Mike. Everyone in SFV talks.
They can plan all they want... THey pull somthing and no one will work with them...

Why do you worry about such little things these days?

apparently you need to look up the word "ethics" in the dictionary

try wikipedia

50% of the people here today wont be around by next summer... :2 cents:

yup. you can't play a game of football on a field with a bunch of ruffian juveniles that throw sand in your face to win the game. since i started to throw sand back in my own little ways away from the boards, the field got a little more level.

in this case it appears to be unity for evil and control though. infighting would be the end of any alliances that could actually get put together would be my guess.