Talent Management Agencies

Author	Post
Legend Member 20 Posts 12/10	Posted - Dec 14 2010 : 4:36PM Question, I hope this is the right place ta ask. This a question mainly for the "insiders". Currently, what is the best agency that a new girl can attach herself to? There are many agencies and big is not necessarily the best. So what is? Legend [Link]
raybbaby Member Sarah knows why Barack won! 482 Posts 12/09	Posted - Dec 14 2010 : 6:07PM I don't believe there is any one "right" answer to this. It probably depends on the girl. [Link]
pornlaw Member 578 Posts 10/05	Posted - Dec 14 2010 : 6:16PM The better question is what agencies shouldnt a new girl attach herself to... and there are many. Lets just say have a lawyer review any agency contract before you sign it. Once you sign you will be LOCKED into a 1-2 yr contract to perform sex on camera. Michael http://www.AdultBizLaw.com [Link]
realtip Deactivated User 2301 Posts 6/04	Posted - Dec 14 2010 : 6:30PM ^Maybe I'm misunderstanding. But doesn't the agency contract only stipulate that the model must be represented by that agency for a prescribed period of time, but not that the model has to necessarily perform for that whole period of time? In other words, if a girl signs a 1-year contract with an agency, doesn't it only mean that she will be represented by that agency for a year, but not that she has to remain a performer for a year? Looking at the high number of girls who are either "1-and-dones," or who leave shortly after entering the industry, it doesn't appear that contracts are able to require that models continue performing for longer than they want to. I would also imagine that it depends on how much work the model is able to get, and how much offered work she accepts. Besides, how would they even be able to enforce the contract if the person decides to quit? Edited by - realtip on 12/14/2010 6:35:10 PM [Link]
Rod Member 908 Posts 8/10	Posted - Dec 15 2010 : 6:54AM One concern you should consider is what your options are if the agency doesn't provide you with much work. I've had more girls be disappointed in the agencies than not. Don't assume they will provide you with as much work as you'd like, and then what are your options? [Link]

pornlaw Member 578 Posts 10/05	Posted - Dec 15 2010 : 10:36AM realtip wrote: ^Maybe I'm misunderstanding. But doesn't the agency contract only stipulate that the model must be represented by that agency for a prescribed period of time, but not that the model has to necessarily perform for that whole period of time? In other words, if a girl signs a 1-year contract with an agency, doesn't it only mean that she will be represented by that agency for a year, but not that she has to remain a performer for a year? Looking at the high number of girls who are either "1-and-dones," or who leave shortly after entering the industry, it doesn't appear that contracts are able to require that models continue performing for longer than they want to. I would also imagine that it depends on how much work the model is able to get, and how much offered work she accepts. Besides, how would they even be able to enforce the contract if the person decides to quit? Edited by - realtip on 12/14/2010 6:35:10 PM Click to expand If she tries to leave the agent she is signed to no other agent will represent her since she is under contract with another agent already. Obviously no one can make her perform but it would force her to leave the industry if she didnt want to be with one particular agent. That might be the reason for some of the "1-and-dones" you are talking about. I have known and represented several girls that left the industry because of the contracts with their agents. As for enforcing a talent agency contract... the performer or the agent would have to file a "Petition to Determine Controversy" with the Division of Labor Standards and Enforcement. The Labor Office has exclusive jurisdiction over talent issues. Here's an article I wrote on the issue almost 2 yrs ago... http://www.xbiz.com/articles/104087/fattorosi [Link]
ClayraBeau Member 659 Posts 2/10	Posted - Dec 15 2010 : 2:56PM My experience has been somewhat unique. When I first "signed" with an agent, they sent me one contract, but then claimed to "lose it" and later wanted a new contract that had different terms. There was a level of incompetence behind the scenes on their part that I now blame on poor management and communication at the office level. Either way, I believe their first mistake was that they never sent the contract to the state per California guidelines. Combining the questionable validity of my contract with the screw ups, I was able to convince them to let me go. I got this in writing before I moved on to another agent. The second agent required the written proof of the nullified contract, but also didn't ask me to sign a new contract. Even then, that agent didn't find me work for several months and I moved on to a third agent. The third agency confirmed lack of contract with the second and then I was with them for about a month before they changed management. The new management at the third agency wanted everyone on exclusive contracts, and we agreed that we would part ways at that point. Now I'm ostensibly with Valley Babes, and they haven't asked for a contract, but I'm also uncertain as to whether or not they're actually licensed and bonded in the state(s) in which they operate, so I don't know that one would be valid if I DID have a contract. For the time being, I try to mostly book my own work, but even that has its own complications because some production companies do not want to hire girls without agents because we represent a certain risk (no kill fees if we flake). So, the lesson for all here is that in ANY business, look over contracts before you sign them. Have a lawyer look too if you can. I got lucky, but I don't know that that's the case with most girls. Pornlaw is right: there's no way to tell what agencies are good and which aren't in this biz. Even the ones that are licensed and bonded are sometimes run by idiots who think they just need a stable of young women and the money will roll in. They don't work on marketing, they don't work on actually getting a girl work, and they certainly don't follow proper agency protocols (like letting their clients know about all work offers before declining them). These guys are little more than wannabe pimps, and you can usually tell in the way that they talk to others. It might help a girl looking to sign with an agent to cyberstalk him or her first, because even referrals are often useless I've found. [Link]
realtip Deactivated User 2301 Posts 6/04	Posted - Dec 18 2010 : 10:39AM pornlaw wrote: If she tries to leave the agent she is signed to no other agent will represent her since she is under contract with another agent already. Obviously no one can make her perform but it would force her to leave the industry if she didnt want to be with one particular agent. Click to expand That's what I figured. I'm assuming that models under contract with certain studios work the same way. For example, there is one porn girl who comes to mind. She was one of my favorites. She was recently in the industry and under contract with a certain studio. Although the girl was very popular and one of the sexiest girls to ever do porn, she had only filmed a few scenes before leaving the industry. I contacted her directly to ask her whether or not she was still performing. She responded, but avoided answering the specific question. Instead of saying whether or not she was still performing, she just said that she was still under contract with the studio. Apparently, since she hadn't released any new scenes since that time, being under contract doesn't mean that she still has to perform. It obviously means that she just can't perform for anybody else if she chose to do so. That might be the reason for some of the "1-and-dones" you are talking about. I have known and represented several girls that left the industry because of the contracts with their agents. Click to expand According to your article, all licensed and bonded agents in California use the same contract. Since that's the case, I imagine that the only differences among agents would be agent fees and the amount of work each agent is able to secure for the clients. If you don't mind me asking, were these the concerns of the models you have known and represented? If securing work is the issue, your article also states that a model can legally break her contract if her agent is not securing adequate work for her. Thus, isn't that an easy resolution for a model who has an agent who isn't doing anything? I would also think that it would be completely counterproductive for an agent to deliberately not secure work for his clients. Since the agent earns his bread and butter from the amount of work he gives to his clients, what would be the purpose of having a model on contract only to not find her work, especially if she's attractive and has the potential to be in high demand? It just doesn't seem feasible for either the agent or the client. ClayraBeau wrote: Even the ones that are licensed and bonded are sometimes run by idiots who think they just need a stable of young women and the money will roll in. They don't work on marketing, they don't work on actually getting a girl work, and they certainly don't follow proper agency protocols (like letting their clients know about all work offers before declining them). Click to expand Again, this sounds very counterproductive from a financial and business standpoint. If the clients aren't working, then how are the agents making any money? I'm wondering how agencies that work like this manage to stay in business. These guys are little more than wannabe pimps Click to expand Not really. Pimps atleast know that they make their money depending on how much their "employees" work. Why else would they need to always lay down the pimp hand? Based on what I'm reading here, it sounds like some porn talent agents haven't figured that out yet. [Link]
pornlaw Member 578 Posts 10/05	Posted - Dec 19 2010 : 4:51PM To answer RealTip's question about agents not finding girls work on purpose... I have seen some agents blackball clients in order to be able to better control them. If a girl doesnt want to play by the agent's rules she will simply not work and he will "starve" her out until she does. And if she doesnt come around she will have leave the industry. Michael [Link]
realtip Deactivated User 2301 Posts 6/04	Posted - Dec 19 2010 : 5:13PM ^But doesn't this also hurt the agent? If the client isn't working, then he also isn't getting paid, right? Plus, if the agent has a model on contract that a producer wants to hire, wouldn't it hurt his reputation and his business if he refuses to let her work due to a personal agenda? Again, isn't that just more money out of his pocket as well as the model's? Sounds like some of these guys don't know how to run a business. Also, going back to your article which states that a client can legally break a contract if the agent isn't putting her to work, can't the model just legally leave if that's the case, or is that only allowable under specific circumstances? Plus, what's to stop the model from just finding her own work without the agent, as your article also said they can do? [Link]
Rod Member 908 Posts 8/10	Posted - Dec 19 2010 : 6:41PM If the agent has more girls than he can get work for all, he just funnels the available work to the girls he wants to support. He doesn't turn down work, but can choose to work harder for some than others. Will those that aren't favorites get work?.....sure, but less than they could be getting. Work is in short supply right now..... think about it. [Link]
realtip Deactivated User 2301 Posts 6/04	Posted - Dec 19 2010 : 6:59PM That likely explains why we see too much of some girls, and not enough of others. With porn production also on the decline, I agree that the lower amount of work that is generally now available is also a factor. [Link]
pornlaw Member 578 Posts 10/05	Posted - Dec 20 2010 : 11:57AM realtip wrote: ^But doesn't this also hurt the agent? If the client isn't working, then he also isn't getting paid, right? Plus, if the agent has a model on contract that a producer wants to hire, wouldn't it hurt his reputation and his business if he refuses to let her work due to a personal agenda? Again, isn't that just more money out of his pocket as well as the model's? Sounds like some of these guys don't know how to run a business. Also, going back to your article which states that a client can legally break a contract if the agent isn't putting her to work, can't the model just legally leave if that's the case, or is that only allowable under specific circumstances? Plus, what's to stop the model from just finding her own work without the agent, as your article also said they can do? Click to expand Sounds easy in theory but its not the way it works. Most new girls dont have the contacts to find their own work. And often if a girl does find her own work the agent will then blackball the production company if they do hire her. Meaning that the agent will not allow that production company to hire any of their other girls in the future. The power that the agents wield is almost absolute in the industry. Michael [Link]
charn fubar 2880 Posts 12/09	Posted - Dec 20 2010 : 12:24PM This is the most interesting thread I've seen here. Maybe this should be a sticky. [Link]
charn fubar 2880 Posts 12/09	Posted - Dec 20 2010 : 7:09PM Now I understand Spiegler loyalty. Any agent who's not an absolute douchebag is a saint in his field. [Link]

realtip Deactivated User 2301 Posts 6/04	Posted - Dec 20 2010 : 8:08PM pornlaw wrote: Sounds easy in theory but its not the way it works. Most new girls dont have the contacts to find their own work. And often if a girl does find her own work the agent will then blackball the production company if they do hire her. Meaning that the agent will not allow that production company to hire any of their other girls in the future. Click to expand So then all the other clients under contract with that agent lose out of work and money, meaning that the agent loses out of even more money he could be getting? I obviously don't work in the industry because there's too much about this that I simply don't understand. If an agent is earning his income by putting clients to work, then I would think that he would jump at every opportunity he finds rather than turning them down. Unless the agent knows that the client is a slacker who will only flake or otherwise be a fuck-up by being difficult, or posing other problems, then I can't see why an agent wouldn't want to put all his clients to work without a valid reason for not doing so. Does the model have a habit for being late or not showing up? Are her rates too unreasonable? Is she too much of a hassle to work with on set? Is she just a straight-up, all-around bitch? In those cases, I can understand the agent blackballing the client because he would then be justified. But if agents are blackballing girls for reasons that I'm thinking that they are based on what I've read here (is it that girl refuses to "audition" for the agent, or that she won't give the agent and his friends blowjob freebies?), then I agree that it does sound really immature and is only counterproductive for everyone involved. But then again, it's porn. Such things are to be expected. [Link]
pornlaw Member 578 Posts 10/05	Posted - Dec 20 2010 : 11:20PM Realtip -- its called control. There really is no rational explanation to it except money. Those who control the new fresh beautiful faces make money. No different than a studio putting a girl under contract and having her sign away her rights to her trademark and domain name. They want to prevent the girl from ever leaving until they say its time to go. Michael [Link]
charn fubar 2880 Posts 12/09	Posted - Jan 2 2011 : 4:12PM This unseen force of control of the industry becomes more sinister as I think more about it. I could watch only the brands that don't book through agents, but the only one I know is Homegrown, which is amateurs. If performers' agents are included on boxcovers, then I could make more informed decisions. Another option is stop watching porn. [Link]
Legend Member 20 Posts 12/10	Posted - Jan 3 2011 : 8:08AM I am impressed with how detailed the responses to this topic have been and I thank you all for them. Getting back to the original question I am guessing there is no real response except that a good, reputable agency or agent probably doesn't exist. A new girl coming into the industry appears to have two options. 1) go with an agency/agent and hope she gets one that will do right by her as much as can be expected, or 2) be willing to work very hard in order to find work in that she will be acting as her own agent and will have to be willing to find parts on her own. And in any case if ever presented with a "contract" have an entertainment lawyer check it out first. [Link]