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#186848 - 08/17/06 02:23 PM
Adult Performer FYI: Episode II- The revenge of the talent
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Found this on PSP
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About Agents
There is a lot of misconception about booking talent. In California it is against the law for anyone to book talent other than a licensed talent agent. It is not easy to get a talent agency license from the state, for good cause. You have to go through an extensive background check including criminal and credit. Then you have to have a commercial business address (not your bedroom), have to post a $50,000 performance bond along with many other requirements. A licensed talent agency has a FEIN (Federal Employers Identification Number) so we can accept payment from producers and pay the talent minus our commission. We have to maintain a clients trust account for the money that we collect on behalf of our clients. We must maintain records on bookings and money transactions as the state has the right to inspect our records at any time. In short, we are professionals. So, who in the adult industry are licensed?: As far as I know, LA Direct, Lighthouse Talent, Tera Patrick Agency and Black idow Talent Agency (www.blackwidowmodels.com) are the only licensed talent agencies. The enforcement of the Talent Agencies Act is left mainly up to the talent. They can report if they have been booked by an unlicensed agent to the State Labor Commissioner and the unlicensed agent will be required to return all commissions paid to him/her for the past 12 months. In mainstream this is the principal enforcement measure although the DIR has informed me that they are looking into practices in the adult industry. My challenge to those unlicensed managers/agents is to go through the process, get licensed and not have the state breathing down our necks for illegal practices or get into another line of work.
Ric Williams, Black Widow Talent Agency
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Wonder if any performers will be doing any digging around to find out if whom every they have been paying in the past for their bookings is appropriately licensed. I am sure they would LOVE to make a windfall collecting back any percentages previously paid out. It would be a sort of a tax refund check from the IRS or a government incentive program that those people in the “square world†would receive and I am most certain that they wouldn’t hesitate to "rat" these individuals out for some fast $$$!!!!
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#186849 - 08/17/06 03:55 PM
Re: Adult Performer FYI: Episode II- The revenge of the talent
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Rob Black's Crack Pipe
Registered: 04/22/04
Posts: 128
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Very interesting ... thank you.
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#186850 - 08/18/06 01:56 AM
Re: Adult Performer FYI: Episode II- The revenge of the talent
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AC Cream Wannabe
Registered: 01/01/06
Posts: 459
Loc: California
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Quote:
I am most certain that they wouldn’t hesitate to "rat" these individuals out for some fast $$$!!!!
Im betting they wouldnt. Its a small community and if you're talent thats like biting the hand that feeds you. The "agent community" within the adult community is so small it would be career suicide to do so. Theres really only about 4-6 agents that can really get a lot of work for their performers and they all know each other.
If you were an agent would you take on a performer knowing that in essence they just sued their last agent. I doubt it.
But if you are a performer out of the biz and would like some extra cash and doesnt ever see her/himself working again, then perhaps.
This falls under the "just because you can doesnt mean you should" category in life.
Michael
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#186851 - 08/18/06 02:26 AM
Re: Adult Performer FYI: Episode II- The revenge of the talent
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Whoremaster
Registered: 10/21/05
Posts: 2710
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I agree with pornlaw that this is only really of interest to performers who are getting out with no plans of ever coming back (although sometimes it doesn't work like that...). However, I think everyone is overlooking something...claiming against agency fees will reveal how much said performer actually earned (from performing, at least) over the time period, which might not tally up to the figures they gave the IRS... 
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#186852 - 08/18/06 02:49 AM
Re: Adult Performer FYI: Episode II- The revenge of the talent
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AC Cream Wannabe
Registered: 01/01/06
Posts: 459
Loc: California
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Quote:
claiming against agency fees will reveal how much said performer actually earned (from performing, at least) over the time period, which might not tally up to the figures they gave the IRS...
Thats a great point I hadnt considered. Most performers dont even file taxes. Another good reason not to do it.
Michael
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#186853 - 08/18/06 10:51 AM
Re: Adult Performer FYI: Episode II- The revenge of the talent
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Quote:
Quote:
I am most certain that they wouldn’t hesitate to "rat" these individuals out for some fast $$$!!!!
Im betting they wouldnt. Its a small community and if you're talent thats like biting the hand that feeds you. The "agent community" within the adult community is so small it would be career suicide to do so. Theres really only about 4-6 agents that can really get a lot of work for their performers and they all know each other.
If you were an agent would you take on a performer knowing that in essence they just sued their last agent. I doubt it.
But if you are a performer out of the biz and would like some extra cash and doesnt ever see her/himself working again, then perhaps.
This falls under the "just because you can doesnt mean you should" category in life.
Michael
What I was insinuating was outside of the 4-6 agents that also really know each other and are permitted to perform functions that they do as agents. The other ones would be the ones that active talent would go after.
I agree with you on the career suicide point otherwise.
Like I said I understand about the 4-6 real "legit" agents but if you look at a listing of agents/managers open to the general public some people maybe confused-
http://www.thefloatingworld.com/thebiz.html
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#186854 - 08/18/06 11:44 AM
Re: Adult Performer FYI: Episode II- The revenge of the talent
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AC Cream Wannabe
Registered: 01/01/06
Posts: 459
Loc: California
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Quote:
Like I said I understand about the 4-6 real "legit" agents but if you look at a listing of agents/managers open to the general public some people maybe confused-
I wasnt talking about the "legit" agents. I can as attorney start an agency today without having to be licensed by California and I would be a "legit" agency. Attorneys do not need to be licensed since we are already licensed and regulated by the State Bar. But good luck with me finding work for performers. There are non-legit agencies that actually find more work for their talent than the so called "legit" ones. Those are the ones I am speaking of. Perhaps only 1-2 are licensed and bonded.
Michael
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#186855 - 08/18/06 12:14 PM
Re: Adult Performer FYI: Episode II- The revenge of the talent
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Quote:
Quote:
Like I said I understand about the 4-6 real "legit" agents but if you look at a listing of agents/managers open to the general public some people maybe confused-
I wasnt talking about the "legit" agents. I can as attorney start an agency today without having to be licensed by California and I would be a "legit" agency. Attorneys do not need to be licensed since we are already licensed and regulated by the State Bar. But good luck with me finding work for performers. There are non-legit agencies that actually find more work for their talent than the so called "legit" ones. Those are the ones I am speaking of. Perhaps only 1-2 are licensed and bonded.
Michael
Thank you Michael for the clarification. quite interesting indeed.
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#186857 - 08/19/06 03:01 PM
Re: Adult Performer FYI: Episode II- The revenge o
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ADT regular
Registered: 08/19/06
Posts: 1
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All of these so-called "Licensed and Bonded" agencies are operating illegally and in contravention to the terms of their licensing (with perhaps the exception of Blackwidow - I'm not sure about them yet)!
These "Licensed and Bonded" agencies are ARE ILLEGALLY DOUBLE DIPPING - collecting a commission from the talent (which is perfectly legal). However they are ALSO collecting "Agent Fees" from the companies that they are booking the talent to work for (which is patently illegal)! This is not only a CONFLICT OF INTEREST regarding the talent they purport to "represent", it is a direct violation of California laws regarding agencies.
To wit:
California's LABOR CODE SECTIONS 1700.40. (b) No talent agency may refer an artist to any person, firm, or corporation in which the talent agency has a direct or indirect financial interest for other services to be rendered to the artist, including, but not limited to, photography, audition tapes, demonstration reels or similar materials, business management, personal management, coaching, dramatic school, casting or talent
brochures, agency-client directories, or other printing.
AND
California's LABOR CODE SECTIONS 1700.40. (c) No talent agency may accept any referral fee or similar compensation from any person, association, or corporation providing services of any type expressly set forth in subdivision (b) to an artist under contract with the talent agency.
FURTHERMORE -
If you check the rosters of Bellamodels.com and Bodymiracle.com against the rosters (past and present) of these "Licensed and Bonded" agents
it would be easy to deduce that many of these agencies are also contravention of the provisions set forth in:
California's LABOR CODE SECTIONS 1700.35. No talent agency shall knowingly permit any persons of bad character, prostitutes, gamblers, intoxicated persons, or procurers to frequent, or be employed in, the place of business of the talent agency.
Lastly, getting back to the CONFLICT OF INTEREST part of this little "rant" (for want of a better word) - One of these "Licensed and Bonded" agents has a QUADRUPLE conflict of interest. This "agent" directs movies for a company in the porn business (for which this "agent" gets a fee), This "agent" also performs in said movie (often with the talent he "represents") for which he gets a ANOTHER fee, then he bills the company for ANOTHER fee - an "Agency Fee" and lastly he collect ANOTHER fee as a "commission" from the talent.
Wow, 1 shoot but 4 fees?
Nuff said
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#186858 - 08/19/06 03:36 PM
Re: Adult Performer FYI: Episode II- The revenge o
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Porn Jesus
Registered: 03/28/04
Posts: 4450
Loc: The Planet Houston
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Quote:
Lastly, getting back to the CONFLICT OF INTEREST part of this little "rant" (for want of a better word) - One of these "Licensed and Bonded" agents has a QUADRUPLE conflict of interest. This "agent" directs movies for a company in the porn business (for which this "agent" gets a fee), This "agent" also performs in said movie (often with the talent he "represents") for which he gets a ANOTHER fee, then he bills the company for ANOTHER fee - an "Agency Fee" and lastly he collect ANOTHER fee as a "commission" from the talent.
Wow, 1 shoot but 4 fees?
Nuff said
out of curiosity then,
If this shadey activity is going on, why not drop a dime?
not that i am encouraging you to or not, but i mean you are posting on message board, it seems to be pubic knowledge and if it is breaking some laws, why not tip of the right people instead? why hasn't anybody?
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#186859 - 08/20/06 01:33 AM
The Saga continues.....
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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#186861 - 08/20/06 05:54 PM
Re: Adult Performer FYI: Episode II- The revenge o
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Quote:
Quote:
out of curiosity then,
If this shadey activity is going on, why not drop a dime?
not that i am encouraging you to or not, but i mean you are posting on message board, it seems to be pubic knowledge and if it is breaking some laws, why not tip of the right people instead? why hasn't anybody?
Nobody likes rats. Regardless of what's going on, there is a better way to handle things than being a snitch.
yes....snitches get stitches
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#186862 - 08/21/06 04:07 AM
Re: Adult Performer FYI: Episode II- The revenge o
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Rob Black's Crack Pipe
Registered: 04/22/04
Posts: 128
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WOW ... An industry that really needs self regulation to keep the feds off their back, and someone accuses someone of being a snitch.
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#186863 - 08/21/06 10:21 AM
Re: Adult Performer FYI: Episode II- The revenge o
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Quote:
WOW ... An industry that really needs self regulation to keep the feds off their back, and someone accuses someone of being a snitch.
That would be too esay.....there is no honor among thieves.
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