Hello Ladies!
I am back, but with some bad news. As some of you know, I left the webcamming world for independent escorting a few years ago and have found success, but lately desired to work in adult modeling to feel like I have some legitimacy. I invested in high quality photos and posted myself back on SexyJobs.com and began screening booking requests for legitimate work. A few days later I was contacted by Natalie at [email protected] Models [email protected]@xm0dels.com - [email protected] (name altered so Google doesn't bit me in the ass, obviously replace @ and 0 with appropriate vowels). And thus began what appeared to be a legitimate agency trying to scam me and possibly lots of other girls.
My experience may not be the norm, but based on what I saw, I think it was.
First of all, I did my research - the agency is licensed and bonded and joined LATATA in November 2013 - making them one of 8 legitimate adult talent agencies. They pursued me somewhat aggressively, spending hours on the phone with me a few different times making sure I knew what to expect and going over details - but none were any I hadn't heard before. Since I have the means to transport myself, I planned a tour to LA and made my way into town so I could go on go-sees.
When I arrived, I was to meet Natalie, one of the assistants, at the model house. Upon entering, it appeared the house was simply a pigsty. There were signs all over the kitchen saying things about how you shouldn't just eat any food your find and how it's important to keep the place clean - should have sent me running, but I just had to believe that was just the model house, thank goodness I wasn't staying there!
I was introduced (I use the term lightly, I was barely acknowledged) to the owner, Sc0tt R33dy also known as Sc0tt [email protected] or Sc0tt Andr3w. He simply shook my hand and handed me his business card - I should have noticed then that his lack of true interest in me besides commenting that I would do really well was pretty disinterested and simply grooming me for what came next. I noted that their makeshift office was in a kitchen and that there was marijuana and a pipe in the kitchen and a bong outside on the patio - I'm not one to snub some 420, but that is always inappropriate in the workplace, even in the adult industry.
I wasn't told to bring anything with me, but luckily I had the presence of mind to wear a very cute outfit and bring along a lingerie set and heels. Natalie took me on a few go-sees - in her very dirty car, where she seemed incapable of remembering where they were. We were supposed to go to Hustler but they were closed, and we went to a couple of other places as well. Natalie was a bump on the log - making minor small talk that seemed rather laborious - so I pretty much took over to showcase my personality and street-smarts. At the first go-see, the director/producer was nice and suddenly told me to strip - which was normal I suppose, but no one had told me that, and I immediately turned to Natalie and exclaimed that she should have told me that, I wouldn't have worn jeans so I wouldn't have had marks on my body. But nonetheless, I stripped so he could see my body and take a couple of snapshots with his phone - totally normal, not skeevy at all. He wanted to take them in the hallway so I followed him, and before he took the photos he joked about how we were going to go outside and if I stopped traffic, then I'd be a good fit for his next shoot. I stopped immediately, laughed audibly, and said I'm not buy that, I know about public decency laws, blah blah blah - he instantly realized I was uncomfortable and informed me he was completely joking - and I believe him because he had that look like "finally, someone who has standards and a business sense" - Natalie though he was serious and had no problem with it, in fact she thought that was good news - clearly she was clueless (and 25, which btw should have been another clue as to her expertise). The other two go-sees where fine, I mean since I was doing all the work and Natalie was aimlessly trying to remember where we were going. Luckily one of the directors handed me his business card, which I kept.
We eventually returned to the model house and I was just excited to get out of her car and go back to my place - and then it seemed really disorganized the way they handled business, because she said next we'd do some agency photos with Sc0tt. This wasn't super surprising to me, as most of the photos on the site were obviously shot in the same location, but I was surprised there would be no hair or makeup and that my professional shots, which were much better than his, weren't good enough to book me work, but I decided to see what it was and knew that if things got fishy I was the one in control because they didn't fly me out there, I had my car, and I had a place to stay - I was not under their thumb.
Back in the house, Sc0tt eventually shows back up and wants to take the photos, and he takes me back to the garage which serves as his studio. Studio is an incredibly loose term. There was a cheap white sofa in the corner with lots of stains on it that also seemed to lack stability, curtains over the mirror that needed to be steamed, big lights setup around the room, and a massive pile of clothes, wigs, costumes, etc. all over the bed in the opposite corner. At one point of the lights on a stand fell over and smash into the bed - thank goodness I or someone else wasn't in it's way because that thing would have hurt. Things were fine at first but Sc0tt was asking me questions, sort of grooming me - what were me and my husband doing that weekend? was I available? I answered that I was working and that seemed to upset him, that I was working already that weekend but apparently not for him. He mentioned that he wanted to shoot with me this weekend, and I immediately saw red flags. I asked "with who?" assuming of course he wouldn't be the talent - when in fact that's what he expected. I said I was not comfortable with that and he said why - I chuckled and said "because you're my agent, duh" and continued posing for the shots. That's when he must have gotten frustrated, because the photos he then wanted to take were exactly the kind you don't need for showcasing on an agency site, they were straight up porn - I know the difference, and I'm not stupid. I did my research. I immediately told him that no I wouldn't "spread my lips" and, instead of calmly explaining the situation or taking a moment to make me feel comfortable, he immediately yelled "You're Fired!" and "get out!" so I grabbed my shit, ran back in the house, stuffed my things in my purse, pulled on most of my pants, and ran out.
I had signed a contract with them, but as Sc0tt fired me, it's not enforceable. My husband is an attorney so that much I knew to be true at that moment. Later I received an email from Natalie explaining that just because the adult industry wasn't what I expected, my contract was not void and I couldn't sign with another agency - which is not true since I was fired - there's no going back from that. She also explained that something like that had never happened to them before - but um if she's only 25, and she recently started working for him when she transitioned out of the mainstream talent industry, how would she know? Also, I'm pretty sure no girl from bumfuck who was flown in on their dime, staying in their house, with no transportation or support system in town would say no to anything Sc0tt or Natalie or anyone else says - so with me there was no opportunity for coercion but with any other girl there would have been.
I'm posting this cautionary tale because I know what to look for, and still that moment haunts me, and may have taken all my will to be a part of the adult industry. I know what to look for, but in the moment I turned a blind eye, hoping for the best. The other I learned is that there is no reason I couldn't have brought my husband, who is also my manager, with me. I doubt he would have let me stand in that model house for a minute (though then I'd have a pesky contract to get out of, so I don't really regret the experience at all).
Also note that [email protected] Models used to be [email protected] [email protected] - I wasn't able to find much information on either except for good things, and when I did more research on Sc0tt [email protected], I found that lately his only talent work has been with brand new girls from his site ShesBrandNew.com (pagerank of 0, should have been a clue) which is of course mostly the girls he's coerced into performing with him rather than legitimate work (also note that I recognized his "studio" as the location of almost every video on his site, and seriously if he's at all successful he should have a real studio, plenty of adult photographers have studios in their homes and NEVER have I seen such a mess). He may represent some real talent, but there is a cost - a nasty ass model house, inappropriate work behavior, and a lack of professionalism that none of the producer's offices had (all of them were reasonably nice, some weren't as nice as others but none were shitholes like the model house that's for sure).
If that's the conditions of working in porn, it's just not my style! I'm a little more glamorous than that, and ALL OF US are worth more than that.
Thanks for being such a great community that has changed my life for the better - I just hope someone who needs to will read this!
Updates
New Last Name Pseudonym added above, noted here - http://www.tonybatman.com/2014/02/19...s-as-co-owner/ and here http://therobblackshow.forumchitchat...rement-6793762



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I am glad to see you back here.

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