Expert: Jim Boyd - 3/30/2008

Question
Hi Jim,

I'm a 27 year old female who has been thinking about becoming and adult actress for a couple of years now. My interest reached a point to where I was seeking information from and asking questions on several blog groups on the web.

I was recently approached, via email, by a person who claimed to be a talent scout for several producers who make adult films. I have tried to get more information from him but he continues to claim he cannot tell me the names of the companies he works for or who he has helped in the past until after I meet him and sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Is this how things are really done and does this sound on the level? Is there any validity to his claims of the non-disclosure thing?


Answer
Hi Susan

Unfortunately, NO! That is NOT how things are done, it does NOT seem to be “on the level” and the “nondisclosure agreement” sounds like load of BS to get you to meet with this guy. I feel very strongly that this person is NOT who he claims to be and that it would be in your best interest to forget he ever existed. If he were legitimate he would be bending over backward to provide you with the information you requested and happily wait a day or two while you check out his story.

Now that being said…..

This is a question we see quite often in this industry. In Fact, my colleague here at allexperts, Charles Taylor, and I have both responded to similar questions in recent months.

For reference, you may view Charles Taylor’s response to a similar question here:  

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Adult-Film-2706/2008/2/talent-recruiter.htm

And you will find my answer to a similar question here:

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Adult-Film-2706/2008/2/talent-scout.htm


Upon reading these past responses, it will become quite obvious to you that the so-called “talent scouts” are, in fact, a thing of the past in the Adult Film Industry and have simply been replaced by the more reliable (and much less sleazy) Adult Talent Agencies and/or in-house Casting Directors/ Talent Coordinator.

Unfortunately, because very few people are aware that the days of the so-called “talent scouts” are long over, many young women have found themselves the victim of men who PRETEND to be a “Talent Scout” for the Adult Industry. Most times these scams are simply about tricking pretty young women into having sex….but sometimes the cons lead the victim into very dangerous situations that have very ugly endings.

The absolute best way for any woman to get a start in this Industry is to contact an established and reputable Adult Talent Agency. I would suggest you Start with these:

http://www.alisttalent.com
http://www.adulttalentmanagers.com
http://www.goldstarmodeling.com
http://www.lisaannstalentmanagement.com
http://www.type9models.com
http://www.worldmodeling.com

For your own safety I would also STRONGLY advise you to avoid sites like xpeeps.com, craigslist.com and backpage.com. These, and many similar, sites are common playgrounds for this kind of predator and are honestly never used by legitimate Adult Industry Professionals to any real extent.

Jim Boyd
jimb@sexweb.la