no more no more no more

[kumimonster]

i hate spam
but at least i can just delete it all

but now it seems another kind of email is coming in almost as frequently.
the 'hey, i want to travel to different places, can you hook me up with work' emails.

i have a contact list built up over the course of my work.
about 10+ years in the making (well the contacts, not the physical list itself).
it's an excel list of shooters/work/producers divided up by continents, countries, states, cities, etc.
i keep track of what they shoot, how much they pay, how often they like to shoot, their minimums, limitations, quirks, and my own personal notes.

i have contacts work lined up in cities and places i've never been to.
including brazil, new zealand, japan, and fucking romania.

so then, if someone you've never ever worked with, much less met before emails you
seriously
would you just simply say "sure, here, let me send my list over to you! " ?


most of my contacts have been made by myself.
i've had some introductions primarily through a couple of models (namely emilyMarilyn, ivyRed, missConduct, julieSimone& most recently darlingSub) i've also sent them leads before as well.
actually, unless i'm mistaken, those are the only names i've used in emails to someone if i've ever done so before.
well i'm sure i have, only i cant recall anything that stands out at the moment.
maybe someone could correct me.

i'm going to start charging referral fees
perhaps all of you shold.

Comments

[kumimonster.livejournal.com]

most of the shooters i know dont work like that.
that's more of a workshop shoot-out
and in general i dont attend gatherings of that sort unless i'm getting paid or putting one on (hosting = profit)

the shoots i usually have to deal with are more one on one or even 2 models.

what i'm getting are emails from models that think traveling can be lucrative (well it is for me).
they see an event coming up and figure they will attend.
then they figure since they're there, they can make some bucks.
well, finding the gigs in foreign countries can be a bit difficult, especially when producers aren't speaking english and models are speaking anything but english.
also hard to find when you have no starting point or any idea of if there ARE any paying gigs. hah.

[crowinsnow.livejournal.com]

Your contacts really are a valuable asset. It's a little like somebody writing to me and saying, "I want to get into the whip business. Would you send me a list of your customers?"

[kumimonster.livejournal.com]

and my question would be,
"how much is a contact worth" ?
and what is this scale based on?

[crowinsnow.livejournal.com]

I think the best agents tend to be experienced models.

referral fees

[juliesimone.livejournal.com]

i've never charged a model a referral fee, but several producers in the past have paid me $50-$100/girl i sent them after the shoot went through. it was pretty lucrative for a while... perhaps you can hook that up with some of the photogs you know?

Re: referral fees

[kumimonster.livejournal.com]

heh. i know i've sent you one version of that list ;-)

yea. i've never charged referral fees but i'm considering it
tho i'm not sure about charging fotogs
then there's the whole honesty thing with them all. will they tell you or just 'forget' ?
and then on top of that, what if 2 girls refer you to the same guy?
you know it can happen since a lot of us travel in the same circles.

and also, how much IS a contact worth?

but the other issue is the fact that i also dont want the photogs i 'discover' to turn into someone that shoots with every single model out there. that's why i travel to work with the lesser worked with shooters - at least lesser known to some circles.

of course some of them don't and won't because it's just not their style to shoot every fetish model out there, but for some of the newer photogs, it's quite easy to just start shooting friends of friends of friends, etc.
then it's easier to see who they HAVEN'T shot.

Re: referral fees

[redstickman.livejournal.com]

IMHO, your list is YOUR list. i wouldn't give it out to anyone but close friends, and i'd do so at your discretion.

Re: referral fees

[darenzia.livejournal.com]

I've done that too, it works out nicely!

[tonyawinter.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't refer someone I didn't know personally. If they turn out to be psycho or a flake it will reflect on you. If not consciously then subconsciously. Also asking you for your contacts is like asking me where I get my fabric and where I find my customers... If I wanted to create my own competition I'd hire another employee.

[kumimonster.livejournal.com]

favors and a helping hand is one thing, but then, when i started out, there was no place to get advice from.


but yea.
why would i want to help tie up gigs that could be bookings for myself?

[nikki-brand.livejournal.com]

I get the same kind of thing all the time from people who want to learn to tattoo for a living because they think it is easy money. Then they don't want to pay for an apprenticeship. In fact, people are often shocked and offended that I would suggest such a thing. I won't apprentice anyone, anyway, but if I did they would be paying.When they ask why I don't take on apprentices I ask them that exact question"Why would I teach you how to take money out of my pocket?" The small amount of modeling I have done has been through contacts I have made or been referred to by someone I have worked with. I would never ask someone to share that kind of information that I had never met. It just seems rude to me, and smacks of laziness. They would be using your good name instead of building up their own reputation by working.

[theda-b.livejournal.com]

Hay, I want 2 travel 2 diffrent places, can u hook Me up w/ work?

I don't even like referring friends. It seems like every time I do, the person who's been great I worked with him, fucks the friend over or vice versa.

[kumimonster.livejournal.com]

hmm. yea. that's true too

also recently, i refered a few people to this one guy
and now that he's got what he wanted from me, he continues to book them but not me because he feels i wronged him by shooting with some producer he doesn't like.

of course, now i'm feeling resentful for hooking him up with his new favorites...
tho what can u do?

i figure now, i just hold my own cards close

[evalux.livejournal.com]

Mybe at some point you could be an agent on the side, specializing in non-porn adult work. There's definitely a need for it.

[kumimonster.livejournal.com]

hmmm
it's an idea
but i dont see it working well...
tho i'd love too

and i would think that to continue to be in such a position, i'd have to keep my connections fresh and constant.
that would probably take up too much time from teaching ;-)