World Modeling– RIP
According to the real Luke Ford, World Modeling will soon be no more. The news represents the end of an era although, in my opinion, World Modeling’s era ended some time ago.
I always liked Jim South. We butted heads — butted them hard — but, for me, it was never personal. Our head-butting resulted in us terminating our working relationship. That happened in the late nineties. Before that, I routinely used Jim’s girls and, for years, I paid thousands and thousands in agency fees to him. That was back when producers and directors paid a flat fee of $65 for every cast member that was signed up with Jim. That included almost every performer in the business except those few who were signed with Reb or with a couple of rogue, suitcase pimps.
I used to go to World’s offices about once a week and look through the polaroids of the new girls. There were codes on the info sheets that gave you a pretty good idea of what the new, aspiring, porn stars would and wouldn’t do. There were also girls hanging around World’s offices and lounging on the couches daily. These girls were either actively looking for work or just hanging out at World, killing time between gigs. Just about every day, Jim led a porn posse up the steet to Hamburger Hamlet for lunch; I’m guessing that’s a tradition that continues to this day.
My non-relationship continued with World until I made a movie for VCA called The Sopornos. I wrote, shot, directed, and edited that movie and it did pretty good for VCA. Some said it did better than “pretty good.” It was also, according to Russ Hampshire, VCA’s then owner, the first movie in two or three years, including in-house-produced movies, to pass VCA’s tough QC on the first pass. That was enough for Russ to decide Rob Spallone (who was my partner and producer at the time) and I would be making more movies for VCA. Russ stepped in and attempted to mend the rifts that existed between both Jim and myself, as well as Rob and Jim South who had their own, tumultuous past. As a result of that meeting, Rob and Jim became good buddies. As a non-result, there was no meaningful improvement in terms of my business relationship with Jim. (Note: Since I wasn’t a fly on the wall when Russ met with Jim regarding these matters, I have no idea what was or wasn’t discussed in terms of my non-relationship with Jim. I only know what resulted, or should I say, “did not result,” as it pertained to me.)
Still, I feel a twinge of melancholy hearing that World Modeling will be no more. So much has changed in the world of smut since the late-nineties. It’s not the same business any longer. It no longer has a family feel to it and hasn’t for quite a while.
In my opinion, World didn’t keep up with the times. Jim tried to keep doing business much the way he always did business and it simply didn’t work. I’m guessing Jim hoped his long-standing relationships, coupled with loyalties from friends and associates, would keep World on top. I’m also guessing that was poor judgement on Jim’s part. Yeah, there was a time when loyalty meant something in this business. But that was then and this is now. I’m not saying loyalty counts for nothing. I’ve counted on a few friends and business associates who have been loyal to me. And they have been loyal just as I’ve shown loyalty to them. You know who you are. But those people are few and far between. There’s certainly not enough of them these days to keep anyone’s business afloat.
Good luck, Jim South, with whatever you do. I hope your 31 years in the jizz biz was rewarding enough to allow you to comfortably ride off into the sunset. Maybe you could buy a house in Hawaii, play poker with the natives, and trade gardening tips with Russ?
Posted by jimmyD under It's all the same crap. |