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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Citing Competition, Porn Biz Talent Shop Closes Doors

Comparing the recruitment of talent for the adult entertainment industry to “a dogfight,” the owner and operator of the World Modeling Agency closed up shop this month. Jim South exits the business after 30 years of providing female and male models for magazine shoots and adult films and videos although the genial Texan said that down the road he may consider reopening in a different location. It’s a decision South will make after taking some time off for the vacation he was never able to take while running the agency with his son, Jim Jr. Changes in the industry have led to competition from so-called agents who approach performers on film sets and lure them away from South’s representation. “It’s become a kind of a dogfight over who gets to keep the girl,” South said. “I didn’t really know at this point that was something I wanted to go through to continue being an agent.” Competition grows Since the agency opened its doors in 1975 specializing in nude and semi-nude photography modeling, South has staked it and his reputation on not being pushy and letting the performers decide whether they wanted to pursue jobs in adult films. Vivid Entertainment Co-chairman Steven Hirsch suggested South’s “laid back” and “casual” style couldn’t stand up against the aggressiveness of the new agents and agencies now permeating the industry. But South and his agency were well-respected for the role he played, said Hirsch, who has known South for more than 20 years. “He was the guy who found the new girls and brought the new girls into the business,” Hirsch said. “He really did serve an important purpose.” The agency concentrated on providing models for magazine shoots when South opened its doors after working for area modeling schools. But South said he initially expressed reluctance and caution when approached in the mid-1970s about providing talent for silent adult films such as those used in stag films and peep shows. Then a maker of adult film loops came to South with an offer he could not refuse $200 per film shoot, ten times what the agency earned for magazine work. Providing adult performers for films became the agency’s stock in trade although its share of performers grew smaller as other agencies popped up. Some performers represented by World Modeling became agents themselves or moved behind the camera as directors or into distribution of adult content. T.T. Boy, who has adult content production companies in Chatsworth, said that when he started in the industry, South was one of only two agents in the area. “He was a pioneer for the idea of having an agent in adult entertainment,” Boy said. South entered the industry when it was just emerging and leaves when adult entertainment generates up to $12 billion in revenues annually. Early on, most of South’s wanna-be models came from the local, Southern California area, but with the rise of the Internet, the agency attracted women from around the country. Working with clients traveling far distances, however, had its challenges. “You have to line up enough work to warrant them making the trip out,” South said.

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