Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

Webmaster Discussion
#1

It looks like I may have an opportunity to hire an out-of-town model and fly him into my area for a shoot. I’ve never done this before and had a few questions for those that have:

  1. How do you buy an airline ticket for someone… you just use your credit card but tell them the passenger is someone else? I thought with all the security these days this might be hard to do.

  2. Speaking of the airline ticket, its not possible for someone to cash this in after they claim it, right?

  3. Do you always put the model up at a hotel? I live alone and am thinking about letting him stay at my place, partly because it might be fun to have a hunky guy around the house and also to save money. I’ve talked to this guy a lot and have seen his videos on another site so I feel very confident he’s an OK guy and I’m not too worried about him ripping me off and/or killing me. Just wondering what others think.

Thanks!

#2

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

I wouldn’t let a model stay in my house. Sorry to be so disparaging but models are generally escorts, and they’re always out for themselves and what’s in it for me. No matter how smooth and friendly they are, they’re in it for money and invariablly the slimey side emerges. I know I’m generalizing, but you just never know what type of guy a model really is until you spend some time with them.

I’d even been leary about putting them up in a hotel on my credit card, what if he decides to throw a party and empties out the mini bar or jumps on Manhunt and throws a meth party.

I guess who have to decide how much you think you know and trust this guy.

#3

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

What I have to say comes with kindness and respect.

From my experience you have misconceptions of what it is to hire a model you don’t know to work for you. If you know a model and they are down with being a hunky guy around the house that’s one thing, but a guy you don’t know probably doesn’t expect that’s part of the deal when he flies out to do a shoot.

There are no guarantees when flying a model out for work, absolutely none. There is a detailed process and logistics that can help ensure a successful shoot but at your stage I’d suggest flying out to your models to shoot them. This will better help you understand where they are coming from staying in a strange city/hotel and working with people they’ve never met while trusting they’ll meet their commitment and do right by you.

Be careful of having good looking guys you hire, and don’t know, staying at your home. They’ll see you as vulnerable and work you emotionally to get what they want. Again this comes with kindness and respect. Please let us know what you choose to do and how it turns out.

#4

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

seems like a bad idea to give any stranger access to you and to your residence. talking to someone won’t let you know how he might feel if he can’t get it up, and therefore you don’t pay him. at very best, this would be uncomfortable. lots of people are basically nice people, and they’re great to talk to and to use as models that may have problems you don’t see coming from a few phone conversations. i’ve got a number of stories from friends about this sort of thing that range from uncomfortable to scary or even dangerous. just because you’ve seen his videos on one other site doesn’t tell you whether your next phone bill will have a thousand dollars worth of phone sex calls on it (this happened to someone i know), whether misunderstandings about sex or money can blow up in your face and so on.

best of luck with whatever you decide to do with this, and i hope it works out.

#5

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

1 - don’t… 2 - they will… 3 - sleeping with strangers is a bad idea.

#6

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

I realised every model is different and their behaviour varies vastly. The models performance in a video is often nothing like they real life personality. After our first experience of hiring an out of town model and letting them stay at our home, I have to say its a very bad idea with high amounts of risk to you both personally and financially. We also saw this particular model on other sites before hiring them. As Michael states most models are escorts and many have a recreational substance usage off set that you wouldn’t believe. My advice would be for you to travel and make all the arrangements regarding the shoot location and where you stay.

I hope this help your decision and you get a safe satisfactory shoot.

#7

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

I’ve done it lots of times, flown models in and had them stay in the spare room. Never had a problem. Just get to know them first, and no don’t assume just cos they’re in porn they’re an escort that just isn’t true. It can help the shoot even if you spend some off-cam time with them, buy or make dinner, talk and get to know them better. Just because a guy gets money for jerking off on cam does not mean he’s a pro. The most you’re likely to deal with is a drug issue but since they’re going through airport security it prolly gets solved for you, and having them in your sight the whole time can get around a lot. I’d personally have more nervousness about having them off site for a lot of time during the time they’re there – lots easier for trouble to happen. And if you’re around them when they’re not on cam then you get a glimpse of them as a person which can only make the shoot better.

#8

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

In reality, models with drug issues, who are flown in, don’t have their problems solved by not having drugs on them when they arrive, it makes the whole scenario a lot worse for everyone involved :wink: Babysitting a model who is agitated and needs a fix priceless good luck with that lol

#9

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

Besides, with a proliferation of profile sites, it’s quite easy to score in a new town.

I think flying to the model is the best possible option.

#10

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

I usually go to them but have done a number of shoots in my house but only with models I have worked with before and trust. Even then, I don’t let them wonder without me being there.
There is no way I’d let someone I never met stay at my place or at a hotel in my name or on my credit card. I’d provide the model with the money for a nearby hotel as part of their agreement.
The secretary for the company where I work frequently purchases airline tickets that must be transfered or refunded to other people. I’m not sure how or what it costs but you can probably call a few airlines to see how to purchase a ticket that is transferable or refundable if the model chickens out.

Good luck with everything. Looks like an exciting time for you.

#11

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

By what I said I meant that there wasn’t likely to be a problem – never once did I have a model who had one. Flying to him, sure, that makes much more sense just like flying to a strange city you don’t know, hiring a guy you don’t know in a town where no one knows you. That’s … way safer. Yah. By and large 99% of the models I’ve photographed were really cool ppl, interesting to get to know, I mean after all they are real live human beings just like us, not just objects on a screen, they kinda need to eat and sleep and such just like anyone else does. I think the point where people stopped noticing that fact is around the point where it stopped being so easy to make money in porn. Just get to know the guy a bit first, chat back and forth, tbh the most likely shock you’re gonna get is their offline personality might be completely the opposite of what you’d expect, worse that ever happened to me was I had annoying company for a few days.

#12

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

To really avoid problems, lock him in a cage in your dungeon… lol

#13

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

I used to fly the models in, put them up in a hotel, and give them a food allowance (or take them out to eat and pay for it). I’ve never had a problem with guys staying in hotels that I booked (but I also have been very lucky that they didn’t take advantage of the situation).

As far as the airlines go, there is no problem booking a flight for someone else and paying for it. The ticket is in the model’s name, and if you purchase a reasonable airfare, the tickets are non-refundable.

The problem is that there is no guarantee that the model will fly in. I’ve wasted a ton of money paying for flights and the models never showed up. The tickets are good for one year (minus a service charge of about $100), but so far every model that has no-showed, has never re-booked. For a while, prior to purchasing the ticket, I had the model sign a contract stating that he would reimburse me for the ticket if he no-showed, but it would have cost more than the price of the ticket to pursue him legally.

Keep in mind that airline tickets are non-transferable, so once they are booked in a model’s name there is no way to get them transferred to anyone else.

When flying a model in, you always assume a risk that they will not show up, and then you have to eat the cost of the ticket. It’s a cost of doing business.

Now, I will book a number of models in one city and I will fly into that city. Sometimes all the models show up, other times I’ll have one or two no-shows. I would never fly somewhere to shoot a single model because there is no guarantee that he will follow through.

As for opening my home, I’ve worked with almost two hundred guys at this point. The majority of them are great guys. I can honestly say that I would only let one of them stay in my home.

Remember, this is a business. The guys are there to do a job, not be our friends, not sleep with us, and not hang around our homes and entertain us after the cameras are turned off. They are being paid to perform in a video, nothing more. At least that’s how I approach it.

#14

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

Never in a million years would I allow a model to stay in my home. I’ve seen too many seemingly nice guys who’ve done work before show up in person and turn out to be complete whack jobs, strung out and/or desperate for cash. So many in fact that we always have protection on us when interviewing and shooting models.

Consider these stories before allowing a stranger to stay in your home:

Gay Porn Star in Court on Murder Charges
Former Gay Porn Actor Guilty of Denver Murder
Porn Actor Suspected of Murder Jumps Off Cliff

While the chances of you encountering someone like that might be small, why risk it? The chances of you being taken advantage of and stolen from are not small.

Put your model up in a hotel and make sure expenses that can be accrued are limited or turned off by the hotel. If you’re worried about them trashing the room, when checking in, try putting the room in their name making them the responsible party.

Drake Rock put it well:

#15

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

This is a really great thread. Hosting models is NOT for everyone but if you need talent sometimes you have no choice but to fly models in so you can film them. We have a very demanding production schedule and unfortunately we need hire lots of models. Just using local models doesn’t help us that much, here in South Florida there are lots of hot boys but most of them are flakes, or they want lots of money, or they use drugs or HIV or they are just plain ugly and the talent pool here in South Florida is tough to hire models. If there is a hot model in town, the other studios here in South Florida fight for the model and it ends up the model works for 80% of all the studios here in South Florida and once they have been used and abused, the model is gone. South Florida has one of the highest rates of transit people coming and going. Hot guys arrive, they do porn, dance in clubs and escort then within 6-12 months they are gone to never hear from them again.

Many of us have no choice but to fly models in from all over the United States so we can keep up with production. Housing models can be very stressful and you have to be very cautious of whom you bring down. Its super important that you really do a good phone interview with the model and keep open communication with him. Although the model can be a hot boy, don’t let his looks cloud your opinion. Hiring models based on looks and hosting them can be your worse nightmare. By speaking to them on the phone and keeping open communications, you can judge if the person is a flake or not and have sever personality disorders. Its very important to find out if the model lives with parents and find out if he works or goes to school and this tells you a lot about him.

Purchasing a ticket is very easy. I use AirTran Airways because although there policy is non-refundable, you can get a credit and transfer the ticket to another person. They will charge you $75 fee, but its worth booking through them and if anything happens you can take a $75 hit and have the remaining ticket on credit to use for another model or for yourself. Its better to take a $75 hit then to loose the whole ticket which in some cases can cost up to $500 or more. I place a cap on tickets and only pay up to $400 per ticket. It doesn’t make sense to purchase a ticket for $500 or more when there are models you can fly in for less cheaper, so again, don’t judge by how hot the model is, think about business first.

Prior to purchasing any ticket for a model, I make sure in several emails that they are still interested in filming. If they live home with parents, this is a major red flag and the model has a greater chance of flaking out on you and NOT showing up. I’ve been flying models in for over 8 years and housing them and only had 5 models that never showed up. All 5 models that never showed up, they all lived at home and there parents found out they were leaving to Florida and doing porn, the parents freaked out and the boy doesn’t show. After all these years, I have come to the conclusion that if the model lives home, its a gamble and the parents may find out and that model will not show. I try to hire models that live alone, have roommates or go to college and live in a dorm or guys that don’t live with there parents. I have never had a model that didn’t show up that lived without his parents. The ones the always flake on me are the models that live home with parents.

You also have to be upfront with the model. You have to tell them its not a party, there are no drugs or drinking and tell them you have a professional studio and you don’t tolerate drama of any kind. Once the model arrives, I have a set of house-rules that we go over, these house rules are in writing and I make them sign an agreement that they understand the house-rules. If a model arrives and is rude, fucked up on drugs, is nasty to me and the other models, then we bring the model back to the airport and let him figure it out. We will not tolerate drama, rudness, guys scoring drugs, going out at night, working for other studio or escorting, we will not let them alone and they are always being chaperoned & supervised.

I would never leave them in a hotel. We once did that, they all disappeared and worked for other studios, they ended up escorting, there was a party, drugs was involved, the police were called and guess what? The room was under my name and credit card…they threw us all out and I didn’t film that week and it was a waste of time and money, we learned our lesson really fast and decided to house and feed the models and set up rules and curfews and we never really have major issues. Don’t trust models, hide your valuables, never leave them alone. In many cases, these models really appreciate what we do for them and the opportunity we are giving them. Respect works both ways and we have found over the years if you treat them right and you use the models on a ongoing basis (especially if they are exclusive models) you build a bond with the model and friendship, but still don’t trust them 100%.

Now after doing this for over 8 years now, the only problem is that we have no freedom in the house and we sacrifice our privacy by having boys in our home each week so we are trying to work on a better schedule because we are getting too tired housing and feeding models. It sounds fun to many by having cute/hot boys in our home, but it gets boring real fast and many of these models have personality disorders and we get to the point, we can’t wait for them to leave.

Be careful and think clearly before hosting any models or it can be a disaster!

#16

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

We’ve flown in some models for extended shootings and it’s quite easy. We’ve booked their tickets online with different airlines and there is no problem to have a different name for the passenger and the payer. As 99.9% of the tickets today are electronic tickets, the passenger only needs the booking code (6 or 5 digits) and some proof of identfication (passport, etc.) for check-in and to board the plane. The passenger doesn’t see any of your personal or credit card details and can’t change the booking or get a refund without having access to your airline account. Also almost all tickets we buy are special offers because we can plan ahead, they are not changeable, not refundable and usually much, much cheaper than the regular fees.

We’ve also had a few models staying at our place, but only models we knew before or who had been referred to us by good friends. Whenever a model stays with us, we do our outmost to maintain a professional atmosphere. They sleep in their own room and no one expects any kind of non professional contacts.

However, we still prefer to travel to models and not bringing them in to our place.

#17

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

Definitely, that’s what happened with this model I shot a couple weeks ago for squirtit.com

Look familiar content producers? yeah I know lol

#18

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

We fly models in all of the time from other states, cities, towns, etc.

NEVER EVER let them stay at your house unless you absolutely know them. We always accomodate them in hotels or at resorts if we shoot there. If we’re filming at a specific location, we transport them to and from the hotel.

Remember, just because they are “for hire” doesn’t mean you can trust them. 80% of the models are money hungry, have an addictive drug problem, and I’ve heard many horid stories about models ripping off producers and fleeing.

Spend lots of time talking to the model. When we’re talking to them, 1 out of every 4 guys turns out. The other 3 are jacking off while they’re talking to you and will say anything and everything that you want to hear to get off.

Be very cautious on getting them a flight ticket. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS get them refundable (you may have to pay more, but at least you can get your money back if they don’t get on that plane or bus).

The way we do things… We talk to a model off and on for 2 weeks on the phone, cam, instant messenger, and email. We set a date. They fly in on a Thursday night. We put them up in a hotel until Sunday morning when they leave. We cover their meals, hotel, sometimes even drinks and take them out to a club. All of our shoots are group shoots. Usually 5-9 guys here on a weekend. We usually stay at the hotel and never let them leave our sight.

#19

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

#20

Re: Questions about hiring an out-of-town model

Sorry… I meant to add more in the above reply but the time limit for editing (7 minutes?) expired. I wanted to clarify and elaborate on things in my original post:

  1. When I said it would be nice to have a hunky guy around the house I did not mean to imply that I would seek or expect sex from the model. He’s straight and I would keep everything very professional. I just meant it would be nice to have some hot eye candy to look at for a few days.

  2. I’m 99% sure the guy is not an escort. He’s from a very small town, is just 19 and has a baby and girlfriend to provide for. He’s just a young dude looking to make some money in porn.

  3. He did an on camera interview at the other site he worked for and I think I can tell when interviews are staged or fake (I’ve interviewed people on camera for many years). In his interview he came across as a sweet, friendly guy.

  4. One of my reasons for posting this question is because I heard that Sean Cody flies out most of their models and they take really good care of them while there. I don’t know if Sean Cody puts them up at a house or hotel though.

Thanks again for all the comments!

PS to Squirt: when will the guy in your photo be on your site? He’s hot!