How Much is Hot Ass Worth in Today's Porn Market?

Model fees--the price we producers pay for actors--have steadily gone up over the years. Back in 1998 when I was just getting started in the industry, fees were generally under $500 for two long days of work. Top models then were getting up to $1000. Things have changed in the past ten years, and now no company with any self respect would even dream of hiring a model for under $1000 for one day of work, and some top stars are getting much more than that.



How do producers evaluate the value of hot ass? Here at Raging Stallion we take a model-positive approach. All three founders of the studio--JD Slater, myself, and Michael Brandon--were models before we were producers / directors, so we have a special relationship with our actors. Because we refuse to get caught up in the exploitation game, we try to pay out as much as possible to each actor. Last week a new east coast producer who specializes in Fisting Films wrote me an email pleading for us to reduce model fees because we were driving actor fees up! Too Bad is what I say. If you can't pay the wages, then get out of the business! Porn models do not get residuals, they don't share in profits, but they are the guys putting out. I think their fees should be as high as possible within the economic realities of the industry.



Anyway, how do we come up with model fees? There are several factors that come into play, and one of the main ones is how big is the "star" power of any given model. Big stars--like Jake Deckard-- who have a public following (which means higher sales of their films) get more money--provided they are not over-exposed because they have made too many movies. Another kind of top dollar star is the "new sensation"--the next François Sagat or Roman Ragazzi. Steve Cruz is another fine example of a new man on the block who sells movies like hot cakes. Another consideration is if the star is exclusive or not. Many studios--but not all--pay their exclusives more on a scene-per-scene basis. After all, an exclusive star cannot get outside work, so the home studio must pay enough to provide a decent income to the exclusive model. Special talents and / or attributes is still another consideration. A fisting bottom should always earn top dollar, as should talented tops and bottoms. Any fisting model who is offered less than top dollar is being insulted by devious producers who seek only to exploit their talent for personal gain. This is one of my pet peeves--so guys out there, only work with studios that really value your ASSets. Sure, I could make a lot more money by underpaying talent, but that is not how Raging Stallion does business. If you are thinking about getting into porn--especially fisting--don't be exploited and taken advantage of. Demand top dollar and guess what, you will get it. At least from producers with ethics.