Follow AdultFYI at twitter@adultfyi1; Follow Gene Ross at twitter@GeneRoss3
Tuesday night, T Reel, on behalf of Ideal Image Management, put up a YouTube clip making allegations against ALTA [The Agency Licensed Trade Association]. The five-minute clip was subsequently yanked.
One would presume the T Reel show was a retaliatory strike against ALTA which last week issued their own press release stating that Ideal isn’t licensed as a talent agency. Ideal, then in response to those comments, issued a statement of their own saying they were working on the licensing issues and that by the end of February their papers would be in order.
I’m told by sources close to the California Labor Commission that this isn’t so; that there’s no paper work even designating Ideal as a prospective licensed and bonded agency.
Meanwhile Shy Love, on behalf of ALTA, says that all of Reel’s allegations have no basis in fact. Love says all of the agencies under the ALTA umbrella signed agreements that they’d operate their businesses in accordance with the law and anyone overstepping their legal, ethical and moral grounds would be sanctioned and reported.
Love took exception to comments made by Reel alleging that ALTA agencies were somehow involved in identity theft, check fraud, submitting false IDS, escorting and that agents within ALTA were having sex with their clients in exchange for work.
“He’s [Reel] not thinking straight,” states Love.
“There’s no proof of any of this. We’re very protective of our talent and the industry, and no one’s going to jeopardize that.”
In the now-removed YouTube clip Reel begins by establishing Ideal Image Management’s credentials and how it presumably maintains a staff of drivers, schedulers, recruiters, lawyers, accountants and in-house PR.
“We have over 2200 contacts in mainstream and adult,” says Reel in the clip.
“We’ve been in constant contact with the labor board and we’re aware of the California legal code for licensing and bonding.
“We’ve also studied our competitors for over a year and have been advised by our legal counsel on how to run a better business,” he continues.
Reel went on to say that within the past few months, several models from other agencies allegedly had sit-downs with him, his partners and staff to talk about their current representation.
“They’ve made claims about wrong doing by their agents,” Reel alleges.
“Allegations have included check fraud, identity theft, submission of false IDs, false imprisonment, making models have sex with agents in order to get work; and agents sending models in state and out of state to escort calls.”
“These acts are not only morally wrong but are illegal,” states Reel.
“These agents can lose their licenses and bondings because of it.”
On the other hand, Reel claims that Ideal Image Management doesn’t resort to those practices.
“We run background checks on our staff and we have terminated relationships with people inside and outside of our company that don’t live up to our standards.”
“We will not be bullied as a company,” maintains Reel.
“We will do everything in our power to protect ourselves, our talent and our reputations.”
Reel suggested that any talent that’s aware of wrong doing by their agents should contact law enforcement.
“You do not have to wait until your contract’s up if your agent has broken any laws or broken any labor code.”