> Ric Williams [pictured] posts on www.pornstarperformance.com: There is a lot of misconception about booking talent. In California it is against the law for anyone to book talent other than a licensed talent agent.

It is not easy to get a talent agency license from the state, for good cause. You have to go through an extensive background check including criminal and credit. Then you have to have a commercial business address (not your bedroom), have to post a $50,000 performance bond along with many other requirements.

A licensed talent agency has a FEIN (Federal Employers Identification Number) so we can accept payment from producers and pay the talent minus our commission. We have to maintain a clients trust account for the money that we collect on behalf of our clients. We must maintain records on bookings and money transactions as the state has the right to inspect our records at any time. In short, we are professionals. So, who in the adult industry are licensed?: As far as I know, LA Direct, Lighthouse Talent, Tera Patrick Agency and Black Widow Talent Agency (www.blackwidowmodels.com) are the only licensed talent agencies. The enforcement of the Talent Agencies Act is left mainly up to the talent. They can report if they have been booked by an unlicensed agent to the State Labor Commissioner and the unlicensed agent will be required to return all commissions paid to him/her for the past 12 months.

In mainstream this is the principal enforcement measure although the DIR has informed me that they are looking into practices in the adult industry. My challenge to those unlicensed managers/agents is to go through the process, get licensed and not have the state breathing down our necks for illegal practices or get into another line of work.