Porn Valley- Lisa Ann started up her agency Clear Talent Management, www.cleartalentmanagement.com in November. Already she’s repping 43 girls and 12 guys.
“You can’t sit around, right?” she says. “You got to make things happen.”
She says the agency business is very exciting and she’s been enjoying it as something of an adventure.
“I’m very ecstatic over the reaction of the production managers and companies calling me and giving me business so quickly,” she continues. “I’m really excited over that.”
She had been thinking about starting her own agency for quite some time.
“Even way back when I was dancing I wanted to be a dance agent,” she points out. “I helped Angelica Sin get unto the business; I helped Exotica. I really liked that, then working over at LA Direct I realized how much I enjoyed it. Then when I left and I started going out socially, people were, like, why don’t you do your own? You were so good at it. We loved working with you. You did a great job. After hearing it for awhile it gave me the confidence I needed to get my butt going and do it.”
I was curious how she went about getting started. Lisa Ann says she began doing research online. Then she obtained an agency license.
“And you have to get bonded in the state of California,” she adds. So I made a checklist of all the licenses and permits I needed. From there I started looking around at locations. I found a great office in Encino, pulled together a staff. It took me about four months along with getting some contacts going.
“And AVN was a big hit for me,” she adds. “I got to meet a lot of new girls.” And word of mouth has also helped a lot.
“The girls understand I have experience in the industry and they feel, hey, she’s been there, she gets it, she understands. Also I think the best thing about me being an agent is allowing the girls to understand that there’s hope for them to do something else. Not that I want them to leave, but to let them know enjoy it while you’re here but look around. You might want to be a makeup artist. You might want to be a writer. You might want to be a photographer. You might want to stay in the industry and have another career, so don’t burn bridges.”
Because her career was based on it, Lisa Ann also preaches the gospel of reliability to her charges.
“When someone tries to flake on me I’ll tell them this is your business integrity and you are setting a standard for what people expect of you. And it’s not going to be good. So, instead of yelling at them like some other agents might, I kindly explain to them these are your habits that you’re going to carry for the rest of your life. Hopefully they’ll see the big picture.”
While Lisa Ann won’t force her girls to work every day she also impresses on them the need to do interviews and p.r. [What a lot of agencies are seriously lacking in.]
“It’s important to do these,” I tell them. “It’s a good way to get yourself out there.”
Overall Lisa Ann assesses the growth of her agency as dynamic for a very short period of time.