Models First

What it is

Models First is an adult talent management agency in the UK that recruits men and women for adult video modeling work. Its masthead reads "recruiting men and women to earn in adult entertainment". The site calls itself "the premier Adult Talent Management Agency in the UK, with the largest database of male and female adult models bar none", which is the agency's own claim. Its home page describes it as the UK recruitment arm of an American based company, based in London E1, and says the company produces adult content. Applying happens through an online form or by post. The language is English and the market is the UK.

It is a casting and booking route, where producers book performers through the agency, rather than a platform where you sell content to fans.

How earning works

The business is a booking agency with two sides. Models apply and are listed. Producers and photographers who want to hire them go through the agency, and the site has a client login for those buyers. The site separates its model galleries into female models and male models, each sortable by newest or alphabetical, and its navigation also has pages for locations, make-up artists, links and a search.

The about page explains how the agency says it works. It recruits through the mainstream media as well as through the regular adult channels, which it says gives it a regular influx of models brand new to adult entertainment. It states that talent is treated "with the utmost respect and dignity" and that both the model and the producer are kept informed throughout the booking process, which it says minimizes the potential for last minute cancellations. It provides adult models only to producers and photographers who have passed its accreditation process, "ensuring the safety and security of our models as much as we can", and it invites producers who want accreditation to apply. For a model, that screening of the buyer is the main thing the agency says it adds.

The work on offer is adult video modeling. The pages say the agency needs both men and women for a wide range of it, "solo nude up to full contact". Experience is not required. The agency asks for "an open minded attitude towards sex and a desire to earn lots of cash", and adds that "jobs in porn are known to be extremely lucrative". That is a marketing line, not a figure.

The application form is the model's whole first step, and it is detailed. It asks for gender (male, female or TS) and orientation (straight, gay, bi or bi-curious), then name, birthdate, email and mobile number. Location is a drop-down of UK regions, running from London and the South East through East Anglia, the Midlands, Yorkshire and the North, to Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Height, weight and a build choice follow, with options from petite and slim to athletic, muscular, curvy and BBW.

The part that shapes what work a model is offered is the "Your limits" checklist. It runs through the kinds of scene one by one, from solo and solo with toys through girl-girl, boy-girl and group work to fetish, bondage and soft or hard BDSM, and the applicant marks each item. The list has its own boy-boy items, split by giving and receiving. The form also has a free notes box and a captcha.

Three photos are required: a recent headshot showing how the applicant looks now, a waist-up shot and a full-body shot. The page says "You do not need to be nude", and asks for no sunglasses or hats in the headshot. Applicants who prefer paper can post their details to the agency's P.O. Box in London, with the warning that posted photos cannot be sent back. The FAQ says applications must be made for yourself only, and that the agency will not consider anyone for a role until it has a recent clear headshot and full details including age and a contact phone number.

Once someone is on the books, the site shows profile galleries and a "latest model updates" feed. The newest entries in that feed are dated 2020-05-20.

Money and rules

The model here is paid work on shoots booked through the agency by accredited producers and photographers. The site does not publish rates, the agency's commission or how and when a model is paid. Its only statement about earnings is the general line that jobs in porn are "extremely lucrative".

What the site does publish is a set of rules.

• Age and ID. Models First "will only consider applications from people aged 18 and above" and asks for valid identification (the FAQ lists a birth certificate, driver's license or passport) before entering into any work. It says "all of our performers are aged 18 or over and proof is always retained on file."
• Face. The FAQ answers "Can I cover my face or wear a mask on shoots?" with a flat "No!".
• Testing. Any adult model in a film with major sexual contact, such as oral sex, "must be tested before the shoot", and only models clear of STIs and STDs will be employed.
• On set. Only film crew and hired cast are permitted onto sets at any point, so a partner or chaperone cannot come to watch.
• Applications. Only apply on your own behalf.
• Location. The form's location menu offers UK regions and Ireland only.
• Producers. Models are provided only to producers and photographers who have passed the agency's accreditation process.

Who it suits and who it does not

This route suits a UK-based performer, woman or man, who wants a booking agency to find the work and screen the producer instead of building an audience alone. It also suits someone new to adult work: the agency says it recruits people brand new to adult entertainment and asks for no film experience. Male and gay or bisexual applicants are named as wanted, with a male model gallery of their own and boy-boy options in the limits list. The TS option on the gender field shows trans applicants can apply too, and that is the only mention of trans work.

It is a poor fit for someone who needs to see money terms first, because the site prints none. It is also a poor fit for anyone who wants to stay anonymous: no covering the face is allowed on shoots, and the site's galleries are built on named model profiles. A performer outside the UK and Ireland has no region to select in the form. Someone who prefers to sell their own clips, subscriptions or custom videos and keep control of pricing will not find that here, because an agency booking of this kind puts the producer in charge of the shoot.

One further caveat is age. The copyright line on the site reads 2010 and the newest entries in its model feed date from 2020, so the site itself shows no recent update.