ABOUT THE STORY
BACKGROUND
CURRENT NEWS
STATEMENTS
COURT VERDICT
ABOUT THE FILM
LOGLINE
A broke college student finds a modeling gig online to help her make ends meet: an all expenses paid trip, a dream beach photoshoot, and a big paycheck. It’s almost too good to be true… That’s because it is.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
**PAID MODELING GIG** is my thesis film and part of the MFA program at UT Austin. It is inspired by the story of GirlsDoPorn, an adult film website that coerced, sexually assaulted, and blackmailed young women for over ten years. While the film itself is fictional, it is grounded in extensive research. It is not a plotted revenge story. It is a vengeance story, meant to educate audiences on the tactics this terrible company used, and to take back control of the narrative with a new ending for the victims.
The initial idea stemmed from anger and frustration that this larger story was being ignored by the general public. It was not my story to tell though, so the film evolved into a research project. The events were taken from court testimony, the dialogue from victim accounts, and the characters from conversations with the actors–especially Emma Giorgio who brought so many more brilliant ideas to the role of Emma than I ever could have myself. In the end, it truly became a collaboration of all.
Put simply, this film is for anyone that watches porn–which, if we’re being honest with ourselves, is a majority of the population. There’s some good, ethical porn made out there–yes. But there’s also a dark side to the world that needs to be discussed–yes discussed, not ignored. This film is not an easy watch, but we also don’t want it to be. We want to help people rethink the type of content they are consuming. We want to start conversations. We want people to understand what this company did.
- Matt Lennon, April 2022
THE CAST
EMMA
(Emma Giorgio)
MARK
(Forrest Weber)
VIV
(Cynthia Fray)
JON
(Alex Christian)
THE FILMMAKERS
MATT LENNON
Writer/Director
Writer/Director
Matt is an Austin based director, re-recording mixer, and lecturer interested in telling stories that equally entertain and educate the audience. His films, and films he has collaborated on, have screened in festivals both domestically and globally, including SXSW, Fantastic Fest, Sidewalk Film Festival, Literally Short Film Festival, and Cannes.
MAGGIE M. BAILEY
Producer
Producer
Maggie is an Austin based award-winning producer and documentary filmmaker interested in making work that promotes sex positivity and that explores niche communities. The work she has produced has screened in festivals including SXSW, Frameline, DOCNYC, Atlanta Film Festival, CineKink, Sidewalk Film Festival and more.
FERNANDO D. MALDONADO
Producer
Producer
Fernando is a producer based in Brooklyn. His feature film credits include line producing Dementia 13 (2017) and Allswell (expected release: 2022). He has worked on branded projects for Mercedes-Benz, Mazda, Google, and Indeed; and on web series for Food Network, Travel Channel, and PBS.
SAM MOHNEY
Director of Photography
Director of Photography
Sam is a director and cinematographer hailing from Lexington, Kentucky and now based in Austin. His work as a cinematographer has been featured on HBO and BBC as well as at film festivals around the world including SXSW, Palm Springs, and at the BAFTAs.
CONTACT: paidmodeling[dot]shortfilm[at]gmail.com