The Wolf of Los Angeles-Chapter 381: Battle-Tested

[Chapter 381: Battle-Tested]

Fiona suddenly remembered something and asked, "Are you really sure you want to get into this line of work?"

Alice replied earnestly, "I've made up my mind."

"San Fernando Valley is different from Hollywood. Hollywood agents take a maximum of ten percent commission, but in San Fernando Valley, it's a whole lot more," Fiona informed her. "The high salaries in San Fernando Valley are really only for contracted actors, similar to the studio system era, which comes with all sorts of restrictions, so the income for freelance actors is often insecure."

Alice had also done her homework: "I know, but I still have my popularity. If I don't take advantage of it now, it'll go to waste."

Seeing that Alice was determined to pursue this path, Fiona remarked, "Have you heard of a site called SugarBaby? You should check it out. The commission rates there are pretty low, and you seem to have a lot of autonomy."

"High autonomy?" Alice perked up. "Can you really make money on there?"

Fiona responded, "Have you heard of Maitland Ward? She just joined that site and is posting videos with a lot of freedom."

Being in the Hollywood industry, Alice definitely knew who Maitland Ward was and was quite surprised. "She was third in a major studio film with a budget in the millions, and she's in this sort of industry now?"

Thinking it through, she realized, "Sure, being third means a significant role at a big studio, but character roles usually don't pay that well. It's pretty normal for a lead to make a million dollars, while a supporting actor only gets a couple of tens of thousands, maybe just barely reaching five figures for a third position. Getting ahead from there is tough, while she's exploiting her fame to cash in fast."

Fiona just smiled and said nothing.

...

Back at the apartment they rented, Alice pulled out her laptop, booted it up, and went to the SugarBaby website. She noticed a striking advertisement on the homepage.

Below the poster were some eye-catching red letters:

"Kim Kardashian's exclusive tape is coming to SugarBaby, countdown..."

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The countdown showed less than 50 hours remaining.

Alice remembered Kim Kardashian, who had once been Paris Hilton's assistant, now a socialite infamous for mingling within the professional athlete circles.

But referring to her as a socialite may have been a stretch. She had been linked to a myriad of black sports stars.

Under the advertisement was the usual website layout, including a row of photos showcasing young, attractive girls, interspersed with a few muscular guys.

The text linked to these images discussed photos, videos, and options like "most popular." The first photo showcased Maitland Ward.

Alice clicked on her photo, and a window popped up showing Maitland's profile, complete with snapshots from the premiere of a movie and detailed stats like age, height, cup size, and background.

The lower section mainly displayed higher-tier photos and videos. Alice could browse the photos freely, but the first two videos showed Maitland dancing in a bikini made of Christmas lights.

As she scrolled further, a male perspective video started, but it paused at a crucial point to prompt for a subscription payment.

Alice browsed a few other SugarBaby profiles, observing that they often intermixed free and subscription-only videos.

The free clips had some limitations, while the subscription ones featured much bolder material, allowing a little preview before hitting a paywall.

Alice approached this with a learning attitude, so she made the decision to subscribe. After loading some money into her account, she noticed her status changed from guest to SugarMama.

She subscribed to Maitland's videos and found them worthy of San Fernando Valley standards, featuring a variety of content ranging from solo performances to group sessions.

Looking at the subscription figures for the month, each of the five videos had received at least 30,000 views.

Alice calculated the subscription income and estimated that Maitland had made around $300,000 that month.

She noted that multiple SugarDaddies had left comments and tips for Maitland, though the specific amounts were hidden...

After the media frenzy surrounding Jamie Foxx, Alice rationalized that her fame was significantly greater than Maitland's. If she joined this site, the outcome wouldn't be any less successful.

Having spent nearly eight years in Hollywood, Alice was an ambitious girl, seasoned by countless experiences and highly skilled in her craft.

She decided to act quickly, clicked on the contact us option, and dialed the listed phone number.

When she mentioned her name, the person on the line was pleasantly surprised, instructing her to come in for an interview at SugarBaby's headquarters on Silicon Beach.

With someone like Alice entering the site, special promotions would follow. Besides subscription splits, there would also be a signing bonus.

...

The next day, Alice met with Fiona and asked her to accompany her to the SugarBaby site.

While aiming to leverage her name, she also had no qualms about appearing naked for cash; negotiations went smoothly and she officially signed the deal that same day.

...

SugarBaby had been experiencing a surge in traffic lately, thanks to advertisements on Twitter yielding excellent results.

Maitland Ward had already brought a spike in traffic, and Neville closed deals with a few other Hollywood stars like Nikki Anderson and Stormy Daniels, bringing them on board to boost interest in the site.

Most importantly, consumers wishing to connect with them now just needed to subscribe or tip a certain amount through the platform, eliminating the hassle and costs associated with using middlemen.

At SugarBaby, as long as SugarDaddies or SugarMamas met the subscription requirements, they could directly communicate through the website -- even exchanging Twitter handles for private chats.

What happened next was out of SugarBaby's hands, as they wouldn't inquire further.

...

After Alice signed, she accepted an invitation for a live interview on Fox 11's Midnight Entertainment, creating a buzz before her launch on SugarBaby.

...

Currently, SugarBaby's promotional spotlight was on Kim Kardashian. Following Paris Hilton's rise due to her censored videos, Kim, having been persuaded by Bart and Neville, filmed her own tape with a black athlete under SugarBaby's guidance.

SugarBaby then went into full promotion mode, proudly announcing they had obtained Kim Kardashian's tape, set for release soon.

Kim Kardashian responded by accusing SugarBaby of immoral conduct and violating her privacy.

The back-and-forth generated a significant amount of heat.

They even dragged O.J. Simpson into the headlines due to the close connection Kim's father had with him, once serving as his defense attorney.

The Kardashian family was not to be sidelined, as even Kim's mother sought her share of the limelight.

With SugarBaby's profile skyrocketing, their website traffic surged.

By the time Kim Kardashian's video officially went live, membership registrations on the site exceeded a million, with nearly 300,000 paid users.

Similar to what Hawke experienced in his past life, Kim Kardashian had truly become a hot topic, not just someone's overlooked assistant.

...

Shortly thereafter, SugarBaby announced Alice Carson had signed on, with plans to release her first solo project soon.

Alice went on to accept an interview with Midnight Entertainment as well.

The popularity carried on; many were eager to see the woman Jamie Foxx had invested $2 million in.

This also served as an example for mid-level and lower-tier actors in Hollywood to learn how to monetize their looks rather than waiting in vain for bigger names to exploit them.

...

SugarBaby released income statistics for the top ten creators from the previous month.

Without mentioning Maitland Ward specifically, many fresh and beautiful creators had incomes exceeding five figures from subscriptions and tips.

SugarBaby planned a special event where high-earning creators could dedicate a video to discussing their earnings and experiences.

Clearly, SugarBaby's operational model made it easier for these girls to monetize their talents and attracted more newcomers.

...

By the end of February, over ten thousand creators had already registered on SugarBaby.

The platform prepared for a new round of fundraising, with Hawke controlling overseas funds, ready to increase investments in SugarBaby.

When the timing seemed right, there was talk of pushing for SugarBaby to go public.

...

Amidst all these business developments, Mark Zuckerberg showcased his considerable talent, bringing the website vibrantly to life.

Post-dropout, his energies split between two paths: one hosting wild parties for the attractive girls and the other dedicated to the website's operation, treating it as a lifelong venture.

Facebook would not be part of this equation.

The void left by the social media empire naturally fell to Hawke's new Twitter venture.

...

The excitement surrounding SugarBaby grew, especially after Alice joined the site, prompting Kim Kardashian to announce her own deal.

Such developments inevitably drew moralists' attention and critiques.

The FBI received calls, leading to a routine investigation from the LA branch.

As for the case led by Jennifer Huey, SugarBaby itself possessed all necessary licenses, and their member and creator criteria met legal standards, operating as a legitimate website and enterprise, similar to the compliant successes Hawke had in his former life.

*****

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