...Interactive Global Media/ Direct Video & DVD merely a third
tier producer under contract with a video exporter
Hello friends in the Search for Bianca/Daniela,
I am home after the longest, most dramatic journey I've made so far in
this search for an extraordinary woman I dearly love. There were many
tender moments
along the way, and one of the first came as I was boarding the plane to
leave Logan Airport. I imagined what it was like for Daniela to leave
this same airport during the summer of 2004 after spending five years
of her life here (and probably five more preparing), feeling it was
unlikely she would ever see Boston, America, or any of us ever again.
Tender moments, of course, beckon for a moment of privacy, but they are
in short supply in busy airports and crowded 757's.
On Wednesday shortly after 5 PM local time, I landed at Burbank's Bob
Hope Airport, with ground zero of my mission just to the west in Van
Nuys in the San Fernando Valley. (A couple of times, I've heard this
area referred to as "Porn Valley" but you would never, ever
know it.) I stayed at a large independent hotel that was only a block
and a half from the headquarters of Interactive Global Media. I had my
chuckles when I discovered
a "Bianca Avenue" about a mile west of the hotel, and - for those of
you who read about the 1993 Tarot/psychic reading in my last newsletter
- there was a psychic's store front located right across the street
from the hotel.
On Thursday morning shortly after 10, I walked down Valjean Avenue to
the area of IGM's street number, not knowing the least what to expect.
It took a moment to decipher which building was 7050, but I soon
identified it. It had a huge wrought iron fence enclosing the entire
front of the building, surrounding parking lot, and warehouse
entrance. There was only one sign identifying the street number out
near the roadway, but it did so only in one direction, and a thick
trunked palm tree seemed to have been planted there to obscure it. The
gate, however, was open at the warehouse drive up. Since there was no
obvious unloading taking place at that moment, I just assumed they kept
it open during business hours and that's where you walked in. In
actual fact, I was quite lucky because shippers had either just
arrived, just finished, or were inside taking care of other business. I
walked to what looked like a pedestrian entrance, but it was totally
shuttered, totally dark on the inside, and looked like it hadn't been
used in many years. So I decided to walk to the warehouse entrance, and
that's when I was approached by a security guard.
Naturally, he asked
what I was doing there and whether I had an appointment to see someone.
Nervously, I started with the basics about being a long time customer
and sending a certified letter the previous week, but it quickly became
evident that if I didn't share more of the details of my story and the
real reason I was there, I would never succeed in putting him at ease.
The more you hold back, the more nervous you are going to be, and that
makes you look guilty of something (I don't know what, but something).
So I talked about the Latina Special, my discovery of Daniela as the
cover model, how she use to live in Massachusetts and I was her
favorite customer at the club where she danced, how she disappeared
and didn't tell any of her American friends when she moved back to Rio,
and that I sent a letter the previous week to the Custodian of Records.
He showed a bit more respect toward me at this point because I
demonstrated I knew something about how the business works.
Nevertheless, he replied, "If you are looking for an address, that
information is confidential." "Oh, I realize that," I replied. "I was
just hoping for a forwarding arrangement." At that point, the guard
said he would have to go inside and talk to the Custodian. He asked me
to wait where I was and that he would come back to me with a report.
"By the way, my name is Jeff," I said as he turned to go inside.
When the guard returned, he seemed considerably more at ease and we
were able to converse almost as peers. He had spoken to both the
Custodian of Records and the President of IGM. The information that
followed was the result of a combination of details from the President
and the Custodian as well his own knowledge of the company he guards.
He relayed a lot of information in a short period of time. At the
conclusion of our conversation we both smiled. Then I shook his hand
and said warmly, "We must find her."
Here are the basic points that the security guard relayed to me:
1) First, they wanted to thank me for the flowers and the food I had
sent to them. They appreciated it and enjoyed it very much. Also, both
the Custodian and the President read my entire six page letter in its
entirety.
2) The footage they edited and released as the "Latina Special" was
supplied by a second tier video exporting company that contracts with
video producers and distributors all over the world. This exporting
company obtains their
footage from various local producers and offers it to distributors to
package and market.
As a long time customer of IGM/Direct Video, this is consistent with
what I have seen of their product. Nearly everything they produce is a
repackaging of footage that has been previously released as part of an
original production. What IGM/Direct Video typically does is choose a
theme and find scenes from original productions that fit that theme.
But the Latina Special is different from everything else I've seen them
offer because each of the four discs is an entire original release.
("Latina," I suppose, is the "theme" from an American perspective.)
This fooled me to some extent. The Latina Special is also the first
imported product I've ever seen them offer. Everything else I have from
IGM/Direct Video is American produced.
3) All the still photos and images used by Direct Video in their
catalogs and on their web site were part of the package provided by
this video exporter. The graphics for the ads (as well as, undoubtedly,
the decision to make Daniela the cover model) originated with the
graphics team or designer for the original Brazilian production.
4) The exclusive contract IGM has with this video exporter is for a
fixed six month period. After around June of this year, IGM has to
withdraw their Latina Special compilation and no longer offer it, no
matter how briskly or how poorly it is selling.
So, you may ask, by giving me this information, what is the President
and Custodian of Records at IGM trying to tell me? Do they or do they
not have Daniela's ID and address on file? I know there are "naysayers"
on either the periphery of this mailing list or who share computers
with someone on it, and either think I'm simply a fool for pursuing
Daniela in the first place, or think that most people in the adult
entertainment business are not honest and can't be trusted. So, I'm
going to play devil's advocate and ask their questions for them:
1) What about U.S. laws requiring all models involved in sexual
behavior, whose depictions are released in this country, to have their
ID's on file? Isn't IGM required to obtain them along with the
other materials they were provided from the exporter?
Okay, fair question. Here are the results of my research on this, both
before the SoCal trip and after. When it comes to the US Code Chapter
18, Section IGM falls under the legal
category of a "secondary producer." But, from what they are telling me,
they are even an additional step down the food chain. Furthermore, they
have never been the primary producer of anything I've seen. Now in
2005, a new law went into effect (thanks to Alberto Gonzales and -
I'm going to come right out and say it - the fascist administration he
is
a part of) requiring secondary producers to also keep records. But it
has been heavily challenged in court by the porn industry because the
extra labor and materials costs could put many of them out of business.
As a result, most secondary producers are not compiling these records
anyway, especially if they have a membership in the Free Speech
Coalition.
If you want to see how utterly ridiculous and impractical
the new "secondary producer" regulation is, you don't have to go far.
You know who could be busted or fined under this law? YOURS TRULY.
That's right. I could get a knock on my door from an agent of
the Department of Justice. Why? Because I have an ad with hardcore
images up on the VoltaBianca site - an ad I obtained from a secondary
producer who was already three steps down the food chain - and I don't
have any ID data on file at my house (the designated address for
VoltaBianca.info) to prove that all models are legal age. Could you
imagine if such an agent asked, "Mr. Gill, where is your ID information
for the model standing on the right side of the ad?" Boy, would I have
an answer for him. "Sir, the reason I created the web site in the first
place is precisely because I DON'T HAVE current ID information for that
model... SIR!"
[This is yet another example of the absurd results of any law inspired
by the religious right, social conservatives, and all other spiritual
knuckle draggers. If you want to guarantee that your mind, your heart,
your courage, and your libido will succumb to fuddy duddy land by age
60, adopt their world view.]
The folks at IGM could not come out and tell me directly whether or not
they had Daniela's ID information on file because they would be forced
to either lie to me (and falsely bolster my hopes for a forwarding
arrangement that would never happen) or admit something that could get
them in trouble with the Justice Department. By giving me the
information they did, they were basically saying, "We are a secondary
producer. Read between the lines."
2) If they really wanted to help you, why didn't they provide you with
the name of the exporting company?
Hey... Would you walk into a Coca Cola plant and ask for the formula?
There are trade secrets (or at least "deeper levels of information") in
every industry. Besides, even if I found the exporter, I'd still have
to go through another layer to find the primary producer. As of
this moment, I have two or three possible candidates but I don't feel
particularly strong about either of them. But I plan to write to each
one anyway. A company called X
Vortex
Produções Ltda. is conveniently located on the Copacabana
strip where all the rest of Rio's adult entertainment is centered. They
are listed in several Chapter 18 compliance
statements on line as being a PRIMARY producer, but they seem to do
mostly gay
and trans gendered themes, so I have my doubts.
One of the questions I wondered about in the hours following my visit
to IGM is
this: By now, has Daniela performed in more than one adult video
(keeping in mind that this 2006 feature is billed as "all first timer
footage")? Unfortunately, I can't determine it one way or the other.
Given the level of professionalism, beauty, creativity, and erotic
energy that practically overpowers every other performer, it's
difficult to conceive she would limit it to one time. Given the
notorious nature of Rio strip clubs (from which, I would think, the
girls have to take frequent breaks), adult video would seem to be one
of the few shots at a middle class life in Brazil for her doing
something thoroughly thrilling but not overbearing. Again, the 1993
Tarot reading predicted "a powerful sexuality" and it's extremely
effective on video. I can never picture Daniela working as a maid or a
fast food worker. She's too beautiful, too intelligent, too articulate,
and too talented, and I fear the effect such work long term would have
on her open, affectionate nature. The only non adult entertainment job
I know she has had - insurance - is an office job where she is serving
customers. Even that says something. But it is just as likely that it
is her only video to date. I strongly believe this opportunity came
to her and the other performers, not the other way around. Other
opportunities in Rio may be rather difficult to come by. If there were,
and she started to become a known entity, she would be increasingly
easy to reach, and that hasn't happened yet.
It's ironic, but last summer, I wanted to make a trip to the same area
I did this past week, just to keep my ear to the ground and see if I
could find some little opportunity somewhere in the American industry.
But the financial risks were quite ominous at the time. The
industry in our country is on the opposite coast, and you have to take
time off without pay from your regular job (and I only had one
part-time income during those months last year). Of course, I'd have to
house
and feed myself while I was out there, and considering the fact that
opportunities for guys are still a bit tougher, I chickened out in the
end and decided to put it off. Isn't it interesting that when the
matter just effects the quality and affluence of your own life, you are
very calculating and cautious. But when it all of sudden involves
someone you love more than your own life, you don't care anything about
the costs or the risks. If it's necessary to go, you just go.
So, in light of the response from the management of IGM, do I consider
the trip a waste? Absolutely, positively not. It was totally necessary
and unavoidable. Given the degree of security around IGM's building and
the lack of contact numbers, it was the only way to obtain the
information I received. Not only that, with each passing milestone
since the miraculous discovery of late February, my insights into
Daniela, myself, and this whole situation keep growing deeper. It's
becoming increasingly clear why the two of us were so attracted to each
other at that club. I always knew I loved Daniela, right from the night
I met her. Now, I increasingly know why.
With the SoCal phase of my research now complete, everything focuses on
Rio exclusively. Certainly, finding the primary producer of the footage
where Daniela appears is a high priority. But overall, I think my best
prospects are going to come from the clubs. I plan to write
letters to the club matrons (dancer supervisors) similar to the letter
I wrote to IGM and include several posters with both of Daniela's
images (including the full topless image) and basic information to post
up or pass on to the dancers. The reason why I now think this is such a
good prospect is because of the natural bond between the girls (and
usually between the matron and the girls) at the average club. The
girls talk to each other about everything, especially customers.
Furthermore, many people who have never been a regular at an adult
night club may find this hard to believe, but I have seen it over and
over again. Whether it is a dancer who is more reserved and rarely
mixes her sex life with her job, or one who can't resist getting it on
with every one of her regulars, it seems that the two highest values
the majority of them treasure is love and family. The whole hearted
assistance to this search that Michelle gave during its first year is
typical of the kind of heart most dancers have. Indeed,
love and family are their highest values.
If this is true among American
dancers, how much more should it be true among Brazilian dancers
working the
Copacobana strip, in a country were prostitution is legal, and night
after night, they have to entertain drunken, obnoxious European and
American tourists who are just there to blow off steam and treat the
girls like sexual punching bags? (My newest research, in fact,
indicates that the girls don't even dance in around 30 or 35 percent of
Rio clubs. They simply wait around and chat until they are picked up
and taken home
for 300 R$ or $150 US. But I ask, where is "the chase" in such an
arrangement?
Where is the art of movement? The seduction? The challenge of correctly
interpreting each other's signals. The glib, humorous
one-liners that bring smiles to the girls when they're on stage? ...Let
alone
holding hands and any long conversations?) When they read that an
AMERICAN man
loves one of their fellow dancers as intensely as I do, and that I've
been searching for her for nearly three years, I don't think they are
going to ignore it. They are going to talk about it and the word will
get around.
Yes, we are now down
to the wire. It is totally the Rio adult entertainment world and
nothing more. This is exactly where Daniela's life has been these past
three years. This is where people know her. As frustrating as this
search has been, I don't know how I can
ultimately fail with this focused a target, especially with the
intentions I have. Between the
clubs and FINALLY finding the primary producer of her video footage,
something HAS to happen.
I can't conceive how things can continue for much longer without
Daniela running into a collision course with this search. Unlike when
she was in America, she has no were else to go. And I absolutely MUST
find her. All the discoveries of the past seven weeks have so
intensified my love, desire, awe, and appreciation of her on all levels
that failure is just not an option anymore. It's either find her and
love her forever, or spend the rest of my life's private moments in
tears (occasionally tormenting myself further by playing along with her
video).
Please keep this search in your thoughts as we approach the final
target.
Love,
Jeff
http://www.voltabianca.info
P.S. I used the following quotes from my favorite natural health guru
previously in a newsletter from the summer of 2005. I am repeating them
here as a retort to the naysayers. The good doctor and I have the right
values. The naysayers don't, and sooner or later, they'll face the
consequences...
"Health lesson number one is this: Never ever stop listening to
yourself. Never stop listening to your heart, never stop listening to
your gut, never stop listening to your conscience. Your inner voice is
right 100 percent of the time. I know you can't always hear it, but
when you can, you must obey it."
"Here is a 'poem' from my dead patients: 'Hey guys, we screwed up.
Don't make our same mistakes. Don't hold back. Don't be stingy. We
wasted our lives. We didn't really live. We let fear and complacency
determine our existence. We didn't go far enough. We didn't live
enough. We didn't love enough. We didn't take enough chances. We kept
our mouths shut and didn't say what we really wanted to say. We should
have trusted more, believed more, laughed more, loved more, and enjoyed
more sex. We should
have
taken more risks and lived life to its fullest.'"
--
Troubadour 1700 AM
Shirley, MA
Home Brewed Micro Radio
Progressive Easy Listening Music
Progressive Talk Without the Gatekeepers
Live internet stream
http://www.t1700.net