SAAFE forum
General Category => Politics and academic/media queries => Topic started by: Rachel Firecracker on 25 March 2013, 05:28:40 pm
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Hi
Thanks for clicking on this post.
My name is Rachel and I work for an independent television production company called Firecracker Films (www.firecrackerfilms.com). We specialise in high-quality documentaries for top broadcasters such as the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
We are currently developing an idea for a new documentary about sex workers, and I'm looking for people who might be interested in helping us: at this stage we are just looking to talk to people about the idea. At the moment this is not for broadcast.
Our eventual aim is to make a sensitive, insightful documentary series that challenges people's preconceptions of sex workers, and looks into some of the issues that affect sex workers in Britain in 2013. We have experience in working with vulnerable groups and have already met and filmed with sex workers but are looking for more voices. The documentary will be looking to train a group of sex workers, from any background or age, in business skills allowing them a possible opportunity to explore other career avenues. There will be a business guru training the contributors. There will be no suggestion that they have to do that once the programme has ended, however, through the filming process the brand that the group establish will hopefully gain publicity (in a similar vein to Fine Cell Work) and may offer an alternative entrepreneurial career for some of the group should they choose.
I am aware that appearing on camera is a lot to ask, and I completely understand that for many members of this message board, anonymity is too precious to consider taking part in such a project. As mentioned at this stage it is not for broadcast and just to find out whether it could be feasible. If this does sound like something you'd like to talk to us about, or if you would like to know more, I would love to hear from you. I can be reached at rachel.millar@firecrackerfilms.com or just send me a PM.
Thanks so much for reading this post and if possible please pass it on to anyone else you think might want to read it,
Best wishes,
Rachel.
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'The documentary will be looking to train a group of sex workers, from any background or age, in business skills allowing them a possible opportunity to explore other career avenues'.
Oh. Wow!
Are we to be saved?? **faints dramatically at feet of researcher**
Most independent sex workers already have these skills, running a business as a sex worker is much like running any other business.
If sex workers wanted to explore other career opportunities, going on national television is hardly going to be advantageous.
Unfortunately, your documentary relies on a very boring stereotype that sex workers are doing this beause we can't do anything else and somehow need both 'skillz' and 'help'.
Can't you come up with something a bit more in touch with reality that doesn't rely on mythical stereotypes please??
Natalie xXx
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well said and i totally agree.
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I agree...too many people think us girls 'have' to do this because we dont have the brains to do anything else. As pierced princess said we are running business', most of us doing our own books etc. Were intellegant and doing this because we want to...not because we cant do anything else!
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Our eventual aim is to make a sensitive, insightful documentary series that challenges people's preconceptions of sex workers, and looks into some of the issues that affect sex workers in Britain in 2013.
probably best to take a look at those preconceptions again, because your basic premise is not presenting much of a challenge to those.
You know what I would really like to see? A doco that looks at training a bunch of bankers in humanitarian work...now there's a challenge!
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Well said PP.
I'm a sex worker because I choose to be one. I don't lack qualifications or skills to pursue another line of work.
A patronising and misinformed post by the OP. I don't like the sound of this documentary at all.
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You know what I would really like to see? A doco that looks at training a bunch of bankers in humanitarian work...now there's a challenge!
Can you imagine? It'd all be over within the first ten minutes as the craftiest banker would run off with all the funding that'd been raised, to settle in Morocco and never be seen nor heard from again.
I'd watch it, though. ;D
(Sorry for going off-topic! With regards to the OP: Er, good luck getting a bunch of prossies into a TV documentary... Will you be paying their hourly rates for their time? If you really want to do something useful, how about offering all that free training in business skills to the underpaid workers who clean your office loos? In fact, you could train them to do your job! They'd probably be a bit more insightful.)
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Unreal.
I agree with all of the above replies.
I tell you what I would like to see... a documentary showing the ladies who have children or disabilities that do this even though they are often only ?20 a week better off as they do not want to rely wholly on benefits. The ladies who have bought one or more properties from years of hard work, even though they religiously pay their tax. The ladies who have given up professional careers, that they have studied, trained and given up years for, as they simply prefer this career.
This business involves me using the following skills:
Self awareness
Creating a 'brand' and a unique selling point, even when there was not one naturally
Creating and developing a website, including SEO
Social Media Marketing
Traditional forms of advertising, marketing and promotion
Self-discipline
Research skills
Time management and diary planning, general organizational skills
Tour planning, involving travel and accommodation booking and a lot of research
Having a polite, warm yet business like telephone manner, along with other forms of good communication
The ability to talk about current affairs in an informed way, history, science and all manner of things, on a longer booking
Creative writing via blogging
Budgeting for equipment and touring
Financial planning for future incall property
Daily bookkeeping and filing of tax information
Commitment, patience, perseverance.
The above is before I even speak to a potential customer and have to use my common sense and a touch of psychology in order to not only secure a booking but keep myself safe.
I'd love to know what you feel a 'business guru' can teach me about general business (though I still have an awful lot to learn about this biz) , all my clients bar one have rebooked, that has nothing to do with my physical looks or skills, but simple client retention.
Take a look at your own preconceptions before trying to challenge other peoples.
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Unreal.
I agree with all of the above replies.
I tell you what I would like to see... a documentary showing the ladies who have children or disabilities that do this even though they are often only ?20 a week better off as they do not want to reply wholly on benefits. The ladies who have bought one or more properties from years of hard work, even though they religiously pay their tax. The ladies who have given up professional careers, that they have studied, trained and given up years for, as they simply prefer this career.
This business involves me using the following skills:
Self awareness
Creating a 'brand' and a unique selling point, even when there was not one naturally
Creating and developing a website, including SEO
Social Media Marketing
Traditional forms of advertising, marketing and promotion
Self-discipline
Research skills
Time management and diary planning, general organizational skills
Tour planning, involving travel and accommodation booking and a lot of research
Having a polite, warm yet business like telephone manner, along with other forms of good communication
The ability to talk about current affairs in an informed way, history, science and all manner of thing on a longer booking
Creative writing via blogging
Budgeting for equipment and touring
Financial planning for future incall property
Daily bookkeeping and filing of tax information
Commitment, patience, perseverance.
The above is before I even speak to a potential customer and have to use my common sense and a touch of psychology in order to not only secure a booking but keep myself safe.
I'd love to know what you feel a 'business guru' can teach me about general business (though I still have an awful lot to learn about this biz) , all my clients bar one have rebooked, that has nothing to do with my physical looks or skills, but simple client retention.
Take a look at your own preconceptions before trying to challenge other peoples.
The above is so true, the amount of things we do that involve business skills is a pretty long list.
Girls, we are such a disappointment, aren't we? ;) ;D
Damn us for not being damsels in distress! :-*
Now, if you don't mind, I'm off to read up on the proposed changes to Google algorithms and learn how this will impact my business marketing.
#skillzinnit
Natalie xXx
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There will be a business guru training the contributors.
I turned a ?10 sim card, a ?20 dress and some condoms into a business that had a Turnover in the tens of thousands in the first six months of trading. Can your Business Guru match that rate of return on investment? If not, tell him/her that I'd be happy to offer my expertise to help them improve their business. My usual hourly rates will apply.
You're welcome!
R xx
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Indeed.
When I saw this after the week I've just had, specifically the work, travelling and self-organising I've done, the tasks I have completed despite being so tired I could hardly sit up at some points (including now), and the aims I have achieved in my ragbag of paid and unpaid roles including the one right here on our site, and with apologies to those whose PMs I still haven't answered (as well as honest whoring and somehow maintaining sanity, a household and a personal life) I find this particular thread starter so unbelievably, tooth-grindingly, outrageously offensive in it's sheer ignorance and bigotry that I am actually lost for words - I literally cannot write a response, or at least not one that wouldn't break every rule on this forum (and believe me, I drafted a few on the train home). Inform the press, somebody.
To the OP, shame on you.
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To the OP, shame on you.
Oh Amy they're the makers of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, I think they're beyond shame. OP is the 'business guru' you're offering Thelma Madine? Are we going to give up prossying to make sparkly dresses?! Thelma's Working Girls, does have a ring to it ;D .
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Our eventual aim is to make a sensitive, insightful documentary series that challenges people's preconceptions of sex workers, and looks into some of the issues that affect sex workers in Britain in 2013. We have experience in working with vulnerable groups and have already met and filmed with sex workers but are looking for more voices. The documentary will be looking to train a group of sex workers, from any background or age, in business skills allowing them a possible opportunity to explore other career avenues. There will be a business guru training the contributors.
Rachel, you are seeing things trough your eyes, maybe you should read this forum and discover we see things different
We choose to escort and doesnt mean we cant or done or will do something else, simply is our choice
Instead of patronizing wg s, offering a business guru who can teach us nothing we allready dont know, I think would be better if you start seeing this matter as it is, a preconception
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The documentary will be looking to train a group of sex workers, from any background or age, in business skills allowing them a possible opportunity to explore other career avenues. There will be a business guru training the contributors.
Wow! Condescending anyone? You make us sound like a bunch of handicapped human beings (with all my respect for the handicapped). I run a very succesful business, I'm my own webmaster, public relations, marketing advisor, therapist at times and my own sales person. Maybe you should call me to be the "business guru" and do the training instead of some nookhead who probably hasn't run a business in his whole life.
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Oh gosh yes please do send your guru to help me.
After all not only do I run a successful business and marketing campaign as well as travelling to other towns and doing the same and managing my accounts. I have a large client base that return time and time again due to my customer skills. Oh I forgot I also have a severely disabled teenage son who needs 24 hour round the clock care so I also have to do time management to ensure all meds are delivered on time and are in stock and that carers are pre booked and paid on time. As you can see I have no idea what I am doing and I am sure your Guru can give me an extra few hours a day to find time to get a job that earns me a measly wage that wont even cover the cost of my sons carers
I am totally amazed that anyone can come on here, have a read through the site and then still believe we all do this work as we are basically too uneducated to do any other form of work. After all we are all rushing to sign up to leave this work and train to earn a measly wage for someone else.
Believe it or not some of us have had further education and even undertaken degrees and had careers before turning to prostitution by choice.
perhaps we feel that as we enjoy sex with strangers we can use that to our advantage and make a very good wage and life for ourselves and our families.
As said above why not take the idea and retrain those who do very menial jobs for minimum wage? I know why. It is not really going to make a good programme is it. Bin men or loo cleaners retrain does not sound quite as shocking as hookers retrain to save their souls.
:FF :FF :FF
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Rachel Firecracker,
Has it ever occurred to you, as so many have said, that escorts WANT to do this? Why would you look at other "career" avenues if people are happy and satisfied with their escort business?
There are many of us who hold degrees, have studied at college or uni etc and are very intelligent people. There are ladies with families to look after etc. All of whom, having spoken to many other escorts are very intelligent lovely people.
I am sick of the stereotype that people are forced into prostitution and such, as someone else pointed out on here, this job requires a vast number of skills which you probably couldnt even fathom!
I seriously think your "documentary" needs a huge overhaul with the attitude, or you are seriously going to struggle getting people for your show.....
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Well well well, no reply from Rachel firecracker then???? what an almighty SURPRISE!!! ;D
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Well well well, no reply from Rachel firecracker then???? what an almighty SURPRISE!!! ;D
Lol, maybe she's too busy trying to reinvent her attitude... or maybe has gone off to find others she can "rescue" for the documentary ;D
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Maybe she's given up on her lowly, dull, poorly paid office job and put a profile on AW?
She's probably too busy to reply ;D
R xx
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Laff out loud xxx
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Maybe she's given up on her lowly, dull, poorly paid office job and put a profile on AW?
She's probably too busy to reply ;D
R xx
She picked a fantastic working name ;D
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Can we try to confine answers to responding to the OP folks, please? This is not going to turn personal, and the last few posts aren't exactly helping bolster the points other folk have been trying to make.
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I've just had an email from these people, saying pretty much the same as the OP. I'm not requiring business skills training, I have a pretty good idea the ones I have are transferrable, there is some other training I require perhaps they'll fund that?
Only joking.
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Can we try to confine answers to responding to the OP folks, please? This is not going to turn personal, and the last few posts aren't exactly helping bolster the points other folk have been trying to make.
I can see where you are coming from Amy, and I agree, although I think she has ruffled a few feathers to say the least, including mine. People will naturally respond in this way, as what OP has said is quite offensive.
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I can see where you are coming from Amy, and I agree, although I think she has ruffled a few feathers to say the least, including mine. People will naturally respond in this way, as what OP has said is quite offensive.
Oh, it's not the feather-ruffled ones that are the problem (even if I was too knackered to be ruffled).
I'm talking about the sniping about the OP's lack of response (and we can hardly blame her for not wanting to waste any more of her time), the inevitable suggestion she should become a prostitute in order to make programmes about prostitutes (which we get virtually every time and always makes me wonder how people think history programmes work) and off topic attempts at humour which do not address and have nothing to do with the thread starter.
Basically, anything that makes us look dim, overexcited, flippant and/or smug, especially when ladies have made thoughtful posts earlier in the thread to point out that we're not.
Back on topic.
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Amy, agreed and apologies. I could not resist, must work on that self-discipline ::)
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Well one thread on a small forum's hardly going to change the world either way.
But if we act like twats, we really don't have any room to complain when people (and especially non-industry people) like the OP continue to treat us like twats. It's more than possible to address this sort of banal, mindless rubbish sensibly and without returning to the playground, and it's equally possible to ignore it if we dont have anything useful to add.
Once again, back on topic please.
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Two off topic posts removed.
The purpose of this thread, should it remain open, is to discuss the topic begun by the OP in her thread starter. If this turns out to not be possible (and I've asked people to get back on topic twice already), then it may as well be locked.
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I have just had an email from them on AW asking me if I would be interested in doing this programme and being trained in fashion and having our own label so we can sell our designs etc.
I suppose the label will be something like, Hooker designs, or happy hooker.
I did email back and say that perhaps they should be targetting people with little or no education who do need help gaining work experience and careers.
I did also say I was quite annoyed that she has already decided that I and many others do this work as we cannot do anything else and that I find that quite short sighted and she should perhaps try thinking for herself instead of following media hype.
I also said perhaps if she had to use escorts in a rpogramme she did a very boring one that was against media views and had a factual programme about why we do this work. I.e no drugs, no pimps and by our own choice
As of yet no reply
To me she is yet another media vulture hoping to make money off our backs by showing how needy and useless we are and that is why we have to do sex work. :FF :FF
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Hi,
Finally a reply - apologies there wasn't one sooner.
I do not wish to offend anyone and apologies if I have done. This is not a patronising programme and the reason a business was thought a good idea was as speaking an escort we were told that any escort must have good business skills to make it.
This is not suggesting the women have to give up their work and most of the women I speak to have choosen to escort, however, like most jobs, some of the people I've spoken to have got bored of escorting/ fancy something different / are interested in other work opportunities to compliment their business.
I know it is not for everyone and I completely understand that but there may be people out there that would like to give it a go.
Thanks,
Rachel.
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Whilst I've no doubt that there are people (and some 'escorts' are male) who would like to give it a go, what I don't understand is how appearing on television will benefit them in any way? Very few people showing themselves on TV in any identifiable way as a prostitute are going to remain in business for long once they start getting recognised, and I'm not convinced you are in any position to explain the potential repercussions of doing so to people who may contact you, because I don't think you fully understand them yourself.
Leaving aside the fact that designing, manufacturing and selling a product is poles apart from providing a paid professional service, there is help out there for anybody who wishes to start a business, whether or not they do so alongside continuing sex work or not. To the best of my knowledge, waving the 'I'm a prossie' flag on television isn't part of any exit strategy I've ever heard. Out of interest, which other occupations made your shortlist?