South told XBIZ he has put his business up for sale, but said he has no definite plans for the future, adding that right now he is “burned out.”
“It’s up for sale, and if there’s a buyer, I’ll sign a noncompete agreement,” said South, who runs the company with his son, Jim Jr. “Right now, I just want to take about a month off and figure things out. After that I may reopen, or I may do something else in adult.”
In a career spanning more than three decades, South said the business has changed a lot, with producers migrating from Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys and North Hollywood to less expensive West Valley locations such as Chatsworth and Woodland Hills.
“These days, more than 80 percent of our clients are in Chatsworth,” he said.
South also said the growing field of competitors, who are not always licensed or bonded by the state, has changed the talent representation business.
In addition to World Modeling Talent Agency, Black Widow Talent, the Seymore Butts-owned Lighthouse Talent and the Tera Patrick Agency all have current talent agency licenses with the state of California.
Precisely what the future holds for South after his hiatus remains unclear. One thing is for certain, after 31-years in adult he admits that it’s hard to leave the industry.
“I’m walking away, but I’m not walking away,” South said.
