THE ENTREPRENEURS

Boyfriends and industry insiders Christian Compain and Mike Sinclair are classing up the service business with their brainchild, Black Tie Affairs, a global escort directory. Christian tells DNA who makes the best escort and why it’s not just about sex.

DNA: Do you find it offensive when people refer to escorts as prostitutes? Christian Compain: It’s not offensive, but it is incorrect. A prostitute is hired for sex. An escort is paid for their time. Whatever the parties choose to do is between consenting adults, as equals. Some of the escorts who advertise with you talk about having dinners. Is it not all about sex? Not every client is after sex. This is one of the misconceptions of the industry. Yes, 80 per cent of clients are after some sort of sexual release, but the remaining 20 per cent are genuinely after company for dinner, functions; someone to spend the night with talking or a travel companion for a holiday. What makes a great escort? To be a great escort you need to be the complete package. The clients who book for longer periods of time want someone genuinely interested in being there with them, not looking at the clock. A great body, smile and baby blue eyes will bring in the clients but to really make it in the industry you need brains, charm and wit. That’s what will get you sailing around the Mediterranean on a super yacht. Yes, it does happen! If someone wanted to get into escorting, what are your top three tips? Book a session with an actual escort to see how they run their business. Arrange a photo shoot – but don’t give everything away in your photos. Leave your potential clients wanting more. Decide whether you want to be a private escort or agency represented. There’s no harm starting with an agency and later moving to private, it’s a great way to gain experience and build your confidence. What age ranges advertise with Black Tie Affairs and what age is most popular? One of the great things about humans is we all have different tastes, fetishes and kinks. There really is no set age range, however, escort ages generally range from 18 to 35. What about other demographics such as ethnicity or location? That depends on the major epicentres. Sydney has a mix of white and Asian escorts. London has mostly Brazilians with a mix of English and visiting travellers. New York has a mix of Latino, black and white. Los Angeles is Latino and white. How long do escorts generally last, as an average, in their careers? There’s a typical line we hear in the industry: “I’m only going to escort for two weeks maximum!” Five years on we see some of the same faces. Some only use it as a means to an end to cover rent that week, to pay off a credit card or to save for a holiday. Others see the potential and turn their operation into a business and use those funds to start up other ventures. What is the going rate, generally? This depends on the location and if a client visits the escort at their residence (in call) or an escort travels to the clients home or hotel (out call). In Australia, in calls range from $200-300 per hour and out calls $300-400 per hour. In London, prices aren’t advertised online as it’s much more competitive. In calls vary from £70-130 per hour

Brains, charm and wit… that’s what will get you sailing around the Mediterranean on a super yacht. Yes, it does happen!

and out calls £100-180. The US is similar to Australia. Bookings such as overnight, weekend or longer are negotiated between the client and the escort. Why is there such a stigma attached to the industry? The major issue is lack of understanding. Some people still think of the “working on the wall” stereotype and it couldn’t be further from the truth. Escorting is what you make of it and what you put out to your clients is what you will receive back. I also believe there is an element of jealousy, especially in the younger generation. They see other young guys making good money, travelling and having a great time and they are working 9 to 5 on the rinse and repeat cycle. Are escorts willing to accept more for bareback sex? Generally all escorts practice safe sex as the message is very clear these days. We don’t allow escorts to advertise BB services and that has to do with Australian laws and our beliefs. How does an escort protect himself from potential danger or violence? It is always important for you as the escort to have control in the meet without being controlling or coming across as unfriendly. It is also important to text a friend where you are going, the time for the meet and approximate end time so you can contact them if something should go wrong or they can contact the police if they haven’t heard from you. How do guys make themselves more appealing on your site? A picture is worth a thousand words, so invest in a photographer! Creative, fun images are a great way to draw the eye of prospective clients. A clear, concise and descriptive About Me section and, last but not least, get BTA Verified. What’s that? Basically the escort adds Black Tie Affairs to Skype and then jumps oncam to show they match their photos. We offer this service for free and once an escort is verified, we place a BTA verification stamp on his profile. We’ve all experienced or heard of encounters where people don’t match their photos – this eliminates that. Do escorts often get asked for group situations or to be the third in a couple? It’s very common for escorts to work with one or more other escorts. A duo is essentially a threesome. Sometimes even boyfriends offer this service which clients love even more on a voyeur level. Are there any fetishes that people look for more than others? Speedo and brief fetishes are a dime a dozen. Let’s face it, most of us love them! Some escorts also provide master and slave role play services. What’s the difference between Black Tie Affairs and Rentboy? We provide a more professional service. We’re free of porn banners, keeping prospective clients onsite and not encouraging them to take things into their own hands! Our pricing structure also provides for escorts who don’t travel and those who do, and we offer a more personal service. Having worked in the escort industry, we know what the clients want but the main thing is we know what escorts need in order to run their business smoothly. We are user-friendly for both clients browsing and escorts managing their profile via the backend – no pun intended!