Sweatshop28

By May, with the construction of the space finally completed and the staff hired, Baum Multimedia went

on-line. To commemorate the occasion Sylk threw a 20-hour party featuring naked women, plenty of

drugs, and the stylistic impressions of D.J. extraordinaire Danny Tenneglio. "It was like christening a

yacht with a nice bottle of Champagne" says Sylk of the raucous party that required four visits from the
N.Y.P.D. "Tenneglio played while girls were masturbating on-line in the booths. It was a very funny
evening." The humorous element escaped Fred Baum. He was enraged when he discovered that Sylk

was using the Baum Multimedia space to throw a marathon rave party. With the festivities still in progress
he sent a Gambino mobster named Mike Plaza to shut down the party. Plaza, who Sylk describes as a

"fat guy with killer eyes", burst into the room, cut the power to the 30,000-watt sound system, and took

Jason up to the roof -- where he relieved him of his wallet, slapped him around, and proceeded to dangle

his scrawny but exceedingly tense body over the edge of the building like a rag doll with soiled trousers."

Plaza locked Tenneglio in a closet and threatened him bodily harm if he didn't do him the favor of playing

a gratis engagement at a West Chelsea club called Central Fly. Then, picking up Jason by the collar, Plaza
informed the former president of SoHo Models that Fred Baum had - as of that moment - terminated his

employment. He told Jason to clear his belongings out of the bedroom in the back because he would taking

it over, along with his job. "Plaza had Tenneglio and everybody cleaning the floors and taking out garbage
bags" says Sylk, shaking his head in disbelief. "What an embarrassment." Fred Baum says diplomatically,
"My belief is that you spend money after you make money. He wanted to spend money on crazy Tenneglio
parties and make money later."

Model agencies are loath to admit that the girls in their stable are doing internet porn on the side. "This is

a very respectable agency" declares Katia Sherman, the owner of Major Models. "A girl that works with
Steven Meisel or Patrick Demarchelier isn't going to do this." Told that it's the models that aren't working

with Meisel and Demarchelier that are the candidates for this kind of work Ms. Sherman recoils in disgust.
"I'd love to believe that none of my girls would do this," she says feebly. Not everyone, however, is
shocked by the idea of models dabbling in pornography. "If they're beautiful, so what ?" says
Peter Beard. "I personally take exception to the word 'porn.' I used to go to Pure Platinum.

It was like dining on the Veranda Grill of the Queen Mary with campfires of flesh." Marco
Glaviano says none of this should be shocking to anybody who knows anything about models.
"Models are weird," he says like a man who knows whereof he speaks. "They'll do anything."
He hesitates before amending his statement: "Not all of them, but some of these girls will."

Interviews were conducted by Sylk in the privacy of his on-site bedroom located only twenty feet from

the two banks of booths where the girls would be working. The interview process was simple. Sylk
told the applicant to strip. He would then Polaroid them. If the girl was attractive enough he would
proposition them. Lori, who sees herself as a "Kate Moss type", says she interviewed for a job with Sylk

because she thought she might be able to eventually cross over to SoHo Models. "Once he mentioned

the modeling agency tons of thoughts and hopes were running through my head," she says breathlessly.

During the interview Sylk told Ms. Elwood that he needed to see how she would perform on camera.

"He tried to have sex with me," she says bluntly. "I kept my bottoms on at all times, but he touched

me everywhere else. We started smoking pot and he pressured me to drop some E. Then he took off his
clothes. When I noticed he was aroused, I told him 'You're not putting that in me !' Suddenly shamed

by the confession she adds, "I was broke. And he promised to lend me some money. That's why

I let it progress as far as it did."