Derek Hay and Shy Love Leave LATATA

Breaking story —

Member agents of the Licensed Adult Talent Agency Trade Association (LATATA), were notified today that Derek Hay’s LA Direct Models and Shy Love‘s The VIP Connect will be departing the group.

Mark Schechter of member agency ATMLA has issued this statement:

There has been a tremendous amount of dissension amongst a few members of LATATA that has been building up over the past 6 months that in my opinion led to the resignation of the agencies involved.  The majority of the remaining members have already discussed the agreed intentions to continue with the LATATA organization and welcome any and all valid licensed agencies to become active members as well.

As Schechter notes, there was been a good deal of acrimony between certain LATATA members recently. Hay and Love were seen as the driving forces behind an attempt to oust Schechter’s agency, ATMLA, from LATATA in October 2014.

In November, Shy Love sued Schechter for defamation. Schechter countersued the following month.

LATATA, the industry trade organization for licensed agencies operating in the adult entertainment business, was formed in 2009. Hay led the charge to form the group, and Love, then the operator of ATMLA, was among its founding members.

LATATA was organized “to form a union between all licensed talent agencies for the adult entertainment business. As one unit, the trade association has the ability to address issues that an individual may not be able to take on by themselves.”

This is not the first time LATATA has splintered. In January 2012, three modeling agencies — ATMLA, Type 9 Models and OC Modeling — departed LATATA to start their own competing organization, Agency Licensed Trade Association (ALTA).

ALTA was short-lived, however. Shy Love dissolved the group in June of that year and its members later rejoined LATATA.