The people I filmed first wouldn't sign the paperwork

Up front: I'm not a lawyer, and nothing here is legal advice. It's what happened to me and what I learned from it. For what the law requires of you, read the rules yourself or ask someone qualified.

Before I launched Sly Panorama in February 2025, I filmed with friends and girlfriends. When I asked them to sign the paperwork that lets a scene be published, none of them would. Most of that footage is still sitting on a drive, and it's going to stay there.

That's the part of starting out nobody talks about. Filming is the easy half. Getting someone to put their name to it is the real ask.

Why won't a partner sign a model release?

In my case, it wasn't about being public. Some of the women I filmed were already putting themselves out there with content of their own. They just didn't want to be seen in public with me.

The reason I heard most was "it doesn't fit my brand." Filming with me was fine for personal use. Publishing it wasn't. Being filmed for a partner and being published to strangers are separate decisions, and you don't get to merge them after the fact.

What paperwork do you need to publish a scene?

At minimum, the ID records US law requires, usually called 2257 records, and a model release from everyone in the scene. I didn't know those documents existed when I started. Once I found out, I asked for them, and that's where most of my early shoots stopped.

I wrote up what the records involve in 2257 requirements for solo creators, and there are free generators for the release and the 2257 form on my tools page. I'm not a lawyer, so treat those as a starting point and check what applies where you live.

How does it feel when they say no?

Honestly, it stung, and that's the part I took personally. They weren't against being seen. They were against being seen with me. That was a real blow to my ego.

It was their call to make. Looking back, there was also a mismatch I didn't see then: most of the women I dated who did OnlyFans only dabbled in it, with a handful of subscribers. It was a side thing for them, not a profession.

What happens to footage nobody signed for?

It stays unpublished. My understanding is that releasing a scene without everyone's consent can bring legal trouble, breaks platform rules, and can cost you your accounts. A couple of videos aren't worth that, so I keep the files and they go nowhere.

What changed when I started working with professionals?

My first professional scenes were in October 2025, with pro-am collaborators, and they ran their content as a profession. They wanted their names out there and they wanted to make money from the work, and the paperwork came with that.

That's the lesson I'd hand anyone starting out: this works when it's run like a business, with people who want the same thing you do. It doesn't work as a favor, or as a personal project you hope someone will sign off on later.

What would I do differently?

Ask about the paperwork before the camera comes out, not after. If someone won't sign a release, you've learned what the shoot is: a private one. That's fine, as long as everyone knows it going in.

If you're on the other side of this and your partner wants to start publishing, I wrote about that conversation in my partner wants to start an OnlyFans.

— Sly