Post: #1

I am sure many of you have ran across this article at some point: "A Moveable Fiesta - Buenos Aires has become an expat haven like Paris in the twenties–except with girls in bikinis" http://nymag.com/guides/changeyourlife/16047/

It was one of the first articles back in 2006 that basically let the cat out of the bag (so to speak) on Buenos Aires.

One of the main stories in the article was about some guys that were photographing models down there:

Quote:So LoTempio and a few friends ponied up $20,000 and partnered with Tamir Lotan, the co-host of an extreme-sports show on Fox Sports en Español, to launch MariposaHD, an Internet-distributed fashion-and-babes-and-travel show that sells the escapist fantasy LoTempio is living. “What would you do if you could just walk away from your life, start over, and do whatever you want?” teases the Website.

Whether the show is a success is sort of beside the point. It’s already meant raised profiles and can’t-lose opening lines for its creators. LoTempio spends a lot of his time scouting for beautiful “talent” at clubs or on the beach, and there isn’t a velvet rope he isn’t ushered past. “We’re just meeting all these celebrities and models. And I was like, This is something I can’t do in the U.S. I can’t go to parties and hang out with movie stars, and I’m doing it in Argentina, and I don’t know these fucking people.” He almost can’t believe his good fortune. “If I go back and tell my friends what I’m doing, that’s more than every guy’s dream,” he says. “That’s the icing on the cake.”

I remembered the site recently to check it out again and noticed it is down: http://www.mariposahd.tv/

My question is does anyone know the real story of this? Ie Why did it fail?

Any inside scoop?

Anyone the the story first hand?

Thanks.

(Side note: I also did some research on the other people mentioned in the article, one was a real estate broker down there supposedly doing really well, but everyone in the article seems like they are no longer in BA.)

Post: #2

Yeah these guys played their hands masterfully. What they did is a model extended-vacation (so to speak).

I talked to the guy Dominic briefly to find out what was going on. The American guys eventually ran out of money and returned to the US. They were getting about 1500 visitors a month to their site which didn't even support the hosting fees, so they eventually shut it down. Such a shame. I actually know the guy that bought the domain.

Anyway, most of their TV episodes are still online, such as: http://www.youtube.com/user/mariposahd#p...6wrvQTEcnk

The whole concept of making a "TV show" was brilliant as a status symbol for the attention-whores of BsAs.

Post: #3

That was for all intensive purposes fake company that pretty much went nowhere.

As far as the expat boom it seems like it dissipated when the global economy tanked in 2008.

It is also harder to get a long term visa now in Argentina. Thanks to an economic recovery in Argentina, plus inflation, the cost of living is not so cheap any more, as it used to be in '06 and before. It's still cheaper than NYC or Moscow but that's not saying much, and it's definitely not a cheap expat haven like it once was. There are Apple and Ralph Lauren stores in Palermo now...

It'd be interesting to "discover" what that next hot place will be. They've been saying for a while , Colombia..

Post: #4

Ha. I kind of figured that gringoed, Partytime or Lumiere would have the real scoop on this.

"The American guys eventually ran out of money...The whole concept of making a "TV show" was brilliant as a status symbol for the attention-whores of BsAs."

This brings up an interesting point.

Trust me, I really appreciate the "move" these guys did as far as being able to presumably swoop a bunch of "Argentinian Models", but if they ended up flushing a bunch of dough, I wonder if it was worth it.

It says in the article they started with $20k, and I wonder how much they ultimately ended up sinking into it.

The reason I am mentioning this is I have been approached many times about "Glamour Businesses" such as these and have been temped to invest at times, however, I have never because I couldn't see an easy way of getting my money out or really caking up.

If they ended up flushing 100k (any idea gringoed?), I wonder if it would have been easier to just use that 100k to swoop and floss out of control.

I would be interested to hear people thoughts on this?

It seems like a pretty high price to pay to (hopefully) swoop a gang of models. (And obviously if I did it, I would convert, but I don't know these guys personally so I have no idea how well they did).

As a biz, this was obviously a joke and their videos never seemed very compelling.

The CEO,

"Thanks to an economic recovery in Argentina, plus inflation, the cost of living is not so cheap any more, as it used to be in '06 and before."

How is Argentina right now, cost of living wise compared to 07-08?

Post: #5

When I originally saw their site a couple years ago I thought, "How are they making money?" Figures. I'm sure they laid a lot of poon though.

Quote:Thanks to an economic recovery in Argentina

Link?

Post: #6

The CEO,

"Thanks to an economic recovery in Argentina, plus inflation, the cost of living is not so cheap any more, as it used to be in '06 and before."

How is Argentina right now, cost of living wise compared to 07-08?
[/quote]


I'd say about 30% higher cost-of-living... rent + food + transpo.

A taxi now for what was a 20 peso fare is 30, and so on. And the dollar hasn't gotten stronger against the peso, substantially enough to keep up.

Post: #7

Quote:Thanks to an economic recovery in Argentina

Link?
[/quote]

Here's a link. It's been in the news, in Latin America at least, a lot this year:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424...15210.html

The Central Bank of Argentina expects the economy to expand a respectable 3.5% to 6.5% this year, down from an estimated 9% in 2010, as the country continues to benefit from high grain prices and vibrant exports to Brazil and China.

Argentinian Markets Have Favorable Growth Winds

Strong economic growth and steps by President Cristina Fernández to signal her willingness and ability to pay the government's debts fueled a rally in the country's bonds in the second half of 2010 as investors hunting for yield amid rock bottom-interest rates in the developed world cast aside lingering doubts about Argentina's creditworthiness.

"We remain bullish on Argentine assets, as high liquidity continues to boost the search for yield and the odds for positive policy changes increase," Bank of America Merrill Lynch strategists wrote in a report.

Post: #8

It seems like the only person who thought those guys had a real viable business, and not a scheme to pull models, was the author of the article (and the aspiring swimsuit models).

Post: #9

"If they ended up flushing 100k (any idea gringoed?), I wonder if it would have been easier to just use that 100k to swoop and floss out of control."

Nah not even close. They invested in a lot of equipment which came to about $5k I'm guessing. The rest of their money was used to finance their lavish lifestyle including a dope pad where they often brought the models in for photo shoots.


"As a biz, this was obviously a joke and their videos never seemed very compelling."

Yup, it was just an excuse to get "in"

Post: #10

Well inflation in Argentina was running about 20% last time I was there.

Its still a cheap place to go but, after leaving in Sept 2008 and returning a year later I had noticed some things were way pricier.

Post: #11

Personally, I don't place a whole lot of legitimacy or faith in guys who appear to exhibit more flash than substance.

The most successful guys I know are generally unassuming types who don't use a whole lot of buzz words or go out of their way to make themselves out to be international deal-makers and players.

In my experience, it's the slow-moving but steady turtle who wins the race...

Post: #12

inflation in argentina is estimated to be 25-30 percent a year

Post: #13

(01-19-2011 08:48 PM)gringoed Wrote:  "If they ended up flushing 100k (any idea gringoed?), I wonder if it would have been easier to just use that 100k to swoop and floss out of control."

Nah not even close. They invested in a lot of equipment which came to about $5k I'm guessing. The rest of their money was used to finance their lavish lifestyle including a dope pad where they often brought the models in for photo shoots.

Well, in the article it claims they put in 20k (which very well could be low figure considering the theme of the article ie "every thing is easy and low cost in BA!").

And they continued this for a while to, as you say, "finance their lavish lifestyle including a dope pad" so it is not out of this world to think they flushed 100k or more.

200k wouldn't be out of this world.

Post: #14

I like the show and I imagine they had a hell of a good time making it.

Episodes are now available on Archive.org:

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=MariposaHD

Post: #15

(01-19-2011 08:05 PM)Roosh Wrote:  When I originally saw their site a couple years ago I thought, "How are they making money?" Figures. I'm sure they laid a lot of poon though.

Quote:Thanks to an economic recovery in Argentina

Link?

economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/06/overheating-emerging-markets-0