IamA female (non-performer) working in porn industry. AMA!

Would you ever encourage another female, or male, to attempt to enter into the industry as a performer?

That's a GREAT question. I imagine it all depends on the person & their reasoning for wanting to get involved.

If it's the stereotypical "I just want to have sex," then no - because it's a lot more work than people expect, and you have to have real dedication to make a name for yourself.

For some, it's very liberating and lucrative. For others, with the wrong intentions, it could lead to problems they may not be properly equipped to handle.

Thank you so much for answering.

Of course! Can't not respond to something so through provoking!

Can you please elaborate on the kinds of problems you're referring to?

What career they'll go into in the future. How they'll be percieved by the public and family. How to handle fame.

• What trends do you see happening in the industry right now?

• What shifts do you expect we will see over the next ten years?

Trends: a lot of films are becoming plot-driven pieces and there's an uptick in movies that require real acting and seek to incorporate both men and women viewers.

Shift: There's going to be a move to virtual reality porn, as well as the continuing trends of new technology entering into the industry and causing us to shift how we film and who we market it to.

How prevalent are drugs in the industry? How prevalent was sexual abuse in the pasts of porn stars? What percent have successful marriages and kids?

You'd be surprised. Drugs, from what I hear, were very prevelant back in the day, but I personally have never been offered anything hard - not once. Haven't seen it either. I think the industry has taken a big turn when it comes to professionalism and want to work with the stars that are going to actually show up and do their job.

Marriages/Kids: Honestly, it's the same as any other group of celebrities in Hollywood. There are a number that remain married and have happy relationships within the industry, but overall...it's the same as Ben & Jen or Brangelina, lol.

I wouldn't say sexual abuse is any more rampant in the past of porn stars than in the past of your average women in this country. As sad as it is, the vast majority of women as a whole have had something happen to them at some point in their lives - there really isn't a correlation when it comes to them going into porn later.

never been offered anything hard - not once.

It's okay, you can tell us

Haha - I promise my fingers aren't crossed behind my back! I legit have never been offered anything hard. I've been offered sex, but no drugs!

I legit have never been offered anything hard. I've been offered sex, but no drugs!

So you HAVE been offered something hard.

Touche.

I personally have never been offered anything hard - not once

;-)

Giggity

I love when my puns are picked up on! haha

Have you ever had a difficult time handling publicity for any "too kinky" videos? I mean, did you ever just stopped and thought "nope" this one goes to the back burned for a while...

Absolutely. I can think of one in particular film that, for me, was a little too rough. It wasn't something that I thought needed to be banned, or removed from the site, but it was something that I didn't think should be pushed out their on behalf by our company - it didn't fit the sex positive identity I feel our brand should be associated with.

What got you involved in the industry? What's the craziest thing you have seen/heard of performers doing behind the scenes?

Honestly? I like sex and I found the industry easy to navigate.

I've been in PR/Marketing for about 10 years and I started my own boutique firm a while back. I was doing a lot of writing and networking about boring subjects, so I sought out something I thought would make my day-to-day fun. I looked for companies that were local to me (I'm east coast), and found some immediately. THey signed on to work with me within days, and that was the beginning of the end, haha.

As for behind the scenes...One of my favorite stories was two performers (male and female) put on a live sex show for others in the industry on a yacht and at the end, peed into cups and were drinking from them. Needless to say, they were no longer able to use the ship after that...

They broke the ship with their bonking?

No, they just weren't allowed to rent it after that...ha

What's the worst/craziest thing that ever happened while you were working?

Edit: I couldn't careless, fucker. Thanks for the karma! P.S. Fuck everyone who upvoted me.

Edit 2: gonna delete this post soon so you guys can't take my karma away, HA!

I attended an expo in a non-porn friendly town (in the south). We were all staying in the host hotel, and immediately after the after party (which was open to fans), a group of protestors attacked several of the stars. As one of the people attacking was an under cover cop, there were no arrests made, we weren't able to get our hands on a copy of the security cam footage, etc. It was a nightmare, and quite scary to be honest.

Have you ever dated a pornstar?

I haven't - but it's not that I wouldn't. In fact, I've found that dating while working in the industry, even not being a performer, can be difficult. Certain assumptions are made and you're treated differently by potential suitors. So it may be easier to go the route of dating in the industry because there's an understanding "civilians" dont have. It's on my to-do-list ;)

Hee hee hee. To-do list.

haha, glad you picked up on that ;)

Even though you are not a performer have you ever been asked to do a scene? Or wanted to try it out?

I've had several people suggest I get into it, but I dont think I personally have the physical confidence to make that move. It has led me to want to be more open and try new things in my personal life however. For instance, I wasn't open to really filming myself personally for me and partner until I got into the industry.

Just wondering, as I have worked in different yet similar companies.... What kind of structure and "departments" does a porn industry have? , How does a normal day interacting with the rest (departments) work? Do you contact the girls & boys of the movie and ask them for quotes? Do you ask for toy promotions or is that on marketing/procurement?? . EDIT : Sorry for so many questions :|

Deparments within our company, or within the industry as a whole?

There are studios, performers, creative, marketing, traffic sales, affiliate marketing, etc. There are a ton of different groups, and fortunately, I get to work with all of them.

I work with other publicists to stucture deals or interviews. I work with studios to promote their content. I work with our affiliate program and our affiliates that have signed up to partner with us. I do work directly with performers to get quotes about movies or newsworthy items, to get them to write for our site - anything we can come up with to mutually promote each other.

As for toys, yes, I have procured those for giveaways, and have written some toy reviews as well. You can check out some of those on our "sister" site HotMoviesforHer. Here's one I wrote in the past...

http://www.hotmoviesforher.com/sex-toys/hot-toy-reviews-the-hitachi-magic-wand/

What was your most awkward day/event working?

Most awkward moment, was probably my first day on the job. When you get started and aren't used to being around porn all day, you tend to get worked up and distracted. I think it was figuring out how to NOT masturbate on my first day of work in the bathroom, haha

I was gonna ask if you get worked up but I figured you were like hr and are away from everything. How often are you on set?

I have yet to have the opp to be on set. One thing I haven't done and can't wait to!

This one's obvious and may have been asked already, but how big of an impact does piracy/torrenting and porntube sites affect your industry?

This is going to take a long time to answer properly. Give me some time to compose and I'll get back on this one asap!

why is the porn industry dragging their feet on VOD and an all you can watch service like netflix or Hulu? they should have been first. is it the rules on the different app stores preventing porn watching apps? one of the strengths of digital is that it lets you buy stuff and keep it secret from your spouse or SO

Well, as we are a VOD company, I can say we certainly aren't dragging our feet! I do get where you're coming from, as many studios are still distributing on DVD quite a bit... Sales overall have decreased in the DVD format, but until that well dries up, they will continue to release in that format, as well as on VOD.

I think the netflix style, membership format, isn't going to work terribly well in our industry because of the payout we have to give to the studios - it wouldn't be terribly cost-effective.

What we've done is move to a pay per minute format, that allows you to keep the rates as low as if you were paying $8.99 a month on Netflix.

One thing we've instituted is using payment forms like One Vanilla, which allows you to pay with a credit card that isn't attached to your bank account and doesnt require a name or email address associated with it - and keeps you entirely anonymous, and safe from your SO finding out.

The app market has nothing to do with us unfortunately. Apple and Android decide what's allowed in there and porn is not approved content. We're seeing an issue with this on the Oculus Rift, as porn isn't approved content by Facebook, and not allowed in the Oc Rift store.

can't you make a streaming app that's dependent on subscribing and paying via a website? like some of the in game currencies or gems and simply charge the in-app currency to play the content so you can argue it's not porn?

That's a great idea, but I'm not sure it would be able to get into the app marketplace because its porn related content.

Do you know any performers in the industry that have children? How do they react when they're old enough to understand what their parents do?

A lot of performers in the industry have children, and just like parenting in general, everyone handles it differently.

I heard a story once where a male performer told his son as a teenager and the child's immediate response was, "That's DISGUSTING." Until he got to HS and the kids found out who his dad was and thought it was "so cool." I doubt a female performer's child's friends would have the same reaction though.

I know, even as a non-performer, I struggle with the decision of when to tell my son what I do, and how to handle it delicately. It's all a matter of how you approach and frame it.

How does a male get into the industry? Also what is the truth about STDs in the industry? Everyone always says you require up to date testing, but time after time you hear of stories about STDs spreading in the industry.

The STD rate is INCREDIBLY low. We have no had a real outbreak in more than 15 years, since new standards were implemented to keep it off the set. Stars are required to get tested every two weeks and they MUST have papers proving this when they arrive on set.

If there are issues with STDs, it tends to be more so in gay porn, but in the more mainstream straight side, there really isn't an issue anymore. But the STD/Condom battle in LA is a completely different story.

Best way for a male to get into the industry is contacting a talent agency. They're always looking for new talent!

I can point you in the direction of several if you're interested!

Is there any prerequisites when applying? Other than a screening?

Not really. You have to get screened, they'll want to see photos and things like that before you're accepted, but mostly it's about having the right look for what they're casting for at the time, just like hollywood

Another question, how many Asian males are in the industry? I'm assuming that it's a really small amount but I'm giving the benefit of a doubt.

I actually don't know the answer to that. I know of several that are fairly popular, but I just did an advanced search on our site and we have about 18,000 scenes with asian male stars!

http://www.hotmovies.com/scene_listing.php?get_results=1&scene_performer[0][gender]=M&scene_performer[0][0]=246&star_search=

How do people react when you tell them about your job? Do you get a lot of negative reactions or are people generally neutral/positive?

It depends on who I'm talking to. I have surrounded myself with like-minded people, so when it comes to my friends, they're completely open-minded and know that I'm in the right business for me.

Other parents and some acquaintances have stopped talking to me, unfriended me, etc. but no one I'm close to. Even my family, who are Jehovah's Witnesses, have accepted it to some degree, haha!

Thanks for answering! I'm sorry that people have reacted that badly... Luckily the important people are more open-minded :)

I've totally accepted who I am, and based on those responses, I know we wouldn't get along. That's life and any sort of relationship! But thank you for the support :)

What do you consider the best and worst parts of your job?

Best: Getting to work with a group of people that are so awesome, open-minded, and like-minded. Getting to work in an industry that lends itself naturally to promotion and publicity, making my job easier. While it's still a corporate environment, there's less rat-race type stress and we do get to have a great time and party it up now and then.

Worst: The stigma and judgement from some. The thought I might be judged by future employers if I ever decide to go mainstream again.

Thank you so much for the response! What kind of companies would you like to work with in the future? Do you have a dream job?

I think my eventual goal is to become a publicist within the industry one day, rather than just in-house. But I love my company and all of the opps they give me to grow and expand myself and further my career, so I'm here for as far as I can see!

This job also gives me the opp to work with every company in the industry, so that keeps my options open.

if you mean going mainstream - my degree was actually in political science and I worked for a big name politician back in the day....I'd go back to that if I didn't have the desire to stay in porn.

I meant whatever you'd thought about doing in the future. :) How did you make the transition from poli sci to the industry? I have a background in public policy and somehow the change doesn't seem that far fetched.

Politics got me used to working with \big dicks and people getting screwed! Haha!

No, the underlying thread of what I was doing was PR and Publicity. I got out of politics when I had my son because it would make my blood boil and I di dn't want to be angry all of the time. I started my own PR firm and sought out porn companies looking for my expertise because I thought it would be fun - and it was. I love what I do.

I've heard the worst thing about filming porn is the smell. Is there any truth in that?

I've actually never heard that before. Everyone is so clean on set, I've never heard that being an issue.

The only smell issue I've heard of is when a star is filming during their period and using something to block the blood, and forgetting its there after the shoot. There was a buzzfeed video on that.

But since there are a lot of bodily functions involved and you're getting physially intimate with people, there are embarassing moments where "accidents" do happen!

This restores my faith in pornography. Can you tell me about some "accidents"? Btw, I love that you're answering basically everyone's questions. This post deserves more karma.

Thanks! This is my first ama, so I'm trying to rock it hard. Caved out some time to just sit and do this! :)

I got some good insights into "accidents" just by watching this vid. And keep in mind while watching, I know Ashley Fires and she is soooo sweet, haha

Is there some kind of wiki for appropriate naming of genres/niches? Or like an IMDB for porn? I just can't find lesbian face sitting rough enough or truly max capacity gang bangs (use the hands people, she's got hands too). I need to know if I'm missing out on critical search terms that could be improving my life here.

That's actually exactly what we're working to be! You can check out our glossary or our category section!

http://www.hotmovies.com/glossary.php http://www.hotmovies.com/category/

And if you want any recommendations, I can certainly help...or check out our sister site FetishMovies.com - you'll find some serious rough stuff there!

Godspeed you noble woman, thank you. If you'll take a followup question: What's your favorite rough scene?

I think right now it's the James Deen & Sara Luvv (scene 1) of Bound for Sex

http://www.hotmovies.com/video/281664/Bound-For-Sex/

I love the moment he acts like hes going to let her cum, and when she's right there, he just pulls out and walks away saying, "Wait...you wanted something?" HOOOT

what is the main misconception about people that work in porn, in your opinion?

That we're all sluts or that there's something wrong with us, or something happened to us in our pasts. 99.9% of the time we're just like everyone else out there, just not as uptight about our sexualities - and aren't afraid to express it.

Do you still watch porn for enjoyment, or is the thrill gone? If you do still enjoy it, what kind do you like/who are your favorite stars?

I do still watch actually! There has been some desensitization since I started, but I've found that it just refined my tastes and made finding what I like a little easier. I can sit and watch porn most of the day and not get terribly excited, but there are still moments where I'm like, "DAMN, that was just way too hot!"

I like some of the fetish stuff (bdsm light), authentic girl on girl content and rough fucking.

I LOOOOVE Siri (her body is just too perfect and hot to me) and Lexi Belle. As for the male stars, Tommy Pistol and Richie Calhoun are top of the list!

Signing off at 4:14 pm EST for the evening commute. Should be returning approximately 6:30. Thank you all for the great questions thus far!

Now here's me worrying something happened on your way home.

Thanks so much for your concern - just wanted to let you know I did make it safe, but with work responsibilities and the kiddo, I was unable to return. I will hopefully be finishing up answering qs that have been posed asap!

I'm somewhat interested in getting into the industry. Any tips where to start?

research, research, research! I can provide you with the name of some people to contact and their info. The best bet is to contact a talent agency first - a reputable one - and start there.

Also - if you know yourself, think of what niche you might fall into, i.e.., MILF, BBW, etc. and research the studios that center around those niches - it'll give you an idea of the content you may be involved in eventually.

Also, signing up to work as a cam girl from home is a newer way to break into the industry, but i think your best bet is to reach out to someone like Shy Love, an amazing talent agent that will take care of you the best!

Thank you for the info!

Anytime. You can reach out to me directly at [email protected] for more info!

Are you guys hiring?

You don't know how often I get that question ;)

How often do you get that question?

Just about everytime I tell people what I do!

So... What does your family think you do for a living?

They know now. I've told them all what I do. They aren't terribly pleased with it, but after a 15 year marriage, I'm now a single mom and I gotta do what I gotta do to make money to support my child.

Do your family know what you work as? If so, how did they respond when you told them?

They do know...and let me tell you...they're Jehovah's Witnesses..so it's a bit of a sticking point. But they're ok with it now - mostly because after 15 years of marriage, I'm now a single mom - and they know I have to do what I have to do to provide for him. And I do this job well.

I don't look at so much porn anymore as I feel that is nearly always pandering to an uneven exchange that is frankly hostile to women (choking especially). Women who are habituated to mistreatment must get into porn more than others, I imagine. You must have come to differing conclusions to have taken the job you are in. What does your firm do or not do (if anything) to keep from hurting women and girls? Thanks!

[deleted]

Thanks for the response. Can you comment on the what might be empowering for a performer or give an example of what you might reject as content?

A lot of women (and transgender) performers have spent their lives being told whats appropriate to do with their bodies and it gives them a sense of control to use it for what they believe is acceptable, without society judging them. But I think even more, it empowers female NON-performers, because it shows your every day wife and mom that their fantasties ARE valid and it IS ok to do what they want with their own bodies.

We won't take any sort of illegal content, anything remotely questionable about age, or consent, or anything that is truly obscene (which really is a case by case basis).

Who is the performer you most enjoyed working with and who is a performer you'd prefer not to work with again, and why?

I haven't met a performer yet that I don't want to work with, but I'm sure that day will come! lol. Favorite? I LOVED getting to interview Gianna Michaels - shes is a FIRECRACKER! Dillion Harper was so sweet, and Skin Diamond is just cool as shit! Oh, and I liked getting to work with Georgia Jones - very sweet, ambitious girl.

And how can I forget Ron Jeremy! The man is our spokesperson! Ha!

Are there any interesting stats about any certain categories on your site? I really enjoy watching solos I always get recommends from categories I wouldn't expect

That's funny you say that, I just wrote a post on female solo scenes for National Singles week. It should be up tomorrow, I can send you the link for that one as soon as it's live.

These are our top searches on the site:

fucking porn lesbian big pussy punish cock tit big tit lover asshole big penis pee asia butts make love cuckold ass fuck bitches family topless

and here are the next 200! lol

http://www.hotmovies.com/top_searches.php

How large is your PR firm? Is it just you or do you have a support staff? Also, I saw you mention that you used to work on boring stuff day-to-day that led you to reach out to this industry. I am currently at a PR job where I am SO bored day-to-day and while I am looking for other jobs, I was wondering if you had any "coping" methods. Or things you told yourself to make yourself feel better about it. I can get down on myself sometimes bc I don't see myself here but I can't get out yet so words of wisdom from someone who did would be kind of nice lol. Thanks for the AMA.

I actually disbanded the firm when I was offered a full-time job by a client. It made sense monetarily at the time.

My advice would be to find an industry you're passionate about. The beauty of PR and Marketing is that it can be applied to ANY industry, so find something you love and try to get into doing PR for THAT. And even more so... step back from the job and make sure you're giving time to yourself. It IS a 24 hour a day job, but you need to make sure you take time for you or you'll burn out - quickly.

I hope I'm not too late on asking questions, but what are your thoughts on the decision to remove funds from health services such as Planned Parenthood?

I used to work as a sex educator in training in San Francisco, we had a couple of sex workers and whatnot who benefitted from our resources, and I wasn't sure if you knew most of porn performers who went to Planned Parenthood or a similar service. I just want to know your thoughts on services like that being unfunded or removed.

I don't know of any that specifically go to Planned Parenthood, but I will say myself personally, I wholeheartedly believe funding needs to continue for their services.

Of all the work they do for women, only THREE PERCENT is abortions - and not a single tax payer dollar goes to funding the abortions. They are a much needed service for women!

Billy Glide died of a drug overdose. Sad news. Did you ever meet or work with Billy?

I didn't get the opporutnity unfortunately. I've been in the industry about a year and he passed in May of 2014.

Is there much sexual harassment type stuff in the workplace? I'm guessing it is handled like any normal workplace, but since sex is the industry maybe it's much less prevalent?

Interesting question! We are a very corporate, professional office and I haven't seen any instances of harassment - but what constitutes harassment is different than in regular offices. Because of our job, we have conversations that would not be appropriate in any other setting, but are totally normal here. It's just about getting used to and navigating the terrain - but every one keeps it professional - porn professional!

Do the males in the industry ever express regret for what they do? I've seen enough media and heard enough from performers I know personally to know that it's not a job you just leave at the office. The lifestyle and culture kind of follows you to an extent, you'll know people you never would've met otherwise and they'll sometimes be a curveball of an influence in your life (without going into details). But do the males specifically, performers or not, ever have remorse for getting involved in that industry?

I personally haven't heard of any male performers that have expressed that. I certainly know of females that have..but I think there's less of a stigma for men in their "regular" lives both during and after their careers.