I shoot hardcore, but not "extreme porn" as some call it. I try to create erotic content that women or couples can enjoy (not just men).
Many of us in the adult industry are independents. Thanks to digital technology and the internet, if you have a certain degree of technical knowledge, time and money to invest, and most importantly business savvy, you can make a good living as a producer in the adult industry.
Since I am an independent, and do not film extreme porn, I sometimes find myself at odds with some folks in the adult industry, particularly when it comes to the treatment of talent. Therefore, I would like to say a few words on this.
Annie Cruz has been mentioned several times in this thread, I'll use her as a case in point.
Annie came to me soon after turning 18, and as with all models, I asked her what her limits were (I never ask models to do anything they are uncomfortable with). At that time she said she would do up to girl/girl. So we got to work and I shot several (10+) projects with Annie over a few month span, eventually including some B/G and B/G/G scenes, since by that time Annie indicated she wanted to go further.
I genuinely try to give new models starting out good advice (control their content as much as possible, start their own pay site, etc - I have one model making money years after she stopped modeling).
I'm not an agent, nor do I ever want to be, but I do feel a certain degree of empathy with people in general, so I try to be helpful particularly to those whom my business depends upon.
Honestly, on the whole I feel like the talent is treated pretty poorly in the adult industry, so I warned Annie about some of the pitfalls of the industry.
Nonetheless, as soon as Annie hit LA, the first thing she was thrown into was the most extreme kind of content - anal, internal cumshots, DPs, gangbangs, etc.
In an industry that treats much of the talent as disposable, there seems to be a desire to force people into the most extreme acts as soon as possible, simply so the producer can make a quick buck.
Once the model has done a certain type of extreme act, it is hard for them to decline with the next producer. I feel many of these type of producers have little concern about the immediate, let alone longterm, well-being of the performers.
In fairness to those who Annie dealt with upon arriving in LA, she had an idea of what she was getting into, and walked into it wide-eyed, really wanting to become a porn star.
What some of you may not know is that Annie was one of the people that was exposed in the adult industry AIDS outbreak that occured last year.
Even though had she followed my advice, this would not have occured, I did not turn my back on her, but instead cried my eyes out with her on the phone upon learning of her situation.
Fortunately Annie's HIV tests came back negative. She subsequently got back into the adult industry. She's still a wild woman but much more careful than she was before.
Especially after my experience with Annie, I feel an obligation to tell models how they can maximize their earnings potential, and to be wary of some people in the industry who may not have their best interest at heart.
Ultimately in an industry of independent contractors, models/performers have to make and live with their own decisions. I realize that some of the talent is less than honorable too...I was taken for several thousand dollars by the first model I worked with, and I even recently had a solo site model bail on me after I paid for her $5,000 boob job, but I'll make my money back.
I'm happy to say that I have had mostly positive experiences with models/performers, and consider many of them friends. It may have a little to do with my niche, but I like to also feel it has something to deal with mutual respect.
First and foremost, I take a business approach since this is a business. Beyond that though, I like to be able to look in the mirror and be able to live with myself knowing that I try hard to be honest and fair with all whom I deal with, and that I treat people in the manner I would like to be treated if I were in their position.
Sorry for rambling on a bit...just my
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