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February 11, 2020 · 8:56 am

AEE 2020: Hard Core at the Hard Rock, Final Curtain

by Rich Moreland, February 2020

Photos by Kevin Sayers.

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Call it the end of an era or the final curtain, but never suggest it’s a swan song. The Adult Entertainment Expo and the Hard Rock Hotel are no more, but the trade show is not going into retirement.

Here’s the story. The talk around the Hard Rock this year was what to expect in 2021. What is going to be new and different? Well, as it turns out, not a whole lot. The Hard Rock is going under a name and branding change.

“We are signed with the Virgin Hotel through 2023 already. They are thrilled to have the AVN Awards and Expo at their property,” Dan Miller, managing editor of the AVN, told me. The only real change is the name because the venue remains in place. Next year fans and industry people will meet and greet at the new Virgin Hotel on Paradise Road in Las Vegas, the same location that carried the impressive guitar logo of the Hard Rock.

Enough said on that. Let’s take a look at what this year offered.

Networking

The Expo’s opening day on the collective floors of Artist Hall, Muse Hall, and The Joint is much appreciated by media people. A modest number of fans are just getting into the swing of things. The bulk of them will arrive Thursday and Friday so movement around the three adjoining facilities is less crowded which means many of the stars are conveniently accessible. For an industry writer, corralling porn’s finest for a short interview or brief chat is hassle free.

Simply put, this is orientation time, if that’s what I may call it. Find out where the talent agencies have their girls, scope out the best times to visit the booths of the major studios, and check the layout of the novelty expo. For veterans like yours truly, the day is filled with networking and renewing old acquaintances before everyone’s schedule becomes too hectic.

My photog Kevin and I stopped by ATMLA’s (Adult Talent Managers) signing area to pass a few moments with a favorite I interviewed last year, Ember Snow, and one of the industry’s most likeable MILFs, Sarah Vandella. We first met her on a Girlfriends Films set a couple of years ago.

Stopping by Adult Time in late afternoon, I congratulated Tommy Pistol on another productive year. I congratulated him on a superior performance in one of the year’s top comedies, Love Emergency, but didn’t stay long because a couple of fans showed up and they always come first. Then I dropped by Foxxx Modeling to set up an interview with newcomer Paris Amour.

One of the fascinating aspects of networking day is an impromptu chat with a performer I’ve never met, but am familiar with her work. Early in the day I introduced myself to Victoria Voxxx, an AVN award nominee for a shoot she did with Kink.com. Very personable and I mentally put her on my list of talent to interview if time allows.

The Press Room

Kevin and I have learned that the best way to take a break from the hyperactive pace of the trade show floor is to retreat to the press room. Everything there is calm, bottled water is available (we are in the desert, after all), and talent comes and goes in response to interview requests.

We had some informal time with Cory Chase, whom we interviewed last year, spoke with Bree Mills as she passed through and with Seth Gamble whose acting talent is unmatched in the industry. Even offered a brief “hello” to Lauren Philips as she waited for someone from the media.

Good-natured Tim Williams and Jill Hagara are the bedrock of the room, checking people in and keeping everyone informed. If anyone needs anything, they’re the ones to ask.

During the week, Kevin and I networked in the room and, as we did last year, enjoyed our conversations with Captain Jack who knows every performer in the business (or seems to).

Later in the week, I reconnected with Jillian Janson whose porn comet is rocketing into the galaxies of stardom. She was sitting on a couch waiting for her interviews (she had a couple lined up).

Jillian’s no longer that skinny kid I remember from a few year ago. Lamenting that I did not get a scheduled interview with her for this show (it’s tough, she’s in demand), Jillian gave me a hug and we made informal arrangements for next year.

Getting back to the floor, Kevin and I spent a few moments with John Stagliano of Evil Angel early in the day and later with veteran actor Dick Chibbles who was holding down a spot at the AVN booth.

John Stagliano

No Vixen

In summarizing our sweep through the show’s major venues, three thoughts crossed my mind. First, some kiosks were cleverly placed among the signing tables available to talent. That was particularly helpful for fans in The Joint where corridors are narrow. The facility is a really a theater with tiered seating and a stage where the AVN Awards show is held. Traffic flow was much less congested so fans could move more freely from one girl to the next for momentary conversations and signed photos.

Second, more performers were there on the first day than I remember from the past, a boon for fans eager for a selfie with their favs. And lastly, director Greg Lansky’s Vixen Media Group was absent this year. Lansky sold his business shortly before the show to pursue other interests. In the recent past, Lansky’s presence was a focal point for meeting talent.

Sex Dolls

On a final note for the day, Kevin and I invested significant time getting an overview of the novelty part of the AEE, something we had done only cursorily in the past.

This year I had an interest in an up-and-coming topic: sex dolls. My knowledge of what constitutes a sex doll was limited to TV skits and off-color jokes. As someone in the press room mentioned to me, “who would buy one of those things?”

I was determined to find out and that is where we go next!

AEE 2017: Jillian Janson

by Rich Moreland, February 2017

This is the third of three posts on my interviews with Star Factory clients during the 2017 Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas.

I value all my industry contacts, but talking with Jillian Janson was an unexpected pleasure.

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Before interviewing someone I’ve never met, I like to chip away any possible awkwardness with a brief “hello.” In the case of Jillian Janson, I stopped by the Evil Angel booth where she was signing.

In the past, my luck with Evil Angel girls has not always been the best, but this sweetie was the exception thanks to the great people at Star Factory.

After few minutes of small talk, we were looking forward to our time in the press room the next day.

Photo courtesy of Star Factory and AVN

Doing Everything Right Away

Jillian Janson is blonde and perky with adorable eyes. She entered porn at eighteen in 2013.

Describing herself now as “twenty-one going on thirty,” Jillian has seen a lot of the business but admits she doesn’t know everything yet.

I mention some girls get shot out early and Jillian must have buffered her career wisely to still be around after three years.

“The fans are all about the new girl because they see too much of girls who work every day,” she says. Veterans know this and are aware of the pitfalls that can eat up untested ambitions.

A new girl comes in with instant stardom created by “doing everything right away—anal, boy/girl, girl/girl, all day every day,” Jillian says, “then they wonder why six months later, two years later, they [finally] win an award but they’re never working because they are worn out.”

She has learned to pace her career.

“That’s why I been in and out the last three years. I’m just relaxing, having a good time, paying my bills.”

But Jillian remains in the mix.

“I’m still getting recognized for [awards like] female performer, best oral, best anal. It makes me want to work even harder, to just be out there more and show everybody who I am.”

Jillian knows how to brand her name. She’s added feature dancing to her resume and recently launched her website therealjillianjanson.com (see link below).

“I still have a few things in mind to work on, but I’m so excited to get that [the site] going, it’s going to be girl/girl because I haven’t been able to experiment with girls much,” she says with a smile.

Increments

Proclaiming her to be a porn veteran, something that surprises her, I ask Jillian what three pieces of advice she would offer a new girl.

Her attitude shifts a bit with the question. She’s suddenly very focused and less light-hearted.

“You don’t want to necessarily do everything right away. You want to do things in increments. You’re brand new and you don’t know what you want to do so take it in steps.”

In her personal history, Jillian began with photo shoots, did boy/girl, “then a week later, what was I doing? I was on the bed with my first girl who happened to be French-Asian, so I got to experience another culture as well,” she declares.

“So many new things to wrap my mind around, but I have a feeling that I’ve balanced everything pretty well. I take enough time off, kind of make everyone miss me,” she says with a twinkle in her eye.

What’s Jillian’s next tip for an new eager starlet?

“Be yourself, be charming, be unique, be caring,” and most important, “be positive, be nice, if you’re not going to say anything nice, don’t say it at all,” Jillian insists.

But be prepared for the downside of the business.

“You’re going to get knocked down, so get yourself back up again.”

Jillian is determined with her words now, measuring them carefully.

Some industry people will “help you out and be there for you,” she says, but they’re the few, so “be there for yourself.”

And, of course, there’s the third lesson every fresh face who is instantly awash in dollars must learn, Jillian declares.

“Be patient. Be smart with your money. You don’t want to blow it on everything you want right away because the little things don’t add up to the big things that you want.

“I spent a bunch of money on clothes, three thousand dollars on a massage chair, never home for it. It’s just sitting in a storage unit. So that’s money wasted when it could have gone into a new car or a new house or getting a business together.”

Hit-and-Run

Finally, I ask about Jillian about her background.

Her parents were not married, in fact they never dated, she says.

“I call myself a ‘hit-and-run.’ It’s like you go to a party, you drink, you have sex with somebody, and you don’t see them for four years. That’s how my mom pretty much had me,” Jillian’s smile softens her serious undertone.

“‘Hit-and-run’ or ‘one night stand’ is what you call ’em!”

Her laugh is punctured with a touch of resignation.

Jillian, who is not unfamiliar with the LA party scene, does understand the circumstances of how these things happen, however.

Photo courtesy of AVN

“You have to have some fun,” this blonde stunner says. “The industry is so fun, the parties, the events, everything that goes on here. It’s an entertaining experience.”

Jillian Janson began her career as a web cam model in August 2013 when she turned eighteen. She was still in high school in Minnesota, working to help support her mother. Once her school mates found out about her other more grown-up persona, hassles developed and Jillian left for California after an agent contacted her.

This Midwestern lass considers herself to be an independent spirit. Talking with her hints at concerns over approval and validation, not at all unexpected in performers who start very young.

One has to admire Jillian’s depth of self-understanding when she offers her “twenty-one going on thirty” declaration.

I sincerely believe she is more courageous than she realizes.

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