Tag Archives: Jules Jordan

February 19, 2020 · 9:58 am

AEE 2020: An Industry in Evolution

by Rich Moreland, February, 2020

Photos by Kevin Sayers.

*           *          *

The Independent Performer

The adult industry is in flux and the evidence is everywhere at the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas. I’ve been writing in the business for over ten years now and what was once a studio-dominated industry is turning more to online webcams and websites.

It’s the influence of technology and money, of course, but it’s also more than that. The change is natural, expected, and unavoidable.

The trade show’s sponsor, MyFreeCams.com, underlines what is happening as does one of the largest kiosks on the floor, Chaturbate, a popular adult site offering live webcam performances. The influence of this evolution on the commercialized industry continues to pop up in discussions about the business today. Just check out the trade show seminars to see what I mean.

Simply put, camming gives performers what has been denied them for years: control over their image and their content. No longer dependent on studios, cammers brand their own name and engage their own fan base. Even talent agencies feel the pinch as the girls and many male performers, for that matter, need them less than a decade ago.

Does this mean that the traditional porn formula is dead? Of course not, it’s just been nudged aside so as to take up less of the limelight. Evil Angel, Jules Jordan, Adam and Eve and others will still do their thing, but the independent performer who runs her own show is emerging.

Change is often feared, but the message here is positive and we can thank the 19th century German philosopher Georg Hegel for understanding how it works. History is a living thing, he postulated, and is based on a concept called the dialectic: the interaction of the thesis and the antithesis to reach a new understanding called the synthesis.

Moving aside the clutter of language, here’s what it means. Every tradition (the thesis) will have an opposing idea (the antithesis) and the two will clash. The result is a new entity called the synthesis, an innovative way doing things. This is what is happening in porn. In other words, the big studios are the thesis (the tradition) and the online cammers the antithesis (the new kids on the block doing their own thing).

Technology is the catalyst which abets the “revolution” or the synthesis, the new way of doing business, and performers are the beneficiaries.

Has the synthesis caught on in the industry? Not entirely, but one company is out front on the change and illustrates what is happening.

*          *          *

Shifting the Power

At the 2020 Adult Entertainment Expo, I met again with Bree Mills who is a driving force in adult today. We talked about the state of the industry.

“I know that I’ve been a part of a change that’s been active over the last few years. I’m certainly not the only contributor to that change. Other people have helped to get us to where we are now as an industry,” she begins.

“I have pretty outlier views compared to most people in terms of what I think we can do. So, if I can, [I want to] inspire other people to follow that same path.

“The industry has come to a point where the performers have the power. They’re the brands. Studios don’t have [that] power anymore. [Performers] have the means and the platforms to never need to shoot for a studio again. They can produce their own content; they can monetize their brand. And then they can choose who they want to work with. That’s the reality and that is probably the greatest change that can happen.

“It’s not only going to shift the power into the hands of the people that are really at the forefront of this business, but it’s going to continue to break all of the old mentality and rule books that existed. Some of the most interesting content that’s being created today is being created by these people. And it’s because they don’t have to answer to anybody.”

The message used to be that “you got to do something a certain way cause so and so said [so]. Or you’re not supposed to shoot this with this person because so and so said [not to],” Bree points out.

In other words, times have changed and the synthesis (the new way) has arrived.

The chief creative officer of Gamma Entertainment gives us a peek at what to expect.

“They (performers) can do whatever they want and that is awesome. And so, I can use my influence to empower them in whatever way that Adult Time can [benefit them]. So, if you got a great idea for a show, let’s collaborate. I would much rather see over time less stuff that I’m directly doing and more creativity that I can inspire and empower [others] to do their own thing.”

There it is, the new way of doing business and Bree Mills has set the tone. She is the emerging synthesis, the new force in adult and others will follow.

“That’s how we’re going to keep it happening,” she continues. “I’ve created the best advertisement for this with my own work. So, if someone wants to work with me because they love what I do, great. Let me help you do what you want do.”

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

April 20, 2019 · 7:14 am

AEE 2019: Porn Stars on Camming. Derrick Pierce

by Rich Moreland, April 2019

This is the fourth installment in our porn stars and camming series from the 2019 AVN trade show.

Whenever I need honest, no holds barred opinions on the adult industry, Derrick Pierce is one of my go-to performers.

The porn vet is among the handful of male models who are sexually reliable performance-wise and insightful with their understanding of the business.

Above all, the Massachusetts native is an industry gem, a performer with acting skills.

While on the floor of the trade show, I stopped by the Adult Time booth to say “hello” and asked Derrick for his take on porn and camming. We later met up in the press room.

Photos are credited to Kevin Sayers.

*          *          *

Money

“The AVN show, and the trade shows in general, are now becoming more cam affiliated,” Derrick begins.

The driving force behind the change is money. It’s persuading the cam networks like MyFreeCams (MFC), Chaturbate, and Live Jasmine to market their product to a wider audience.

“They’ve always done very well, but now they’re putting a lot of money out to shows. As you can see, they are sponsoring AVN. I don’t know what the number is, but I guarantee you it’s seven figures,” Derrick speculates.

“Nobody even had that [financial] ability before. I don’t even think it was on the table.” He includes the big production studios like Evil Angel and Jules Jordan in that mix.

In reality, cam networks make big bucks “damn near printing their own money in some cases,” he says, and that enables them “to do things the production companies can’t do.”

Face Time

For Derrick, however, the situation presents a problem for the cam companies.

“The dilemma is nobody gives a shit about a cam girl. Not in person,” he says.

In other words, for the cam fan “to stand in front of them, to see them at the show” is no big deal, the certified martial arts instructor implies, because he has already chatted with his favorite girls online.

In fact, Derrick asserts, the show comes up short for the fan because he “probably gets more face time with them (cam girls) when he’s online than he ever would at the show.”

And, it would be more private.

Derrick’s honesty continues,

“Nobody cares about Tiffany451blue,” because fans don’t attend the Adult Entertainment Expo to see her.

“When you come to the trade show, you want to see Asa Akira, to see Abella Danger, Casey Calvert. All of these legitimate porn stars.”

What MFC does is accommodate a couple of hundred cam girls to attend the show with the promise of floor time, rooms, cool stuff. Just “enjoy have a good time,” he says. That’s “all it is.”

Ford Focuses

Derrick Pierce compares the cammer scene at AVN to stopping by a car dealership and seeing “rows and rows of Ford Focuses.”

“Cam girls are a bunch of Ford Focuses. They’re not doing what the professional girls are doing and, in some cases, I think some of those girls think they’re better than the porn girls. ‘Well I don’t do what they do, I’m a cam girl.’”

Derrick challenges that with “You’re not better.”

“Here’s the deal,’ he explains. “When you come to these shows you have two hundred and fifty cam girls to see and you have fifty of the top female performers in the business to see. Who do you think they’re lining up for? The porn stars because there’s something nostalgic, because there’s something unattainable” about them.

It’s like a “fantasy about who they are because whatever you’ve trumped them up to be in your head is who they are when you see them.”

“But with a cam girl, you know them. You know her favorite color is blue and she hates jalapeños or whatever her deal is, right? Cause you had time to socialize with them. So that’s the deal and I don’t think they’ll ever be on the same level,” Derrick concludes.

However, he comments that AVN and other trade shows now face a dilemma.

“Do you continue to take this money from the cam companies, which of course you’re going to? You’re in business to make money. But then do you phase out the production companies because they don’t contribute the same financial endeavor as the cam companies?

“When it comes to the trade shows, fans are lining up for porn people, but the cam people are the ones that are printing the money.”

Just a Cam Girl?

Derrick raises the question of how to merge the two, if that is at all possible.

How is the cam girl of the year chosen? For porn performers, it’s easier to debate who is the best this year because each girl has a body of work. The only reasonable way to select the winning cam girl is by counting up the dollars she makes over the year.

“Whoever made the most money wins,” he says.

As for joining camming and porn under one umbrella, Derrick believes the “level of separation” between the two will always remain.

To back up his point, he makes this observation.

“I just found out today that [on] MFC all the girls are solo girls. They don’t do anything with guys or boy-girl scenes or anything like that. I don’t understand that.

“Chaturbate has a couple of guys here, I noticed. How do you put them into play? Obviously, there’s a market for them too. MFC doesn’t have that, I don’t think.”

Our team’s photographer Kevin, who follows cammers, interjects, “We learned that they only allow women.”

“So, they’re completely man-less [and] it works for them, obviously,” he says.

“However they’ve designed this, it’s flawless in my opinion because they’re killing it. They’re making so much money.”

Regardless, the question lingers for Derrick Pierce.

“Are you really a porn performer? Or are you just a cam girl?”

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 21, 2019 · 8:35 am

AEE 2019: Kelley Cabbana

by Rich Moreland, March 2019

This is the fifth installment in a series on Star Factory clients I interviewed at the AVN trade show in Las Vegas this year.

Photos are by Kevin Sayers.

*          *          *

Everyone is Welcome

Kelley Cabbana is an established cammer who is breaking into shooting scenes.

Her content is exclusive to her website Kelleycabbana.com and will include more “girl-girl stuff” this coming year.

I ask about the changes Kelley has seen in camming since her start several years ago.

“What I find really awesome about the webcamming industry is [the] many different fetishes and different girls [available to fans]. It’s a variety. It’s like going to a buffet, you can have so much.”

Kelley continues. “More and more girls are coming on board because they feel confident” because their body type, shape or size doesn’t matter. Everyone is welcome because there are so many needs that are met with that variety. It’s awesome.”

The Florida native has also witnessed changes in the fans.

“They feel more comfortable coming forward saying ‘Hey, I like this and I like that.’”

Taboos are stepping aside because fetishes are “more accepted,” Kelley says.

What has caused this change?

According to Kelley, it’s all about technology.

“Social media has allowed us to open up a whole new avenue of communication,” she states, “and we have become more comfortable with [it].”

From what Kelley says, I suggest that camming may be one of the blessings of social media.

She brightens. “It absolutely is. I agree with that!”

Camera On?

With a new way of looking at social media under our belts, I offer up a few points about camming Kelley has made in the past: be comfortable in front of the camera, be consistent with your schedule, and talk creatively.

Though she feels at home with those things, that can’t be said of every cam girl, the former glamour model asserts. The disconnect some girls feel because they can’t physically see the fans is an issue.

“Unless they [fans] turn that camera on [from their end], you’re reading a script of what they’re asking you. That can be a barrier,” Kelley says.

She loves “cam-to-cam” because she “gets to know [the fans] on a more personal level.”

In other words, “you’re my client, turn the cam on so you and I can have a one-on-one experience,” Kelley explains.

The downside is evident. If fans don’t let you into their environment, she says, “you still have to be able to perform for them. So that’s the hardest [thing to do].”

Very Personal

I mention cam girls using their online popularity as a portal to enter the studio-driven porn business. Does Kelley agree? And can it work in the reverse with established porn girls setting up their camming sites?

She’s okay with both propositions.

“The industry is changing,” Kelley says, but “there will always be this awesome video production” because there are people who “enjoy the fantasy of the film.”

“But there is something to be said for being able to sign in online and sit and talk either with a performer that you’re connected with or a porn star [who] also gets on cam for her fans.

“Gone are the days that you couldn’t reach the industry on a very personal level.”

Again, Kelley emphasizes that interacting with a model one-on-one “surpasses” anything traditional porn can offer because “it’s very personal.”

No Amateurs Here

How would Kelley define today’s porn girl?

There are “two different types of performers,” Kelley replies. The cam girl “is due her respect for getting on cam and sitting there possibly for hours, delivering her services to her fans. The porn model is still due her respect. She gets on the set, she performs. She is a professional in her field. But is it fair to say that one is more professional than the other? Absolutely not. Each one deserves fairness in their field.”

Can we conclude that the cam girl is not an amateur when it comes to performing?

“She is not an amateur. She learns quite quickly how she needs to change her clothes,” Kelley says. (That’s camspeak for altering her presentation on a moment’s notice.)

In other words, “to make her money” a cam girl learns to switch scenes quickly according to the wishes of her customers, Kelley explains.

What’s more, Kelley believes cammers establish their own market because “they’re fulfilling the needs of the clients and the clients are realizing that whatever fetishes they can put out there, you’re gonna find that girl to fulfill your fantasy on a very personal level.”

That brings me to the quality of cam shoots versus studio productions. Is that important in today’s market?

Not really, Kelley says, and reassures us that there will always be a market for Greg Lansky’s stuff and Jules Jordan’s videos. “It’s great to watch porn videos for fantasy and they’re beautiful productions.”

Though cam girls will never reach that level of filmmaking, she adds, the porn fan still gets “the best of both worlds” because cammers “deliver to their fans what they want to see.”

Kelley emphasizes what is important about camming as opposed to traditional porn. It’s personal.

“You get to interact with a real girl who’s loving sex and enjoying what she’s doing online.”

In other words, Kelley proclaims, “I think there’s a market for both.”

Self-Made

However, I point out that cammers have to do it all themselves. Be producer, editor, and performer.

Kelly agrees. “Cam girls work hard for what they do. You have to promote yourself.”

And, that is no easy task.

“I feel like I’m self-made,” she interjects. “I haven’t worked for any large company. But yet I’ve had numerous nominations. I’m so grateful because in an industry flooded with girls, to be nominated for a category is very humbling and I’m very grateful.”

When I bring up my three-legged stool question, Kelley responds with a huge positive because in her view, camming is that fourth leg.

“Even though you’re a porn star, your fans would love the idea that they could spend one hour to see you on cam. If you can invest that small amount of time, fans would highly appreciate it.”

She continues,

“In this industry you have to do so many elements to make your money now. I’ve talked to girls who were in the porn industry years ago. [They] said all you had to do was shoot and dance and you were good to go. It seems like now you have many channels that you have to work.

“I’m sure the [porn] girls feel the pressure and I’ll see where they spend an hour or two on cam. I think that’s awesome because it allows their fans to connect with them.”

Is that the future of porn? Perhaps, but for now . . .

“It’s really cool to see how this industry is changing,” Kelley Cabbana says with a smile.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

February 16, 2019 · 9:42 am

AEE 2019: AINews Reports from the Show, Part 1

by Rich Moreland, February 2019

This is the first of two installments highlighting the 2019 Adult Entertainment Expo (aka the AVN Show) in Las Vegas. Our team circulated on the floors of the hosting venue, the Hard Rock Hotel, networked where we could, and conducted interviews to get an in-depth look at the porn industry today.

So far, we’ve reported on Evil Angel’s thirtieth anniversary and Nina Hartley’s thirty-fifth. We’ve also taken a look at how the show reflected the changes in our culture.

A pair of talented visual artists, still photographer Kevin Sayers and videographer/filmmaker Davyana San Miguel, provided the visual energy that graces these articles.

         *          *          *

Is there love between AVN and the cam world?

 If the last few years at the Adult Entertainment Expo is any indication, the porn world is experiencing an internal evolution.

That’s right, things are changing because the new kid on the block—the cam girl (and boy)—is altering the landscape of what defines porn, at least the commercialized version.

First, a little in-house geography. For those of you who have never visited the Hard Rock Hotel, the “floor” is divided among four major venues, three devoted to the on-screen industry and one to novelties.

A walk around the environs reveals that cammers are more evident than ever before. Not only do they have their own booths and tables inside the show rooms, they dominate the hallways that connect them.

That raises interesting questions. Are cam girls the newest version of porn girls?

Do cammers believe they are creating pornographic content when they perform for their fans and sell their shoots online? If that seems obvious to you, it isn’t to everyone and “therein lies the rub.” (my apologies for the well-worn misquote of Shakespeare)

Are cammers open to shooting for studios in a scripted environment?  It’s certainly outside their comfort zone where they interact with fans unencumbered by directors, cinematographers, and their crews.

And, how do the established porn stars—the studio moneymakers—regard cammers? Do the stars also cam as a way to build their brand?

In the interviews we did for Adult Industry News, I posed these questions. Answers varied, as you might expect, and we will look at some of them in later posts.

For now, here’s what we encountered during our meanderings about the premises.

Something for Everyone

The cammers greet fans in the hallways . . .

. . . And in the rooms! They seem to be everywhere armed with their connection to the fan world: their computer.

Cammers are not restricted by agents, you see. As a result, they are on their own to mix and mingle.

As a contrast, let’s take a few snapshots of porn’s traditional studios and the well-known stables that supply the talent.

The Agency Booths

We stop at the booths of a couple of modeling agencies I’ve dealt with in the past. At Foxxx Modeling, a brief chat with some girls we’ve already interviewed kicks off the afternoon.

The sexy Scarlett Mae.

The sultry Emma Hix.

And the perky BDSMer Emori Pleezer.

Nearby over at John Stevens’ Matrix Models, we find one of my favs in the biz, Vanna Bardot. Kevin and I met her recently on a Girlfriends Films shoot.

Porn’s Commercial Tradition

Then it’s on to the studios, the heavy hitters of porn. First is Adult Time, Bree Mills’ venue where . . .

. . . I renew old acquaintances with three of porn superstars, all of whom are up for AVN awards. We set up interviews to explore new topics we’ve not talked about before.

Tommy Pistol, one of adult’s finest male actors.

The popular Derrick Pierce whose on-screen personality is in high demand.

Then we have the talented Casey Calvert, a longtime friend. (It’s generational with our schedule making, as you can see. She’s electronic, I’m old school with my pen as we discuss arrangements!)

And a new contact, the luscious and award-winning Kenna James who later gives our team a terrific interview!

And, of course, Bree is there. We had interviewed her earlier in the day.

Other stops include Evil Angel where Katrina Jade is signing for fans.

And Jules Jordan where we pause a few moments with model Emily Willis.

Moving on to Greg Lansky Media, a rip-roaring booth pulsing with club music that engulfed the hall, we pick up a couple of conversations there.

We didn’t forget to take a quick look at the AVN booth (it’s their show, after all!) where a variety of girls were signing each day.

After some searching, we finally locate Sofie Marie, a girl (or MILF, depending on your point of view) who shoots for studios AND maintains her cam site. Later she gives us a terrific interview.

Before wrapping up our mini-tour of the rooms, we visit The Lair.

It’s sponsored by Kink.com, the leading BDSM porn producer in the business. Since the fan has to go upstairs to see the The Lair, there is the undeniable connection to Kink’s popular website, The Upper Floor.

And, as is the habit at AEE, an after-hours party for fans who want to pay for the privilege is offered.

Mostly, The Lair is a quiet respite from the clamor of the show floors. It’s vendors mostly with a demonstration here and there. For BDSM enthusiasts, it’s somewhat of a letdown unless the fan wants to shop .

Veterans

For anyone who writes in the porn biz, there is the “go-to” interviewer (and this is not to diminish any writer presently working). By “go-to” I mean the guy who sets the table for the basics about a performer. In other words, bio facts, personal preferences, shooting history, and the like. Everything that helps a girl build her fan base and gets the rest of us thinking about what we want to ask her.

He is “Captain Jack” and I have the privilege of meeting him after all these years.

Speaking of those in the industry who’ve been around the block a few times, our team briefly greets Evan Stone and has a short talk with Katie Morgan. No interviews this time around due to time and the hectic pace of the show. Maybe next year.

Then there is a new face and an old friend. For the first time, I make the acquaintance of Prinzzess Felicity Jade, a Girlfriends Films superstar, and update personal news with now retired performer, Daisy Layne.

Blended or Separated?

So, where does our brief tour leave us? For sure, the line between camming and shooting scenes is blurred. Take shooting, for example.

Today, the trend is make your own. Everyone, porn vets and cammers, can produce and manage their own content. After all, that’s what the fan wants . . . easy access just a click away.

There’s an old standby, Clips4Sale . . .

. . . And a newbie in the mix, Iwantclips.

At a convention that for decades touted video tapes and performer meet-and-greets, today cammers and studios play side-by-side. With Greg Lansky’s Vixen, Tushy, and Blacked responding to fans on the left of the picture below while the cammers’ ManyVids draws a crowd on the right, what does that tell us about 2019?

Well, maybe a solid “spank” in between to get our attention about a changing industry!

Peaceful Co-Existence?

In our next post, we’ll move to the novelties part of AEE 2019.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,