How social media is affecting the porn industry

Abella Anderson

Social media has obviously affected how people interact with each other.

For better or for worse things are different now.

There is one positive change though and interestingly enough it’s for pornstars.

As the Sex.com Blog points out:

“…social media has made expressing yourself in 140 characters (Twitter) or putting a shitty filter over a shitty picture of some shitty food (Instagram) a lot easier. Social media has also given personalities to pornstars and a way to interact with their fans that wasn’t there before.

Pre-social media, the only things we knew about your favorite pornstar was what she would say in interviews or the beginning of a porn scene, which isn’t an accurate depiction of their personality. Now the connection between fan and pornstar is there, which is great because girls can use social media to accurately market themselves. I don’t know about you but I think knowing details about a certain pornstar helps me decide which pornstars I like. Without these details, there are so many babes coming in and out of the industry that it would be impossible to keep track of who I liked and who I didn’t.

Take for example Abella Anderson liking the Miami Heat. Even though I hate the Miami Heat, the fact that Abella Anderson is a passionate basketball fan makes me more attracted to her.

However, with this power to communicate their personalities there is also the responsibility to let them know when it’s over.”

That’s one way of looking at it.

via The Sex.com Blog

Keri Sable

The Sex.com Blog has an interesting post about the circumstances surrounding Keri Sable’s retirement.

 

Once touted as “The Next Big Thing” in the adult industry, Keri Sable retired shortly after receiving a lucrative contract from a major studio.

 

Read the full thing here.

Veruca James Interview

(This interview originally appeared on The Sex.com Blog on Monday April 29th, 2013)

A few weeks ago, I saw an email in my inbox from Veruca James. Naturally, I thought someone was trying to prank me because why would Veruca James, one of the sexiest porn actresses in the world, be emailing me?

So with extreme skepticism, I replied simply with, “Is this really Veruca James?” To my surprise, it was. It turns out that Veruca James isn’t only one of the sexiest porn actresses in the world, she’s one of the coolest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.

She was happy to answer a few questions I had about her relationship with Damon James, being from Chicago, and her WoodRocket.com show Naked In Public. So without further ado, let’s get to the Veruca James interview.  

Chico: Let’s just start with the basics, where are you from and how long have you been in the industry?

Veruca: I’m from Chicago and began working full-time in the industry in June 2012.

Is there an adult industry presence in Chicago?

Yes and no.  If you’re referring to shooting professional porn, there are a handful of performers who fly to LA to shoot porn, but no professional porn is shot in Chicago because it’s illegal.  Otherwise, there is a fairly large group of sex workers (dominatrix, cam girls, escorts and strippers) who are all also part of the adult industry, but might not always perform in professional porn.

I was reading a profile of yours and under assets it said, “Vast sexual energy.” Would you agree with that? Did your vast sexual energy lead you to doing porn?

Haha!  Where did that come from?  It is totally true!  I have always been a very sexual person and I do feel like it is an energy within me.  I think that inner sexuality definitely contributed to me exploring porn.

I think the first time I saw you was in the Funny Or Die Measure B video so I’m wondering what are your thoughts on Measure B since it passed. Has it had any effect on your work?

Measure B is a completely unnecessary and unwarranted attack on porn.  First and foremost, I don’t believe it’s constitutional to tell me that I’m obligated by law to use condoms, dental dams, face masks or gloves during sex with anyone.  Measure B would require that Damon and I use condoms when we webcam together in the privacy of our home, that’s so absurd.

There is no legitimate proof that our testing protocols are ineffective, so it doesn’t make any sense to start assuming that we as adults, need law enforcement to act on our behalf and force us to do what is our personal responsibility. There are blogs all over the place from people within the industry discussing all the specifics about why Measure B makes no sense, but really it’s basic.

It’s also nearly impossible to actually enforce the Measure anyway.  People have just stopped filing for permits, most porn is shot in private residences anyway.  Or people have moved their shoots outside of LA county or some even to Vegas.

It hasn’t effected that much other than just annoying everyone with it even being discussed.  I haven’t shot any less because of it and I have yet to use a condom in porn and there still are no serious concerns about massive STD outbreaks.

“Veruca” is a pretty interesting name. How did you decide on it? The only two Verucas I can think of are warts and Willy Wonka.

Willy Wonka of course! And for all those nerds out there that know that a verruca is a wart, they should notice the spelling differences.  Also, what about Veruca Salt the band from Chicago, my home town?  Actually, Veruca is a nickname that I was coined with well before I got into porn.  I’m an only child and I might get a little bratty when I don’t get my way.  I might also stomp my feet like a child when I’m angry.  So, some friends began teasing me by saying that I would have my “Veruca” moments.  When I first joined twitter in 2010, my friends convinced me to name myself Veruca and when I got into porn, I just kept it.

Your husband

Fiance! Come on, let a girl enjoy her engagement.

Sorry (and also congratulations). Your fiance, Damon is also a performer. Were you guys together before porn?

We got engaged in December 2012, so I’m still enjoying showing off my ring as a newly engaged girl.  Damon and I met in November 2010, so yes, we were together for a while before we both began performing.  Although, from the beginning we were always excited about taking photos during sex and filming our sex.

People who don’t do porn have a lot of trouble understanding pornstars in relationships. What’s the secret to making it work?

Communication and effort, just like any other relationship.  I think people get hung up on the monogamy issue.  They exclusively associate monogamy with only have sex with one person.  But, for us personally, we believe that monogamy is associated with a commitment and a relationship with one person.  We believe in sharing our sexuality together and being completely honest about our desires.  If one of us is interested in having sex with another person we talk about it, but not like sit down serious “we need to talk, talk” its more so incorporated in our flirting with each other.

So your open relationship (please excuse the lame choice of words) with Damon extends beyond shooting? 

Absolutely not, neither of us has sex outside of our relationship except when performing in professional porn.  If we decide we both want to have sex with another man/woman, then it is always done together.

So hypothetically speaking, if you wanted to have sex with someone who wrote a porn/sex blog for Sex.com you would flirt with Damon? And in this hypothetical situation, what exactly would happen to this hypothetical sex blogger that you hypothetically wanted to have sex with? It’s entirely hypothetical, of course.

Hahaha  I would need to convince Damon that he too would benefit in some way to watching me have sex with a hypothetical blogger.  Best chances would be to find a super hot girl to offer up as a fair trade

Sounds fair to me. You’re represented by Mark Spiegler. That’s a name I hear often and he seems like this legendary porn-agent that can make anything happen. What’s it like working with Mark?

Mark is the best agent in porn.  He has the absolute best reputation for only representing girls that are reliable, responsible and truly great performers.  He’s also very picky about who he represents because of his reputation, so he only represents 25 girls at a time.  Having a small roster also enables him to give each of his girls one on one attention and dedication to their careers.  He genuinely cares about the girls he represents.

Are Spiegler Girls like the cool clique of porn?

No, it’s not like that.  There are lots of really cool girls and great performers that are represented by other agents.  I think Spiegler Girls are just considered the best of the best, because they will always show up, on time, with the required wardrobe, current test and ready to perform an awesome scene.

You and Damon had/have a blog about your sexcapes in public called Naked in Public and now it’s a series on Woodrocket. How did the blog turn into a series?

The blog started around January 2011 and it was updated by Damon with photos of us out and about in Chicago and on vacation, fucking, eating, flashing my tits/pussy, getting girls to flash theirs and all that.  Our good friend and producer for WoodRocket recognized that our life really is as wild as we portray it and he asked us if we would want to bring our blog to life by filming video of our craziness.

Has getting naked in public always been something you and Damon have done?

Yes.  I’m not sure we have ever been in a city and not fucked in a bathroom somewhere.  We’ve had sex all over Chicago and NYC.  We are both exhibitionist, so we could sit around all day bored inside and as soon as you put us out of the house having fun, we immediately get turned on and need to fuck.

In your expert opinion, what city is the best to have sex in public in? 

New York – tons of opportunities and people don’t get their panties in a bundle about a little public nudity

What’s the funniest/most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you or Damon while having sex in public? 

Damon has a knack for having “bad aim” a lot when we are in public, nothing like trying to wipe cum out of your eyelashes and then heading back to the bar.  We’ve been caught before of course, that’s initially awkward but we are typically ready for that reaction when we have sex in public.

What about the best sex or hottest thing that’s ever happened to you while having sex in public?

Isn’t just having sex in public pretty damn hot itself?  I’m not sure if I’m coordinated or focused enough to want anything other than sex when I’m having sex in public.  We’ve managed to bang a few girls in bathrooms, so I guess 3-way public fucking is a pretty awesome story.  Oh wait, one time we actually had sex while standing at a bar!!!  That’s my favorite, that was awesome, thank god for short skirts and no panties!

What tips can you give to squares like myself that hardly ever have sex in public?

Watch episodes 1,3,5 of our exclusive web series on WoodRocket.com – we specifically address how to have sex in public and what you need to consider.

The format for the show is really interesting to me. Like episode 1, 2, and 5 seem to be actual sex in public that you and Damon are having. And then there’s episode 4 Veruca Loves Hotdogs, which feels more like a comedy sketch followed by a porn scene (which the porn scene itself is extremely funny and totally different). Do you think you’ll stay true to the Naked In Public title or can we expect some experimental/comedy porn?

As of right now, we are having a lot of fun filming the comedy sketch/porn episodes so I think you’ll see some more of those.  WoodRocket wants us to display our personalities and the sex is obvious, but the comedy sketches really let us “do our thing” and just be weird.  I wish I could say it was all made up, but it’s not.  I really feel that way about hot dogs and mustard.  haha  We promised WoodRocket we would give them at least 3 public sex skits for each comedy/porn skit.

Veruca Loves Hotdogs

3 to 1 is a good ratio for the show. The first thing I associate with Chicago is comedy. Do you think that being from a place with a rich comedy tradition has influenced you to be weird?

Interesting question!  Chicago does have some very well known comedians, but when I think of Chicago I think of crime and conservatives!  haha  People forget that Chicago is still a midwest city, with midwest values.  Yes, the city of Chicago technically votes more liberal, but trust me, most people would be considered conservative in their values, actions and morals, especially compared to New York or LA.  I think that my conservative upbringing actually contributed a decent amount to my desire/need to “let loose”.

Is there a lot of planning involved when you guys are making an episode or is spontaneous?

Depends on the episode.  Sometimes we just have an outline; for instance, where we are going to go for the day and where we know we can bang and then we improv the rest.  Other episodes have been reenactments of things we have done previously, which surprisingly requires a lot of planning.

Is any of it staged (I have my suspicions that getting caught in the stairwell in episode 3 wasn’t totally real)?

You are correct! haha  That was staged, but it was still us fucking in our stairwell, so it was real public sex.  We just added some staged aspects to demonstrate what can happen if you don’t take the right precautions.  I assure you, we aren’t shooting anything in our apartment and pretending we are in public, everything really is in public.

 How often are new episodes posted?

Every two weeks.

Are the people running WoodRocket crazy? I ask this only because they’re giving away this show for free.

Yes, slightly! But, I think they are on brink of something that will really take off.  It’s really brilliant.  They are growing with the industry and providing consumers with something they want, everything for free.  Really it’s not free, we need advertisers to buy ads and consumers to buy from the store, so we can keep giving everything else away for free.

So after reading this, everyone should go to the WoodRocket store and buy 10 copies of Sport Fucking #10? I heard Sport Fucking #10 is great and it also makes a great gift for literally any occasion.  

hahaha hmmmm maybe go to WoodRocket.com, hit like about a million times on our Naked in Public episodes and then contribute some cash to keep them up and running. I’m not sure if they sell Sport Fucking #10, but I always support buying porn, even if it’s not available on WoodRocket, please buy it somewhere else.  Also, I’m particularly proud of that scene, fucking hot!

 What did you think of being placed at #4 in LA Weekly’s Top 10 Next Jenna Jamesons list?

Honestly, I didn’t realize it was in numerical order.  I’m always appreciative of mainstream media featuring me.  That’s quite a few more people that know my name.  I know most people in porn disagree with the list for some reason or the other.  Let’s be honest, the mainstream take on our industry is always outdated and misrepresented.  But, let’s also remember that mainstream attention of this type is always good for us.

How did you prepare for the role of Surprised Kitty for another WoodRocket show Memes I’d Like to Fuck?

Thankfully, I had watched the video about 50 times before I was approached to recreate the meme, so I only spent about 7 hours re-watching it the night before. I really wanted to channel my inner surprised kitty!  I also made sure I got a good night’s sleep so that I would be bright eyed and bushy tailed for the shoot.

 

Big thanks to Veruca James, Damon James, Lee Roy Myers, and everyone at Woodrocket.com.