The following post is something I’ve been wanting to get off my chest for awhile and ended up taking the form of a reply in the “comments” section of a popular urban gay porn blog which recently featured an article about the murder of another porn producer by a former model in which the blogger and several commenters once again seemed to imply – without any evidence or apparent compassion – that the producer was somehow to blame for his own brutal murder. Some even seemed to be rooting for the same thing to happen to me!
This was just the latest and most extreme version of a disturbing trend I’ve been noticing on various porn blogs and social media lately where porn producers and models are casually and in some cases viciously mocked, attacked, slandered, and judged with self-righteous contempt by the very same audience watching and enjoying our movies.
So the following are a few thoughts that I’ve been wanting to share for the past couple months, and just kind of boiled to the surface when I saw the calloused way some people were reacting to the tragic story of yet another porn producer’s senseless murder. I’m sure the people who most need to read this probably won’t ever see it, but I still wanted to get it off my chest and speak up in defense of the “good” producers out there:
I agree that this is a conversation worth having, and shady business dealings like those you describe should be exposed and opposed by consumers, models, AND other producers.
But I don’t think all of this vague talk about anonymous “evil” producers does anyone any good or takes any concrete or positive steps toward accomplishing these goals. All it ends up doing is painting the entire adult entertainment industry with an unfairly broad brush and perpetuating a wildly inaccurate stereotype of the adult industry as some kind of seedy and semi-criminal underworld of greedy, predatory producers and drug-addicted, suicidal models. Which I’m sure is perfectly fine for many of your readers, since this only makes it easier to justify their regular consumption of stolen/pirated content and total lack of financial support for the porn studios they regularly watch. But I digress.
There are dishonest and shady people in every business, and the adult industry is no exception. But in the nearly eight years I’ve been working in this industry (starting out as a lover of good porn much like yourself and most of your readers), I have yet to meet anyone even close to resembling the almost comically villainous caricatures regularly described on this blog. The vast majority of people I’ve met in this industry are honest, hard-working, and shockingly “normal” people who have a passion for porn and are just trying to make a living like anyone else.
One of my very first friends and mentors in the industry (the Marketing Director for Badpuppy) was actually a straight and married “Soccer Mom” with two teenage kids, and the sweetest, kindest person you could ever meet. Another friend and mentor was a gay college professor who started his site as a side hobby and over time turned it into a successful business after a lot of sleepless nights and hard work. Most of us are not the ruthless “pimps” you’d think based on this blog, and we try our best to treat our models and business associates with the same honesty and respect we’d expect in return.
Which is why I think you should start putting your money where your mouth is and calling out these shady porn studios by name. Instead of offering the disclaimer that you’re only talking about SOME but not ALL porn producers, why not be specific and tell us who you’re talking about? Who EXACTLY are these “evil” producers and who are the “good” ones? And are you willing to boycott these studios both on this blog and as a porn viewer?
And just to be clear, I’m talking about responsibly researched and fact-based reporting, not simply repeating unsubstantiated gossip or hearsay from delusional Internet trolls or disgruntled and dishonest ex-models with chips on their shoulders. If your allegations are accurate, they more than likely won’t sue, and even if they do, what better opportunity to actually PROVE and EXPOSE the unethical behavior described in this post?
This clarity and specificity will ultimately be better for EVERYONE – viewers, models, AND the “good” producers who treat their models with honesty, fairness, and respect, and don’t like seeing their entire industry constantly being maligned and attacked on porn blogs like this.
I’d also like you and your readers to clarify the EXACT model age at which producers are no longer considered “predators”? 21? 25? 30? With the commitment that you will of course no longer watch or promote videos from studios working with models under that age.
Because last I checked, adult entertainment is LEGAL in this country and all of the producers I know (myself included) are working with CONSENTING ADULTS who are old enough to vote, live on their own, and risk their lives fighting for our country in the military. But based on the way some of these ignorant commenters talk, you’d think we were all sex traffickers and pedophiles who need to be locked up for creating the very same content they routinely jack off to and are on here talking about 24/7.
Unless, of course, one believes that producing gay erotic entertainment starring CONSENTING ADULTS is itself “sleazy” and “evil,” which I strongly suspect is the case for many if not most of the people regularly leaving comments on this blog. And if that’s the case, I’d suggest taking a good, long look in the mirror and asking yourself why you spend so much time watching gay porn and visiting a gay porn blog if that is how you truly feel about the people who make it?
VERY WELL stated Mike.
Great Post! Very insightful article. How did the several days of filming go and will it be possible for you to post some kind of preview? Thanks!
These critics are always quick to judge yet continue to be porn’s best customers. I tell you..the hypocrisy is real.
There was another porn producer murdered? Who?
It was the director/producer from Jock Physical.com. It happened in November.
this is the only gay blog that I’ve ever visited… but I have notice some trolls on here from time to time.
I saw that foolishness posted on LS. I’m not trying to give him any additional hits. One person said “these boys are being manipulated”. I was trying to understand if they were suggesting that these are underage kids not capable of reading and understanding a contract? I’m not being shady I’m seriously trying to understand. Are producers disguising, downplaying or not fully explaining the fact that these videos will be posted online for the world to see and then the model snaps when family and friends discover them? Whose responsibility is it to explain the chain of events that will occur before, during and after the shoot, the producer or model? Legitimate porn is legal so it would seem that these are not underage boys wandering into the studio by accident but consenting adults that choose this line of work. Perhaps more research, negotiation or an agent is required on their part if they feel the compensation or terms and conditions of the shoot are unsatisfactory. Either way you can’t agree, jerk off, then dispute and then murder. As a father that lost his child by way of fire, peace to the family of the gentleman who passed away. Mike, I do hope you have some measures in place should you come in contact with a potential nutcase but let’s not speak that into existence.
While yes, those who are 18 are of legal age, but let’s stop pretending that teenagers (which is the demographic most porn producers desire the most) are capable of thinking in the long term about the repercussions of their decisions. You add on the fact that various sums of money is being waved in their face and it’s not hard to see how they can be manipulated.
I mean the whole premise of this site and many others is “So and so is broke and desperate and therefore they’re able to be talked into doing this or that on camera.” While I understand that part of that is fantasy, I also believe that there’s a bit a truth in there as well. You can’t tell me that if you’re dealing with teenagers who aren’t mentally or emotionally mature or even someone in their twenties or older who are in a bad place in their life, financially or otherwise, that most producers don’t prey on and take advantage of that on some level. Correct me if I’m wrong, but have you ever turned away an applicant because you felt they didn’t understand the full scope of what they were getting into? I mean I certainly don’t know Mike or any of the producers he named above but just because they think they’re nice people doesn’t mean they actually are. Donald Trump thinks he’s a nice person too. Sleezeballs don’t tend to actively come out and say “Hey, I’m a sleezeball”
That whole “good” producer versus “bad” producer reminds me of the issue that’s going on with police officers right now. You have all these bad cops who are doing all this illegal and unethical shit and yet the so called good cops who work along side them turn the other way and never call them out. Most of these “good” cops even cover for the bad ones.
I’ve noticed that EVERY porn performer who complains is ALWAYS labeled as “disgruntled” or “dishonest” with a chip on their shoulder no matter how valid their claims are so that whole bit is disingenuous. What chance does a porn model who is living paycheck to paycheck have against a porn company who is making millions of dollars? So if you don’t want the whole industry to be labeled as predatory then the so called “good” producers have to be the ones who actively call out the bad ones because the porn performers themselves won’t be believed either way.
I’m not anti porn and I think there are porn performers who are happy, healthy and love what they do, but the negative image of the porn business didn’t appear out of thin air. It exists for a reason. So instead of getting angry at the viewers for buying into that image because that’s mostly what they see and hear about the majority of the time or in the case of performers what they experience, how about the good producers start making a bigger effort to stamp out the bad elements of the industry.
I agree. JD. It’s sort of sad that someone who isn’t legally able to drink can enter into an eternal contract. Maybe have it be a 6-12 month contract. I really don’t know what the answer is.
I agree that the adult industry needs to do a better job of holding each other accountable and stamping out the “sleazy” elements that fuel the negative stereotypes and make the rest of us look bad. But the comparison to good police making excuses and covering up for bad police isn’t very fair or accurate because unlike police, porn producers aren’t working side by side as co-workers in the same workplace environment. We can loosely be considered “colleagues” but we are also COMPETITORS who are spread out all over the country and working independently from one another. We’re rarely going to witness unethical and abusive behavior firsthand in the same direct way that police officers will, and even if/when we do, it’s not likely to be taken seriously coming from a business rival.
That being said, based on my interactions with other producers through industry conferences and online forums, I’ve been surprised and encouraged to see that these questions and issues are very much on the minds of other producers, and when someone is caught cheating their customers or mistreating their models, there is usually a collective effort to confront and even boycott these shady producers.
As far as the age of porn consent is concerned, only in America do we still cling to this fairy tale notion of teenagers and young adults as being naive, vulnerable, helpless, innocent, and in constant need of coddling and moral protection – especially where their sexuality is concerned!
My feeling is that if we as a society consider someone old enough to get married, live on their own, vote, drive, be tried in court and incarcerated or even executed as an adult, risk their lives overseas in the military, and enter into all sorts of other legally binding contracts, then it should be perfectly acceptable for them to take off their clothes and engage in sexual acts on camera for the LEGAL entertainment of others. I understand that this is a controversial issue about which reasonable adults can disagree, but can we at least stop labeling producers as “predators” for working with consenting LEGAL-AGED models?!?
Like I said in my earlier post, if one feels strongly about this issue, please make it known at what EXACT (and, yes, ARBITRARY) age this stops being “sleazy” and put your money where your mouth is by no longer watching or supporting content from studios who work with models under that age. If this includes BBA, then so be it.
Now of course we as producers should NEVER trick, mislead, or deceive our models, regardless of their age. We shouldn’t stroke their egos with false hopes of becoming rich and famous (porn is not nearly as lucrative as many viewers still seem to think, not even for the producers), or downplay the risk of exposure in this day and age of a global Internet and social media.
To answer your question, I ALWAYS stress the risk of exposure and make sure models consider the consequences before deciding to do porn. I’ll admit that I didn’t always do a great job of this in the early days when the site was still new and lesser known, but ever since learning the hard way just how bad the exposure can get and how homophobic and hateful some people can be in some cases, I try to do everything I can to warn them when I get the sense they haven’t thought everything through.
And yes, I have even had a situation where the model did a scene, regretted it immediately afterward, and I agreed to erase the footage, tear up his contract, and send him away without pay.
Please click here for a more in-depth exploration of some of these issues if you haven’t already seen my follow-up post.
what is the name of the blog he’s talking about
These models are looking for quick cash without looking at the long term consequences. When those consequences come knocking, they try to play the victim. When actors think of doing porn, they should evaluate all the consequences – including the fact that your family will see it. But once Cory has no problems doing it then my world is at peace
Mike if you want to be the BEST producer bring Blake and Ross in a scene. One on one. I can’t wait anymore !!! I’ll buy a year membership
Where can I watch/find these videos at?
The internet is a great source of information. The question is, Why do blogs exist in the first place. Shut them down. Interactive exchanges are practically without value. If anything, it proves the failure of the educational systems. People want the benefits of its marketing tools, but not the downside.
Hey Mike be safe….it’s a cold world out there!
Nicely Put!
I think there are valid points on both sides…
I’ve watched a lotta shyt where afta I nutt & kinda like wow, what went into making that video?
Some love sex, others need money, some don’t think about how this will be later on in life…all are normal.
I think we as a society slapped a label on “18” & made this some magical age where u got ur shyt together…I think we all know how that works out…I’ve been in the Army & I know the line of bs a recruiter will tell 17/18, etc to get ppl to sign up…taking “advantage” of some1’s inability to see ahead is something Everyone does…BUT @ the end of the day, dudes make choices…& u have to live with ur choices
To go around and hurt someone cause of ur poor choices is wrong…there r good & bad out of everything in life…it is what it is…I think a better way to deal with this is making sure all “adults” know & understand what they r doing when they r doing it…
All that being said, I love ALL those videos (here, Jock Physical, DL Chill Spot) & will continue to watch them – (& if im being totally honest…)regardless…just like the heart wants what it wants, so does the dick, lol
However, if these types of sites dried up, I wouldn’t go around manipulating ppl…nor do I think there’s a reason to…like I said earlier…ppl love sex, as long as that’s real, there will always b this
Well said and I totally agree!
Church
It’s not worth dying over at the end of the day. I think a smart producer can sense when a threat is credible. At the end of the day it’s not worth dying for. Take the models contents down if it comes to it.
hi Mike I was goin back through the scenes and I have come up with what I would say would be an action packed epic scene. A hot 3sum with Blake, Apollo, and Cordell…this would be an epic scene with 3 hot popular models with great chemistry….and maybe even if Apollo was vers (it would cost $$$ but be worth it) in the scene that would be even hotter, but these 3 models all had very hot scenes… see what you can do…. just my thoughts …
I believe there is a broader issue that influences everything we think and do around pornography. America still doesn’t know how to have intelligent, open conversation about sex, sexuality, desire and how people try to satisfy sexual needs. There is still shame and stigma attached to all of this, especially pornography. Hundreds of thousands (a modest estimate) regularly view pornography. It’s a multi-million dollar industry. But no one wants to publicly admit it. We hide our porn collections from family. We (myself included) use screen names when we surf porn sites. Porn actors and porn producers use stage names, always afraid mom and dad, their employer or preacher will find out what they do. Gay sex and depictions of it, carry that extra stigma of being deemed “unnatural” by our homophobic enemies, politicians trying to score points and ministers in weekly sermons. To those of us for whom this is natural sexual expression, we’re made to feel as if there is something wrong with us, and most in some way try to hide when, how and with whom we make love.
I say all this to say, that if we could grow as a society and learn to talk openly and honestly about our sexual needs and behaviors, perhaps a young man appearing in porn for whatever reason, wouldn’t feel ashamed afterwards. The need to strike out against a producer for displaying his image on a website would diminish. Or maybe there wouldn’t be a need for pornography at all because we’d all be able to get our sexual needs met offline, who knows? But I think all of us–producers, performers and consumers–need to look at our own role in shaping a society that promotes healthy sexual images, removes shame from the equation and allows us all to satisfy our sexual desires without exploiting anyone.
Do I have your permission to print this out and frame it, LOL? Seriously, this is something I’ve been wanting to say for awhile now but you expressed it far better (and more succinctly) than I ever could 😉 .
Of course the complicated irony, as you point out, is that in an ideal world where sex and gay sex in particular no longer has such a repressive social stigma attached to it, particularly within the urban black community, the demand for this kind of porn would greatly diminish and many of the more taboo themes explored on this site would no doubt lose much of their erotic power.
A thorough background check should be done first before accepting any applicant. In this way, you know who you’re working with.
A model of another “gay” porn site complained a porn company about he got “duped” after he did a scene? really?!? After some of his friends confronted him why he appeared in a “gay” video? He’s a father of “ten” kids?!? It’s just because of money…
Now, he came OUT… and dating a man. A “gay” will stay as “gay” NO MATTER WHAT. It’s in the system… a “straight” man will NEVER do “sex” with a man.
Michael, APOLLO is a good catch… don’t let him go.
Be safe and be very selective of choosing your models.
Hey Mike, first time comment. I think the murders are terrible and I would not wish that on anyone, that being said, I think your situation is a bit different as you are totally open as to what is happening with the models throughout the process. The DL Chill Spot guy if his videos were true (in terms of what he was saying about the models) then he was playing with fire on a level that I don’t think you are. Models having sex at their house (when parents could/did come), incest, “exposing” models on face book, it was all a bit over the top. I have no idea whether the jockphysical guy was honest with his models or if he really did try and do that to an unwilling participant but again it is way more dangerous than your situation. Again I am not trying to make excuses for the murderers just pointing out that there was much higher risk in their cases.
I do recall being 18 years old and while I was not exposed to porn or the porn industry at the time, I had encountered people who did try to take advantage of me sexually and I was able to recognize it for what it was and say no and get away from them. I was not the babe in the wood that 18 year olds are made out to be. I believe there are people out there who take advantage of people who are desperate, but you know what people have to walk down that path, it does not make predatory people right and there needs to be some movement to make sure that all workers in the sex industry are protected by labor laws etc. However, the danger of doing any kind of porn is that people you don’t want to see it may see it, or find out about it. So you have to think of the consequences before you engage. The world is becoming an increasingly small place because of the internet. The truth is that with all of the hacking that goes on even being a member or visiting these sites is a risk if you don’t want others to know what you are doing. We are all a few key strokes away from being exposed! I often wonder if these young men are thinking of all of the ramifications of participating in the industry. Although it is fun looking at these guys being pushed to their limits, I look at these guys and realize I am old enough to be their father (most all of them) and wouldn’t want my children (if I had any) to feel so desperate that they believed they had to do something like this. Now if they chose to get involved in the porn industry because that was something they truly wanted to do that’s another story all together (hope they would not) but it is still their choice. The young men who get involved in the various porn sites, all chose to do so for what ever reason. If you let some do sex act on you or you participate in sex acts in front of a camera, that means this person intends to show it to someone. so you have to use some common sense even as an 18 year old young man or woman!
your statements on the subject are touchy and raw…
it hits home on so many levels for so many people…
i have felt bad at times for getting straight guys to do things for money…
especially when i knew the only reason they did it was hardship…
felt like i was taking advantage of the situation…
one instance in particular…
a guy was in dire straits and the only way i would give him the cash…
was if he gave me the cakes (another i will never ever ever moment)…
anyway, while i was fucking him i realized that he was actually crying…
not from the physical pain, but the emotional despair he was feeling…
now most of the time, the guys are fully aware of what they are doing…
maybe not the full consequences, but aware none the less…
i have never felt really bad for the druggies, greedies or triflings…
i know, i made up a couple of words…
those guys get what they ask for, basically…
but the runaways (some of them), homeless (some of them) and the truly misfortunate…
those are the ones that i feel bad for…
i have seen guys get treated like tj swann and it’s not good…
i can only imagine the scope of the porn industry aspect…
on the flip side…
are the guys like you and me…
not trying to hurt anyone, but trying to help while helping ourselves…
i honestly can’t believe that there are many good producers out there…
maybe basically fair, but not good…
in other words, honest days pay for honest days work…
i believe that…
but good producers that genuinely care about the models…
not so much…
face it…
you are a rarity…
point blank, period…
I feel like if u 18 years old u grown he knew what he was signing up for that this will be publish all over the world shown on the internet he had to see the other movies he done. he did the scene and got the money and then wanna change his mind no player u can’t change your mind when u realize that your family and friends going see it u can’t kill the man
If sex could be seen as just fun and games with nothing morally right or wrong about it we wouldn’t have to make judgements about those who engage in it either privately or publicly in that case no one would be seduced if all they were being asked is if they want to play. To capture someone and force them into sex (rape) is morally , legally and any other concept wrong but to ask someone to engage in sex where they can say yes or no is not. Offering money to engage in sex does not deprive them of the possibility of saying no. If they choose to say yes because they want the money not because they would other wise starve to death that is their choice and it certainly doesn’t hurt them. The fact is that when Straight men engage in “gay” sex it doesn’t change their orientation or could it but they undeniably enjoy it. In the act they always have an orgasm and I do not care what your orientation is. I don’t know anyone who has an orgasm and doesn’t enjoy it!!!!!!