Mike Quasar: How Porn’s ‘Everyman’ Weathers a Pandemic

Featured Article

Mike Quasar: How Porn’s ‘Everyman’ Weathers a Pandemic

By Mallory Hall

Mike Quasar has been directing adult content since the nineties and has amassed almost 1,000 title credits as a result. He’s also Canadian, in a band and apparently acted in a film once, playing a stable boy sporting a romantic ponytail.

Quasar is extremely well respected in the industry. He does not have a laundry list of awards to his name, which is a shame, but his voice epitomizes a sort of real-life community awareness that few others embody – much less express so eloquently and publicly on social media. Like everyone else in the adult industry, Quasar has been sidelined by the Coronavirus. The “Reluctant Pornographer” spoke to YNOT earlier this summer about the current state of the community in the wake of COVID-19.

YNOT: Work wise, what were you doing moving into the pandemic?

Mike Quasar: Prior to March 16, I was shooting at my usual record clip and supplying the world with an absurd amount of step-porn. When California was shut down, I think the consensus among all of us was that we would return to work in a few weeks. That has obviously turned out not to be the case.

I remember speaking with several colleagues at the time that the solution would probably be as simple as adding a COVID test to the standard panel. That still seems plausible to me but I understand it is also controversial at the moment.

On a personal level, how have you been weathering the COVID storm?

On a personal level, I vacillate between dangerous self-medicating and optimism, with a focus on personal growth. I’ve never been good at managing free time, and I never realized how much this industry was a part of who I am personally. For almost thirty years I’ve been begrudgingly picking up a camera. Now I realize that I should have balanced my disgruntled nature with a degree of appreciation for what I’ve been doing since I was 21 years old.

I’m exercising a lot more on the days. I’m not hungover, although It seems my new focus has been Performers and models seem to have work options online. What options do directors and other crew have at this moment?

This is a tricky subject for me because of course I’m happy that the talent are still able to make money — in many cases, more money due to the explosion of new sign-ups for OnlyFans — but it does leave some of us a little bitter because it feels like we’ve been forgotten.

A lighting professional who was working every day can’t gaff a set for OnlyFans. It’s not exactly compelling content to watch someone climb a ladder with a C-clamp. Same for camera operators and directors. Our skills don’t transfer to other platforms unless we are performers as well, which in my case would be a tragedy perhaps on par with Coronavirus.

Some very generous performers have been helping out some of the crew behind the scenes, and I know they are forever grateful. Hopefully by now, most of the crew has figured out how to get unemployment and are no longer in such dire circumstances. As for myself, once again, my only other skill is thinking that I’m funny. Sadly, I don’t think enough people would agree with that for me to monetize it.

…but some people have returned to shooting. What are your thoughts regarding those who have resumed shooting in spite of the community-mandated production hold?

I completely understand people wanting to go back to work, both out of financial necessity and their own mental health. My personal opinions aside, I think we need to respect the integrity of the system that we have in place and move forward together. I think the resumption of porn production probably falls somewhere in phase 26 of the reopening plan, but I also think we are poised to do it safer than

Hollywood can — and they are apparently working on a plan for Phase 3.

We already have small sets and small crews. If we can agree on some protocol regarding COVID testing, I don’t see why we can’t resume in the next few months somewhere. On a personal level, I think the Governor and the Mayor are enjoying their newfound power a little too much, so maybe we do have to shoot elsewhere when it’s safe to do so.

At this point I’d be willing to shoot in Afghanistan. I just want to go back to work.

About the Author

Mallory Hall is from Central Texas. She has worked in journalism since her university years and enjoys exploring unexpected occurrences in ordinary places.