2
CONTENTS
5
Crossing Over: Porn and Pop Culture Intersect in Ways Previously Impossible Gene Zorkin
8
13
Kenzie Taylor is Marvel-ous Mallory Hall
Plexstorm: Video Game Streaming for Grown Ups Gene Zorkin
16
Primal Fetish: Power, Fantasy and ‘Superheroine Shame’ Mallory Hall
22
Nutaku.net: Dirty Video Games Poppin’ All Over the Internet Mallory Hall
26
Porn Parodies Once Were King, But Now the Genre Is a Tough Sell Rhett Pardon
PAGE
3
4
Featured Article
Crossing Over: Porn and Pop Culture
Intersect in Ways Previously Impossible By Gene Zorkin For decades, the adult entertainment industry has tangled with obstacles to the promotion and marketing of its products to its fans, due to the agerestricted nature of pornographic videos, photos and other forms of sexually explicit media.
video work, tease upcoming live cam performances and grow their brands in a way that simply wasn’t available to previous generations.
The advent of the commercial internet served to kick down some of the doors traditionally closed to the adult industry – but only to an extent, as popular mainstream sites and platforms largely remained no-go spaces for adult content.
From the perspective of those who first began marketing adult content in the 90s or earlier, the relative degree of freedom adult companies and performers now have in marketing their wares – and themselves – outside the confines of adult-specific media, industry trade events and other traditional avenues, is dizzying.
In the social media age, despite the fact major platforms like Facebook strictly apply content policies disallowing the publication of porn, members of the adult industry have an unprecedentedly direct pipeline to consumers and fans. On Twitter, perhaps the porn-friendliest of the major social media platforms, many adult performers enjoy large followings, providing a means to promote their latest
This is not to say the mainstream world is entirely open to the marketing of adult products and content (many barriers remain, even in the most pornfriendly social spaces), but 25 years ago, the idea of someone like Riley Reid or Tanya Tate having well over a million followers in any mainstream context would have been unthinkable, if indeed we could have foreseen the arrival of social media itself.
5
It’s not just performers who are taking advantage of the ‘crossover interests’ of porn fans, of course. In recent years, adult video games have emerged from the fringe of videogaming culture to become a major market of their own. Launched in 2015, the adult gaming platform Nutaku.net already has grown to over 10 million registered members, while Gaming Adult has doubled its player base in the last two years. Other companies are eyeing opportunities presented by untapped crossover potential, some of which is driven by the continuing reticence of
In establishing and growing their followings, naturally adult performers are engaging with fans in ways which reflect their shared interests – and in the process, revealing or reinforcing other areas of crossover between adult entertainment and pop culture. Many cam performers employ cosplay in their performances, sourcing their inspiration from comic books, movies, video games and other entertainment forms which resonate with their fans. While some may do so strategically and for purely professional reasons, for many performers, these characters and the works from which they spring are near and dear to their hearts. In such cases, performers aren’t just dressing up as, say, a cherished video game vixen – they’re taking on that character’s persona and drawing inspiration from the original source, deepening the connection fans feel with their favorite models.
certain mainstream platforms to embrace a more porn-tolerant approach to the market. The Amazonowned Twitch live streaming platform’s prohibition of streaming adult games, for example, leaves a gap in the market that Plexstorm is keen to fill. In this issue of YNOT Magazine we examine multiple facets of the expanding intersection between adult entertainment and other entertainment forms. From adult parodies of popular films, TV shows and games to Plexstorm’s plan to provide the market with an adult-friendly alternative to Twitch, we’ll talk to the performers, directors and entrepreneurs who are leading the charge and blazing new trails in adult/ pop culture crossover entertainment. Harley Quinn cosplay stock photo by Darcy Delia via Pexels.com
About the Author Gene Zorkin has been covering legal and political issues for various adult publications (and under a variety of different pen names) since 2002.
6
7
Interviews
Kenzie Taylor is Marvel-ous By Mallory Hall If you’ve been in the adult industry for more than five minutes, you’ve heard of Axel Braun. And currently, if you’re even marginally tuned-in to popular culture, you’re familiar with Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel and wider society’s fangirl fascination with someone who is – quite possibly -- the mightiest of all the Avengers. But who in the world is Kenzie Taylor? Well, she might just be one of the mightiest women in the industry today. Taylor started working as a performer in 2015. She
8
built up her scene credits with studios like 3rd Degree and Devil’s Films, as well as with web-based content for studios on Clips4Sale. In early 2017, OC Modeling began representing her and her scene credits began to include work with studios like Evil Angel and Wicked Pictures. And then, all of a sudden, Taylor was cast in one of the biggest and most coveted acting roles of 2019 – the lead in Braun’s Captain Marvel XXX parody. We got the chance to ask Taylor about her work, what it took to play Captain Marvel and why one should never judge a book by its cover.
YNOT: What was your career path like before entering the adult industry? Kenzie Taylor: Before becoming an adult film actress, I used work in healthcare and at the time I was preparing for my RN [registered nurse]. While working the long hours at the hospital, I realized that I wanted to keep helping people -- but in a different way. I decided that I wanted to try myself out in the adult film industry and follow my passion, so I reached out to a few agencies. After only a month and a half, I got signed to an agency in Los Angeles and was flown in for an immediate shoot. I instantly knew that I did not want to go back and that this was my new life.
match the character of Captain Marvel. Lastly, since I know Axel Braun’s sense of humor, I ended my audition tape with a little funny sign-off. One or all of these factors worked because I ended up getting chosen over 120 other people that auditioned for this role. How familiar were you with the source material and Captain Marvel herself before getting this part? Actually, I came into this knowing quite a bit about the character of Captain Marvel and I was fascinated to see just how far back they took the story. You know Carol Danvers wasn’t the original Captain Marvel. The character was called Captain Mar-vell, and it was played by a guy. The next person to play Captain Mar-vell was Monica Rambeau. How important is authenticity when playing such a highly-watched and well-loved character? Was there a lot of pressure to “get it right”? I wouldn’t say there was a lot of pressure, but Axel -being the perfectionist he is -- there was definitely many takes throughout the shoot to achieve the exact replica of some crucial scenes including four different custom molded costumes being used throughout the filming -two for dialog and two for sex. I was just stoked to have the opportunity to create something like this. Either
So, Captain Marvel?! What was the casting for this role like? What did you do to prepare? How did you stand out? The production had announced an open audition, and I decided to go for it. I sent them an email, and they responded back by sending me the [information]. I decided that I wouldn’t be doing it justice if I didn’t give it my all. I worked on my lines and memorized the script, dressed completely in red and made my makeup completely to
9
What impact has this film and all the promo surrounding it had on your career within the industry? Well, this whole experience is just starting for me and beginning to open some new doors. For example, I had just had my first opportunity to write my own movie. I have received praise from many writers, directors and producers and other people I probably would not have had a chance to meet had it not been for my role in Captain Marvel XXX. My ultimate goal is to direct movies, along with just staring in them. What impact has this casting and all the promo had on your career with fans? I have definitely been noticing a significant growth within my fan base. They have been very loyal and expressing their support to me as well as recognizing my work on a more serious level. These are not just your typical [viewers]. These are huge franchise fans, as well as film critics.
way, there will be those that won’t like it and those that will. I am here for this amazing ride and proud of what we made. I saw a lot of working out and training on your Twitter feed. What was the physical prep for this part like?
What’s one thing you want people to know about your work that they may not be aware of? Besides being an educated nurse with nerdy tendencies who is the biggest Marvel fan, I guess all I have to add is -- Don’t judge a book by its cover! Find Kenzie Taylor on Twitter at @thekenzietaylor.
Well, I already train in general, but after being cast for the role I had a conversation with Axel about it and we decided to hire a personal trainer for my workouts and focus on high intensity leg workouts. In all honesty, it kicked my ass! It was deadly at days, but we needed it so I would fit the costumes in a specific way and stay consistent throughout the shoot. I’ve read that you were known mostly as a “gonzo girl” prior to this role and that the casting seemed to “come out of nowhere” – how do you feel about that assessment? My casting was very unexpected. I think it’s an amazing thing that nobody saw it coming, and I got to surprise everyone with some true acting chops.
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.
10
All the Way to Paid. All in This Together. Now, more than ever, we are united. As fellow business owners, neighbors and friends. We’ll get through this. We have to believe that. And even in these uncertain times, there is one thing you can count on. You’ll always get paid before we do. Stay strong.
segpay.com
11
Seductive Rates www.clickadu.com 12
Interviews
Plexstorm: Video Game Streaming for Grown Ups By Gene Zorkin
While there’s little question adult content is more widely accepted, or at least more widely tolerated, than it has ever been, the controversial and agerestricted nature of pornography still imposes limits on the extent to which adult companies can promote and advertise their wares to mainstream markets with great crossover potential. This fact is perhaps most clear in the social media space, where the attitudes of the major platforms toward porn range from dead set against (Facebook comes to mind) to grudgingly accepting (think Twitter). Even in spaces where one can safely assume there’s a great deal of porn/mainstream crossover potential, like video gaming, that potential is choked off at the source, with platforms quickly removing
adult content and banning users who violate their content and/or acceptable use policies. Where many people see an implacable barrier to growing their adult businesses, others see opportunity – a chance to provide platforms and sites which cater to the mainstream interests of consumers, while also openly, even enthusiastically accepting the display of adult content on their properties. When he looked at the video game streaming market, the popularity of the Twitch platform and Twitch’s zero tolerance approach toward sexually explicit content, Plexstorm founder JeyKey saw precisely the sort of opportunity mentioned above. Intuitively understanding that video games and
13
six, so working on a video game streaming company sounded awesome.” JuicyJay noted that “video games as a whole have come a long way and now there are billions and billions of dollars to be made directly with games.” “From my experience with JuicyAds, I see that video games in adult are pretty popular right now, but some of the games really suck,” JuicyJay added. “A platform like Plexstorm is a breath of fresh air because we are actually providing a real platform with real streaming and gaming offerings.” adult entertainment shared an enormous number of customers in their respective consumer bases, he perceived Twitch’s rejection of porn as opening the door to a potentially lucrative business model – and a means to address what he sees a lack of expressive freedom being imposed on gamers. Asked what inspired him to launch Plexstorm, JeyKey said it was the “lack and loss of freedom in live game streaming.” “Plexstorm is about creating a space for adults where they can make their content with more freedom – and not just adult content,” JeyKey told YNOT. “Streamers on other platforms are banned daily for making a bad joke taken out of context or for wearing clothes that are ‘too revealing.’ They can’t talk in-depth about mature or controversial themes.” JeyKey said that while many of these mainstream platforms’ rules are “understandably in place to appease mainstream advertisers, payment providers and of course, the law,” other rules imposed by the platforms “just seem to be a way to control the streamer’s content to reflect, or rather not oppose, their company’s ideals.” The idea of imposing such control on the platform’s users would be anathema to JeyKey, who considers user freedom a cornerstone of the Plexstorm corporate culture. “At Plexstorm, we do our best to provide streamers with the most freedom possible, while remaining objective and open to the diverse lifestyles, cultures and opinions that exist among the gaming community,” JeyKey said. The Plexstorm project quickly drew the interest of JuicyJay, the owner and founder of JuicyAds, who immediately saw the potential for adult-friendly video game streaming to blossom into something big. “I came onto the Plexstorm project as a co-founder shortly after the initial launch over a year ago,” JuicyJay told YNOT. “I’ve loved video games ever since I started playing them from the age of five or
14
While it’s an understandable assumption that the core audience for a platform like Plexstorm is a youthful demographic, both JeyKey and JuicyJay see the potential for a broader and more diverse audience. “While there’s definitely interest in Plexstorm by older adults, I imagine many of them as a whole still aren’t aware of game streaming but the number of older adults, especially senior citizens, interested in video games is growing,” JeyKey said. “As well as the number of older gamers continuing to rise simply due to gamers growing older, while there may be a reduction in usage, those who grow up playing video games tend to continue playing throughout adulthood.” JuicyJay, meanwhile, told YNOT he began to see the potential of video game-streaming developing a more expansive appeal by way of being exposed to it through a key piece of video gaming pop culture. “When I saw the movie Ready Player One, it was actually the first time I heard of Twitch,” JuicyJay said. “Then a friend was talking about Fortnite and watching Twitch streams to get better at playing. Video game streaming is already mainstream and it has wide appeal. There are a lot of people like myself who have been playing video games for over 30 years and lots who have only begun. So yeah, I see Plexstorm as appealing to anyone who likes video games, regardless of age or gender.” As JuicyJay sees it, the key to capitalizing on mainstream crossover markets is finding areas of common ground with and between users, then letting nature take its course – with the assistance of some finely-tuned marketing and advertising, of course. “Connecting with people is all about similarities,” JuicyJay said. “Whenever you find people who share interests or have things in common, that’s where you see bonding, friendships, and genuine connections form. There is enormous value in reaching the Plexstorm audience because it is very specific and
Of course, all this crossover potential doesn’t mean much without a means to monetize it – which is where partnering with someone with the kind of expertise and experience JuicyJay brings to the table will pay dividends.
targeted. JuicyAds is handling the property exclusively for advertising sales. We don’t see a difference between offering adult or mainstream products or games to our audience, because it’s the same people who consume both adult and mainstream content regardless.” JeyKey added that when it comes to cam models who are also gamers, using an adult-friendly platform like Plexstorm “just makes sense.” “Many cam models come to Plexstorm to host NSFW streams, where they play games while they perform for their audience as they would on a cam site,” JeyKey said. “But it’s not just cam models that benefit from Plexstorm; gamers can’t play any adult games on other platforms and before we existed, the only option was to record gameplay privately, censor it in editing and upload to their platform. For obvious reasons this just doesn’t work for streamers.” JeyKey added that by combining video games and pop culture with adult content “we can attract a larger and more mainstream audience than we likely would trying to make your average adult content site.” “Plexstorm has appeal not just for its adult content combined and gaming, but for the wider variety of SFW and NSFW content that comes from giving streamers more freedom,” JeyKey observed. “While it may be a niche, there’s still a world of possibilities in adult game streaming.”
“It has been enormously expensive to build and maintain Plexstorm, so we are still growing and accepting investment,” JuicyJay noted. “That said, based on my projections, we expect profitability in Q2 2020, and that will come through the multiple revenue streams. As a live streaming platform first, we have a freemium model for our streams in the form of tipping, and there are subscriptions that provide premium features. Secondary revenues come from advertising and there are others that will go live in the near future.” As they plot the course for Plexstorm’s future, JeyKey and JuicyJay are keeping an ear to the ground, putting to use another phenomenon of the internet age – crowdsourcing. “Many of the features we have planned are community requested,” JeyKey said. “We greatly value our community’s input and want to create a great platform for them to grow their communities, monetize their content and reward their loyal fans.” JeyKey added that Plexstorm is more than open to receiving further suggestions on how to make the platform as enjoyable and useful as possible. “If you’d like to help provide suggestions or feedback to help improve Plexstorm, you can do so by joining the Plexstorm Community Discord server.” Whatever the source of its various ideas and features, the goal for Plexstorm isn’t merely to become an adult version of a mainstream concept, JuicyJay emphasized. “Plexstorm is not just an adult platform,” JuicyJay said. “We are filling that void between having an adult NSFW offering and having a mainstream SFW offering. The dream is not to be ‘the porn Twitch’ but instead to support ‘Freedom in Gaming’ which means both the nature of the games being played and the people playing them.”
About the Author Gene Zorkin has been covering legal and political issues for various adult publications (and under a variety of different pen names) since 2002.
15
Featured Article
Primal Fetish: Power, Fantasy and ‘Superheroine Shame’ By Mallory Hall “In 2010, we started making content and failed completely,” Michael Masters shared. He explained that, back then, his wife was getting booked for basic lingerie, glamour and nude work via Model Mayhem -- and then she started getting contacted by fetish producers. “After a while, we decided that making our own content could be a good side hustle,” Masters continued. “At the time, I was a personal trainer.”
16
If you’re unfamiliar with who Masters is, go on over to Clips4Sale. There, you will see Masters’ leading-edge work – currently nearly twenty studios’ worth – in all its kinky glory. As Primal, Masters masterminds everything from Primal’s Mental Domination to Primal’s Taboo Family Relations. His work is consistently at the top of the site, making Masters one of the top clips producers in the industry today. But none of this happened overnight. Two years after their initial foray into clips making, with a $300 handycam and desk lamps for lighting, Masters
17
content. How is what you’re doing different from, say, “conventional” studio parodies? I think the parodies are similar to the fake celebrity nudes or sex pics in that the audience wants to fully sexualize a person or character that is “sexy” but unattainable in that context. Also, we can’t match their budget. Our content is more based in fetish, which generally is grounded in what a person first sexualizes. For a time, Linda Carter on television or very well-drawn female comic book characters -- many often drawn in what could be called softcore sexual depictions when I first started reading comics -- were the sexiest thing for teenage boys to see. And if your first crush was a gorgeous redhead, you probably will always have a thing for redheads. Between “shame” and “disgraced,” why do viewers want to see lady superheroes taken down a notch?
and his wife decided to give it another go. The duo started shooting content in their one-car garage, with shower curtains hanging to hide the shelves. “Whenever we sold a single clip, we acted like we’d just scored a touchdown in the Superbowl. When we broke 100 clip sales for a month, we were so excited you would think we hit the Lotto,” he shared. “Now, seven years later, we average 3,000 clip sales a month and are gaining popularity on other platforms.” “It wasn’t magic or overnight success,” Masters said. “It was literally one clip at a time.” We recently got the opportunity to speak with Masters about his work and his creative process, specifically regarding two of his most popular studios -- Primal’s Superheroine Shame, which started in 2012, and Primal’s Disgraced Superheroines That site came one year later in 2013. YNOT: Your work, via any number of your various studios, is consistently at the top of Clips4Sale. What about it draws viewers in? Michael Masters/Primal: I think the main things that have helped us is attention to the fine details of the specific fetish, casting performers that I can truly visualize in the role, listening to the fans on the various forums and constantly being critical of our own content. Superheroine Shame and Disgraced Superheroines draw on popular culture but do not create parody or homage
18
The most popular fantasy depiction is a helpless damsel in the hands of a villain, who’s then rescued by a male hero and then rewards him sexually. But what if the woman isn’t helpless? What if she is the hero? Does the man fantasize about being helpless and rescued by the woman? Then for the female hero to be expecting to be rewarded sexually? I think the “taking down a peg” is mostly targeted at women because of a feeling that, for many men, women already personify the attributes of a superhero -- strong, confident, charismatic, adored and powerful. The “power” in this case is, of course, tied to sex. Men want it, and women have the power to give it -- or not. Even more so as women find equality and superiority in high-level employment, income and political and social influence and are not dependent or subordinate to men in any way. Women have more power than ever in every aspect of society, with male “dominance” fading away. For many in this fan base, it would be a sexual fantasy to want to
19
be dominant over a powerful woman – or, at least to be equally as powerful. The superheroine personifies a way they see women now: powerful, confident, beautiful and perhaps cocky or condescending because of their power. Also, for our fanbase, it is key that the superheroine either secretly wants to be “taken down a peg,” as she has been wanting to find a man that is “strong” enough to make her want to submit, or that she sees it as a challenge to see how much she can take. Is it the same, do you think, for guy superheroes? When the hero is male, I think the fantasy is more that the villainess seeks to use her incredible sexual power to break his will and make him give in. Even the ultimate alpha male is weak when confronted by a woman’s unleashed sexuality. I mean, if ever Batman’s iron will is no match for a woman’s charms, then what hope is there for the rest of us? There are different fan bases of this genre though, so I can only speak on the audience we cater to.
How much of your content is created on the basis of feedback from viewers versus what you personally want to create? How much is based on what’s (supposedly) trending within the context of adult content overall? I would say it used to be fifty/fifty, but we are moving more and more into what is trending. A lot of the content we shoot is “ageing out,” as the fanbase for it gets older and consumes less product. Also, there is saturation of many types of content as the means of producing and distributing content becomes simpler and simpler. Starting next year, eighty percent of what we shoot will be based on pure analytics. The other twenty percent will either be “passion projects” or testing out new ideas.
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.
20
21
Featured Article
Nutaku.net: Dirty Video Games Poppin’
All Over the Internet By Mallory Hall September 12 was National Video Games Day, which basically means that Nutaku.net had its own holiday. First established in 2015, Nutaku claims to be the world’s largest adult gaming platform -- and 18+ gaming is an expanding corner of the market that’s become increasingly difficult to ignore, thanks in part to Nutaku. According to press material, less than one percent of adult-themed games find financial success on mainstream app stores. Nutaku, however, offers developers another shot at success, giving them an opportunity in a less saturated, niche-specific gaming portal. Nutaku currently features over 300 games for both PC and mobile, ranks within the top 300 websites in the world and boasts over 130 million visits per month, outranking mainstream platforms like Kongregate (15.4 million), Miniclip (10.2 million) and Armor Games (6.3 million), among others, by quite a lot. In 2018, Nutaku had 25 million registered players. Now, in 2019, the number of
22
registered players has increased to 40 million, a sixty percent increase in just one year. Clearly, adult gaming is flourishing, as is Nutaku. net. “There is definitely a huge demand for 18+ gaming, and this will increase in the future,” Aditi, Nutaku’s marketing and public relations specialist, explained to YNOT. “We recently released Nutaku’s statistics demonstrating a growth from seventy million monthly visits to 130 million monthly visitors to date, so it’s clear to see the industry is growing.” So, there’s a demand for adult-themed games, but where do all these dirty video games come from? Well, from people with games to sell. Nutaku welcomes all publishers and developers with a completed adult game to submit their content to be distributed on the site. A member of Nutaku’s business development team explained that, on average, at least four
something for everyone,” the business development representative said. “Back in December 2018, we launched our LGBTQ+ section, offering up more inclusive titles to our growing fan base. That being said, there’s no doubt that we get some crazy ideas and proposals sent our way.” Speaking of the LGBTQ+ community, Nutaku has made great efforts and strides to broaden the number of games made for and by diverse communities, catering to an array of sexual orientations and identities. Aditi explained, “We’d love to see more women and LGBTQ+ developers participate in the growth of adult gaming. We were really excited to launch our LGBTQ+ section [last year], and since the launch, Nutaku has seen an increase in LGBTQ+ players from less one percent in 2015, to six percent to date.” publisher/developer teams submit their games for consideration per week. Nutaku’s game team reviews the quality of each submitted game to ensure it meet the platform’s product standards. The next stage involves a compliance team, which reviews all titles prior to release. “Nutaku has strict compliance regulations for every game we launch,” Aditi explained. “It’s definitely interesting to compare the stigmas around sexual video games, compared to violent video games, which are widely accepted in the mainstream gaming world.” With this submission and vetting process in mind, it’s interesting to consider where the greatest opportunity for submitted games is centered. “Our largest opportunity lies in the F2P (“free to play”) market, therefore we’re looking for strong F2P teams with proven experience,” the representative from Nutaku’s game team explained. “Passive games and RPGs tend to be strong performers. There’s also opportunities for non-F2P developers, as we have a library of over 200 downloadable/ premium games. Some developers approach us with existing 18+ titles, while we work with others to integrate adult content into their mainstream games.” As anyone who has ever taken open submissions for anything will tell you, not all ideas are great ones, nor are all ideas rendered as well as others. This goes for the submissions Nutaku receives. “What’s appealing about Nutaku is that there’s
“In an attempt to bring LGBTQ+ adult gaming to mainstream, Nutaku is always open to collaborations with developers of various identities,” she added. Clearly, Nutaku is making an effort to consider the needs of a diverse community, the members of which all share a common interested in sexy gaming. Another interesting outreach tool is via
23
24
character development and inspiration. Another is via merchandise. For instance, there is a character based off performer Asa Akira featured in the game Booty Calls. There are also other games with character insertions based off other stars. “In 2018, Nutaku collaborated with Men.com to launch their first exclusive 18+ gay game Men Bang, in which players could date the animated versions of well-known porn stars like William Seed and Johnny Rapid,” Aditi shared. And the merch! Nutaku revamped its merchandise store earlier this year and has since seen a lot of engagement with the community and beyond.
was a hit with our fans and across social media. We’re always working on new launches to engage our fans.” Nutaku has also increased the number of mobile games available on the platform and have introduced an Android App Store in an effort to reach growing mobile market for adult gaming. And for good reason -- the percentage of mobile players utilizing the platform has grown from 37 percent in 2018 to 49 percent in 2019. Based on insights from people who know best, sexy gaming is definitely on the rise – showcasing yet another space where adult entertainment and the mainstream intersect. Follow Nutaku on Twitter at @nutakugames.
“In January this year, we launched the first ever adult gaming console, which generated a lot of interest from the gaming community at large,” Aditi said and continued, “In May this year, we also launched our coveted Hentai Hot Sauce, which
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.
25
Featured Article
Porn Parodies Once Were King, But Now the Genre Is a Tough Sell By Rhett Pardon The arrival last year of Wicked Pictures’ porn lampoon, Captain Marvel XXX: An Axel Braun Parody, was eagerly anticipated by fans of Braun’s work. But those same fans, who seek out satire with their flesh, are seeing less and less of the adult film genre. Simply put: The parody market, riding a viable wave for almost a decade, isn’t what it used to be. Two of the top parody directors in the biz — Will Ryder and Braun — are finding the genre a tough sell, particularly because production money isn’t
26
raining down on such titles and because so many of the takeoffs that mock some of Hollywood’s most iconic titles have already been done. “The parody genre will always have sentimental appeal because of the familiarity factor, but nobody is buying anymore,” Ryder told YNOT. “People were nostalgic about the TV shows of their youth, so it created quite a sensation for about a 10-year period to mix that with sex.” “Sadly, the porn audience, while bigger than ever
“Kenzie Taylor was magnificent in the lead, and it is quite possibly the funniest movie I’ve ever made,” Braun said. “And while I appreciate that in the era of free porn my movies still make money despite costing so much, my main focus is never profitability. I always just try to create some epic awesomeness.” Braun said the decline in porn-parody output industry-wide means that he’s able to get more attentive eyeballs. “There has definitely been a decrease in the genre output over the last few years, which is awesome, because at some point it was a race to see who would make something first,” Braun said. “I still have PTSD from Will getting to do Animal House before me.” Ryder noted that he’s able to look back now at the heights of the genre with a big, glowing smile. “It was a very expensive affair, but the money was flowing during the height of the parody explosion, so we never hesitated to spend,” Ryder said. “Later, when just about every company jumped on the porn- parody bandwagon, many skimped on the budgets and the quality was all over the place which helped to fracture the confidence of the buyer.
today, is getting their content mostly for free so there is no longer an economic engine that provides a surefire return on investment to create new parodies,” said Ryder, who produced his first parody — Not the Bradys XXX — in 2008. “Plus, the audience has pretty much seen everything they wish to see get spoofed and the people who are interested in seeing porn mixed with their favorite shows is finite.” “Those who were or are still willing to purchase a parody DVD or a VOD have pretty much done so, and we are now off to whatever comes next, which today is camming.” For Braun, the Captain Marvel XXX release was his 60th porn parody production. The venerable bluemovie director admitted that he’s the last man standing in the genre because he gets “decent” budgets. “All my parody budgets are higher than a typical adult movie,” Braun told YNOT. “With Captain Marvel XXX, I wanted to do something special and went crazy with the costumes. That brought up the budget quite a bit, but it was so worth it.
“Nobody knew what was good or bad so it was a crap shoot to purchase a DVD but any genre that taps into Hollywood iconic shows can only last so long. We all had a fantastic run, but times change, tastes change, the business changes, and we all sit back and say, ‘Holy fuck, what happened?’” “It was so much more fun when the cash was flowing in, and we were excited to create a quality product and kick the ass of the big companies,” Ryder said. “It was a wild challenge every single day, but we definitely succeeded for quite a while, but we are all on to the next chapter. In business you have to know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.” “But, man, that was fun,” said Ryder, who called the genre, for the most part, a “historic relic.” “It’s almost like driving by an old abandoned amusement park,” Ryder said. “You still see the roller coaster, but the paint has chipped off, the rails are rusty, and it’s missing some wooden support beams, but it’s still there. The memory of those happy times with people happily screaming still exist but nobody is lining up to get on board.” Ryder said the parody market “has collapsed faster
27
than a house of cards mostly due to the proliferation of free porn and is virtually extinct like the dinosaurs.” “Look at Adam & Eve’s website and you will only be able to purchase 16 porn parody movies today,” Ryder said. “That is correct. Sixteen available DVDs for purchase out of the 2,500 that were shot is not a good selection and that tells you pretty much the sad state of today, but hey nothing stays the same.” “When we were in the heyday of shooting porn parody that we called ‘sitcums,’ we spent a lot of money and usually shot two volumes of each show at the same time during an 8-to-10-day shoot schedule,” Ryder said. “It cost just as much if not more to shoot a quality parody as it did to shoot a quality original scripted movie.” “The actors and agents charge the same, the lighting and sound crew required their same fees, the camera costs, permits, locations and insurance remain in the same ballpark but the set design was often more expensive for a parody because we usually built the sets from scratch and you often have to recreate the style of costumes worn by the original TV and movie actors and that all costs additional money.”
28
Ryder said that Braun and Wicked Pictures remain on the parody scene to some extent because of the detail and humor that Braun brings to his superhero parodies. Braun agreed with Ryder, saying that his parodies are always laughing with the original, not at it. “I only direct parodies of source material that I have a strong emotional connection to, whether it’s a TV show I watched as a kid, a fairy tale, a classic movie, or one of my beloved comic book characters,” Braun said. “There is definitely a strong fanboy component in what I do. As far as sticking to an original story, that really depends on the project.” “No matter if it’s a drama or a comedy, my titles are never goofy pornified versions of the mainstream ones, and I also almost never use profanity unless it’s already an integral part of the original. I think all these elements, along with the passion and dedication that my crew and I put into these projects, are what really resonates with the fans.” “Also, my movies have tits and asses, so there’s that,” said Braun, whose Captain Marvel XXX release includes a cast comprising Ana Foxxx, Aubrey Kate,
1
www.lalexpo.com
S E H C N U A L
EDITION
ST
Our goal every year is higher, this time, we cross borders, reaching Las Vegas the city that never sleeps, USA, where we will live a unique experience in one of the most recognized hotels in the city, the Artisan Hotel.
LAS VEGAS N E V A D A
FROM OCTOBER 4TH TO 6TH AT THE FIRST LALEXPO INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
S, FOR MODEL
AWARDS D PARTIES EXCLUSIVE N A S IE IT IV T E AC EDITION INCREDIBL RNATIONAL R FIRST INTE THAT WILL
MAKE OU
D EVENT.
EDENTE AN UNPREC
We will have the first edition of Lalexpo Model Awards, to reward the most prominent models in the industry. Glamor, fame and beauty will stand out in every corner of the event, top models of the online industry and porn platforms will be the protagonists of our first international event.
NS HAVE
NOMINATIO
¡ALREADY
BEGUN!
AND WILL RUN UNTIL SEPTEMBER 15TH
ON OUR OFFICIAL WEBSITE LALEXPO.COM. VOTING WILL BE OPEN FROM SEPTEMBER 15TH UNTIL OCTOBER 4TH
E! C N E I R E P X S UNIQUE E
I
F TH O T R A P E ¡B
, S S E N I S DO BU DS STRY TREN U D IN W E MEET N ITION OF D E T S IR F E TH AND ENJOY
For more information: https://lalexpo.com
29
Kenzie Taylor, Quinton James, Ramon Nomar, Tyler Knight and Alex Legend, along with Lacy Lennon, who sings the title’s theme song.
so the female talent now is the new queen of adult cinema from a production standpoint. They are literally captain of their own ship,” Ryder said.
Ryder said that the future of shooting porn is now for the most part in the hands of the talent who create their own scenes and participate in content trade.
“Nothing ever stays the same, and while there are still a few production companies doing great work like Brad Armstrong, Greg Lansky, Bree and Craven and Axel Braun, they really have to innovate, hustle and create to be able to remain economically viable,” Ryder said.
“The financial reward for bigger producers is gone
“Ironically, we [had] perhaps our best originally scripted movie ... from Adam & Eve called, Love Emergency. It is not a parody [but] it’s all original and very funny and stars Tommy Pistol and Riley Steele.”
About the Author Rhett Pardon is a longtime business journalist who has focused on adult entertainment legal matters since the early 1990s. Got a tip? Send them his way (rhettpardon@gmail.com)
30
31
32
