LOS ANGELES – Adult performers must focus on the business side of the industry in order to ensure success, a group of performers said at the “Performers' Guide to Success: Balancing Work, Health & Life” virtual panel as part of the all-digital AVN Adult Entertainment Expo presented by MyFreeCams Wednesday.
MelRose Michaels, Lexington Steele, Paige Jennings, Will Pounder and Sofia Rose joined moderator and two-time AVN All Girl Performer of the Year, Charlotte Stokely, as part of the panel that is now available to stream in full on AVN Stars.
“I did 13 years of corporate and worked for a Fortune 500 company and so I started in porn late in life,” Rose said. “Instead of having fun, I talk to my financial advisor about what I need to do.”
She explained that planning is especially important to performers due to the instability of the work. “If you put away a few dollars every week and at the end of the year, you’ll end up with a few thousand dollars,” she said. “I’m overwhelmed with the idea that I live from paycheck to paycheck, but you don’t have to live that way.”
Michaels said she understood early on that she needed to focus on investing her money and focus on the business aspect of the industry.
“I’m in the process of launching a clothing company but in terms of investing, I’m still learning that process,” she said. “When I first got into webcam they were mailing me paper checks; I kept track of them… Today, I have money set aside for things that I want to invest in and I have money set aside for my retirement.”
For the 2020 Best Male Newcomer Pounder, looking at opportunities to invest landed him in the world of cryptocurrency for which he has become a champion for its future growth.
“I’ve been investing very heavily in digital currency,” he said. “This year will be big year for digital currency and you need to look at YouTube and get educated about it.”
Rose agreed, saying performers also need to learn more about how the industry works so they can take advantage of the opportunities it offers.
“Investing in yourself is also very important. I’ve listened to people who have more education because they have the knowledge and experience that I don’t have,” she said. “I encourage people at all levels of the industry to start planning.”
The three-time AVN Male Performer of the Year Steele, who has retired from performing but has continued to direct and produce films, said the industry is a lot more than just performing.
“I have my greatest joy when I’m directing or producing rather than performing because you’re spending 8 to 10 hours at a time rather than experiencing one hour of performing,” he said. “I’ll take that any time.”
When it comes to balancing their personal lives with work, the performers agreed that dating can be difficult.
“Dating is very hard for me, but it’s not a priority. I’m in a stage in my life where everything is good the way it is, so it’s not priority,” Rose said. “When I do I like to be honest with the other person. I just like to tell people that honesty is the best policy.”
Paige Jennings agreed: “When I was in porn, I kept finding these guys who are freaks. Real freaks,” she recalled. “But I don't know if I can [tell] a guy that I can go to work and bang guys, but you can’t bang girls. I know Chad White and we’re good friends and we’re not emotionally connected except that one scene we did, so it’s not like there’s something there, but how do I tell that to a guy?”
Michaels, however, found that working in the industry was a major issue when dating: “Back then I decided that If I see you on a third date then I’ll tell you what I do,” she said. “Now I’ve been happily married for five years.”
For Steele, dating is about being himself and finding common ground: “I always use my real name and not my stage name so they see you as a person rather than a stage persona.”
To watch the full panel, click here.
AVN’s Adult Entertainment Expo continues through Saturday on AVN Stars.
