SAN FRANCISCO—Kink.com today announced that it would be shifting direction away from some of its more extreme shoots to focus on a broader audience. In the past year, the company has expanded beyond traditional recorded porn to live events like tours, workshops and parties.
“We’ve been moving in this direction over the past year, and we’ve had many discussions about our company and its mission,” said Kink.com founder Peter Acworth. “We’ve seen tremendous growth in our workshops and educational elements, as well as our bar, and thought that it was time for us to refocus our priorities.”
Two of the company’s sites will no longer be produced; another will be rebranded to better keep with the company mission statement.
“While they were very popular," said Acworth, "we have decided to move away from some of our more extreme products. This entails ceasing to shoot Public Disgrace and Bound in Public, which incorporate audience members and extras, and rebranding HardCoreGangBangs as FantasyGangBangs.
“These changes are taking effect because we aim to refocus on our mission statement of demystifying and celebrating alternative sexualities," he continued. "While these products were highly structured behind the scenes, we felt they did not always convey the negotiated and consensual nature of BDSM as it is actually safely practiced in the real world. In some instances, the content could confuse the uninitiated viewer.
“After almost two decades in the business," Acworth concluded, "we’re looking to grow in ways that return to our original mission, and so we’re shifting our energies to things like Kink University, enhancing the social aspects of our websites, events in our community center, and adding the ability to buy kink-branded BDSM gear on our sites. In short, we are aiming for Kink.com to become a lifestyle brand. With the mainstreaming of kink as evidenced by the huge popularity of 50 Shades of Grey, we feel there is an opportunity to serve a wider customer base in the future.”
For more information, visit Kink.com.
Image: Kink.com founder Peter Acworth in front of the San Francisco Armory.
