LOS ANGELES—Lena Spanks went to acting camp as a teen, learning some of the techniques she uses to this day while entertaining her fans on cam.
“I also went to acting classes and I do acting in the videos that I make,” she tells AVN.
Spanks’ experience in drama—coupled with her years as a bankable draw on Chaturbate—helped her ace her assignment in Episode 8 of Cam_Girlfriend—titled “The Competition”—which releases today on The Camming Life YouTube channel.
Spanks landed the key supporting role of Neeki, a finalist for Best Female Cam Model for the Chaturbate Webcam Awards, along with Chloe Cables—the lead character in Cam_Girlfriend played by exclusive Chaturbate broadcaster and adult star, Lily LaBeau.
When Chloe leaves town to attend the awards ceremony, her live-in boyfriend Mike (Dave Keystone) decides to familiarize himself with her rival by checking out Neeki’s naughty live broadcast. The trouble starts when Mike sees Neeki’s sexy show and has an unexpected “existential” moment that could throw a wrench into their relationship.
Lena says when she heard about the opportunity to join the cast of Cam_Girlfriend it was a no-brainer.
“Of course I was interested,” Spanks says. “I remember they sent me a link to a rough video of it—it was like a pitch video they asked me to check out—and it was really funny. I liked the idea of bringing light to camming. There are so many negative videos and documentaries out there about camming and I really wanted to be a part of something positive.”
Indeed, the 10-episode digital series that debuted on June 26 takes a light-hearted look at the business of live camming by chronicling the couple’s free-wheeling adventures as Chloe’s profile rises in the camming world with Mike by her side.
But even Mike’s best intentions as Chloe’s well-meaning boyfriend—he doesn’t cam himself—often get him into compromising situations.
Veteran writer and actor Ethan Cole created the series that was produced by CAMGF1 Productions, made possible by the Independent Production Fund (IPF) and directed by Daniel AM Rosenberg during two eventful weeks in February 2018 in Toronto. In what LaBeau called a “dream team” behind the scenes that also includes writer Michael Goldlist and producer Jason Kennedy, among several other seasoned pros with TV, documentary and film credits, Rosenberg & Co. weaved in outrageous comic flourishes with dramatic moments as the couple grapples with realistic cam-girl problems. Cole himself showed his acting chops in today's episode, playing Dave's friend who urges him to check out Chloe's competition.
For Lena Spanks, whose first job was as a bra sizer at Victoria’s Secret, being on set for the cinema-quality production turned into a career highlight.
“Honestly, it was a really fun,” Spanks says. “The whole cast and everyone working there on set was really great. It was pretty easy to work with them.”
The former makeup artist says her path to camming began when she was experimenting on Omegle, a chat site that allows users to socialize one-on-one anonymously.
“You don’t get naked but I had a lot of fun with that,” Spanks says.
An admitted “exhibitionist,” she became more daring, graduating to another cam site, where she began taking off clothes.
“I started doing shows in my parents’ living room when they were asleep,” Spanks says with a laugh. “It was just fun for me. It wasn’t until I moved out on my own that I started taking camming more seriously.”
Spanks soon stepped up her game, discovering Chaturbate about four-and-a-half years ago and not looking back.
“It was when I met MyCherryCrush, who is now my best friend,” Spanks explains. “We had been talking back and forth [on social media] and then I flew out to go meet her. We just clicked instantly—we were instant best friends. That’s never happened to me before. Honestly, it was kind of life changing. She showed me a whole new way of camming and how to make videos, too.
“She was an experienced model and most experienced models don’t do that sort of thing. They don’t take new cam models under their wing. We talk all the time still and we meet up at least once a year.”
Spanks continues, “She was who introduced me to Chaturbate really. I had always been on the other site. I had been doing really long shows—12 to 15 hours sometimes.
“Then I logged in with her and she was just so bubbly and having fun. … We were just blasting music, dancing and doing the most random things and the fans enjoyed it. It felt more like hanging out and having fun than it did like working.
“My cam room has always been about friends. I’m really close friends with all my supporters. I just want to make them laugh and smile and have a good time. I just took it a little too seriously before.”
The 25-year-old Spanks reveals she recently took a break from camming due to a move, but she loves making a living as a Chaturbate broadcaster.
“I’m still camming but I haven’t been as full time,” she says. “I think it’s a gift, honestly. I really, really enjoy it. I never thought I would find something that I enjoy this much. I get to interact with people from all over the world that I never would've met.
“And I get to control my own work environment, too. People seem to like watching me have fun. I get to go to work and just enjoy myself.”
Born and raised in Toronto, Spanks taught herself how to do makeup at a young age, becoming skilled enough to be hired for a variety of gigs that included photoshoots, proms and weddings.
“I even got flown out to a beach wedding in Jamaica,” Spanks recalls. “And I spent a full week at the resort to do all their makeup for pictures. It was fun doing makeup. It just wasn’t what I was passionate about.”
She also held several part-time positions—many in retail—but she admits, “I wasn’t very good at keeping my jobs.”
“I have OCD pretty bad and it’s hard to keep a job with an employer that doesn’t understand mental disabilities," Spanks says. "I was struggling a bit until I found camming and could be my own boss."
Spanks, who is vegan, also worked in the reptile section of a pet store, “socializing” with the reptiles. She learned how to handle 8-foot snakes and other exotic reptiles, getting bit by just about everything at least once.
“But it was the hamsters that bit me the most,” she says. “I’ve loved animals and reptiles ever since I was a little kid when I would go frog hunting.
“I learned how to hold a snake properly by the time I was 8. I would bring them into my house.”
She only left the pet store because it closed.
“That was a great job,” Spanks says. “That one I didn’t get fired from. That was probably my favorite part-time job. I don’t love pet stores very much, I just like to work with animals. It’s a really great thing.”
Now Spanks owns four pet rats—named after Star Wars characters—three adopted cats and a mouse.
“Rats are the best pets I’ve ever had," she says. "They’re so friendly. They just want to cuddle and be around you all the time and they’re very clean animals. They always lick me all the time. They’re definitely very intelligent animals. They’re the only other animal actually aware that they’re able to think. They are aware that their brain is thinking.”
When she’s not broadcasting, Spanks also loves reading—and writing non-fiction short stories.
“I write almost every single day,” Spanks reveals. “I enjoy that a lot. … I’ve been thinking of releasing some erotica stuff, but right now it’s just personal for me. It helps me calm down and control my own thought process and relax.”
In addition she enjoys watching sci-fi TV shows such as Supernatural, Timeless and The 100.
Lena usually broadcasts on weekends.
“I kind of cam in the middle of the night, that’s when I like to be awake. I usually log on at like 1 a.m. and just stay on the whole night,” Spanks says.
“I really love the camming community, so it’d be great to stay with it as long as I can. I’ve really built up this following for myself in the last few years. I’ve done a little bit for YouTube, making just random videos that I come up with. And I really like creating content, too.”
To watch Episode 8 of Cam_Girlfriend, click here.
