LOS ANGELES—Reya Sunshine calls dancing “my favorite medicine.”
“I feel at home when I'm on the stage,” Reya says. “I’m in my element.”
A master pole dancer and touring feature headliner in addition to being a top draw on MyFreeCams, the native of Northern Cali in the past five years established herself as one of the country’s premier exotic entertainers.
But that’s not even the half of it with Sunshine, whose multi-faceted brand comes to life on her vibrant social media platforms, terrific YouTube channel and her official website, ReyasRoom.com.
During a one-week span in late October, Reya’s Instagram feed saw her discussing how she relates to the movie Joker with a photo on the iconic stairs, grooving to Ice Cube and baking banana bread in lingerie. It’s no wonder why she had amassed 3.1 million followers at press time.
On YouTube where she has 256K subscribers to ReyaSunshineTV, she engages fans with candid stories from the road and from the set. In one of her most-viewed videos—filmed in the locker room of the Deja Vu club in San Diego in February 2019, Reya warms up for her night on the floor with jumping jacks.
In this exclusive interview for CAMStar accompanied by 12 pages of photos, Reya discusses her college experience, her interest in psychology and her journey as a performance artist, among other things.
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For bonus questions, see below:
How did you come to teach yoga fitness?
To be totally transparent I have ADHD... I love the idea of working out but I also know myself. I can't be trusted to follow through with regular workouts unless I have the pressure of… being the TEACHER! Haha! I wanted to get into better shape so I signed up for a certification that was just over a month out. That was definitely a strong motivator to practice daily. After I was certified, I wanted to keep up that momentum and accountability, so I taught several classes per week. The teacher performs the entire class with the students as they follow along. So it turned out to be a very effective way to get myself to work out.
What are your fondest memories from Sporty’s Bikini Bar? How long did you work there?
I have SO many awesome memories from Sporty's, I don't even know where to begin! Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of BS, too. There was a definite hazing process when I first started... I was like a fish out of water! Looking back, I'm almost surprised that I stayed, but I think I liked the challenge. I worked there for three-and-a-half years.
The things I miss the most are gossiping, giggling, and hooking up with the other dancers in the back room. We had some FUN! I also got a kick out of the whole experience, as it was my first step into “sex work.” Early in my career, I would delight in the absurd interactions I'd have with customers. I remember one customer decided to tell me mid lap dance that he was “going to cum eight times when he got home. Not one more, not one less. Eight times!” I think that was the same customer who later wrote an enthusiastic Yelp review about my lap dance.... but I digress.
How did you build Reya's Room on MFC?
I was a fan of MFC before I started. I had a "perv account," which is what models call their regular member accounts if they have them. Through watching the site, I was able to pick up a lot of tricks, tips, and insights into how to be successful on MFC.
In addition to my “research,” I had already built a pretty strong following on social media. So I utilized my social following and my “new model” status to try to do the best I could right off the bat. I ranked in the top 100 my first month on MFC, which is something I'm still proud of! It was not easy, but I had a blast doing it!
I also went to my first AVN convention two weeks after I started camming! It was definitely a “fake it till you make it” scenario... I remember being stopped all over the place by random “fans” who would tell me “I love your videos!” I would just smile, knowing they had no clue who I was and that they certainly had not seen my “videos”... but I would sign the 8x10s I had on me with my social media and MFC link on the back! I wore hot outfits and positioned myself in key places for photos with (new) fans. I tried to leverage the convention to get as much extra exposure as possible. This first AVN story is a good example of the spirit I had when I started building ReyasRoom and my online brand.
How do you balance your feature dancing with your camming and clip work?
That's a great question... and I'll get back to you on it once I figure it out. Haha!
Since COVID lockdowns started, I haven't been feature dancing. I'm sure I'll go back sooner or later (I do absolutely love doing features!), but I'm enjoying the break. I've been a lot better at managing all of my social and adult platforms without the chaos of planning and promoting feature shows, travel, and loss of sleep.
What went into your decision to do boy/girl? What did it mean to you to have such an amazing response to your debut with Sean Lawless?
I started boy/girl after performing in only solo and girl/girl work for five years. So it was a decision I took a lot of time on. People judge you differently after taking a dick on camera. I had to decide if I was really okay with that particular shade of the scarlet letter plastered to me for the rest of my life. Maybe part of me wanted to do it BECAUSE of the increased stigmatization. I find judgment of adult performers to be hypocritical at best, and I aim to shed more light on this during my career. Performing in boy/girl gives me both more attention and more authority on the subject.
When thinking about doing it, I reflected on my initial philosophy that got me into the industry to begin with. “I'd be more likely to regret NOT doing it and saying ‘what if?’”... So I wanted to strike while the iron is hot.
The reception has been AMAZING! I think I was high for about a week off of all of the buzz and excitement my first release produced. It felt like my birthday! My fans were stoked, and I was making exponentially more sales (in a super short time) than I'd ever experienced before. What an experience! I've joked that this was a “five-year long marketing campaign” since fans have been requesting boy/girl content since I started in the industry.
What is your plan for future boy/girl performances?
I plan to film and distribute at least one full-length boy/girl video per month. It's been awesome working with experienced male talent. Their job is really challenging! And even though I am very familiar with filming simulated sex scenes with dildos, it's a different experience to film with a dick that has a living, moving human attached to it! So in addition to helping each scene turn out stellar, the male talent have been teaching me some of the positioning that's unique to boy/girl scenes.
What advice would you give a new cam model or dancer trying to establish herself?
Go big or go home applies to this industry. It's totally possible to try to do a little adult work low key, but if you really want to be successful (especially online), it's important to go all in. Be okay with being known as a sex worker. (It's TOTALLY understandable if one is NOT okay with this, but then my advice is to seriously reconsider the career). Build a brand and create a presence for yourself on every social and adult platform possible. Watch other performers to learn ways to make money and market yourself. Set boundaries with what you're comfortable with so that you can avoid feeling violated. Make sure to get money for services up front. Members who try to get your services first are typically the type of people who scam you. Value your fans and make sure to remember that your reputation is based on how well you treat them… ie., don't scam people... just don't! It's an awful look for you and also sets a bad example for the entire industry. Try to be extra professional in your customer service.
If you're reading this and are a new model or dancer trying to establish yourself, feel free to reach out to me with any questions! I really love to help. I kind of geek out on this stuff.
What do you like most about camming?
I love that I'm in control! It's up to me to learn how to make money, how to make my work engaging and fun, and how to interact with my fans. I'm in full control of how well I do, and I can always learn how to do better! It's challenging and fulfilling because I'm responsible for my own success.
What inspired you to begin vlogging on YouTube with ReyaSunshineTV? How has your YouTube channel helped you connect more with your fans and strengthen your brand?
I started my YouTube channel as a marketing tactic to increase awareness to my brand. It definitely helps new people find me! I've also really enjoyed the depth it provides with my loyal fans. It's a great way to show the behind the scenes of my life working in adult entertainment as well as to showcase parts of my personality that aren't typically on display in my content. It's been an awesome connection point with my audience.
When did you launch ReyasRoom.com and how would you describe your site?
I actually launched my website before I even started camming! I wanted a “home base” for my brand. I launched the merch side of my site in 2017 and sell a lot of signed prints and nude calendars!
What is your greatest achievement so far?
I've won some pretty big awards recently (yay!!) so those come to mind. Otherwise I'll have to go general and say that I see my career as a whole has been a great achievement. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I really pulled the whole thing out of my ass. Haha! It does make me feel proud to be sort of an “indie” porn star. Like I just pulled myself up from my bootstraps and created this whole thing.
What’s next for you?
I'm excited to continue my journey with boy/girl content. There is a lot left to be explored there—both for myself and my fans! I'm excited to continue to play with different marketing ideas.. making different series on YouTube or Pornhub, etc.
It's also a passion of mine to bring light to the stigmatization adult workers face. I try to publicly challenge common judgments people pass on us. The irony is that most of the people judging and shaming are also consuming adult content. What does that say then, about society and people, who enjoy the fruits of our labor yet see us as “disgusting” or “worthless”? To me, we are practically saints for dealing with this. I'm the punching bag for all of society's unconscious sexual hangups. I accept this as par for the course, currently. But I could see myself going deeper with this topic later in my career. There is just so much that is “juicy” to me in the world of adult entertainment!
