LOS ANGELES—Brad Knight remembers how out of reach it seemed.
“When you first think about getting into porn there’s certain girls that you aspire to, who you want to shoot with, that you never thought you’d get with,” Knight tells AVN.
For the 28-year-old native of San Diego who won the 2016 AVN Best Male Newcomer award, one of those girls was the sensational Romi Rain.
“So I just shot with her today for the first time and that’s like… that was the whole thing,” Knight said in disbelief on February 24. “And that was just like what my dreams were made of. It was amazing. It was like wow.”
Almost 1,000 sex scenes later, Knight made the most of his opportunity to work with the brunette stunner for an upcoming update on Spizoo. He’s been a regular for Spizoo, along with many others who keep the reliable stud in rotation, and when he got the call it almost sounded too good to be true.
“This just happened to be an aligning of the fates, the porno gods at work,” Knight reasoned. “And we ended up having a really great scene and it’s going to turn out really well.
“We were playing husband and wife bickering back and forth and then we had makeup sex.”
Indeed it wasn’t just another day at the office for the former bartender and criminal justice major who has averaged 20 to 25 scenes a month since he debuted in 2014. Knight got his college degree in Tampa, where he served drinks after-hours and was contemplating law school when he decided to give porn a shot.
“Now that I’m in California and I’ve been here for two years I plan on staying for 10 more at least, especially if things stay the way they are,” Knight said. “I genuinely love what I do.”
Now established as a go-to guy even on short notice, Knight said the challenge is to maintain that level and take the next step.
“It’s a little bit different from when I first got in versus now. The expectation is a little bit more. It’s easy to get in as a guy, but it’s not easy to stay in as a guy,” Knight said.
“So you have all these new guys that are coming in right now but none of them are actually sticking around.”
In order to sustain a career as a guy in the porn business “you kind of have to adapt and survive,” according to Knight.
“You have to do your homework,” Knight said. “Watch other guys in their scenes and figure out what becomes not necessarily award-worthy, but what sells. What makes the scene that much better to where I can get hired again by this company?
“You learn more about the business aspect of it. I’ve started looking at the producing and directing side of it and I’ve been figuring out how they shoot so as a performer I can figure out what looks the best. You gotta do your homework in order to be respected in this industry.”
Knight paid his dues in Florida, doing POV hand-jobs and BJ’s for $100 a day until that work became so steady he had to choose between a long night tending bar—where he made about 12 bucks an hour—or paid blowjobs.
“I really couldn’t thank the girls enough that I shot with for [Primal Fetish]. I met like 100 girls in two months. It was nuts,” Knight recalled. “I could do multiple scenes a day. You have two different girls come in every single day.”
Soon Knight got the call to work for the South Florida-based Reality Kings, and then Score Group, doing more than 100 scenes on the East Coast before venturing out West. His next stop was the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, where he paid his own way and met veteran stars such as Mick Blue and James Deen, asking them for advice. He said Blue told him, ‘If you want to do this, if you’re really serious about it, an agency will pick you up.’”
Soon after that he signed with his first LA-based agency and started shooting for studios in Porn Valley. In November of last year he signed with OC Modeling, where he has been booked solid and recently started performing for New Sensations and Perv City in addition to amassing multiple credits for Naughty America, Zero Tolerance, Lethal Hardcore, Third Degree, Diabolic and Evil Angel, among others.
“I specialize with certain studios now. I can’t shoot for a couple because I have tattoos but that’s the norm when you get in the industry,” Knight said. “The first thing they tell you is if you have tattoos you’re not going to work for X, Y and Z. So I learned to accept that early on. Other than the companies that have shot the same guys for 10 years there’s not really a company that doesn’t shoot me.”
Knight said he wouldn’t mind shooting again for studios such as Brazzers and Digital Playground, which hired him earlier in his career, or getting an opportunity to work with Holly Randall or Axel Braun in the future.
“I just want to see how far I can go,” Knight said. “Depending on how things go, if guys decide to retire that could open more doors. Right now it’s like stuck in the middle waiting for the changing of the guard. These guys, they’ve been in the industry a while, but biology always takes over. Eventually they’re going to need the new generation.”
Knight said he hasn’t had any chances to show his flair for drama, but “acting is my passion, too.”
“I have room for growth. It takes time. You have to keep plugging, keep doing your work and people take notice over time,” he said.
When Knight isn’t working, he may be on the road following the U.S. men’s national soccer team—a hobby of his since watching the American squad compete in the 2010 World Cup.
“Every year they go to multiple places across the country and if you buy tickets you can go and see them. For example last year I went to Chicago, Philly, Jacksonville and Austin, Texas—all in the span of two months,” Knight said. “Every year I do these three-day trips where I just go and watch the U.S. team play. I’m all American-flagged out. It's basically like one big tailgate. I get to meet people from all over the country. The last game I went to was in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 11th, a week after the election.”
Knight also likes to play golf and go to Six Flags Magic Mountain to unwind.
“I like roller coasters and adrenaline,” he said.
Speaking of thrill rides, when Knight hooked up with Romi Rain last month it wasn’t the first time they had met.
“I ran into her at the AVN Expo this past year and we just talked,” Knight said. “I didn’t seem like a douchebag or anything. I wasn’t one of those guys who was like, ‘I want to have sex with you!’ I am who I am. I like girls to enjoy themselves when they’re on set. That’s my overall thing. If the girl’s not happy, I’m not happy.
“She expressed what she wants out of her scenes. She was like, ‘I’m very passionate, I’m very aggressive. A lot of guys can’t handle how intense I am.’ I said to her, ‘Well I’ve worked with a couple girls similar to you and if it’s not sounding too bold here, I think I can handle that.’”
So when the big day arrived, Knight rose to the occasion, saying “honestly it was everything that I had hoped for.”
“I was not disappointed at all. She did everything that I asked and that’s why she’s one of the top girls,” he said. “Performance-wise she’s one of those girls that gives it her all.”
