LOS ANGELES — The YouTube channel belonging to 2017 AVN Hall of Fame inductee Steve Holmes has exploded in popularity this summer, garnering 11.7 million views. Holmes’ account at the popular video-sharing website permits the star to provide fans a look Behind The Porn Scenes.
Since the spring of 2018, Holmes has been bringing his own camera on set to reveal what really takes place in adult film production. The Behind The Porn Scenes series gives viewers an insider’s perspective of what it’s like being on film sets for PureTaboo, BurningAngel, Evil Angel, New Sensations, Facial Abuse, Mile High, Devil’s Film, Teen Fidelity, Zero Tolerance, and others.
The videos feature adult personalities such as Joanna Angel and Angela White, award-winning directors Jacky St. James and Bree Mills, performers Valentina Nappi, Karma Rx, Kate Kennedy, Jasmine Jae, Tori Avano, Mackenzie Moss, Alina Lopez, Emily Willis, London River, Lola Fae, Carolina Sweets, Jade Nile, Ariana Marie, Gia Derza, Lena Paul, Ivy Lebelle, Violet Monroe, Amara Romani, and many more.
Holmes says, “I work a lot in America, but my family is in Europe. So, I play golf a lot, and I shoot these YouTube videos and edit them. It’s fun.”
“I like to talk about the art of pornography,” Holmes says in the introductory video on his YouTube channel. “I think pornography is art. And like any other art like painting, sculptures, theatre, movies, music, there’s better and worse. There’s great and there is rubbish. But generally I think pornography is a great art form. It’s probably the oldest.”
Since July 22, Holmes has gained over 1,000 new subscribers per day. The channel is currently approaching 32,000 subscribers, and “at this rate, it won’t be long until I will break 100,000 subscribers,” Holmes predicts.
Within six months of its launch, Holmes’ YouTube channel won entry to the YouTube Partner Program, which requires at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time within 12 months.
However, in May of this year Holmes’ channel received a serious spike in traffic, driven in part by increased attention in South and Southeast Asia. Holmes says that, according to analytics data, one of his then-one year old videos, “Behind the Scenes with Daisy Stone,” quickly accrued millions of views from women in India, where major porn sites have been blocked by the government under orders from the Uttarakhand High Court.
Other highly-viewed vids include “Jade Nile’s First Gangbang” and “Gia Derza for Teen Fidelity."
However, Holmes reports that after “reviewing” his channel’s exponential growth, on June 3 YouTube notified him that “a significant portion” of his channel was “not in line with [its] YouTube Partner Program policies," and that, his channel would no longer be eligible to monetize.
Holmes estimates that with his level of viewership, he could easily have earned 10 to 15 thousand dollars from YouTube monetization. “I wouldn’t have said no if they’d sent me a check, but that was never my intention when I started the channel. At least they let me keep my channel.”
His traffic has remained at a high level, as demonstrated by his recent video, “Behind the Scenes with Vienna Rose for Teen Fidelity," which netted 50,000 views within its first two weeks.
Holmes, 58, began his performing career in Europe in 1996. His stage name was suggested by a reporter “because I was really skinny, and tall, with a big dick, and he said I reminded him of John Holmes,” Holmes said. A veteran of well over 2500 scenes, Holmes has been living and working in Los Angeles and Budapest since 2002. In 2015 he began producing and directing for Kink.com’s Public Disgrace website.
“Most people are aware when they watch a mainstream movie that Superman doesn’t really fly," he pointed out. "But in porn, some people have difficulty understanding that it’s a fantasy being played out by professionals. However I don’t want to ruin the fantasy completely.”
“I’m covering the area I’m involved in,” Holmes stated. “Many different niches, from features to gonzo to more extreme stuff. I work in various countries, and every set is different.”
Steve Holmes just wrapped in director/star Dana Vespoli’s new feature for Evil Angel, opposite Julia Ann, Victoria Voxxx, and Kate Kennedy. The movie centers around a Catholic church, where people need to have their faith restored. There are nuns, priests, Catholic school girls, and even an exorcism.
“I’ve known Holmes since I started in the business back in 2003,” says Vespoli. “He always brings something unique and special to every performance. He can be hilarious or sinister and, of course, he’s a huge pervert who is down for anything. Bless his heart! And he’s so kind and generous. He’s just a great guy who can run circles around male talent in this business who are half his age.”
Follow Steve Holmes on Twitter @SteveHolmesPorn.
