CYBERSPACE—At one time, Colin Rowntree was a Fulbright scholar who earned his Ph.D. in music. He conducted orchestras, operas and ensembles throughout the world before shifting gears—and adult site Wasteland.com emerged as a "movement unto itself" in 1994.
Before the days of 56K modems, Rowntree operated various catalog sites for BDSM gear, but soon realized that the consumers of his catalogs were actually interested in adult content. Making the shift from merchandising to content creation ultimately ignited Rowntree’s creativity on multiple levels: from whips and latex, to ponygirl training, Shibari, water bondage—and beyond. Wasteland, the first site of its kind, gave kinky fans an outlet to explore their fantasies without judgment.
Today, Wasteland is a multi-award winning site that continues to provide its members with some of the most boundary-pushing fetish niche and BDSM content on the web, all the while maintaining ethical production practices and a firm stance on safe, sane and consensual fun. On Wasteland, curious newbies can “learn the ropes” and seasoned fans will find more to entice them.
But the question arises: how does Rowntree still do it after so much time, when so many other sites of the early internet have fallen by the wayside?
“Innovate, innovate, innovate—that has always been my approach to film-making, and it’s how I carry onward,” Rowntree said.
Especially in the time of COVID, it has never been more imperative for adult moviemakers to embrace technology and step outside of their comfort zones—and Rowntree was quick to adapt and respond to the growth of consumer demand during lockdown.
Wasteland’s newest dystopian parody feature, Pink Mirror starring Sicilia Ricci, was shot entirely using Skype and POV cams.
“Socially distanced porn production is not only possible, but it opens up all kinds of new mind-warping directions,” Rowntree said.
And while the continual pandemic makes in-person anniversary festivities unfeasible for now, Rowntree nevertheless plans to ring in year 26 with gusto and flair.
According to the company, if the present interest in the site is any indication, Wasteland is “bound” to create even more unique content for another 26 years.
