This is the cover story of the July issue of AVN magazine.
LOS ANGELES—Cherry Kiss wants to expand the pool of male talent, so she has started doing her part.
In Cherry’s Boot Camp, a new series she is producing and directing for her OnlyFans, the 2024 AVN International Female Performer of the Year helps aspiring men break into adult by finding out if they have what it takes.
“The young guys don’t have the opportunity to enter the industry so much because a normal director don’t want to risk—because it’s big money,” Kiss explains.
She vets the hopefuls with a screening process, makes sure they pass testing protocols, tries them out in a live sex scene and records it all.
“And then I will see if they struggle or if they’re doing good,” Kiss adds. “Or if they’re scared, I will explain to them and give them a chance and then we continue again. … I’m already working on it.”
If anyone is qualified to evaluate potential porn studs, it’s Kiss.
The Serbian star—who has performed in more than 1400 sex scenes in her 14-year career that started when she was 18—seems poised to also become one of the industry’s top directors as she charges into the summer armed with five years of experience calling the shots for multiple studios already on her resumé.
Kiss began directing for the iconic studio Evil Angel five years ago and then landed a deal with another legacy brand, the Barcelona-based Private. Now she also helms projects for LifeSelector and MetArt’s SexArt banner, in addition to performing in about 10 scenes a month for other companies while also shooting her own content.
And she does it all from her home base in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, where she not only has been living for the past two-and-half years—she’s thriving.
“I just want to achieve more and more because I’m so happy to be here now,” Kiss says. “I would love to buy a house here as soon as possible. I would love to stay here.
“My dream is to be the [AVN Female Performer of the Year]. And I’m so proud that now my family will be proud of my awards—finally!
“But then I will go for the Director of the Year one day. It makes me feel really good to be successful, first of all. I’m just happy and satisfied that I know that I did something good, you know? As well, I’m very sad when I feel that it’s not good.
“Sometimes it’s out of your control. I care too much because I really love this.”
Evil Angel founder John Stagliano noticed Kiss’s drive, giving her the first chance to direct in 2020.
Last year, she released Cumming to L.A. through Evil Angel, which showcased her performing and directing talent and her ambition to make a living in the mecca of porn.
“Cherry was always a favorite of mine as a performer,” Stagliano tells AVN. “And her filmmaking was special. She understands the unexpected.”
Kiss walks and talks with the confidence of someone who knows her worth. The former club manager and makeup artist—who’s been working since she was 14 years old to help her family survive—did more than pay her dues for more than a decade on the European circuit. She also stepped up to defend her career choice—and the adult industry as a whole—in numerous national TV appearances in her home country during her early years in the business.
On this 80-degree Monday evening in May, Cherry is turning heads at a busy sushi restaurant in Northridge, Calif., sipping green tea in her beige tank top, khaki shorts and brown Nike high-top boots.
When the topic turns to her world-class work ethic, the busiest woman in Porn Valley tells me one of her core principles—that her grandmother helped instill—is “to never give up.”
“Mindset is everything,” Kiss says. “To have that strong mind. Because this is the entertainment business, a very, very tough business to keep going.
“That’s why there’s so many short careers and you need to be a true lover as well. What I always say is true lover means that you need to enjoy what you’re doing.
“It’s not like doing something for money, but to have a touch that you are like, I love this, I’m happy.”
Cherry continues, “As soon as you are there just for money, you start to stress, you start to have tension, you are not doing it good. … You need to really like it and you need to appreciate the place you are.”
That attitude of gratitude serves her well on the set, where she continues to do it all with passion, earning the respect of her colleagues and collaborators.
“Cherry is a force of nature,” says AVN Hall of Fame director Mike Quasar. “She operates under some form of propulsion that’s heretofore unknown to man. She’s just built differently, let’s put it that way. It could be her Serbian upbringing, but there are very few performers that operate at that level all the time.
“Plus, just in general as a human being I love her to pieces. We’re very good friends. She’s intense with everything she does.”
The 30-plus-year veteran Quasar not only has hired Kiss for dozens of scenes for various Mile High Media brands, he now sometimes runs lead camera for her when she directs.
“She’s got a fantastic sense of humor,” Quasar continues. “Again, she just has a very old soul, there’s a maturity about her. To me, she’s still a youngster, but she seems very wise and seasoned.”
Born and raised in Niš, the third largest city in Serbia located about 155 miles south of the capital of Belgrade, Kiss hustled from a young age.
She got her education while working part-time to make ends meet for her parents—who both are nurses and don’t make a big wage—and her two younger sisters.
Cherry got her nursing degree and then also finished her studies at an economic university, sometimes taking odd jobs when she wasn’t attending class or cramming for a test.
She did singing; she also learned how to do professional makeup, recalling that “everything” she did during this period was for her family.
Kiss helped raise her baby sisters—one is five years younger and the other 12—and cover the family’s bills while finding her way as an adult performer and debating with industry detractors on TV for more than six years in Serbia.
Her message to the media and the public: adult entertainment is a legitimate business.
Cherry also appeared on reality shows alongside singers and other famous Serbians—all the while weathering a nasty storm of criticism and judgment—and in the process gained the public’s respect, becoming a well-known, if not notorious figure in Serbia herself.
“When she first entered the adult industry and people in Serbia found out, it was chaos,” says Christina, who is Cherry’s best friend from Serbia. “Not just for strangers—but for her family, her friends, everyone.
“She was one of the first publicly known adult actresses in the country. And Serbia… wasn’t ready. They judged. They whispered. Some even avoided her. But she held her head high. She reminded people that dignity doesn’t come from the job you do, but the way you live your truth.
“That the industry doesn’t define her. She defines what the industry can be. And guess what? Now the story has flipped. Everyone wants to be near her. She’s the most recognized name in her field in Serbia. People are counting the days until she returns from LA.
“And from what I know—she has more podcast invites, interviews, and shoots lined up than she could ever take.”
Christina, who lives in Switzerland and works in medicine, tells AVN she met Cherry Kiss about 20 years ago on their first day of medical school—and “there’s a whole world behind that name.”
Even though they live far apart and only get to see each a couple times a year, they’re in touch constantly with messages, voices notes and random jokes at 2 a.m.
Christina continues, “How do you describe someone like her in a sentence? You don’t. But if I had to try: She has a mind made of steel, a heart made of gold, and a sense of humor that could resurrect the dead. She’s the kind of person who never says, ‘You should do this.’ She says, ‘We’ll do it.’ And then she means it.
“She’s been there for me every time I fell apart—with zero judgment and all the right words. And somehow, she manages to make even pain funny. That’s a gift.”
“I’m proud,” Christina adds. “Not just of what she’s built—but how she stayed exactly who she is while doing it. People often say ‘soulmate’ and think of romance. But for me? She is my soulmate. And that kind of bond… is either once in a lifetime—or never.”
Due to her national fame, Kiss accepted an opportunity to run a club in Belgrade for seven years, while she continued building her reputation in adult.
After seeing the way she fought for what she believed in on TV, the owner handed her the keys to his club and said he trusted her. Cherry says that experience taught her a lot about management, learning lessons that she carries with her to this day—such as the importance of separating business from pleasure.
She made countless trips to Budapest, Hungary, Prague, Czech Republic and Barcelona to shoot during her formative years in porn.
“I was driving seven hours, eight hours, four hours, five hours. It was a lot,” Cherry says. “I get emotional when I remember what I’ve done… It was nice times. And it worked.”
Eventually, she moved to Budapest, one of the major hubs of European production, because her high profile in Serbia was becoming too chaotic.
“I’m happy if somebody comes to me, ‘hi, hi, na, na, na,’ make a picture, no problem. I love to have fun. But this time it was just a pain. I didn’t know how to react. It just was too much,” Cherry says. “The people was judgmental in the beginning. … But after showing more myself in the TV, people totally changed.
“Now when I go there, it’s a huge respect.”
Jonathan Krogman, managing partner of MetArt/SexArt, started working with Kiss in 2024, not long after she won International Female Performer of the Year.
“Her directorial debut for SexArt came directly on the heels of that award, making the timing perfect for launching new, high-quality content from a rising star in the industry,” Krogman tells AVN. “Her reputation as a performer is stellar, but what drew us to her as a director was her SexArt directorial debut with the film Craving Attention, and her clear creative vision.”
The MetArt exec describes Kiss’s directing style as “both aesthetic and meticulous.”
“Her understanding of the performer’s point of view brings sensitivity and comfort to the set,” Krogman adds. “And her ability for visual storytelling is superb.”
Kim Parker, head of production for LifeSelector, tells AVN her company has had a “long-standing partnership” with Kiss.
“We used to work with her regularly in both Budapest and Paris,” Parker says. “She’s truly one of the most talented performers out there today. In 2024, we began collaborating with her again—this time, not just because she’s reliable and a total professional, but also because she brings creative vision and a deep understanding of our interactive POV product.
“Cherry was already very familiar with LifeSelector, so she was genuinely excited to step behind the camera and start producing girlfriend-experience stories with amazing actresses like Chloe Amour, Blake Blossom, Hailey Rose and Vanna Bardot.”
Parker continues, “She’s always on top of things, a great communicator— which is absolutely essential—open-minded and incredibly hard-working. I really admire how professional she is with both the models and her own production team. We quickly developed a great working relationship, which has made everything run even more smoothly. I just hope she finds more time to sleep–she’s practically running 24/7.”
Kiss knows she maintains a hectic schedule but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
For starters, she says her post-production duties often keep her up at night, not to mention when she gets her first look at her newest scene trailer.
“Sometimes I’ll watch it 30 or 40 times and I have a smile on my face because, hey, we created this together—yay!” Kiss says.
If there’s one thing she struggles with, it’s determining which activity she enjoys more—performing or directing.
“This business is like an addiction for me,” Kiss admits.
Vince Karter, the 2025 AVN Male Performer of the Year from Paris, moved to L.A. at the same time Kiss did in January 2023.
The former real estate project manager broke into adult 14-and-a-half years ago but didn’t go full time until he moved to Budapest in 2018, when he began to establish himself as one of the best in the world.
“Cherry is the first one who push me to move to Budapest,” Karter, who also won the AVN International Male Performer of the Year award in January 2024, tells me. “She trust me and believe in me and push me to where I am now. If I am here, it’s because of her—that’s one of the main points I want to make.
“She is very generous, very human and she is an amazing performer. Her charisma when she is on set, I think there is nobody else in the industry like her. She is super magnetic. Everybody will remember her and everyone will enjoy the time they will have with her.
“It is very rare to have this type of magnetic person with huge charisma. I know people will always like to be around her. She have this magic touch about the human part.”
Karter, who also claimed trophies for Best Tag-Team Sex Scene and Best Gangbang Scene in January, says he is “very proud” of Kiss, too.
“She start to direct and she is serious and she show me the new Cherry Kiss will be something else, not just the performer,” Vince continues. “To move to America is not easy. It’s a big challenge for all of us and she establish herself very well.”
Italian star Christian Clay, who is the reigning AVN International Male Performer of the Year, participated in the first DP scene of Kiss’s career over a decade ago in Europe.
“We know each other from the very beginning of her career,” Clay tells AVN. “She was beautiful and super shy… She isn’t like that anymore—I mean shy—but she still is so beautiful. She is for me one of the top 10 hardcore female performers.
“She is super crazy, but we love her also for that. She is very nice and real. I want to congratulate to her about the cover of [AVN] magazine. It’s truly inspiring to see all that she’s accomplished in her career, and I couldn’t be happier for her.”
Clay continues, “Our friendship over the years has always been so special to me, and seeing her achieve this milestone in her professional life makes it even more meaningful. Her dedication, passion and hard work has truly paid off, and she deserves all the success coming her way. And her career isn’t over yet so go hard, go ahead and never give up my friend, always dream big.”
Mark Schechter, the AVN Hall of Fame agent who owns ATMLA, tells AVN that he was introduced to Kiss about three years ago by Hall of Fame producer/performer Porno Dan Leal, who resides in Budapest.
“I recall Dan telling me how Cherry performs at a very high level and would be a huge success here in LA,” Schechter says. “I would have to say, Dan’s description was an overwhelming understatement. Cherry began her USA porn journey running full speed in January 2023 and never looked back. Cherry quickly made a name for herself as a super high-energy performer with a firecracker personality.
“Cherry has also accomplished becoming a director for several studios. She maintains a tremendous work ethic, along with a sense of humor, compassion and integrity. I am proud and grateful to have Cherry a part of the ATMLA family.”
Vixen Media Group contract director Derek Dozer, the AVN Hall of Fame shooter who won Best Directing - Individual Work at the 2024 AVN Awards, says, “Cherry is one of my favorite performers to work with for sure.”
“We have nice chemistry together that comes out in our work,” says Dozer, who captured many of the images for this feature, including the cover photo. “It’s nice to have a connection with your model and to be on the same page when it comes to what we both are trying to achieve.
“I love her fun personality which makes it that much easier on set. And when everyone’s having fun on set and lighthearted, it’s awesome. We’ve created some really hot scenes together.”
Panta, who is Cherry’s Serbia-based editor and dear friend, met Kiss during their college days about 15 years ago before they began working together around 2020. He edited Cumming to L.A. for Kiss.
“She has a good approach to different characters and makes them work together as an effective team and fun is always guaranteed,” Panta tells AVN. “We know each other more than we work together, which means we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and we push each other forward.
“It means a lot when you can work with someone you can trust.”
Meanwhile, the Budapest-based production veteran JJ Junior first met Cherry in 2014 on set, but he didn’t join her crew until after COVID.
“First I did camerawork for her OnlyFans and after we started to shoot for clients like Evil Angel and Private,” JJ tells AVN. “For both companies we did gonzo scenes, what we loved to shoot.
“Cherry has lots of energy on set what you don’t experience anywhere else. She loves what she’s doing and she is one of the best in the industry. We worked very well together because she has the idea and I can understand her vision and make it into reality on set.”
JJ started out as a PA in 2011, working his way up to be a photographer/cinematographer/director/producer in the last 14 years with clients that include Playboy Plus.
“In mainstream productions the director and the director of photography should be on the same page in order to make it work and we always understood each other,” Junior adds.
Cherry reached another milestone this past January, when she was part of the massive ad campaign for the 2025 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo.
She says seeing her larger-than-life images inside the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas casino and hallways—and on taxis and billboards—was a gratifying moment.
“I was so happy. I made so many pictures,” Cherry says. “Even my mom said that it’s very nice.
“Having the support for maybe the first time from my parents—they truly respect this business and I see that, I feel that—it changes a lot for me.
“I’m getting always emotional when I talk about my family. I want to bring my parents and my family more often here.”
Photography by Derek Dozer & Alex Ladd
