If you had told me a few years ago that one day I, Tripp Daniels, would be sitting in a cozy beachside restaurant having lunch with a Playboy Playmate, I would have said you were crazy. But there I was, one sun-drenched afternoon, with the lovely and charming Neriah Davis, Miss March '94 - thank you very much. As we dined on sushi rolls, Davis and I got on like old friends. Dare I say there was a hint of flirting? Well, there's flirting when I tell the story.
Truly gorgeous, like a modern day Brigitte Bardot, Davis has appeared in numerous TV and film projects and remains a well-known presence in print and on the Web. Today the blonde stunner is busy guest hosting E!'s Wild On, readying a lingerie line, shooting content in exotic locales, and making her official site, Neriah.com, one of the coolest (and sexiest) destinations on the Net.
AVN Online: What was it like the first time you posed for Playboy?
Neriah Davis: I grew up in a place where nudity wasn't an issue. I really didn't feel insecure. I was very proud to disrobe. I wasn't nervous... maybe a little in disbelief that I was going to be a Playmate.
AO: What is your fondest memory of being a Playmate?
ND: Probably when I had just become a Playmate and Playboy asked me to go to the south of France with Jenny McCarthy, who had just been chosen Playmate of the Year, but the issue wasn't out so she wasn't famous yet. She was awesome, a great girl. They sent us to Cannes with all the film people there. We didn't have to do anything. We went to parties. They got us a car, we went on the yacht. We went driving down to Monte Carlo and went gambling. We got lost, we got drunk. It was too much fun.... Basically we got paid to party.
AO: Finish this sentence: A Playboy Playmate is...
ND: A woman. Hopefully.
AO: How do you feel about Playboy today?
ND: I guess maybe I'm a little biased, but I personally think that the Playmates from the '90s, the quality, was a lot better than the Playmates today. Playboy seems like they picked different-looking girls - even though I'm blonde, like the Playboy stereotype - there was more of a range in the way they looked. Each girl had a story. It's like cookie cutter now.
AO: What prompted you to launch Neriah.com in 1997?
ND: Well I was the first Playmate to have her own official site. I remember I was on a computer, and I typed in my name to see what was out there. Like 120 Websites came up, with scans and info, and it got me thinking, ?Why don't I do this? If these people are doing it, why don't I do this and control what is out there.' That started the long journey.
AO: You've made a lot of changes on your site of late.
ND: I just added a new tour and revamped the affiliate program. I'm actually starting to shoot girls, so we'll have sections where I'm the photographer as well. We're building the Neriah Network. I want to brand the name Neriah. People trust I deliver quality photos and I want my name to equal that. I'm never going to stop improving my site.
AO: You seem to have a good relationship with your members.
ND: The other day I got this e-mail from a customer who wanted to talk about a billing issue. So I wrote and said ?Give me your number, I'll call you.' So I called. He couldn't believe it was me. I give the best customer service. I want them to know that I care. I send newsletters twice a week. If you don't want the newsletter you better say so, or I will send it.
AO: Do you handle the daily management of Neriah.com?
ND: I do all the editing, the updates, the customer service, and the marketing.
AO: Did you have to go through any training to produce the site?
ND: Yeah, guerilla training. Out of necessity, really, I never took a class. I know how to do HTML now. It's crazy the stuff I do now.
AO: You seem just as focused on business as your modeling career.
ND: The life of a model, or even an actress, is very limited... the life of a businesswoman is endless. I still feel I can book jobs left and right but I want to be in control of what I'm doing. I don't want to be like, ?Oh my God, why isn't my phone ringing, why aren't I booking any jobs?' I don't want to have to stress about that, I want to be able to know that I have my shit together. I'm planning my future.
AO: Based on your work, you must love to perform.
ND: There's a part of me that wishes that I hadn't done Playboy. I started out acting, doing theatre. That was my love. I came to L.A. to be an actress, and I started doing little movies, and unfortunately I made the wrong choices. I didn't know it at the time. I was just 17 years old out here on my own. I didn't have someone guiding me, so I got pigeonholed into that bimbo role. When I tried to do something, even in my acting classes, my acting coach would give me these roles where I would have to be seductive or ?she takes her top off.' I'm like, ?Listen, I can do that already. We don't have to practice that.' Then he'd go, ?Let's go to dinner and discuss it.' I'm just like, ?No.'
AO: Do you have other creative interests?
ND: I love fashion. I love coming up with creative concepts for shoots. Originally I wanted to be in the fashion world; not a designer, but a buyer. I was obsessed with that whole world, so I still love it, and I see that in my work.
AO: Are you surprised more girls, like Playmates, haven't built official sites?
ND: There are a lot of girls out there who have sites who don't have any business having them. Maybe some don't care or don't see the big picture; it just depends how much you want to be involved. Honestly, I'm glad. I'm pretty much like the only one out there - with the exception of a few girls, like Jenna Jameson - who's very involved with her site.
AO: What else is going on with your business?
ND: We're looking at doing a series of DVDs, because that's what people have been asking for. And my producing career is taking off like crazy. My production company has been hired by a few lingerie companies to revamp their look based on our Sleek.com portfolio. I'm still modeling, but producing is where it's at for me. I like the hands-on approach and that creative control.
AO: We always ask this question: Please describe the underwear you're wearing - and let me say that asking a Playboy Playmate to describe her underwear is easily on my Top 10 Coolest Things I've Ever Done list.
ND: Nude color, low cut... something you can't see through my white pants. I didn't want you to think I was meeting you for lunch without panties.
AO: Speaking of undies, tell us about your line of lingerie.
ND: It's called the Neriah line, and it looks like I will be launching in April in Vegas 'cause they have a big lingerie show. I'm going to open a division on the site or do a new site where I sell lingerie, and not just my line but others as well. It's been the world I've been in for 10 years, and I love it.
AO: What's the marketing pitch for these lacey unmentionables?
ND: I'm gearing it for women who aren't afraid of their sexuality, women who love to be comfortable but sexy and embrace their free spirit. I'm going to definitely have a whole bondage line, too; more hardcore stuff because I love that, I think it's super hot. And I'm not designing anything I wouldn't wear. I've worn so many pieces of lingerie in my life I know what I like.
AO: Describe yourself in one word.
ND: Optimistic.
AO: Is there a special talent you wish you had?
ND: I wish I could see into the future.
AO: Three items you can't live without.
ND: Cell phone, my cable Internet access, and my wine bottle opener.
AO: What's your biggest weakness?
ND: Fashion magazines. Addicted. And I can't get the subscriptions because I can't wait. I have to go get it.
AO: One thing you would change about yourself.
ND: I wish my toes were a little different.
AO: When you sleep you wear...
ND: If I try to wear anything I end up taking it off. I just strip it off.
AO: What inspires you?
ND: [laughs] Your beautiful voice. No, really, I think when I go out there [points outside] and I look at the ocean and I see how there's no end to it. I think how there's no end to the things I can achieve in my life.
AO: Breakfast in bed or romantic dinner under the stars?
ND: Stars, for sure.
AO: What is your idea of perfect happiness? Besides being here with me.
ND: To not be in denial. Be content with the moment and enjoy where you are.
AO: What would we find on your nightstand?
ND: I don't have one. I just rearranged the bedroom. But what you'd find is a book by Napoleon Hill called Think and Grow Rich. If you don't have it you should go and get it. It's not just about money, but "rich" - in life.
AO: What can a guy, me for example, do to make you smile?
ND: A comment that shows he has a sense of humor. I know that's the pat answer that women give, but we love that. We love to laugh. Dealing with a guy that isn't all cocky, has a little bit of humility. I don't like that macho thing.
AO: What's a newspaper headline you'd like to read about yourself one day?
ND: It would have to involve "Playmate Goes Platinum" ... something with Forbes magazine and former Playmate... something with me succeeding in the business world. "Playmate Takes Over Hef's Position."
