Staying Power

How do performers in the jizz biz keep it up year after year? Unzipped asked the insiders who are doing it day after day. To paraphrase Heidi Klum, maintaining a career as a performer in the porn business is like sex (or like Project Runway): “One moment you’re in, the next you’re out.” In today’s increasingly overpopulated adult entertainment industry, so-called porn “stars” are a dime a dozen. Rushed onto box covers by studios eager to proclaim them The Next Big Thing, these untested talents may make a big splash but rarely stick around for more than four or five movies before they disappear into obscurity. So much for stamina.

XXX legends like Jack Wrangler, Jeff Stryker, Chad Donovan, and Lukas Ridgeston performed for many years before making their on-screen exits. Today the Internet has vastly increased the pool of flash-in-the-pan wannabes who rarely last as long as the time as it takes for a consumer to wank off to their movies.

Happily, reassuringly, there are some exceptions: Stars like Dean Phoenix, Zak Spears, Michael Brandon, Chad Hunt, Michael Lucas, and Tom Chase have been causing orgasms for more than a decade each, paving the way for more recent longtimers such as Matthew Rush, Erik Rhodes, Collin O’Neal, Arpad Miklos, Jason Ridge, Parker Williams, Alex Collack, Paul Carrigan, Jon Galt, and Johnny Hazzard to follow in their footsteps. But these types of performers are few and far between. Even talented models with tons of promise and press—think Dick Wolf or Shane Rollins—seem to vanish overnight.

“It’s hard to be a longlasting star in this business,” says veteran agent David Forest. “The porn business can be dirty, and it will chew you up and spit you out if you’re not careful about how you approach it. It takes someone really special to make it for the long haul.”

To understand what makes a porn star last in the business, it helps to start with an understanding of what it means to be a “star” in the first place. Some contend it’s an overused term that has little bearing on a performer’s true value to consumers. “There are a lot of models, yet there are very few stars,” proclaims Falcon Studios president Todd Montgomery. “Being a ‘star’ used to mean something specific and has since been neutered to generally encompass anyone who’s a performer. I think that does a disservice to the people who are truly stars and truly iconic.”

Longtime model and studio owner Michael Lucas agrees. “Very often ‘porn star’ is used as a joke,” he says. “There is no real meaning behind the term anymore. It no longer carries the perception of being an icon or a major celebrity. It’s a cliché.” Did computers kill the porn star? “I think the day of the ‘porn star’ is dead—and I think Internet porn basically killed it,” observes Collin O’Neal, who debuted as a Hot House model in 2003 and worked for several other studios before founding his own company, Collin O’Neal’s World of Men—ironically, an Internet-based studio. “Many guys these days want to do porn and back out quickly, and the Internet has helped that phenomenon.

“The biggest misconception with the term ‘porn star’ is that studios push some models as ‘stars’ when in actuality a real porn star is created by his popularity among fans. There are only a handful of ‘stars’ left—and they’re disappearing quickly.” Although some directors, like Channel 1 Releasing co-owner Chi Chi LaRue, believe that “anybody who takes off their clothes and performs in front of a video camera can call themselves a star,” others disagree, arguing that continuing success is what truly defines star power.

“A star, to me, is someone who is able to create a dedicated following of fans over time,” asserts Montgomery. “Someone who has something unique in terms of either their physical attributes or how they perform sexually or how they’re able to communicate with their audience through adult films. The people who are able to bring all of those things together and consistently deliver that experience to a consumer over a period of time—those are the people who truly become stars in our business.”

"[A real porn star] is not one who is popular for only the course of a year,” concurs Lucas. “He’s one whose celebrity shines for a long time—one who has longevity, and who has that certain je ne sais quoi to keep the momentum going for years.” Doing such a thing requires more than just a pretty face, most say. One practical step is to align oneself with a major production studio. “Being an exclusive with Falcon was the biggest thing that has kept me around for so long,” says Matthew Rush. “There’s a pretty simple formula: If you want to make money quickly, be an independent model and work for various studios. But if you want to make more money in the long run and have a longer career, try to land an exclusive contract.”

As a studio owner, Lucas knows what that protection can mean. “You can be a diamond in the rough, and a good studio will polish you and present you to fans,” he notes. “Fans don’t know about stars unless they hear of them from the studios who are promoting them. You can throw a great party, but if you don’t have any guests to invite, your party will be a failure.”

Having separate yet compatible visions is one way for a studio and star to navigate the choppy waters of extended relevancy. “Long-term fame takes a host of people grooming a model’s image, promoting him, producing the movies,” says Colt muscle stud Tom Chase. “I wanted to document the growth of a gay boy into a gay man. It takes time to do that, so I chose to remain working in the industry in order to accomplish it. My advice to models is to remember the one true reason you decided to make movies in the first place. It will allow you to make the correct decisions for yourself at every turn and not regret any of those choices in the long run.”

Of course, a model can work in the industry for quite a while without an exclusive contract, as Jason Ridge, Arpad Miklos, and Parker Williams can all attest. But those models have a very different set of guidelines than those of their studio-attached peers. “You have to learn how to say ‘pass,’” advises Forest. “If you agree to every single flick that you’re offered, then you just wear yourself out. The reason so many mainstream acts have stayed around so long is that they’ve tried to make themselves a little scarce. It used to mean something when they would say, ‘Ladies and gentleman, Elvis has left the building.’ You need to space out your releases. Otherwise, you will burn out as a human being in this business—because it’s not always a particularly nice business. Not everybody treats you well, and not every costar is fun to have sex with, and not every director is a delight to work with, and not every studio is going to do you right. If you do everything that comes your way, you’re bound to run into all kinds of crap, so you need to pick and choose. That way you can last a long time.”

Fellow agent Howard “Fabscout” Andrews proposes a simple plan for his clients to follow if they intend to make it last. “Limit yourself to one movie a month or one every six weeks. Do as much self-promotion as you can. Do your website, do your blog, do your live appearances, behave yourself. Don’t go out drunk in public on a constant basis. Don’t sleep with everybody in the world. When you get into the business you have to use your head. You can’t trust in somebody without doing the research and talking to people. “Porn performers need to understand that their staying power is going to depend on what their first few choices are,” he adds. “Don’t go out there and do the $200 porn movie or 15 bareback websites and expect to become a Rascal exclusive—it’s not going to happen. So make your choices wisely, and don’t trust strangers with candy.”

Having a life outside the business certainly helps porn performers in extending their shelf life. “Look at someone like Johnny Hazzard,” says LaRue. “He’ll be around for a while because he has other interests in life to keep him grounded. He’s exploring music, he’s exploring fashion. He wants to do mainstream stuff. I love when porn stars have other things to do besides porn. I encourage that. They should always have something non-porn-related to fall back on, because no matter how long it is, it’s not forever."

It’s also beneficial to really enjoy what you’re doing—and to be doing it for the right reasons. “Obviously there are a lot of porn stars out there who hate themselves—and you can’t possibly be doing this for five or 10 years if you don’t like yourself,” says Forest. “If you hate yourself because you’re doing porn, you’re not going to give a good performance. You have to be proud of what you do.”

Lucas has it down to a science: “Sustain your looks!” he instructs. “That requires a lot of fitness discipline—the gym, a diet, and your overall health. Forget the late-night parties, stuffing yourself with drugs, and drinking. You will look like shit and be forgotten. Don’t be afraid to be interesting, to be provocative and opinionated—that gives you character. But keep some mystery. Part of the iceberg should be left underwater. Be serious about your career; don’t go into ridiculous retirement every time you get a new boyfriend. Make up your mind and stick to your decision. And be nice to your fans, as they are crucially important. If you don’t have fans, there is no demand for you, so no one will hire you. Reply to your fans’ e-mails, answer their questions, be personable and friendly if approached by them. That will get you far."

Models who have been around the XXX block a few times have their own opinions on the requirements for long-term success. According to Chad Hunt, it’s all about reinvention. “Always try to give them something new,” he says, “whether it’s doing something new sexually or trying some new variation on your look. Don’t get stuck doing the same thing over and over.”

For his part, Arpad Miklos says that you don’t have to be a “star” to maintain a career in the industry. Instead, he counsels, “You just need to be reliable so a studio can come to you and know that you will show up on time and that you’re not someone who comes in after partying the night before. You have to have discipline to keep your body in shape—and not just for one or two movies. You have to be on standby all the time because you can get a movie offer anytime. And you have to understand it’s not about a model’s individual good time. If you enjoy it, great, but you have to understand that there are certain rules on the set, and you have to tolerate and deal with it. And be personable. Be able to deal with people who are assholes or just not that friendly to you. You can’t lose your temper.”

A little perspective and a sense of humor helps. “What has kept me in this is not taking it seriously,” posits Dean Phoenix. “Even though I’ve done so at times, I’ve learned to be easy on myself. Life is harsh enough on us without having to stress over having sex. Just take it easy and live in today. Also, if you take this on as if it was a hobby and not the be-all and end-all for you, you’ll be a lot happier. Don’t make it a career—just make it a fun job.”

“Keep it real and don’t get caught up in the instant gratification of happiness and money,” Jason Ridge chimes in. “That will go away soon enough.” Sometimes the advice sounds like it’s coming from a gay dating columnist.

“First and foremost you have to have your shit together if you’re going to make it over the long haul,” proclaims Johnny Hazzard. “Without the ability to recognize how this work affects you—how to separate sex from emotion—you’re going to lose a part of yourself [and spiral out of control]. And don’t think it’s just yourself you have to worry about; there are your friends, family, and lovers to consider.” That’s not all, he says. “Even if you have yourself covered you need to be involved with reputable people—and I’m here to tell you they are a rare breed. I’ve said time and time again that I could not have been luckier with my career. I’ve been fortunate to cross over in so many areas with relative success. And there are still many avenues that present themselves to me because of my involvement with Channel 1, which has been there for me every step of the way. Knowing this industry as I do, there’s no other company that could have kept me around for so long.”

It certainly won’t hurt if you’re prepared for anything. “Keep your eyes wide open,” adds Falcon honcho Montgomery. “Having a realistic view of what the industry offers and what you want from it is really important in terms of making it last. And don’t let things go to your head. Once you become a diva, that’s when you start to become diminished.”

Of all the suggestions on sustaining a porn career, one tip comes up repeatedly: “Stay grounded!” declares Zak Spears. “Stay humble and polite. No one likes an asshole or an egotistical little bitch that believes his own press—and trust me, word gets around fast if you do. Every director, company, agent, or writer is going to tell you, ‘Baby, you’re going to be big!’ Take all this with a grain of salt.” As a man who’s been having sex on-screen since the early ’90s, Spears knows whereof he speaks and screws: “You need to really be into what you enjoy sexually. There is no shame in porn. Whatever it is do it with pride. You like getting gangbanged? Well then, fuckin’ A, get gangbanged. But do it well. Enjoy it and get into it. That’s what will keep you in this business longer than anything else. Just love your slutty little self!”

By Ken Knox