‘I am definitely enjoying my sweet 16,” says Richelle Ryan, who just celebrated 16 years in the adult industry. “I never would have thought that I would still be performing at the age of 37, let alone be relevant.”
Yet relevant she remains, with a very engaged fan base numbering over 4.3 million on social media, along with 489,000 likes on OnlyFans and 550-plus scenes in her storied career.
I feel more confident in my sexuality and how I express myself and it comes across in my scenes now.
Ryan entered the industry at age 21. She sums up her goal at the time this way: “I wanted to be a rock star with no guitar.” She now feels gratified to have fulfilled that ambition.
“I enjoy all the opportunities that come my way every day,” she notes. “It's always a new adventure and I never take any of it for granted.”
Ryan attributes her success in this industry to being unafraid to work hard, treating everyone with respect and always remaining humble. With a deep appreciation for the opportunities today’s indie-focused market affords content creators, she deftly blends studio shoots with her own scenes, while staying highly attuned to social media hijinks.
As Creator of the Month, Ryan gives us a peek at what drives this dynamic industry dynamo.
How do decide what projects to focus your time and energy on? Do you set specific goals for yourself?
RYAN: I am a very “routine” kind of woman. My schedule is always planned out weeks in advance. Then every day I have a daily hit list as I like to call it, with tasks that have to be taken care of that day, and I don't go to sleep until everything is checked off. It's the workaholic in me!
At this point in my career, my goal is to shoot at least three times a month for mainstream porn companies. I still enjoy being on set and the camaraderie amongst people I've known for years in the business, and I always learn something new. Content creation is gold right now and I shoot four times a week for my OnlyFans page. Sometimes more! It's a rewarding feeling when you know that you own the content and can control where it goes, making the majority of your money off of it.
When I got into the industry in 2006, we didn't have these opportunities. The power is more in the hands of the performer than ever before; I love being able to have the creative freedom to bring my inspirations to life.
XBIZ: Talk about your partnership with Gaming Adult and your collaborative ambitions.
RYAN: I was really blown away when Gaming Adult reached out to me to collab on my own in-game avatar; that was always something that I thought would be cool to have, to see Richelle Ryan as a video game character. I shot all-new promo specifically for it on a green screen since I wanted them to have fresh new content to work with. The team and I threw around ideas on the promo pack they were putting together for me to use on my socials and they let me have a creative voice in designing my character before we launched.
XBIZ: How are you harnessing Gaming Adult's Hentai Heroes and Haremverse to monetize traffic?
RYAN: Hentai Heroes is the perfect product for a performer when it comes to entering the gaming market in our industry. You get to create your own in-game avatar and monetize your traffic to a massive new audience. Hentai Heroes is based on the popular free-to-play model, which is the most profitable way to generate income from the gaming market. Players can register and play for free and if they wish to go faster and further into the game, eventually they will be required to start paying. With all the different mechanics, players get easily addicted and continue paying for several years in a row, so the long-term value for each paying user is very high.
XBIZ: Describe your current brand and how it reflects your true passions.
RYAN: I've morphed fully into the cougar/MILF role in the past four years and truly love it. What I wanted and loved in my 20s is definitely way different than what I'm into as a 37-year-old woman. I feel more confident in my sexuality and how I express myself and it comes across in my scenes now. I've seen myself grow into this mature woman role and it's right in line with who I am outside of work.
XBIZ: How do you strategically market yourself via social media?
RYAN: God bless social media! I remember when I first got in the business, we only had MySpace, and now it's endless, the ways you can promote and connect with fans on social media and streaming sites. I credit my growth and following to being loyal, humble, consistent and fun, along with the mix of spicy content that I post! That's what people love. I appeal to my own fans as well as a broader audience.
The power of social media lets you connect with fans on a direct level. They are coming to my channels for an escape, for pleasure, for a laugh and also because I’m someone they can relate to as far as sports or everyday-life social views. It all developed very organically for me.
I feel it's very important for sex workers to have a presence on safe-for-work platforms as well as doing podcasts, having YouTube channels and being active on Reddit.
XBIZ: How has the MILF content market developed over time, in your view?
RYAN: I have really enjoyed seeing the MILF market blow up and how extremely popular it has become. Thank you Stifler's Mom and “American Pie” for kicking it off, because that's where we all first heard the term “MILF.”
I think MILF scenes have become really popular because they are more romantic, plus the women are mature, hot and experienced, which I think a lot of guys are really into because they are eager to please and want to be taught. The scenes are less aggressive, more passionate and visually appealing.
XBIZ: Are there any fun facts or unique hobbies you have that fans may not know about?
RYAN: My fans know that I'm a sports-loving woman. I'm a huge NFL fan but recently have gotten into college football, mainly for the guys! Ha-ha. I love boxing, basketball and even follow baseball a little. Sports is an outlet for me to forget about the stresses of life and get lost in something that is also very motivational.
A hobby I picked up during COVID was making CBD dog treats for my two Frenchies and my friends’ dogs. My dogs are the loves of my life and bring so much joy to my world, so it makes me feel good to spoil them rotten. I also love going to check out the vintage and pawn shops in Vegas; I'm very fascinated by old Las Vegas and its charm and it takes me down history lane getting to see lots of old memorabilia.
XBIZ: What are the most significant ways you've evolved personally and professionally in this industry?
RYAN: I can honestly say that I have done a lot of growing up in this industry. I went into the adult film industry at 21, after starting as a dancer. When you're young, you think it's cool to be your own boss, but as you get older you see all the responsibilities that come with being the boss. I had to learn what it was like to manage a hectic shooting and traveling schedule, learn good time-management skills, read contracts, get incorporated, eventually learn how to shoot high-quality content for my own channels, what it was like being talent, photographer and director all in one, etc. I'm the CEO of my job, so every day I think about how I'm going to spend my time. I think about what the most important things are that need to get done and what I need to do to win.
XBIZ: Tell us about your main goals for the rest of 2022 and beyond.
RYAN: With less than five months left in 2022, I am close to accomplishing all the goals I set out to achieve for the year. It's truly an amazing feeling when you know you've accomplished something you had your heart set on. I'm a big believer in creating a vision board at the beginning of every year and putting it in a place where you can see it every day. One of my goals for 2022 was becoming a Hall of Famer, which I achieved as a career milestone.
