Raised in Spain, surrounded by a predominantly Catholic community, Paulita Pappel grew up being told porn was bad. When she became a feminist, she was told her fascination with porn was not in line with her desire to empower women. This inner conflict made her feel like there was something wrong with her.
Then she moved to Berlin, which she calls “the world capital of sexual liberation.” She learned about feminist porn and ventured into the industry, first as a performer and then as a producer. Step by step, she began deconstructing all the prejudice and stigma she had internalized.
I’ve explored many different formats, from feature films to reality shows, and strive to bring everything to the next level, combining what I have learned from mainstream and adult filmmaking to push the boundaries.
Now an acclaimed producer and staunch advocate for the adult community, Pappel believes that the real problem is society’s lack of inclusive, consent-based and lust-oriented sex education. She sees porn as a tool to liberate people from their shame and fears, and pursues that mission as the founder of Lustery.com as well as co-creator and director for HardWerk.com.
Add to that the latest addition to her laurels: the title of WIA Woman of the Month. Read on to learn more about Pappel’s philosophy, her passions and her determination to help realize the full potential of adult entertainment.
XBIZ: In what ways does your activism overlap or intersect with your adult industry career?
PAPPEL: My career in adult has been instrumental in inspiring me to explore sex-positive activism. Working in the industry taught me about communication, consent, negotiation, sex practices and desires. Working as a performer, director, producer and intimacy coordinator opened a world of possibilities for expressing myself and feeling good about my body and fantasies. So many people could benefit from learning these things.
It has also shown me that true sex positivity must include porn positivity. The media often portrays porn as bad, reinforces the stigma against the industry and perpetuates shame and fear of the explicit representation of sex. If we truly desire a sex-positive society, we must change how society treats porn. We must understand it as an entertainment product. We must allow for fair financing and distribution and stop censorship.
XBIZ: Discuss your professional growth and evolution as a filmmaker.
PAPPEL: I started working in film in the early 2000s, with a bunch of expats in queer Berlin. We helped each other create films for no money, doing everything and anything to make our vision come to life onscreen. It was like an economy beyond capitalism. I started performing and also doing catering, casting, production, camera and sound.
I then started working as a porn performer for commercial projects, founded my first film production company, and juggled two parallel lives: one in mainstream film and one in the adult industry. I learned the hard way that pure passion is not the key to success in any of those spaces. There is audience analysis, funding processes, data insights, budgets, marketing strategies, proper timing, pitching, conversion rates, etc.
I now thrive on balancing capitalist hard facts, artistic endeavor and moral altruism. I’ve explored many different formats, from feature films to reality shows, and strive to bring everything to the next level, combining what I have learned from mainstream and adult filmmaking to push the boundaries.
XBIZ: Tell us about Pornfilmfestival Berlin and how that event has changed over time.
PAPPEL: Pornfilmfestival Berlin is an independent, noncommercial film festival centered around sexuality, politics, feminism, gender diversity, post-porn and body politics. It challenges conventional ideas of what porn is, presenting a film program that brings pornographic and nonpornographic films to the same arena. We show features, documentaries, experimental, artistic and hardcore films.
Founded 20 years ago, it quickly became a meeting point for the international indie porn scene, so three years ago, I founded the Adult Industry Forum, an industry conference and networking event within the festival. The festival has changed by attracting new audiences and informing public opinion on the diversity and potential of porn. This year, a new era kicks off. Expect great things!
XBIZ: How have you scaled up Lustery.com since inception, and what do fans seem to like the most about it?
PAPPEL: Lustery was born from the idea of creating an archive of real-life sex. Having worked as a performer for many “amateur” companies that sold an idea of sexual authenticity that was very much staged and constructed, I wanted to showcase the kind of sex people have in their private lives — like documentary porn, if you will.
We zeroed in on couples, since they already have an ongoing sexual story that can be captured on camera. I started asking everyone I knew and hunting on the internet for exhibitionist couples. The pandemic brought a gigantic boost, as we had developed a pandemic-proof business model.
Today, we can hardly keep up with the number of applications we receive. We post one new video per day and have started creating fun new formats. Per our surveys and customer feedback, fans cherish the human layer: the real, intimate stories before the sexual interaction and the diversity of bodies and sexualities.
XBIZ: How does HardWerk differ from Lustery, and what led to its creation?
PAPPEL: After focusing on amateur porn for a few years, I missed shooting on a set with a crew. When I met Rod, the other half of HardWerk, he was into shooting gangbangs. I realized that not only did I fancy gangbangs, but it felt like the logical next step for me.
Gangbangs are usually seen by mainstream society as a male fantasy and a brutal one. But many, many women fantasize about gangbangs, so I wanted to create films based on the fantasies of the performers and reclaim the gangbang as a consensual, sexually empowering practice. We produce films with high production values and aesthetic integrity, and we’ve expanded to produce all kinds of group sex scenes.
XBIZ: What is your main strategy and goal in championing the industry?
PAPPEL: I believe the adult industry deserves a place right alongside the film and music industries. The marginalization, censorship and stigma we face is nothing but rampant discrimination rooted in conservative ideologies. We must fight to change the industry’s status in society. That means fighting bad laws and banking discrimination, and counteracting anti-porn narratives by educating and informing the public. This will also give us leverage to elevate the industry internally, setting higher ethical and production standards, protecting all players and securing our existence. That way, we all win.
XBIZ: What were your most significant accomplishments this past year?
PAPPEL: I’m especially proud of Lustery’s new series “The House of Love and Lustery.” It is a reality show where four amateur porn couples come to live together in a villa in Mallorca. Spoiler: it ends in an orgy! This brings us closer to making Lustery the media powerhouse we envision. I’m also thankful to have performed in a seven-person HardWerk gangbang, “Ask Me Bang.” I had wanted to do it for a long time, and it was an incredible experience. My co-performers were a blessing. I also got to do a TEDx Talk, which was on my bucket list. Plus, I survived the most painful breakup I ever had and reinvented myself. I’m very grateful for all the learning the past year brought.
XBIZ: What’s next, in 2025 and beyond?
PAPPEL: Big plans for 2025! We’re going to produce more “House of Love and Lustery,” among other exciting new projects. At HardWerk, we want to expand production and bring it to other European countries. One project I’m very much looking forward to is the new HardWerk underwear line. We’re collaborating with a Spanish designer and so far it looks stunning. Beyond… we plan to take over the world. Stay tuned!
Each month, XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry’s most influential businesswomen.
