The seminar featured SlutWerkz’ Kylie Ireland as moderator, who was joined in discussion by performer/director Nicki Hunter, photographer/videographer Holly Randall, Evil Angel’s Karen Stagliano, performer and Adam & Eve director Vanessa Blue, and Evil Angel director/performer Belladonna.
“I’m a little nervous because I’ve never done anything like this before,” Belladonna told XBIZ before taking her seat on the stage. “But I think it’s really great to have the opportunity."
A video montage including each woman’s work was shown which also featured a section representing the work of Clive McLean and his “Barely Legal” series for Hustler. It was a fitting tribute for McLean, who passed away in 2005, and also the series that he created, which many of the panelists performed in at the start of their careers.
Conversation ranged from the obligatory “how did you start in the business,” to many diverse topics that touched on challenges and triumphs of being a woman in the industry.
A black-haired Hunter, who is still undergoing cancer treatments, told the audience that she had been focusing on directing and in the industry for five years, which makes her a veteran.
Blue got a big laugh from the audience in response to Hunter, and said, “Well, I started in about 1996, so if you’re a veteran, that makes me a fossil.”
Blue added that since she’s started directing, she no longer performs anal, to which Ireland humorously responded, “Well, then get the fuck off this panel.”
The rapport between the panelists was a rare glimpse at the camaraderie and sisterhood that happens when working in the industry, often with each other or on each other’s sets.
Speaking to the challenges faced by women in the industry, Stagliano (who is the wife of gonzo originator John Stagliano) said her biggest challenge was entering the production side of the industry and trying not to be defined as a “successful businessman’s wife.”
Since five of the six had started as performers, they talked about the struggle to be recognized as intelligent and competent after being defined by their on-screen personas.
Hunter explained her feelings that being a woman had not held her back in the male-dominated industry, but that many times she was stereotyped as incapable because she was a performer.
Blue talked also about the racism she has felt as a black female performer and the challenge of breaking the color lines that still exist.
“As a white girl, I can fuck only white men and become Jenna Jameson. As a black girl, if I only do brothers, I’m ghetto-ized,” she said. “There was so much that was lost in this industry because of the color of my skin.”
Randall, whose entrée into the business came from being the daughter of legendary photographer Suze Randall, said her upbringing had made a difference in the way she viewed her career.
“I was raised with a family that didn’t associate shame with porn,” Randall said, but felt that her struggles came with learning how to transition from a photographer to a director and editor, in order to bring the family business to the next level with the 20 or so video titles that she has produced.
The women on the panel also were surprisingly candid about the everyday issues of being directors, in terms of teaching new girls the ropes about performing a scene, talent fees and hygiene.
Even to the extent of having to show new female performers how to prepare for an anal scene; Blue laughed as she recalled the story of a newbie that ended up drinking her enema because she didn’t know how to use it properly.
Ireland complained of fees for male talent that require upwards of $1000 “to fuck a hot chick,” drawing agreement from all the women on the panel.
Addressing the issue of being degraded by porn, Stagliano said that some male directors were degrading to women in general, but that she didn’t feel that porn itself was degrading.
The others had various points of view — Belladonna noted that she always considered the comfort and boundaries of performers in her scenes before anything else; while Hunter pointed out that she saw her role as a courtesan, to be respected and revered for her overt sexuality.
Stagliano explained that women can now enjoy their raunchy side, and should not come to the business if they don’t enjoy sex.
“It’s the beautiful women in this industry that understand that men are watching us to get off,” she said.
