Pounder, who broke into the business in 2001 after receiving his MBA from Arizona State University, told XBiz that his talent agent called him about the production, which is a reality show about casting a reality show. Creative Management Entertainment Group describes “Open Call” and reality programming in general as a “back door to launching your career.”
Pounder said that he did well in the three episodes he filmed, including one titled “Best Buddies” and another called “The Next Jimmy Kimmel.” He said that his porn credentials helped get him on the show, but they ultimately kept him from winning the finals.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” he said. “[The producers] really liked me, but in the end they felt that my experience was interesting enough for the ratings but not interesting enough to be worth scaring away advertisers.”
Pounder, who also worked in an invite-only program with GE Capital, the financial arm of General Electric, noted that celebrity judge Omarosa of “The Apprentice” didn’t fault him on personality or talent – just porn.
Pounder is actually a crusader for what he calls socially responsible porn. He likens the adult industry to Nike which, he observed, makes great tennis shoes but which also employs sweatshop labor. “The product is good,” Pounder said, “but the production needs work.”
A member of professional acting unions SAG and AFTRA, Pounder is not embarrassed of his porn work but feels that the TV Guide Channel was disingenuous.
“They said they thought my work in porn would scare away advertisers, but they knew I worked in porn already,” he told XBiz, adding that TV Guide granting him a win might make it appear as though “Open Call” approved of porn, so he only advanced to the finals for the titillation value.
Porn publicist Jason Sechrest has also appeared on “Open Call,” and Ron Jeremy, Jenna Jameson, and Seymore Butts have all been the subjects of reality shows.