How I Got into the Porn Industry

Ever since I was about four or five, I loved watching movies. I would get hugely excited about going to the cinema and loved being sucked into the narrative. It wasn't too long before I realised I wanted to be a film director. At school I developed a love for photography, which lead me to read film and drama at university. I bought myself a high 8 video camera and loved experimenting with music to back my amateurish shorts. The plan was simple - finish Uni, move to New York (where my mum lived) and become a runner. Reality (and bills) soon set in, diverting my plan and I accepted a job as a marketing manager for a start-up. I thought this would make me rich and fund my films. It did not.

I spent the next two years honing my sales skills in a Boiler Room-style publishing house but not a day went by when I didn't think about filmmaking.

One day, sitting at my open plan desk, panicking about reaching my monthly target, I received an email from a good friend with the following message, "J, this is so up your street - you have to go on this show!!".

The email contained info on a brand new, Playboy, reality TV show. The Adult entertainment giant was looking for the next young director. It was also a competition. Contestants would have 3 weeks and eight thousand pounds with which to make a sexually explicit film. Pre-requisites were clear cut - you had to be a porn-lover (well, I was a guy in his early twenties) and a film-lover. I figured there was a lot of stale, uninspiring content out there and I thought I could do better. Time was also on my side, so I applied to go on the show. It was mid December 2002 and filming would commence on 4th January 2003. I went back to NYC to visit my mum for Christmas and mentioned the prospect of going on this show. I should point out that I have a pretty cool mum and sure enough she thought the whole thing was a hoot. Just as well - a call came in from London. They were asking me to take part in the program. My porn career was about to start.

I will never forget the audition process. A panel of three judges interviewed me. They included a Playboy Exec; a renowned producer and a famous porn star. The whole thing was filmed (a la X Factor). I had successfully answered questions about why they should choose me etc for about an hour. I thought it was going pretty well and felt confident. Suddenly the Exec asks me, "So how would you feel about filming people fucking?". "Absolutely fine!" I replied but thinking 'oh my god'. "Ok" he said, motioning to two people behind me. "This is Alicia and Tony and this is your cameraman. You've got thirty seconds to make a hardcore porn scene and your time starts now." For a moment I thought I was going to be sick. Attempting to keep my cool, I eventually came up with some lame scenario and instructed Alicia to play a school teacher, who was going to punish Tony (you guessed it), a naughty student. To think that I thought there was a lot of rubbish porn out there and that I could do better! Anyhow, the interview finished and I was told they'd get back to me. I left thinking my friends would never speak to me again. I then walked a few feet and realized my friends were going to love me!

Well, I got selected and actually went on to win the competition. Fortunately, a buddy of mine agreed to fund an idea I had for a new adult film production company that catered for women as much as men and in March 2003, Joybear Pictures was born.

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