Page 72 - AVN January 2016

“Meanwhile performers like Vanessa Veracruz and
Bree Daniels do regular cam shows during their
downtime. So there’s a symbiotic relationship
happening between the two industries. However,
other cam girls like Ashe Maree, Sabrina Nellie,
and Ari Dee seem perfectly content at not
crossing over.”
Producer/director Miles Long, who has
captured years of content for high-profile clients
such as Zero Tolerance Entertainment, Third
Degree Films and CECash, said the law of supply
FEATURE
Above: Mitsuko Doll loves the freedom camming affords her.
Top: Cam girl Ashe Maree is building a loyal following. (photo by
Jeff Koga)
72 | AVN.com | 1.16
‘There’s a symbiotic relationship
happening between the two industries.”
—Jeff Koga, photographer
and demand applies.
much allowed to do whatever you please.”
“‘Adult stars’ as it were no longer exist,” Long
Doll said she understands the cam girl-porn girl
suggested.
comparison but “a lot of cam girls and I wouldn’t call
“Just as tube sites have devalued content to the point
ourselves porn stars.”
that simply making an outstanding DVD has no value
“The porn industry has changed so much even just
since it cannot be monetized like in years past, the
these past years, though, and camming has become so
emergence of the cam model — where your next-door
big that cam girls are definitely legit entertainers in the
neighbor’s daughter can cam every day to supplement
adult industry that can reach the same level of fame and
her income — has devalued the market of girls with a
success as porn stars,” Doll continued. “A lot of porn
flood of available content from an exponentially large
stars are camming as well too so I don’t look at it as a
pool.
rivalry but just another platform for adult entertainers
“The true and only star of the next generation will
to expand their business.”
be the girl who can successfully bridge the gap between
Brad Estes, the vice president of Flirt4Free, which is
mainstream and adult.”
entering its 20th year in business, suggested the term
In an era of decreasing opportunities for girls to
“porn star” has been “overused and misconstrued over
do adult films due to shrinking budgets and lighter
the years to the point where it lost its meaning.”
production schedules, it’s arguably more challenging
“If we go back to a time when ‘porn star’ was
now for talent to make an impact in a short amount of
synonymous with the larger-than-life personalities who
time than it was for previous generations.
had legions of fans and created compelling content then
Many porn girls find they’ve been “shot out” quickly
yes, I think webcam performers (guys and girls) can fit
and seek other means to supplement their income.
the definition,” Estes told AVN. “Our latest initiative
And amateur girls who may not want to take the porn
with Fleshlight attempts to add a new term of the
plunge learn that camming from the privacy of their
industry lexicon, ‘Cam Stars,’ reserved for the best of
home provides a convenient and lucrative alternative.
the best webcam performers. These top artists have the
The result is numerous cam sites have emerged as
same larger-than-life personalities, legions of fans and
industry players, driving steady traffic from all over the
produce innovative entertainment each and every day.”
world and generating millions in profits. Sites such as
Shirley Lara, chief of operations for Chaturbate, said
MyFreeCams.com, Chaturbate.com, Flirt4Free.com,
cam girls and porn stars are far from one and the same.
ImLive.com, LiveJasmin.com and Streamate.com are
“To the outsider, broadcasters (which is how we refer
just some of the top sites in the world, where cam stars
to cam girls and guys) may look like the new porn stars,
are born every month.
but in reality they’re very different from a porn star,”
“Aside for a few rules for legality, you’re pretty much
allowed to do whatever you please.”
—Mitsuko Doll, aka xWildThingx, cam girl on MyFreeCams
“We’ve seen very successful porn stars become
successful cam girls on MFC, and we’ve also seen cam
girls who go on to become successful porn stars,”
a media spokesperson for MyFreeCams, which has
been online since 2004, told AVN. “We see the two as
complementary. Camming is a great way for porn stars
to interact with their fans in real time.”
Mitsuko Doll, a full-time cam girl since 2011 who’s
been camming exclusively for MFC for more than three
years as xWildThingx, said she loves the freedom that
her job affords her. Doll noted that some platforms
focus more on private, one-on-one shows and have
strict policies about models promoting other ventures.
“MFC on the other hand is a bit like the Wild West
of cam sites,” Doll told AVN from her home in Chicago.
“You’re performing, whether it be singing, dancing,
doing raffles or cum shows, for a large audience and
get tips. Aside for a few rules for legality, you’re pretty
Lara told AVN. “Where porn stars are generally hired,
often through an agent or by a content producer, in the
camming world broadcasters are the producer, director
and performer all in one. Broadcasters are not only in
charge of when and where they determine to broadcast,
but, more importantly, the message they broadcast is
their own.”
Carole Wood, spokesperson for ImLive.com, said
models ultimately get in where they fit in—adding
diversity to the business.
“Live webcam chatting has a greater importance in
the adult world than it did a number of years ago,”
Wood told AVN. “The industry has definitely changed
with the times as web and technology has developed.
“Back in the day when ImLive.com started its
celebrity porn star channel, there were many porn stars
that pooh-pooed it and said they don’t have time to go
online. The more successful, business-orientated porn