Photo Illustration by Erin O’Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty
Since I entered the adult business, I’ve weathered everything from the Great Recession to porn-specific economic catastrophes, always figuring out how to overcome problems out of my control. I started in porn in 2010—at both the height of the financial crisis and the height of tube sites stealing adult studios’ content. Most porn veterans thought the industry would go extinct, and for good reason. Few Americans could make their mortgage payments, so why would they pay $39.99 for a porno DVD when they could now jack off to stolen content for free? But I believed in myself, so I planned and plowed ahead toward my adult industry dreams. Over time, I filmed with big studios, built a large fan base, and began producing my own content. I became one of the biggest performers in the industry.
Not all stars last, though. I’ve seen performers come and go. I’ve survived everything from Mastercard refusing to process porn payments to adult studios going bankrupt. I have conquered each obstacle because I follow five rules, which can help anyone beat a recession. Here are my porn star rules for surviving and thriving during an economic crisis.