Meet the Pros
HUMP! Celebrates Seattle's Amateur Pornographers, but Seattle Is Home to Professional Pornographers, Too
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Seattle is not a very pornified town.
Maybe we don't have enough strip clubs, which traditionally act as both incubators for aspiring porn stars and showcases for working professionals. Or maybe it's that Washington lacks an industry lobby powerful enough to create the same porn-friendly business environment that exists in California. But ever since Seth Warshavsky skipped town owing everybody money, paying gigs for porn performers have been thin on the ground.
Stranger Personals
Still, we do have a few local porn producers banging out adult DVDs. Rodney Moore, president of Rodney Moore Video (www.rodneymoore.com), is an industry veteran known for being a pioneer of the gonzo style of porn. He performs in many of his own DVDs, his trademark specialty being "the Rodney Blast"—coming on his costar's face. Farrell Timlake is the president of Homegrown Video (www.homegrownvideo.com), which specializes in amateur performers. Homegrown claims to be the first company that took real couples' home videos and distributed them commercially.
I talked to both men about the state of the Seattle porn scene.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of being based in Seattle rather than in L.A., where most porn is shot?
RODNEY: Most of the girls I shoot in Seattle are not "pros" so to speak, unlike in L.A., so I get to shoot more real amateurs here. In particular, when I used to shoot girl/girl scenes, I got much more real performances in Seattle than I ever got down in L.A. I also specialize in two genres that seem particularly well suited to Seattle: hairy girls and chubby girls. The downside to shooting in Seattle? It's hard to find attractive, willing models here, where in L.A. there is a glut of porn girls.
FARRELL: Seattle was once known for having lots of "hairy bush" models. But that no longer seems to be the case. That's unfortunate, because it's a very popular niche. The one problem with Seattle I have found is that, business-wise, there are a lot more shady people here than in Southern California.
What advice would you give to an aspiring porn stars—both female and male—in Seattle?
RODNEY: If a girl is really serious about getting into adult movies, she needs to go to L.A. and sign up with a good agency—there are dozens—because there's not that much work up here. But she should definitely start out with me first! As for guys, the hardest thing about the job is staying hard in a strange situation. In L.A. right now, there's actually a shortage of reliable male talent. It's not as easy as it looks, and most producers won't take a chance on a guy who is untried, because if a guy can't get wood on the set, the whole shoot is ruined.
FARRELL: I would tell anyone that wants to get into porn that he or she should be aware that it is a permanent record.
What are the newest trends in porn video? Are there any taboos left to break?
RODNEY: As for trends, I personally don't like the whole "degradation" style of porn, which has been popular for several years now. I think people who do those movies give the "porn haters" more ammunition.
FARRELL: We are always looking for trends, and one of our latest is "sex machines."
Do you ever use recognizable Seattle landmarks in your shoots, or use Seattle in-jokes and local references?
RODNEY: Yes, I did a scene once called "The Troll and the Trollop" which featured the Fremont Troll. I did a whole series once shot exclusively in Seattle called Northwest Pecker Trek with subtitles like "Evergreen, Ever Horny," "Laid in Latte Land," "Cumming in King County," and "Rodney Does the Pussy-allup."
FARRELL: We do have producers shoot scenes for us that contain familiar landmarks. But I won't be really impressed until I see the scenes shot on the deck of the Space Needle.
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