Back in early August I had an assignment from a local publication to visit the first Dallas version of the EXXXOTICA Expo – a large event filled with adult toys and accessories, and a bevy of adult film stars from pretty much every era. The publication, which shall remain nameless, then decided not to run the piece despite me spending quite a bit of time putting it together. But as our site covers pop culture and movie news, and the interviews I obtained do relate directly to the state of the adult film industry, I’m not about to let this content go to waste. I should note, this was my first time to ever attend an event like this, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a little bit nervous to see what I’d find. In all honesty what I found was a warm and welcoming group of people, most of which seemed pretty normal and well-adjusted. EXXXOTICA received a lot of flack from citizens of Dallas when their event was announced, and some people even made allegations of it bringing sex trafficking into our area. That’s not what I saw at all. I witnessed a lot of normal-looking couples of all ages, and even a few people I know from the local comic book convention scene. Outside of the ultra-religious picketing going on right outside the entrance to the hall, everyone seemed to be having fun. I’m sure the Dallas Convention Center was a bit nervous too, but considering they were just recently pushing to house the Republican National Convention, is something like EXXXOTICA really that bad? Never mind, don’t answer that, let’s not make this political!

I managed to get a few interviews with some of the more notable stars in attendance at the event, including what I believe was the only interview done with legendary adult film star Ron Jeremy. I also wanted to get a variety of perspectives, so I made sure to talk to a classic like Ron, a retired megastar like Tera Patrick, a seasoned film star like Stormy Daniels, and current internet superstars like Vicky Vette and Tanya Tate. Oddly enough I had seen Tera and Tanya before, as both frequently attend comic book conventions and enjoy cosplaying their favorite superhero characters.  You can see all of those interviews below.

People who don’t follow the adult film industry may not realize how much things have changed in a rather short period of time. Back in the 1970s, movie houses showed pornographic films on the big screen, and made good money doing so. Ron was there, and is one of the few actors that started in that era and continued past it for many years to come. In the 1980s the advent of home video players and VHS tapes brought the adult movies into people’s homes to watch in private, but also opened up a new form of consumerism for the porn market. The mainstream movie BOOGIE NIGHTS does a good job of showing how this simple change affected the industry, and some even say took much of the glamour out of it in the process. Since movies were easier to shoot and release on the direct market, the quality went down and the filmmaking itself was often rushed. Some might argue that storytelling and film quality in a porno isn’t important, but the industry knew their audience and behind the scenes grumbled through the change.

In the late 90s things moved to DVD, and the adult film market saw another boost in home video sales… but it was short-lived as the biggest and most dramatic change yet was in the process of hitting – the Internet. Cyber-porn became all the rage in the 2000s, and suddenly brick and mortar adult film stores found sales drying up. No one wanted to buy movies anymore, as they could just download their content with the click of a mouse, often times for free. Stars had to find a new way to monetize their work, with many actresses setting up websites and live cams, offering exclusive content to subscribers. In more recent years they also face a constant battle of trying to make sure streaming sites don’t publish their videos for free (almost always without asking permission). In some ways it’s not that dissimilar to the problems faced by major Hollywood movie studios and torrent sites. Online piracy is its own seemingly unstoppable monster, and adult film stars are very aware of its effect on their work.

So how do the stars survive with all these challenges? By heading to social media, self-promoting and interacting with fans directly. In fact the only way they can hope to succeed these days is to maintain a constant online presence and look accessible to their fan base. Actresses like Vicky Vette and Tanya Tate make strong use of Twitter and Facebook to stay current with their admirers, posting new content and personal notes as much as possible. Vette spoke about the importance of staying positive with those messages, as the fans don’t want to hear about the bad stuff.

And Tate found a way to make her fans connect on an even more personal level, by sharing her own fandom. Tanya collects Funko Pops, those cute little figures of superhero characters that are a huge hit at pop culture conventions. She’ll frequently post photos of her latest acquisitions, and it wouldn’t be unusual to bump into Tate at San Diego Comic-Con either in costume or just buying a bunch of new Pops for her ever-growing collection. I even gifted her with one she never got a chance to pick up.

Stormy Daniels surprised me when I found out she’s actually a Dallas resident. Guess I should have known that, but hey, who wouldn’t want to live here? She was pushing her newest film WANTED, which takes on a Western theme… what can I say, we need more Westerns! Daniels is also one of the few actresses in the industry who has transitioned a few times into mainstream movies, appearing in THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP. Oh, and she also directed WANTED, one of 70 films she’s been behind the camera for. Daniels has starred in over 140 adult movies to date.

Tera Patrick retired from the industry in 2008, but maintains an online presence and still has loyal fans who fondly remember her work. Patrick began making adult movies in 1999 and was a Penthouse Pet in 2000. Being a leading name in the industry for about a decade, she still pops up in new films on occasion, and so far has starred in over 100 titles. Tera also attends San Diego Comic-Con on occasion and doesn’t mind wearing costumes and showing her nerdy side. She loves comics, video games, and a lot of the other stuff most guys wish their women would be into.

And finally, there’s only one man in the porn industry who has pretty much seen it all and lived to tell about it. Ron Jeremy has starred in over 1400 movies to date going back to the late-1970s, and some of those are mainstream films you might be surprised about. He appeared in THE BOONDOCK SAINTS, ORGAZMO, DETROIT ROCK CITY, THE CHASE and even has a cameo in the original GHOSTBUSTERS. Jeremy is also friends with Troma Films founder Lloyd Kaufman, and has appeared in Troma productions as well. And did we mention Ron directed 182 films? Some might call him the hardest-working man in porn, and they’d be right. But he’s always up for meeting fans and chatting about all aspects of life. I was lucky enough to get what I believe was his only on site interview at the show, and he did not disappoint.

My thanks to the folks at EXXXOTICA, who throw one hell of an event, and really defy all expectations. If this sort of thing isn’t your cup of tea, I fully understand and respect that. But if you’ve ever been nervous-yet-curious about a convention like this, I’d say next time give it a try. No one there will judge you… well, expect for the religious zealots out front, but they’re pretty harmless.

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