Porn stars like Maitland Ward and Sarah Vandella see business soar as coronavirus shutdowns make people pay to play
While a majority of the entertainment industry has shut down amid the coronavirus outbreak, porn stars are enjoying a very captive and quarantined audience.
Porn stars have also seen an increase in earnings. Currently, audiences are on the lookout for distractions as they deal with self-isolation which means adult performers fitting the bill perfectly. Maitland Ward said, "Actually, I’ve seen upticks in some of my income because people are home and they want entertainment and they want to get away from all the corona stuff."
The former 'Boy Meets World' actress, 43, also added, "I’m stuck at home, too, so I’m doing a lot more content just to fill time as well," TheWrap reports. There has been a spike in online porn viewership with Pornhub being up by 6.4% on March 17 and +11.6% worldwide.
The adult film stars who are supplying this demand are doing quite well. Ward revealed that "over half" of her income has been a result of her solo and self-produced videos for years now. "People are hunkered down and so they want to see content," she shared.
"That’s a remarkable thing — that we can earn good money in a crisis like this when a lot of people are hurting. I’m really grateful for that," she added. Another adult film actress, Sarah Vandella, who is a 13-year veteran in the industry, said, "They always told us since we started in porn when we were little babies to save our money because you never know."
"Of course, someone can sustain and continue to make a living, but you would need a very good fanbase and you would need to be able to continue to produce quality content so they’re getting what they’re paying for," she continued.
Fortunately for her, Vandella has a pretty good following. Both Vandella and Ward use an app called OnlyFans which allows content creators to interact with their fans. In the industry, this means texting, talking, sexting, sharing video clips, and also connecting via a live webcam.
Ward shared that OnlyFans pays money to content creators on a weekly basis. Another app that porn stars regularly rely on is Sex Panther. Some of the performers connect with their fans by opening their direct messages over social media.
Ward also has a contract with Vixen Media Group which affords her "financial security more than most."
A senior editor for an adult magazine, AVN, Sherri Shaulis also shared, "Truth be told, performers on our side are in a better spot because they can still create and make money."
However, not all adult performers are benefiting from the current scenario with a majority of porn studios shutting down during the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the world. It is only solo performers who are able to make something given the fact that people are on lockdown at home and are getting bored.
In 2010, Vandella too was a contract star with Zero Tolerance, although now she works independently. "For the next couple of weeks, it primarily will just be the solo content, fan interactions, Skype shows, etc," Vandella said.
"I know I’ll be OK, thank God, because I am very well-established in the industry. I’ve been around for 13 years and I’ve never seen anything like this. I’ve seen industry moratoriums, but this is something that is beyond our control. I’m just grateful that I’ve always been smart with my finances and that I do come from a really good family," she added.