Before the launch of AdultBluReview last winter, prospective buyers of adult movies released on Blu-Ray discs relied on word of mouth to learn about plots, performers, scenes, and skin.
Ms. and Mr. Teagan
No more.
Named Penthouse Pet in January 2009 with dozens of adult films under her belt, Teagan Presley is leading the entrepreneurial startup, AdultBluReview, with free text and video critiques of new pornographic movies. From vanilla sex scenes to fetish and kink, the industry is thrown a curve when Teagan and her friends provide authentic and objective reviews.
As a follow-up to my interview with adult entertainer Stoya on her best practices in social media, I reached out to Teagan by email to learn how she balances her work with motherhood. I also corresponded with her fiancee, Joshua, who runs a public relations agency.
Teagan and Joshua, respectively, use Twitter under the guises MsTeagan and MrTeagan.
Me: How do you balance the need to be online vs being a mom in terms of “permanent” information your children can access when they grow up?
Teagan: I don’t publicize my real name or my kids’ names, and when they’ve showed up, I’ve had them removed. I don’t mind sharing pictures of my family, as its important that my fans see me as a person, and not just an object. My fans consider me one of the more relatable adult stars, and I do want that. My kids will inevitably find out what I do, and I’m not ashamed, but I’d prefer to tell them myself.
Me: Do you worry that a social media presence makes it easier for a fan or stalker to find you?
Joshua: Unfortunately, yes. We’ve had our real names posted several times, and with the Internet, its really easy for fans to locate us within reason. We’ve had fans tweet that they just saw us at a fast food restaurant playground, and fans show up at theme parks when we say we are there.
Me: Do you think adult entertainers and companies should emulate Shawna Lenee and restrict the display of Twitter messages without approval?
Joshua: No, I believe it is the responsibility of the parent to protect their children, not the media. That said, we don’t like to go over board with anything. Language and suggestive messages should be filtered on the users’ end, not the senders’ end.
Me: Do you worry about body image expectations of your children due to a prevalence of sexual images in the media?
Teagan: Yes, I actually just had this happen. Mr. Teagan’s daughter has a few pounds she thinks she could lose, and she is self-conscious of her body. At the lake we went to on a mini vacation, Mr. Teagan told me she was uncomfortable with me in a bikini. I felt horrible.
Me: Thinking back, would you have changed any actions if you knew people could find information about you with a click if a button?
Teagan: I would have kept my personal life more under wraps. It’s too late now, so I make the best of it. In the beginning, I didn’t care what anyone thought; but now it does bother me my family was hurt initially.
Me: You’re an entrepreneur with AdultBlueReview. How is the internet changing the film industry?
Teagan: The people that will make money are the people that break new ground and do things differently. AdultBluReview is a first: it’s free and allows fans to see new content of their favorite stars, and also get a real movie review.
Me: Why are DVD sales falling?
Teagan: Because of the Internet, and also because of the economy, unfortunately. Free porn does better when there isn’t money to spend.
Me: Thoughts on porn helping parents rekindle passion for each other, and not just seeing themselves as parents?
Joshua: Get a nanny! Parents are still people, and you have to have mommy and daddy time. Date nights are important, as are maximizing your time when the kids are sleeping.
Me: What is the responsibility of the PR industry to parents on social issues like junk food and porn?
Joshua: PR for the adult business is tough, especially when you are doing it in the realm of an “open” social environment like Twitter. Unfortunately, once the gauntlet of profanity and risque pictures is thrown, the PR agency really has no choice of promoting their product within reason to the limits allowed.
We do NOT allow under age persons to follow us on Twitter or MySpace, but we again do not always know the age of the person requesting follow. We, however, do NOT post nude pictures on Twitter or MySpace ever, nor would we.
Me: What are your future goals, and any dreams for your children?
Teagan: Joshua, Eva Angelina, and I launched our own studio, skinworXXX, which is distributed by Adam & Eve. Eva and I perform exclusively for skinworXXX, and my first movie for skinworXXX, Sun Goddess: Malibu comes out today, June 9. Eva’s first movie in a year, Deviance, comes out at the end of the summer; I am in one scene with her.
I would love my children to grow up to be whatever they want, and be the best and happiest they can be.
Me: Thoughts on the future of advertising?
Joshua: Advertising appears to be heading in the direction of 140 characters or less.
Me: Speaking of commercials, Budweiser released the following web ad earlier this year (hat tip to Marc Meyer):
Time Magazine responded with a definition of this video as “porn creep,” of which I extract this bit:
…pornography has soaked so far into the fabric of mainstream culture that it’s no longer seen as a stain.
Your take?
Joshua: I LOVE this commercial. I was sent this by a PR firm when it was rejected for air. As someone who spent a lot of time on air, it is what it is. This commercial, even though implied, is too racy albeit hilarious for network TV.
Porn is not mainstream now, and although some performers like Sasha [Grey], Bree [Olson], and Teagan are getting good mainstream exposure, we are long away from porn itself being accepted.
In the spirit of Twitter, I crowdsourced several people to share specific questions for me to ask (without indicating who I’d be asking). Some of their questions are copied above verbatim; others were combined. These questions will also be incorporated into future interviews of this series.
To protect their questions unless they deem otherwise, I thank Lucretia Pruitt, Rachel Kay, Barb Chamberlain, Matthew Gilbert, Danny Brown, Ezra Butler, Jessica Smith, Jessica Gottlieb, Julie Roads, and Christa Miller.
Related posts:
{ 1 trackback }
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Protect me? Heck, I want to interview them!
Jessica´s last blog post..Even Walt Disney Knows There’s No Such Thing As A Good Stepmother
Tweet Teagan and Joshua, then; and they’ll reply fairly quick.
This is the most unique interview I could ever read because it concern porn.
Diabetis´s last blog post..A type 2 diabetis
Nice job…I think you should interview @AlexaRPD next…she’s a sex worker who advocates for the rights of female sex workers among other things. She’s all over social media and using it well. Smart as a whip…
Julie Roads´s last blog post..Can you take a look at this for me?
Yep, I know Alexa. We’ve tweeted and commented on each other’s blogs for some time. Thanks!
I love where you’re going with this. Every industry has to adapt regardless of its niche. Those that can’t, will die on the vine. Nice job Ari. The porn industry not withstanding has always had to stay cutting edge in its distribution because of the ease in which one can grab content for free. Add the element of social media and you now have a channel in which you can niche yourself and your “specialty” and then try and create a community. At some point it ceases to be about T and A and all about distribution and dollars.
Marc Meyer´s last blog post..20 Twitter brands behaving badly
Stereotype makes it about T&A. Remove the stereotype and the intersection of social media and porn may as easily be social media and toothpaste.
Glad to see them go into detail about Internet safety; they probably have enough tips to write a book! Unfortunately stereotypes would get in the way, I think. “Well if she weren’t a porn star there wouldn’t be the risk.” EVERYONE is at risk online… how to break down that particular barrier, I wonder?
Christa M. Miller´s last blog post..Nixle adds stability to Tyrone, GA tweets
I’d actually forgotten my answer and reading I still can’t recall
Agree with the above commenters, Ari – I like where you’re taking your series and going outside the norm for uses of social media and traditional revenue/marketing/advertising streams.
And your interviewees are a damn sight more interesting than many people I could mention
Cheers!
Danny Brown´s last blog post..How PR and Bloggers Can Help Each Other
If “to be normal” is to echo everyone else, damn straight I’ll write outside the norm.
You asked about applicable thoughts from parents and children.
Cool, thanks for the reminder Ari.
Danny Brown´s last blog post..How PR and Bloggers Can Help Each Other
I can say that I was shocked to find you writing this post Ari, well done! Guess it’s time to come out of the closet… That said, I can only hope porn is able to be more accepted by mainstream media and our culture. I see nothing wrong with it, and only those that would rather silence you than have an opinion might be the ones that would want to squelch porn. imo.
Wayne´s last blog post..Make eBay Affiliate Sales Easier with CybersEbay WordPress Plugin
Why shock?
Would not have expected you to write about porn. Goes to show that as much as you try, one really can’t know someone without time. I wouldn’t have pegged you doing a post like this.
That said, I think it’s incredible that you did, and believe a continuation of this like a series might make for really good reading. I know I’d enjoy hearing more about others in the biz and how they’re using social media and the impact on their life.
We should talk.
Wayne´s last blog post..You know something is afoot when…
Awesome, Ari, I’m loving this series.
BTW, been in touch with @juliettefrette yet?
Jillian C. York´s last blog post..Nothing Like a Boston Spring
Whether porn will ever be accepted in mainstream culture is to be seen. It certainly has made a lot of progress over the years, and the internet and these social media tools are helping it more, showing that in this niche, it’s still a business and about dollars and the people behind it. good series you have going on and looking forward to the next interview.
Interested in a guest interview spot yourself? You as interviewer, that is?
You specifically asked for reactions as a “parent”… Well, here is a question I am asking myself after reading the well-written interview of this well-spoken, intelligent and business-savvy couple who also appears to be conscientious parents: “If they lived next door, would I have let my children (both boys) go to their house for a playdate?” I hope this question does not come through as snobbish or insulting… And honestly, I am still thinking about it.
Is your hypothetical question after you know about the mother’s profession and/or the paparazzi in the neighborhood, or are you asking more innocently, e.g. your son comes home from school and says he’ll be studying at so-and-so’s next door?
Who is next a Serial Killer
Imagine those Tweets?
Or a hatchet murderer…
Just seems bizarre
And a bit provincial of me…
But thats what you do Ari
You make me think
And that sir, Is a great Gift!
OK, Ari… father here of a 13 year old boy… Your tweet pulled me in to something I was not, well, expecting.
I remember seeing the first post in your series back in January, and I had not seen the second. So I took a few moments to go back and read all 3.
Interesting series you have going here, and even more interesting that you have decided to tackle the “taboo” subject of porn. (not that I have any issues with it mind you).
I am impressed by the quality of the interviews, and how you are taking a very professional approach to them (not that I would expect anything less of course).
As for Porn ever going mainstream, or being “accepted” at least here in the US, I do not see it happening anytime soon. Possibly with more interviews from people like yourself who will conduct interviews such as these it will help the industry to go more mainstream.
However it is interesting to note that here in Utah, home town of the Mormon culture, our state is the the “Porn Capital of America” with an average of 5.47 people per 1000 broadband subscribers paying for porn. Obviously that does not take into account all the folks who just go to free sites. If that figure was tracked, I would bet that the number would be astonishingly high!
The Bud commercial is classic… thanks for sharing.
Looking forward tot he next post in the series…
PS… So, have you received any work from the industry yet?
Doc
Interesting factoid there. Perhaps the most religious state having the highest porn numbers, that can’t be coincidence. In fact, it bolsters my argument that porn should be more accepted by religion as a natural trait of humanity and something that shouldn’t be considered shameful.
I obviously don’t subscribe to the belief that a God made us to have these incredible desires and say “but you need to repress those desires”. No! We need to revel in them and enjoy them for what they are, fun.
Wayne´s last blog post..You know something is afoot when…
hahaha..that is really a nice commercial..well, because of the free porn online, most people will just save their money buying DVDs that’s why sales began falling. yes that’s right. make sure that you investigate people first before even trusting them.
Stereotypes are incredible. Even in our photography industry people think that if you shoot a woman in lingerie for her husband that its porn. I guess its because everyone views the world differently.
Tony ;~)
Boudoir Photography
Ms. Teagan brings up a very good point, parents need to make mommy and daddy time a priority. Passion and romance is just as important, if not more so, for a couples managing the challenges and stresses of raising children. Keeping the passion alive in a relationship reminds a couple that they are, afterall, in love, which helps to better manage the many challenges of life. Studies have found that couples who maintain a healthy intimate life, respect each other more and stay together longer. Great interview. Nice job!