Rites of Ass-age: Adam Ramzi On How Porn Performers ‘Brand’ Themselves

When I first got started in the biz, there was one aspect of it that I hadn’t quite planned on ever having to consider. We call this, quite simply, BRANDING. Obviously I’d heard of “branding” oneself before, but I had never really thought of it in the context of the adult entertainment industry.

I first heard about it when I was getting my hair cut before shooting my second scene. My friend Mikey was cutting my hair and asking me all sorts of questions about my big “plan.” At that point I didn’t have much of an answer, except that I wanted to explore my exhibitionist and sexually uninhibited side while also maybe applying my psychology background in some way or another as I enter this very foreign, yet tangible and familiar, territory.

“So are you gonna tell everyone about it?” he asked.

This was something I hadn’t really given much thought to either. At the time, I had just barely begun shooting and Raging Stallion had offered me an exclusive contract. I had heard the title “Exclusive!” attached to many of my favorite porn stars in the past, but I didn’t really know what that entailed.

When Chris Ward, the head of Raging Stallion, made the offer, a few things were clear: signing the contract meant more money per scene than non-exclusives, a guarantee to film a certain amount of times over the year, and a promise that I wouldn’t shoot with other companies. The language around it, however, made me hear only one thing: “Let us make you a star.”

... with an earlier hairstyle.
… with an earlier hairstyle.
A tempting thought, of course, but something about it really intimidated me. It felt like almost too great a commitment to the proverbial deep end, at least at that point, and I was only just dipping my foot in the pool. I shared with Mikey my thought process and hesitation.

“What do you mean?? Why?” he asked. “Just go for it, boo. Get those social media accounts up and running, brand yourself, and be a motherfuckin STAR.”

“…Brand myself?”

“Yeah, you know, like… do you, and make it a thing.”

Interesting thought. Do me…and make it a thing. The wheels started turning. I have a lot of “things,” so do I focus on one and play it up? Wouldn’t that be contrived? How could I make something big out of this formula, and yet be true to myself? Considering that these are not things I’d ever thought of before, as a consumer of porn, I found it funny that the idea of a “brand” kept popping up for me once I became part of the industry.

How important IS branding? Is the ‘brand’ part of the role we play as performers? Is any of it a role, really? Like for exclusives, can they be signed immediately as exclusives and be big ol’ bottoms, or do we need exclusives to start out as tops? I started out with my first few scenes solely as a bottom when I was offered the exclusive title, but I have worked with other performers who were told during filming that they weren’t allowed to bottom only, now that they were signed. Perhaps it’s because part of our “brand” is to play up our best assets? A big dick must mean a big top, regardless of the roles we play in real life? Definitely things to consider.

And in regards to interpersonal encounters, it’s a whole different conversation. When I talk to people who compliment me on my “work” and try to engage me in some way, should I respond with my smarts or with my charm? Or is it better to respond like I was on the crew from Magic Mike? I think the latter is what people seem to want from their porn stars.

There have been times that I’ve tried to be very thoughtful with my answers to questions posed by fans or porn consumers, and I can tell some folks get really disappointed. Some think it’s a breath of fresh air. Some stop listening halfway through, so I consider taking my shirt off and waving it around to see if it changes the dynamic of the conversation. I work in SF bars, and this works well. So maybe even that is a part of my brand, in some way?

I guess for me, what my “thing” is kind of changes over time, taking on many forms (and looks, as Steve Cruz once pointed out to me), but it’s all happening in a way I find pretty rewarding. I change my look a lot, yes — the silver hair lately was a tough sell at first, until mr. Pam decided it fit the “daddy” thing I’ve been adopting lately — but I also write, am in the psych business, play music (including my occasional YouTube covers – oh hey, maybe you should subscribe to them).

So maybe my thing is ALL the things. Maybe doing “me” means shattering what is expected of someone who is in the sexwork spotlight, a la Francois Sagat, Connor Habib, Colby Keller, and several other porn greats I find inspiring.

I may not get hired to appear at parties quite as much as some of my porn cohorts, but that’s not really why I entered the industry in the first place. So for the many comments that may pop up below from the same seven people who insist on sharing their boredom with my column, this here is for every eighth or so person who takes the time to tell me, in a comment or in person, “I read your blog. Thank you for sharing, and keep it up.”

You know what this means? Doing “me?” It’s working. And I’ll just go ahead and say thank you to everyone who takes the time to let me know that what I’m putting out there, be it my writing, music, or work in porn, makes them think, smile, or get off. Yes, I think I WILL keep it up.

Previous columns by Adam Ramzi on The Sword

 

18 thoughts on “Rites of Ass-age: Adam Ramzi On How Porn Performers ‘Brand’ Themselves”

  1. Hi Adam, I love that you have a brain not just a dick. Truthfully I discovered you by accident on Periscope. I just thought you were a nice guy and then found out you do gay porn. Funny coincidence, I watch gay porn! I know a woman who watches gay porn, so shocking! Lol! Now that I found your writing, luv you even more for your brain. I’m sorry some many people objectify you but that’s part of the game you have to play. I will be sharing this article with my fb group. Keep doing you and you will go far!
    Thanks, Tracy W.

  2. I love porn and I really like Adam..in porn and especially as himself. I love finding out or hearing personal bits on my favorites…..or sometimes a personal tidbit about a porn star with whom I am not familiar, catches my attention so I go looking for his videos. I like feeling that I know the porn star as a real person and not just the characters he plays. I respect them for their porn profession and respect them when they decide to move on to something else. Like Tom Katt, who supposedly went into the ministry,…when I heard he does not apologize for his porn background, I liked him even more.

  3. Well, if it is a choice between reading Adam Ramzi or reading Conner Habib, then I’ll go with Ramzi. Is he a bit dry in the writing? Yes. Is he a bit too pseudo-intellectually condescending & overawed by his own brain (and I think we know who I am talking about)? No, not really. Is he in on “the joke”? I think so. Does he make a habit of having Ryan Rose style bad taste Twitter explosions? No. As far as sexworkers go, his written thoughts are not bad to read…and they seem to emerge from a thoughtful place.

  4. How much are you paying this guy? Seems like you guys have a little too much money in the budget to pay for this jerkoffs writings.

  5. Ok Adam Ramzi, so you’re intimidatingly handsome, great actor, super hot (and reliable) sex performer, insanely slutty and great at eating ass, smart, driven… AND you play guitar and sing?!?!

    OMG you just got even HOTTER in my book, and I didn’t think that was possible!?!?!?!

    Thanks for sharing your porn story…You inspire me!

    big hugs & cumloads of praise…
    mr. Pam

    ps – the people who wrote negative comments towards you on this post need to go get a life. You’re fucking amazing and it sucks that people can be so mean without taking the time to get to know you, or even post their real name. #lame

    Love you Adam!!!!

    1. Miley likes it

      Post their real name? Like Mr Pam is your real name, or Adam Ramzi is his. Keep saving on that airfare, NakedSword!

  6. This guy is still talking? Relevancy lasts about 5 seconds in the porn world.. his time was up long ago.

  7. Thank Adam, keep doing what you want on any level. I enjoy it.
    For the ones that respond negatively, WHY?
    If Adam is not your cup of tea, don’t read his blog or watch his video’s. Simple as that. Waste your time somewhere else.

  8. Branding is very much a vital aspect of the adult industry and the successful – whether they be models, marketers or anybody else in this billion-dollar business – have exploited their assets in the best ways possible. And a critical part of branding is that you do NOT try to be all things to all people. Like with any other product, there will be those who love you, hate you or don’t care about you. The success comes from focusing your strengths and efforts on the things and people you can leverage for your success (and fuck the rest).

  9. Haters gonna hate! Adam is one of the most fascinating and mysteriously attractive people in the business. Stop jabbing good, smart guys and focus on lamenting actual douche bags. Cmon!!

  10. This is an interesting article.I’m glad porn guys thing about their careers and not just partying. A porn career can burn out quickly, but I hope to see people like Adam, Connor Habib and Colby Keller around for a long time. Hot as they all are, each brings so much more to porn culture than just their sexy bodies. I hope this wave of smart porn performers leads to mite success and longevity for these guys.

  11. Having a brand is important in any bussiness to be able to live of it. You need to find the way to promote the product you’re selling. In the case of pornstars you’re basically selling yourself so i get when they tried to overselling it to get more fans or more people to like them.

    From my fan view i like when models try to just be themselves. I know shooting porn is a work, so there is faking, but still like when is not easy for me to notice that. When watching a scene the worst thing that could happen for me is if i can tell that they are just pretending, that they’re not natural.

    Same with the personalities. In this time and age that social media is the biggest tool to interact with models and getting to know them i like when they just are like normal, not making a character to please everyone. I had been burn by this before because models i like on scene suddenly shows they have an awful personality but i still prefer it.

    Thank you for making this columns, is always amazing to get to read you and know more about this bussiness from an insider point :).

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