by Rich Moreland, April 2019
This is the first in a series on porn stars and camming from the 2019 AVN trade show in Las Vegas.
Whitney Wright is an established star. At this year’s AVN extravaganza she received noms for Best Actress in a Feature and Featurette and a nom for Female Performer of the Year. It doesn’t get better than that.
Early in the week of the trade show, I was privileged to interview Whitney.
Photos are credited to Kevin Sayers.
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Whitney Wright entered porn in 2016, but not without a warmup!
“I used to go swingers’ clubs and resorts before I ever did porn or dancing,” she says, thanks to a guy she was dating at the time. He expanded her sex education.
“We ended up hiring a girl he knew who worked as an escort and she was so sweet. After that I was like, ‘I wanna do all the things now, that was so much fun,’ so we ended up going to strip clubs and to nudist resorts that had these crazy swinger parties.”
Is it any wonder the Oklahoma Christian school grad made the transition into porn?
Working for Nickels
How would you describe camming?
“It’s a hustle,” Whitney says, and she understands how that is game played. “Mine is mainstream porn and before that it was stripping and I loved it.”
However, she doesn’t believe camming is for her.
“I don’t think I could get into camming but there are some girls who do and they love it and make good money at it.”
The former nursing student comments that camming is having an influence in porn.
“Sometimes there’s this weird dynamic between mainstream porn stars and cam girls because they’re looked at as different ends of the spectrum. Sometimes I hear cam girls say ‘Oh, I don’t do mainstream porn or boy-girl scenes.’ And then there are some mainstream girls that are like ‘Well, I don’t like [to] work for nickels.’ That’s a phrase I’ve actually heard several times.”
It appears that collecting tokens as payment for online performances is off putting for some girls. But Whitney believes there’s money to be made.
“[The tokens] might start off as a little bit, but they add up. A lot of my friends cam and they have their regulars. They prefer it (camming) sometimes to shooting a scene because they can just stay home and drink wine and just talk to people.”
Whitney offers a further perspective.
“We’re all in the same pot, you know? Whether you’re a dancer or an escort or a mainstream porn actress, cam girl, whatever you do. It’s all sex work.
“It can be lucrative and a great idea, especially [for] girls that think they want to start mainstream porn and work for top studios.”
If they are uncertain about that, then camming is a good way to wade into the adult waters.
“They can see how they like that end of things. If they want more, then the doors always open.”
Capitalizing on Our Bodies
Is there is a division between traditional porn and camming?
There is, Whitney believes, and states what I’ve come to take as the gospel.
“A cam girl is a porn girl and we all have fans. [We’re] capitalizing on our bodies for money whether shooting for a studio like Gamma or on MyFreeCams or any kind of cam site. They’re getting a percentage of what you’re making but you’re also making money off your supporters and the people who are viewing your show.”
Nevertheless, Whitney recognizes that there are performers who view camming and shooting scenes “as a total division.”
“Some girls do look down on the other category and it comes from both sides. I’m friends with cam girls and I totally respect what they do. Because in my mind I could never do that. It just seems like a lot of work and time invested.”
The unpredictability of a cammer’s income from night to night is “disheartening” for Whitney. “I can’t really imagine that,” the Speigler girl says.
But she admits that there are mainstream girls who make it work and earn “great money.”
“They can make their day rate just by being on cam for a few hours. They love it because they can stay home and be content and comfortable.”
“But for me, I like seeing my calendar fill up with bookings and scenes. I like performing on camera and gaining notoriety and recognition from my peers and my fans and directors and other studios. But that’s what I want.”
Mainstream Porn
Because of the influence of the cam girl, is porn as we know it disappearing?
“I don’t think there could ever be an end to traditional porn,” Whitney declares. “I don’t see [studio shot porn] going anywhere anytime soon.”
But she does admit that the landscape is changing.
“I see a number of people complain that some girls stop shooting for the studios completely. They can shoot on their Snapchat or their OnlyFans.”
The result, according to doe-eyed brunette, is change that can be disconcerting for some fans. They lament that their favorite girl is shooting “phone porn” or “homemade quality” stuff instead of scenes.
Porn models should keep in mind that fans do appreciate studio quality . . . “the clear images, the wides, [and] the zoom-ins.”
Of course, there are fans that “like homemade videos and POV stuff,” she concedes, but we should remind ourselves that “a lot of them like well-made scenes and films and the features” as well.
“They love it, and I love making it,” Whitney Wright laughs.
