by Rich Moreland, April 2019
This is the third installment in our porn stars and camming series from the 2019 AVN trade show in Las Vegas.
Four of the top porn performers will discuss their views on camming. Then we will talk to a pair of cam couples who have sex online for their fans.
Here we begin with Kenna James, a popular industry performer known for her friendliness, on-camera warmth and acting ability.
Photos are credited to Kevin Sayers.
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Though she’s cammed in the past, Kenna James no longer devotes a lot of time to her online endeavors, but that may soon change.
The vivacious blonde explains that when she began her adult career, she “moved from a stripper into the webcam world five days a week, three or four hours a night.”
“I loved it,” Kenna says. “It was great. I got to stay home, I made money in my bed in whatever I wanted to wear. No more heels, I could sit there in nothing and that’s fine.
“But when I started taking off in the industry, my camming schedule got a little less regular. I moved out of a duplex into a forty-foot camper. I didn’t have reliable options for internet which is why I no longer regularly cam.”
Looks like that may change soon. Kenna’s learned she can now get high-speed internet, so she’ll be back online eventually.
Depends on What You Show
Is the cam girl a porn girl?
Kenna responds with an immediate “no,” then backtracks a little. She says it depends on what a girl does on film versus her online broadcasts.
“If you don’t show anything below topless. I wouldn’t consider you part of porn.
“If you full on masturbate, I would consider you do a little bit of porn.”
Will the cam girl ever become the new porn girl?
“I don’t know,’ the Missouri native replies. “I don’t know what the future of camming holds. Who knows? This is an ever-changing industry and we’re all learning to adapt with it.”
Running on My Own
Don’t cam girls have to wear several hats — performer, director, editor, and marketer?
“It depends on the individual because a lot of porn girls are their own distributor,” Kenna says, and mentions that some cam girls use paid service to tweet for them.
“They are their own bosses, I mean, we all are. For instance, I don’t have an agent. I haven’t had one for two and a half years. I’ve been running on my own. So, my stuff is all done with me.
Camming is hard work, right?
“It can be. I moved into it from the stripping world and I consider camming much harder than stripping. Stripping’s easy because you don’t have to talk, you don’t have to be smart, you don’t have to be entertaining. All you gotta do is give a good dance, giggle, and be naked. That’s all they care about.
“Whereas camming, you gotta have a personality. You have to have something about you that draws other people to you and makes them want to stay. That can be a lot more challenging. Thankfully, I’ve always been a talker, I’ve always been fun, I’ve always tried to keep things light. But it was a whole new level for me,” Kenna laughs.
She points out that a cam girl has to “own” who she is.
“I’ve been on my cams not at my best. One hundred percent truth. I’m a complete mess sometimes and my fans will tell me. But I own it. What it comes down to is how comfortable are you with you, in your skin, in your surroundings. And how much of you are you willing to let out there.
“Think of it as the most candid, ad-libbed thing you’ve ever done. It’s reality that can’t be edited,” the Las Vegas resident concludes.
Always be You
If a girl wants to cam as an intro into porn, Kenna has a warning.
“My advice is always be you,” she says. Avoid trying to be what you’re not. You don’t have to pretend or act unnaturally and remember not everyone’s going to love you.
“Don’t get caught up in all the negativity, ‘cause there’s a lot of it,” she cautions.
“There’s negativity everywhere and this industry especially. People [will] come down hard on you. So, it can be a really difficult.”
Within the industry?
Both within and without, she says, but offers an encouraging thought.
“The industry as a whole is getting better. It’s not so competitive. We’re banning together a little bit better. It makes us stronger, so just don’t sweat the small stuff.”
Empowerment
Are porn girls more empowered than they were twenty years ago?
“Oh yeah. I definitely think so. I’ve met a lot of girls that have come from camming into the industry,” Kenna says, and praises their self-awareness.
“I like the girls who have found their personality. They’re like, ‘This is me. Let’s do it. This is who I am.’ This is a new thing and it brings on a whole new feel to everything as well.”
Finally, I ask Kenna about the traditional three-legged stool of porn — shooting scenes, dancing, and escorting. Is camming now the fourth leg?
“I think so. We can definitely call camming the fourth leg.”
With her ever-present smile, Kenna James adds with a gleam in her eye, “I’m a three-legger. I don’t escort. But I dance, shoot scenes and cam.”
