The Adult Entertainment industry is a thriving, multi-billion dollar business. Obviously aided by the Internet, erotica and pornography are now in more homes than ever. And not just hidden under the mattress. A number of the guests at DragonCon 2003 are involved in the business of sex. In addition to a number of Webcam Girls, the DragonCon 2003 guest list included two successful stars of the adult entertainment industry. Melissa Wolf is a long time veteran in the world of magazine modeling, circuit dancing and adult film. Aria Giovanni is a relative newcomer when compared to Ms. Wolf, yet she has made her mark by appearing in the films of erotica master Andrew Blake. Both ladies sat down with me to shed some light on what it takes to survive and thrive in a very tough industry.

MELISSA WOLF

I had seen the beautiful face (and other parts) of Melissa Wolf over the years. I never put a name to the face until now. The centerfold model and adult actress claims to have made more appearances in Penthouse magazine than any other model. Ms. Wolf was decked out in a latex cape, bustier and cap studded with spikes. Underneath her obvious physical talents lay a sharp business mind. Ms. Wolf gave me a few moments of her time.

EI: You’re in a tough industry. Any words of advice for young women who might be considering a career in the adult industry? There have been a lot of victims in the past; Savannah is just one example.

Melissa Wolf: Yeah. I think the best thing to do, obviously, the number one thing is "Don’t do Drugs!" Do not get involved with them. Drinking is okay socially, but never at work. The magazine industry, as you know is not what it used to be. That’s what I’m really known for. I’ve been in over 110 issues of Penthouse Magazine and now they’re going Chapter 13. It’s become so acceptable, I mean, these young college girls will go to a regular nightclub and lift up their shirt for a drink. So why would any of these boys want to go to an adult club and pay admission and the outrageous prices for drinks and pay for a girl to take her top off when they’ll do it a bar for free. So it’s hurting the industry a lot. Words of advice to these girls is…You can do the magazines and make your mark, but you have to be really smart about it now a days because it is just not what it used to be. Now it’s starting to peter off into the beach. It’s not what it used to be.

EI: Yeah, you have the "Girls Gone Wild" DVDs, two for ten bucks.

MW: Yeah, that’s what I mean. That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Girls will lift up their shirt just to be on a video. It’s really hurt the industry a lot. It really has.

EI: How is work on a film different from doing magazine layouts?

MW: Film shoots are always harder. You have to be on top of your game. On photo shoots you can be a little sleepier, a little tired and still look hot and sexy.

EI: What did you think of "Boogie Nights"?

MW: It was a great movie. That era was before my time. I was like 13. I remember when Marilyn Chambers came to Bellingham Washington for a book signing when she was really hot. I was only 10 or 12 then. Then eight years later I was performing on stage with her. I was her opening act.

EI: Do you have your own production company?

MW: I do. I have my own company now. Lesley Wells has her own company. A lot of girls have their own companies now.

EI: So it’s getting easier to control your own product?

MW: Oh yeah. Girls are getting smarter. I mean, look at Jenna Jameson. She was the one who just marketed herself to either Wicked or Vivid. She went into them and said "I’m going to produce it, I’m going to pick my own crew and I’ll give you a percentage for marketing it." She owns and controls it all. I remember when I was on the circuit and she first came out. She danced on the circuit and her career just took of. She took it to the next level. She became the next Marilyn Chambers, or even surpassed it.

EI: Do you think the type of success Jenna Jameson has can be attained by others?

MW: It can happen. It’s a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

EI: What do you have coming up next?

MW: My Halloween party. This is the 3^rd Annual Fantasy Fest Halloween party. We bring in features from all over the country that entertain in all the local strip clubs across the US. They come in, ad we invite all our fans. The party is $100.00 per person, but it’s catered and that includes all the food, beer and wine. It goes from about 9PM until about 2 or 3 in the morning. The following day, all of us girls get together and for $150.00 the guys can come and do a photo shoot for one or two hours. I know that’s what they like because they fly in from all over the country. And the November 1^st at the Gold Rush Showbar in Atlanta all the guys will get free admission to come in and see our showcase. There will be about 15 performers, so it will be a really big show.

EI Note: Anyone interested in attending Fantasy Fest 2003 can contact Melissa Wolf at Melissa@melissawolf.com.

ARIA GIOVANNI

Aria Giovanni is a brunette beauty who has done magazine layouts and videos for Penthouse magazine. She has also appeared in four films by the current auteur of erotica Andrew Blake. Mr. Blake’s films transcend 99.9% of the films produced in the adult film industry. In addition to her erotic adult films, Ms. Giovanni appeared in Marilyn Manson’s experimental film "Doppelherz," the R-rated "Survivor" spoof "Survivors Exposed" and Fred Olen Ray’s "13 Erotic Ghosts."

EI: I’ve always had a sneaking suspicion that Andrew Blake is really a well-known Hollywood director. His sense of cinema and camera artistry is amazing.

Aria Giovanni: I have people ask me if he is really Steven Speilberg. No, he’s a real person. Not a director using a fake name.

EI: You’ve been successful in a tough industry. Any words of advice for others thinking about entering the adult industry?

Aria Giovanni: I think the most important thing to know is what you don’t want to do. Where you draw the line in the sand. A lot of people go into the industry not knowing where that line is. I was one of them. I crossed it. You can’t take it back. It’s going to be thrown in your face constantly. If you know what you don’t want to do, more than what you do want to do, that is the most important thing. Because you never want to look back and regret what you’ve done. Because it doesn’t go away.

And it’s a lot of hard work. You have to be ready to work at it, and to work on your own. To be your own boss, make your own decisions. Go after your own jobs, be on time, make sure that you’re groomed properly. It doesn’t seem like a lot of things, but you really have to work hard at it because people are not chasing you down. Especially in the beginning where you have to chase people down. You have to put your name out there. You can’t depend on other people to do it for you.

EI: You have worked with who a lot of people believe is the best erotic director around, Andrew Blake. How is he to work with?

AG: Definitely, he’s an artist. I love working for him. Not only because the end product is good, but we are taken care of. It’s not like two people rubbing each other in the wrong direction. Ever thing falls into place. It’s an easy day. It’s not grueling. You have a lot of fun. The girls get along on the set. I have a lot of fun shoot for Andrew. And then, you see the end product, it’s amazing! What he does with the camera. You say, "I remember shooting that, but I don’t remember it looking that way. Wow!"

EI: Do you feel stigmatized working in the adult industry.

AG: I really haven’t had anyone come up and say I’m going to Hell. But I don’t put myself in a position where I will offend anyone. I don’t do this in church, or promote my work at schools (laughs). I do it in the proper environment with a respect for the people who are around you. I really haven’t had any problems with people being affected with what I’ve done. I try to portray my work as responsibly, as beautifully and artistically as I can and yet being nude at the same time. We are born naked. I don’t have a problem with nudity. I don’t think its wrong. This is more than a job. It’s a business. I’m incorporated. I run my own website.

EI: That was my next question. Are you your own boss?

AG: I am my own boss. I decide who I shoot for, when I shoot, when I travel, when I stay home, when I take a vacation, when I do nothing and when I do everything. Not a lot of people can say that. When business is bad I have myself to blame. When business is good, the same thing. I have to motivate myself to find new things to bring in new revenue.

EI: Was this a long process, becoming your own boss?

AG: Of course. You don’t walk in and incorporate with out proving yourself. I incorporated right before I launched my website. After that you’re out there pushing your brand name. In any field possible. I’m not just talking about nudity. Whenever I get the chance to attach my name to something else…I’ve done a cover of "Heavy Metal." I have attachments to comic books. It happens that way in many different things. Is it something that is reputable, something I am interested in, then I do it. If it’s a good decision from a business standpoint.

EI: Tell me about your website.

AG: I’ve had my website for almost two years.I update five times a week, which is unusual for a single model site, because most update two ties a month. I have glamour, candids, fetish, amateur, artistic nudes in one section. All different types of photos. I also have a weekly diary. I have an appearance page. My net buddy section. A links page, a message board. There’s a lot on my site.

EI: Do you have a webmaster, or are you like Asia Carrera who does her own site.

AG: No, that’s not possible for me because I travel so much. I set up my own photo shoots, I make up the photo galleries, I control the content and my webmaster uploads it to the server. I own my site outright. That’s another thing that is different. Most folks have a rent share site. They only get a percentage of their site. I pay my webmaster by the hour. I have total control.

EI: Thanks for your time.

AG: My pleasure.

Rusty White