Virtual Interview with Jacky St. James | Aldult Toys Blog

Jacky St. James is a woman who needs no introduction – her long list of accolades and accomplishments speaks for itself. In the decade since her first foray into the adult film world, the award-winning writer, director, and producer has established herself as a true pioneer, making waves as the ultimate purveyor of erotic storytelling mediums.

Today, she’s the woman behind the curtain at Bellesa Films, bringing her special magic to every scene we produce. In celebration of International Women’s Day, we had a virtual sit-down with her to talk about how things started, how they’re going, and what she envisions for the future of sex-positive erotic media.

1. How did you get started in porn?

I used to watch a lot of porn and was always frustrated by how little attention was paid to female pleasure (not just for women). in front of the camera (but also those of us who masturbate to what was available for our consumption). One of my biggest frustrations was that the male actor was actually a headless torso shoving a gigantic penis into a woman. There was no connection, no eye contact, nothing. It was all very robotic. When my friend sent me a link to a movie that actually showed some level of connection between the performers and something a little more female-friendly, I immediately investigated further and found out that this studio was running a writing contest looking for women to write porn. As a joke, I submitted a script, ended up winning the contest, was invited to watch it in production, a year later I won my first AVN and was directing vignettes and features. That was 10 years ago.

2. What was the catalyst that made you want to empower women and focus on ethical/female-centric porn?

As a woman, I saw a void in the market, that women’s needs were not being met and that “porn for women” was still being shot and produced by men. I don’t want to denigrate my male counterparts, but their desires and perspective are very different from mine. When the opportunity came up for Bellesa, I was very excited to work with them. Bellesa focuses on female pleasure and they hired me so that there would be a woman behind the lens producing, directing and writing content for their studio.

If you don’t understand why having a woman behind the camera is so important in female porn production, I’ll tell you a story. Once, while I was shooting a lesbian scene, I was so impressed by how naturally things were going between the two performers. The women were so into it They were kissing, rubbing, touching each other over their clothes, which really made it feel like real life. But then, just five minutes into the foreplay, the cameraman turned to me and said, “Take her boobs out.” To me, that was a defining moment that showed why we need more women behind the scenes.

Needless to say, I didn’t take out his “boobs.” I let the women continue to have fun because it was about THEM and not HIM.

3. What is your favorite part of your job?

Oh wow. So much. I would say that I was on set and working with the performers to create something so unique in the market. I heard the performers tell me how GOOD the sex was because they didn’t have to go through all the requirements of most standard porn scenes.

4. What is your favorite Bellesa scene that you worked on?

My goodness. I feel so bad for picking ONE, but I will if you force me! Probably AJ Applegate and Damon Dice. This was early in the making of Bellesa. We were still getting our feet wet and figuring out how to create magic on screen. I spent a lot of time going over things with the performers. What they should and shouldn’t do and going over the kinds of things they might do that are not innate to their own pleasure (things like eating the cum after, asking for a facial, choking on a penis) and really focusing on what IS innate to their pleasure. Authenticity is always key in these scenes and it often involves some deprogramming beforehand as most scenes have the same filming requirements, “make sure you see the penis”, “open up”, “look back during cowgirl so I can see your face”. All of these programmed actions disconnect the performers from each other. And since these things have been required in so many porn scenes, most performers have a hard time breaking these habits. The scene between AJ and Damon was the first time ALL of these behaviors were forgotten. They were so in the moment, so connected. AJ, true to her own character (who was having sex with her friend for the first time), even covered her breasts when Damon took her top off—as if to show she was feeling shy. It was such a rich, real moment that felt so true to the characters that I almost cried. It’s sad when a porn director cries because people are authentic. Shouldn’t everyone be authentic? Isn’t authenticity so much sexier than an act?

5. What do you wish more people knew or understood about porn/working in porn?

It’s a job and we work very hard, most of us with very small crews. It’s not like Boogie Nights. It’s not a party on set. To put it in perspective, I’m not just a director. I cast, I produce, I do bookkeeping, I manage production, I write scripts, I edit, I buy food and props. I wear a million different hats. Just because someone works in porn doesn’t mean they “don’t have other options.” Many of the performers and crew are college graduates who worked in the corporate world before porn. We’re human. We’re just like everyone else, we just have weird job requirements!

6. What is it like to be a woman in a heavily male-dominated industry? How has being a woman helped and hurt your career?

I never let my gender get in the way of my success. I came into this at a time when female directors were starting to gain popularity. Being a woman helped me because it gave me a lot of media attention and buzz early on, which allowed me to speak out on women’s issues and become a trusted member of the adult community. In terms of my career, I would say that I have had to deal with some misogyny from some of the team members who wouldn’t follow my direction because of my gender. I dealt with that by getting rid of them. Currently, I am surrounded by incredible men and women at Bellesa and they all have the same goal in mind: to create ethical pornography that focuses on what women really want.

7. What are the main obstacles you face when working in the adult industry (professionally and personally)?

Professionally – managing many new demands in the age of Covid. I already wear many hats and complying with the new Covid testing protocol is simply another It’s a job I have to do. It’s essential, but it takes time: going out to do tests before every day of shooting, making sure the talent is tested, that the tests come back on time, that everyone’s tests are paid for. It takes a lot of time. You’d be surprised. On the professional side, I’m also always faced with setbacks – cancellations, etc. There’s no such thing as a “smooth” porn shoot. It never happens. You’re always juggling and solving a lot of problems at any given time.

Personally, working in porn can be isolating. I don’t tell my neighbors what I do, and my parents aren’t supportive of what I do. It’s hard to have a successful career and have your parents not applaud you for it. When I say porn is isolating, I mean that even though so many people consume porn, they still judge those of us who work in the field. I tap dance around questions like “What do you do for a living?” because I know my response will either be judgmental or a series of intense questions. People either want to vilify you for your decision or brag about you to their friends. It’s hard to feel a sense of normalcy with someone new in your life, which is why I haven’t made many new friendships since working in porn. My friends are people I’ve known forever.

8. Tell our audience about your work with Bellesa House (for which we just won the AVN Award for New Production Banner of the Year!!!!)

Bellesa House has been a gift not only to the performers but to the crew as well. It’s truly magical to see performers show their vulnerable side and be honest. They can be REAL and share stories that viewers can relate to. Because the queue allows performers to have sex their way, for as long as they want, to finish when they want, to take any position they want, we get to see real pleasure. When performers are in control, we get to see what gives them pleasure and how they navigate their scene with their scene partner as one would in a real life sexual experience. The audience needs to see performers as human beings and there is no queue that does that better than Bellesa House. I simply cannot express how much of a game changer it is.

9. What can people (the general public) do to help empower sex workers and help the porn industry move in the right direction?

Consume ethical porn. To understand that if you have ever masturbated to pornography, you have absolutely no right to judge anyone in the industry who has had sex on camera for your pleasure. Did I mention CONSUME PORN ETHICALLY!?

10. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, what message would you like to convey to our audience?

Women’s sexuality is just as important as men’s and Bellesa and I are working to bridge that gap. Porn can show genuine, authentic pleasure while still being exciting. Connection and authenticity are the future of porn – not the extreme sex acts, face slapping and acrobatics that became popular in the 90s.

Follow Jacky on Instagram @jackystjames and on his website.