Devon Hunter

OMG! So I know that not everything in work is always going to be perfect, but I am SO FREAKING GLAD I’m out from under the contract with the stupid Sean Cody site and the latent (re: patent?) homophobia on their sets. Doing COLT/Buckshot and Falcon is so much better for me personally. I met my scene partner for HotHouse this weekend, and I am really looking forward to that now. The crew for COLT and Falcon are relaxed and friendly, and they don’t act like a bunch of burnt out, impatient, jaded assholes. We joke and play around on set. As I suspected, working with gay models is infinitely more conducive to doing good porn, and I have to say that I really appreciate Topher Dimaggio and Benjamin Bradley NOT treating my asshole like a vagina (take a hint, Sean Cody: you don’t HAVE to drill for oil in 4-6 yoga positions in EVERY scene). GOD!

Anyway, Benjamin is a very warm, funny, and sweet guy. Some people warned me that he or his boyfriend, Roman Heart, would be cold/stuck-up diva-bitches. But I didn’t find that to be true AT ALL. I would totally work with either of them anytime they wanted. They are very kind guys who happen to be known by alot of people (and thus opened to alot of unfair criticism). It reminds me of the blog entry I wrote a while back entitled -1 + 1 = 0.

So, in September or so, look for a DVD release with all our shining faces: Benjamin Bradley, Roman Heart, Devon Hunter, Lucas Knowles (yay, yay for HotHouse live shows… hint, hint), Parker London, Tucker Vaughn, et al. I hope you are having a fantastic beginning to your new week!

In light of what is happening with Rekers there are a great many conversations out there dominated by people who should shut the fuck up.

“Escorting is a livelihood, not a career.”

Oh, really? Well, look who knows so much.

Let’s take a moment to evaluate whether or not escorting is a career. A career is that work one does for which one is paid, and it is generally supported by personal investment, training, expertise, and networking. I would like to address each of these in turn as a proof that although escorting can be “only” a livelihood, it can also be a full-fledged career.

Personal Investment

As Dolly Parton said, “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap.” Let me just tell you what I have to pay in order to play the part. Equivocate this to paying for college if you will; however, know that careers generally involve a huge investment on an individual’s part, and adult entertainment is no exception. This is what it costs me to maintain the Devon Hunter brand:

1. Personal training at $40/hour, 2-3 times/week
2. High quality food at $100 – $150/week
3. Products from Aveda (because you may was well eat what you put on your skin) at $150/month
4. Therapeutic massage to break down muscle and remove toxins at $65/hour, 1-2 times/week
5. Supplements such as vitamins and muscle maintenance at $125/month

If you want me to keep looking like I look, it’s going to cost me about $1500/month. At about $18,000/year, that is a college education. This doesn’t include the in-kind spa services that a friend treats me to (I probably got $500 worth of hair coloring, teeth bleaching, and face peeling yesterday). I am investing in my profession, so that I can remain competitive in a glutted market. I have to offer what employers want. Period.

Training

I cannot speak for all escorts, but the best among us study and train. We hire at first, in order to emulate, or associate with high quality escorts who help us avoid pitfalls. We learn a code of conduct. We talk to people who hire escorts to understand the culture of the interactions. We are honed into the equivalent of courtesans in Europe and geisha in Japan. We are artists with a variety of techniques and skills of many types and purposes. I happen to be a very vocal and open escort (concerning my thoughts and my humanity), but you are naïve if you think my experiences differ all that much from any others’. There is a process to becoming an escort. Any tramp can be a two-bit whore who throws his legs in the air for $20 with 10 minutes notice. It take time and skill to be what we are. Art is what makes it look easy.

Expertise

Every career has a set of skills unique to it which require a submission of the self to the technique. It goes without saying that a skilled escort will have honed his expertise for a particular group of clients. I happen to focus on the Boyfriend Experience (BFE). It’s what I like, and it is what I would want for myself. And that makes it easy for me to offer, and it makes it pleasurable for me to give. I would be a terrible fetish escort. I would fail at it. It isn’t my area of expertise. I am very gifted at emotional and personal connections. I am good at it. Other escorts have learned the safety issues and refined practices for whatever it is they do (e.g. S/M, B/D, water sports, extreme play, etc.). They practice their skills and learn the body. We, all of us, learn about people in intimate ways that rival the intricacies of professionals in other fields. And we charge professional fees accordingly. If you want a two-bit fuck, then go pay $20 for one. They are available, and it might be what you need. But… If you want an experience that goes beyond this… Well, you pay for that too.

Networking

Whether it be through advertising, introductions at social events, or any other method of contact, a professional escort has to build and maintain a network. The best escorts see the same clients over and over and over and over. Why? Because we’re professionals! In whatever industry you are in, how much of your sales come from established accounts, and what would happen to you if you were not to maintain those relationships? It should go without saying that professional adult entertainers of all types are highly organized, savvy, and professional people. My rant here doesn’t make me less of a professional, in my opinion. I would equate this entry to making the outside world privy to the break room banter that I would have with any other professional in my industry when something is vexing us.

You have just witnessed what I would say to any escort or exotic dancer when some stupid ass tells me that my profession is “only” a livelihood.

So, the title for this entry is a reference to a song by Michael Jackson from his album Dangerous called “Why You Wanna Trip On Me?” It’s appropriate, because of a situation involving an escort whom I met last weekend in New York City. For almost a year now I have met many great people, both clients and colleagues, but I had yet to meet someone who completely falls into the stereotypical chaos that (until recently?) has been ubiquitously associated with adult entertainment as an industry.

I had finished for the evening last Friday, and I was chatting online. I saw a face I recognized from the online escort ads. He was an escort whom I’d considered hiring a few months ago when I was in Philadelphia, and for whom I had submitted a vote for being the sexiest escort of the year for the 2010 escorting awards. He is amazing in his pictures. Totally mesmerizing. I said hello.

And I should have known from his first response that it was going to be problematic.

I am not going to bother with the details of our meeting in person, but I will say that I am glad I have my process for screening clients. I will expound on this more in a moment. But before I do, I need to take a minute to meditate on the wisdom in the statement, “We create our own reality.”

This escort loathes his work. He said repeatedly, “My clients hate me too, because I’m an asshole.” His clients contact him willy-nilly, and they show up (or not) based on whatever whim. They come at him with expectations that trespass on his sense of self, and he goes along in an inebriated state trying to block it all out. I ended up having to extract myself from the club where we went, just because I was too tired to continuously avoid absorbing his dismay. I had a great trip to New York City, I enjoyed all my clients, and I wasn’t in the mood to have this person bring me down when I had one more day of itinerary left to conclude.

All this brings me to the following list of suggestions. These practices have created a situation where I am content, safe, and happy, and I have offered to share them with this person (who is truly breaking every rule of adult entertainment, but especially Devon’s Platinum Rule). I hope they will help you, if you are unhappy in your escorting practice:

1. Establish contact via email: Escorts, you will do very well to follow this simple suggestion. I cannot stress enough how important it is to be organized and to convey a sense of professionalism. This initial contact sets the tone of your entire interaction. Putting your phone number in your ad allows people to interrupt you at any time, and if you are distracted you will not be able to put the required focus into your conversation. Also, email puts everything in writing, so that you don’t have to memorize conversations. Sort your emails in a way that fits you (I sort mine by US states), and use the search functions on a person’s email to load strings of conversation to refresh your memory as needed. All of this is impossible with phone conversations. Also: Clients who are willing to go back and forth in an email conversation before talking on the phone are the ones you want! They like you enough to engage you verbally. They are excited. They are getting as much information as you are. They have gotten to know you some, and are much less likely to cancel. If they do cancel they will do so (in general) with enough notice not to leave you hanging. I generally do not give a client my phone number until we have confirmed an appointment. BE ORGANIZED.
2. Be certain that you know exactly what is expected before you meet: Seeing someone without having thoroughly discussed the client’s interests and expectations is a way to all but guarantee that you will have a thoroughly wretched time. Know your boundaries, and turn away appointments that are not aligned with what you are willing to do. Agreeing to see a client who wants something you can’t offer without injury to your sense of self will result in disappointments on both sides. You should know that there are forums where clients submit reviews about escorts, and if you provide terrible service others will eventually know and cease calling you.
3. Work sober: Until you have gotten acquainted with a client after a few meetings, you cannot say you truly know anything about him. You should never be intoxicated or inebriated in any way. Ever. Period. If you are meeting a client for the first time in a private place (rather than in a restaurant or public locale), do not accept food or drink that you have not witnessed being opened fresh and made from scratch in your presence. Not only is it completely unprofessional to be drunk/high (and you would do well to avoid clients who are intoxicated, as much as they should avoid you if you are), but your inhibitions will be eroded, and you will not be able to monitor and assess your situation from moment to moment.
4. Respect yourself: It might be a universal truth that people will treat you exactly how you tell them to treat you. And they will know how to interact with you by evaluating how you comport yourself. You must hold yourself dear, so that you will be in a position to be giving to others. When you treat yourself with care and others with grace, they will (nine times out of ten) do the exact same in kind. Adult entertainment is the same as any other business: Professionalism, cleanliness, respect, kindness, and confidence will attract the people who value these traits. You are in charge of your own brand. You must sell it to your target audience. Pick an audience with whom you WANT to work.
5. Take breaks: If ever there was an industry where you have to rest and recover your strength, it is this one. You can give only so much energy before you have to recharge. Escorts who will see clients with almost no notice worry me. How can you possibly be ready in 30 minutes to see someone who hasn’t told you what he wants?? Are you crazy??? You haven’t established that there’s any possibility of rapport between you at all! And escorts who say in their ads that they are available 24/7?? You must look like hell! I am available from noon to midnight, and don’t bother me when I’m sleeping! My goal is to take one weekend off each month, and you’re a fool if you don’t take time away. Burnout is real.
6. Plan ahead and manage your money: I know my itinerary before I ever show up in a city. I am looking for 7 – 12 billable hours on a weekend trip away from home (and only 3-6 billable hours if I stay in Charlotte for the week). I need two billable hours to cover hotel and food; one or two to cover airplane fares; three to amass the money I need that week for bills; and then the difference goes toward savings, projects, and/or spending money. This means of a maximum of 12 billable hours in a weekend (This is one way I avoid burnout!), a quarter of the money goes immediately back into my travel expense account, a quarter goes towards bills, and half goes to me. And THAT is how you divvy your money: Repay travel first, so that if you have a disappointing weekend you can afford to try again the next week. Put aside money to pay your bills next, so that you are not in a weakened financial position at home. But pay the business FIRST! (You can pay your bills late if need be! If you pay them first to be on time after a bad weekend, you won’t have the money to travel!) Finally, PAY YOURSELF. You would be wise to put some of what you have netted after business/bills into savings, some into investments, some into an emergency store of cash, and the rest into something nice for yourself (nice food, new clothes, travel, JEWELRY!!! hahaha). Everything in suggestions 1 -6 are here so that you can obey #7, which is the most important of all:
7. ESCHEW DESPERATION: Do not do anything involving adult entertainment from a position of desperation. EVER. Walk away and do something else. Find some other option to make money or to solve whatever problem is at hand. If you work from a position of disempowerment you risk falling into the pit of despair. It is a deep, dark place, and those who fall in with you will not be there to help you get out. They will not be in a position to do so, and they won’t want to. Create the reality you want for yourself!! Be happy! It’s in your power to do so!

I have been getting some emails asking what is tantamount to “Why haven’t you been giving much career advice or offering personal observations now that you’re not dancing in clubs?”

There are (what I think) three very good reasons:

1. I have been escorting for only 8 months or so. In my mind I want to have a solid year’s experience, so that I can properly look at what I have seen before I start trying to comment on it or analyze it. This summer I will start talking about the escorting in the way I used to talk about the exotic dancing; however…
2. Talking about escorting is a far more sensitive matter than exotic dancing was. When I had observations/complaints/analyses/questions before it was directed towards an anonymous, generalized audience/public. Talking about appointments opens the client up to what might be taken as personalized attacks. One reason I want to wait at least a year before I start talking about this is so that I will have a large enough body of experience that no one will know a particular situation is directed at him per se.
3. I don’t feel like I’m in a position to do so yet. I feel I can speak with authority about the clubs and dancing, because I was in them for 12 years. What’s more, once my exclusive with Sean Cody expires (finally, GOD!), I will also be doing more video work (I hope). I want to see how that component works itself into what I am already doing. I think it will offer layers of nuance that I can’t speak about yet.

So then, I hope you understand now why I’ve been focusing on my personal life more than my career in the entries for a while. I have had some pitfalls and challenges in my love life (which I have, I am happy to say, resolved for better or worse), and I felt it would be better to deal with them, rather than try to shove them to the side and risk speaking from a place of distracted ignorance. (Oh, and Pete: Yes, I finally gave up on Matt. He has been deleted and blocked – more to keep me from going back than to keep him from bothering me… he would have had to be a bit more accessible to do that, right? LOL)

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE APPLE!!! Omg! Omg! I had my iPhone and iMac syncing through MobileMe for the past week, and I have just installed Outlook 2007 on my laptop (which is Windows based), and now all three are syncing!! Do you even understand how much this will simplify my life?????

I confess: I completely resisted getting Apple products, because everything in my world has always been PC; however, there will be no problems, since Apple can work with Windows files and programs. I am so giddy that I think I’m going to just bust.  OMG! Now I will be able to keep a constant eye on how my schedule can change: If someone needs to alter his appointment/update contact info (or ask about my current availability), I will be able to discuss it immediately, because I can use my iPhone to check all those details and make changes (which have hitherto been locked away on my laptop). Any of my three pieces of technology can now be used to make changes in all of the issues surrounding contact/calendars/etc., so whether I update at home, in my hotel room, or walking around on the street all the changes get synced at once via the 20-gig cloud I now have (for remote back up and web hosting/photo galleries). I have to do work only once now, rather than in triplicate, and it happens immediately!!

OMG! All my working boys need to know about this: GET MobileMe AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! The subscription is $100 per year; however, it comes with the ability to sync across ALL your computers, remote file back up/file sharing, photo galleries, web hosting (you can publish your webpage through your MobileMe account once you own the name of your site), AND THE ABILITY TO LOCATE YOUR iPhone ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD IF IT IS LOST OR STOLEN. You can remotely lock the phone through your MobileMe account, and you can also erase everything on the iPhone in question. This is a great way of protecting yourself and your clients!! Once you get your iPhone back (or replace it), you can sync it and get all your info back in moments. OMG!