Brittany Benz is a superstar rising.
As of September of this year, she will have been working as a cam model for five years. During that time, she has become a top model on Chaturbate, starred in porn directed by one of the industry’s foremost leaders, Greg Lansky, and won the first ever YNOT Cam award for Cam Star of the Year in 2018. It was a landmark win that was very meaningful to her.
“Who doesn’t like winning?” Benz commented playfully. “I’m super thankful for all the voters and the Booty Gang for taking the time to put in their votes!”
“The award meant a lot to me,” she continued. “At times, I’m still shook over all the good vibes and generosity that fills my cam room every night. It was a good feeling getting recognition for all the time I’ve put into my cam shows.”
Not content to rest on her laurels, Benz continues to work towards improving her shows, keeping up with new technology and continuously upgrading her stream any time something new comes out. And her efforts have paid off. Her juggernaut ascent has continued over the past year – she’s even nominated for YNOT Cam’s Cam Crossover Star award in 2019.
The Cam Crossover Star award honors models making moves in both cam and porn. And though Benz thinks that being a cam model and porn star crossover is a great way to maximize earnings doing a lot of different things, the work itself is distinct. This can create some interesting challenges and differences.
“One of the surprising differences between cam and porn is seeing yourself on your computer screen!” Benz shared. “With cam, you’re able to see yourself on the screen, and with porn you’re not able to see what’s being recorded.”
When you’re used to performing in a certain way, the changeup can be challenging. According to Benz, “Most the time [directors] don’t want you looking at the camera, so it’s a lot different for me. I kept finding myself staring into the camera, and Greg [Lansky] would have to remind me ‘Look away Brittany’ in his French accent.”
In an interesting note about conventional associations with “crossover” career moves – namely, moving from the adult industry to the mainstream – Benz had some fiery thoughts regarding Hollywood’s penchant for exploiting adult industry content for its own gain. For instance, regarding a recent incident wherein HBO lifted unlicensed Kink.com clips featuring Violet Monroe and Tommy Pistol for use in an episode of their program “Euphoria,” Benz said “If HBO wants to take pieces of our world, they should have to cite and source where they got it! I mean, isn’t that stealing if they don’t?”
It’s true – it is stealing – but as we know, the rules are enforced differently for mainstream and adult, something Benz has dealt with firsthand.
“I have seen myself on Netflix before in a documentary I had no idea was even being filmed,” she shared. “Those [mainstream] producers are really slacking. They need to ask permission and get everyone to sign papers. Most cam models are more than willing to do documentaries and show how [cam life] really is if you just ask.”
In an obvious, human assertion (though clearly not obvious to people at HBO and Netflix), Benz said, “Some of us would like to remain a secret though, that’s why it’s important to ask.”
Differing opinions about how a model might want their career presented gives rise to another “difference of opinion” prevalent within the industry community – divisive attitudes regarding cam models and porn performers.
Benz, who has herself noticed this division, shared that “One thing I would like to mention on this topic is we are all the same. We are all sex workers.”
“Some porn stars really dislike cam girls because they think we don’t have to work as hard. They say being a fulltime talent is harder,” Benz said. “But then you come across the [performers] who love us and want to learn how to [be on cam]. No matter what, there’s always gonna be mixed feeling but I’ll never be a part of the problem.”
“I love cam and porn! If any porn stars ever have any questions on how to start camming, DM me — I got you sis!” she added.
Another community-building initiative Benz has spearheaded is her aforementioned Booty Gang.
“[It’s] a group of girls who love to twerk. I’m planning on having workshops – or, should we call them ‘twerkshops’ — to teach models how to shake their booties,” Benz explained. “We’re also planning on performing at Exxxotica and other events, and we will also be creating tutorials for PornHub.”
Models and performers interested in upping their game and getting involved with the Booty Gang can contact Benz at the email address listed below. It seems like a great opportunity for often-isolated models to make friends and learn new occupational skills.
https://twitter.com/BrittanyBenz_/status/1138490392058294272
Speaking of skill development, the notion that models and performers may have occupational struggles and issues is also something that’s often missed – in this instance, often by members of the community working behind the scenes.
According to Benz, the best way for community members working behind the scenes to better support models is to “listen — it seriously goes such a long way. You can really figure out a lot about a situation just by listening.”
“I also do something on all the sets I’m on because I like to make sure everyone is comfortable: I ask everyone who will be involved in the scene before hand what their do’s and dont’s are,” she added. “That way, everyone is on the same page and you know what each other likes and doesn’t like. I feel like more sets should encourage talent to ask those questions because it’s a really good way to not cross boundaries and keep everyone happy.”
Regardless of where she’s at in the wider industry cam space and porno-scape, Brittany Benz comes with a sense of community and kindness, as well as a penchant for hard work. When asked about key advice for new models, she said:
“I would say the most important thing to be doing when you first start camming is to be watching cams. As wild as it sounds, you can really learn a lot of different things… Something that also helped me was having a notepad and having my tip menu options. Also, a very important way to get people in your room is post to your social media whenever you are getting online. I’ve noticed posting a picture or a video is the best way to get the message out about you being online.”
Benz has also noticed upticks in Premium Snapchat use, as well as self-booking in the absence of an agent.
Being self-reliant requires being informed. And though it may sound counterintuitive, staying informed and self-reliant means staying plugged into the community. It’s a good strategy for life in general, as well as life in adult entertainment.
“I like where the industry is at right now,” Benz enthused. “Everyone is making money doing what they want!”
Can’t complain about that!
Models with questions, needing advice or wanting to learn more about Booty Gang can message Benz at ButteryBubbleButt@gmail.com. Find Brittany Benz online at BrittLive.com and on Twitter at @BrittanyBenz_.
