Now and then, we come across producers motivated by a set of core values. This is the case with Irina Vega, the indie porn producer and owner of the popular alternative-pornography company AltPorn4U.com.
A performer and creative herself, Vega sat down with YNOT to discuss her philosophy in producing adult entertainment content ethically and through an approach that respects her professional and personal beliefs.
YNOT: Who are you? What is your role in the adult entertainment industry?
VEGA: I’m Irina Vega. I’m an independent and alternative porn director, and my production company is AltPorn4U.com.
The work I do is entertainment for adults, and they are not just words thrown into the air; the work of the people who work in this industry is precisely to entertain people who want distractions from their work, personal problems, etc., the same work or objective that any other entertainment company has, such as conventional cinema, the video game industry, etc.
We are simply focusing on sex; therefore, for adults, being a natural and innate activity in human beings.
YNOT: What is your approach to content production?
VEGA: My way of approaching the content that I create is based on my values as a person: diversity and feminism (body shapes, gender identities, ages (+18), ethnic group, etc.); all performers’ pleasure matters; before the shoot, performers can choose who their sexual partners are, talk about their sexual tastes, they agree on sexual practices to be performed; performers can choose if they want to use a condom or without, providing up-to-date STD tests; making content that we can be proud of; fair payments in all areas and promoting content share; and helping performers generate long-term benefits.
Every director or studio we feature is licensed or paid by commission from the sale of their content, high-quality, emotional, and technical content. You can find my manifesto here.
YNOT: In times like recent attempts to censor adult entertainment artists, are you guided by a particular set of core values that go beyond your content production philosophy? Do you feel that your personal beliefs are targeted?
VEGA: I’m concerned about the values of society in my personal life, and of course, I also apply that to my work.
I’m a proud member of Mensa, and I consider myself a person who applies ethics and morality in my life; that is why I’m vegan and anti-speciesist (obviously, feminist, anti-racist, and anti-fascist). I don’t buy clothes from industries that do not treat their employees ethically, etc.
YNOT: What else do you do in your personal life to live by your core values?
VEGA: I’m in the process of living in a minimalist and zero-waste way, every day I’m learning how to improve as a person in this crazy world.
YNOT: That’s interesting. Since you feel concerned about society’s values, could you explain specifically to your professional scope how politics and laws apply? Like, how do you feel about age verification laws for adult tube sites?
VEGA: It seems very good to me that this type of law is applied to pages such as “tubes” to limit access to minors. It’s something that I have been saying for years because this type of content should not be available to minors.
YNOT: You are clearly dedicated to countering access to age-restricted content for minors. Do you believe that there should be some context provided by a teacher or parent?
VEGA: Minors don’t have or have very little sexual education at home and in schools, therefore seeing all kinds of sex scenes without that education can lead to being misinterpreted. I think it can affect their sexual relations, as we have already been able to see in different studies.
YNOT: Based on your responses, what is the biggest challenge for adult entertainment moving forward?
VEGA: I think there is a lot of misinformation; politicians (at least in Spain, which is where I live and work) should sit down and talk with sex workers and adult content producers in order to reach agreements and create fair laws for all, for, of course protecting minors and people who may be abused since those issues also concern us.
They should see us as allies, as we are the best people to help since we know first-hand how this industry works and we know how problems can be avoided and improved so that people who commit malpractice (as in any industry) have penalties and thus get an industry that improves its image thanks to applying fair laws based on ethical values.
You can follow Irina Vega on Twitter (@irinavega). You can visit Irina’s personal website by visiting IrinaVega.com. Also, visit AltPorn4U.com for the latest in Vega’s groundbreaking alt-porn films.
