TAMPA, FL — Five years ago, Joanna Angel, her friend Mitch, and an assortment of their fun-loving friends put a torch to the adult internet. In less than a month, Angel plans to spread that heat around, using the “Solo Girl Sites & Content Production” seminar during the June 7th – 10th Cybernet Expo in Tampa, FL as the catalyst.When the petite alterno-minx unintentionally took the internet by firestorm after she and her pals decided to indulge in a little online experimentation by launching BurningAngel.com, none of them realized that before the site was old enough to enter elementary school its inspiration would grow to professionally giant proportions.
As she gained confidence in her craft and her understanding of the adult internet, she says that pundits proposed she might become “the punk rocker, alternative Jenna,” but the urban perky ink spot insists that “I’m just going to be Joanna.”
For her growing legion of fans – including younger people who generally don’t pay into the porn industry – being Joanna is exactly what they want her to be.
While continuing to develop the BurningAngel site, last year’s director of the AVN Award winning sex comedy Joanna’s Angels 2, has ventured into the potentially choppy waters inhabited by the infamous sologirl niche. Although only eight months old, JoannaAngel.com already has a loyal following that’s likely to increase as the professional contrails of its hostess grow longer.
Because of this, Angel is particularly excited about the opportunity to share what she’s learned with other sologirl site owners and developers. Reflecting upon her humble roots in the virtual pages of what she describes as her once-“rinky dink website,” she’s eager to spread the wealth. “I’m not one of those people who’s trying to hoard all my secrets because I don’t want anybody else to be successful. I love helping people and I love sharing the things that I know.”
One of the many things that Angel knows is that raw information itself is not enough to make a website successful. Not only must the person with the information actually put it to use, the model whose site it is must be able to inspire their members to return. “You have to really connect with the member more than any other porn site. When somebody is signing up, you have to practically think that they’re getting into a relationship with you, and in order to keep that relationship going, you have to keep them interested.”
Visitors to JoannaAngel.com keep their interest piqued by moving deeper into what Angel calls “an aesthetic, a lifestyle, an attitude” that is uniquely hers. Although she says that some have accused her attitude of being “some kind of ‘fuck you’ to porn,” she insists that’s not the case. “I like porn. I’ve made a lot of friends in the mainstream porn world. I’ve got friends that have really helped me along the way who direct for Vivid or Red Light District or other mainstream companies. People have been really supportive and helpful. I think every porn director is doing what they think is sexy. There’s no way that you’re going to make it in this business if you’re not into what you’re doing, because people can sense that. I’m just doing what I think is sexy.”
What Angel considers sexy is, in part, a look that once was rare, but has now become “a new aesthetic.” Featuring sassy, clever, joke cracking, tattooed, post punk boys and girls, these urban hotties project a balance of warmth and art edge that has made their followers wish they could be the girls next door instead of the girls who actually live next door.
Now the sites are, as Angel observes, “popping up everywhere” – a sign that her aesthetic is worth emulating, if not replicating.
“It’s pretty crazy, thinking about websites today. It (BurningAngel) was just photos. It was pretty terrible. It really just started off as a silly idea I had with my friend.”
And today it’s a successful company that she runs with her friend. On the afternoon of Saturday, June 9th, 2007, Angel will join MediumPimpin’s Kevin, MandyBlake.com’s Tony404, HowIGotRich’s Dirty D, and CamZ’s Dan to explain how other ambitious and dedicated sologirls (and boys) can do likewise.
