Who says that performers can’t do exactly what they want in porn? Not Tgirl adult star and cam model Shiri Allwood.
Since turning pro in 2016, Allwood has self-produced more than 150 feature vids with the help of partner Nicko Wolfe. Evidently, she knows her way around behind the camera as well as in front.
“We were awarded ‘Best Self-Producer’ at the 2020 Transgender Erotica awards and have held the monthly top Trans earner spot on ManyVids three times this year,” Allwood told YNOT.
This said, Allwood’s just released feature video, ‘Shiri’s First Gangbang: Gym Slut Takes 5‘, is arguably her most ambitious self-funded effort to date. Although the title is somewhat self-explanatory, a plot synopsis is in order.
“The scene opens to a packed gym setting. I’m positioned front and center hitting some incline flyes, while the guys around me do their best to focus on their own workouts,” said Allwood. “It doesn’t take long for them to get distracted, and they start hitting on me in the typical gym bro manner—criticizing my form and giving me tips. It doesn’t take long for me to notice their bulges growing in size, not for them to start peeling off my skimpy outfit.”
The money to produce Shiri’s First Gangbang came from a variety of sources, without any coming from third-party studios or content platforms.
“I did make a post asking for tips on OnlyFans, but the scene was largely funded by past video sales,” Allwood said. “The OnlyFans post asking for funding got $110 in tips, but many sent tips via DM and contributed other ways. The talent, location, travel, catering and crew expenses totalled only about $2700.”
In her OnlyFan post, “I basically just said, ‘hey, I wanna do this thing’,” she noted. “Everyone seemed pretty excited by the idea, and of course wanted to take part. Perhaps they’ll get a chance someday!”
Allwood’s deal-making skills played a role in keeping expenses low. “Some of the guys were more interested in trading scenes with me – duo scenes which we filmed the following days – which helped keep my talent budget down,” said Allwood. She also got along with some help from her friends.
“Male performer Colby Jansen helped me secure the location and reached out to some of my co-stars to see if they were available,” she noted. “I also hired my long-time friend, Lianna Lawson, to be my PA. She was indispensable, helping with catering, collecting paperwork from the guys, and even at one point held the camera when Nicko’s arms were about to give out. All the other pre-planning, booking, organizing, directing, editing and promotion were done by me.”
Two money-savers: The set happened to be already in place at her shooting location, and “we travelled with all our film gear,” said Allwood.
“I was a little anxious watching our two cases, containing probably about $10,000 worth of gear that I’ve amassed over the years, being loaded onto the checked baggage conveyor at the airport.”
Paying her own way allowed Allwood to create the kind of fluid gangbang scene she wanted. She prepared to handle a variety of positions and multiple penetrations by physically training for them beforehand.
“Leading up to the shoot I was watching gangbang scenes recommended to me by fans, and a lot of what I saw was copy-and-pasting the same set of positions with different models,” she said. “Blow job, 5 minutes. Fuck position A, role for 5 minutes. Fuck position B, role for 5 minutes, et cetera.
“I tried to break that formula, and I did so by preparing the guys by telling them I was going to be their fuck toy and that they shouldn’t hesitate to carry, drag, and push me around the set as much as they could,” she continued. “I almost wanted them playing tug-o-war with me, vying to get a piece of my ass. I think this direction was pretty successful, as the first cut happens around 30 minutes in—after we’ve already made it to DAP on me with multiple guys.”
In the midst of all this action, Allwood’s partner Nicko Wolfe was scrambling around with his camera, trying to get everything on video in a smooth and polished manner.
“With that much movement he had to be quick on his feet in order to not get in the way and still manage to capture as much as possible,” said Allwood. “That’s 30+ minutes of holding a heavy gimbal camera rig, which is not easy.”
Other challenges included lighting the set to accommodate all the movements and positioning microphones to capture it all. To do this, Allwood planted two mics on set as well as having a boom mic suspended above to create the resulting audio mix.
The finished Shiri’s First Gangbang is now racking up online sales. It’s available to her OnlyFans subscribers for $9.99, and available to all non-subscribers for $19.99 on ManyVids.
“I would love to partner with a DVD distributor to make them available to that audience as well, but I haven’t worked out such a deal yet,” Allwood said. “There is BTS (behind the scenes) and bonus footage that would be really fun to include if I can make that happen.
Allwood’s success in self-funding her first on-screen gangbang has fueled her ambitions for further independent productions.
“I’ve been dreaming of doing a fan-bukkake for years now,” she said. “I think organizing just such an event would be the logical next way to step-up my game, just as soon as travel restrictions relax enough. And having full ownership of my own first gangbang, and therefore the royalties, is going to be helpful in funding future projects.”
As for the erotic challenge of keeping everyone engaged during the gangbang, a feat that is difficult enough to do a threesome, let along a sixsome?
“I really pushed my abilities in this scene and learned that I’m capable of keeping 5 dudes busy and performing double anal,” Allwood replied. “I’d been hesitant taking DAP scenes in the past because of trauma-related issues I’ve had, but my anal rehabilitation seems to have worked! Not only did I take multiple DAPs, but I was able to perform another anal scene the next day without pain or soreness. Hopefully with this success you’ll be seeing me doing even more hardcore action.”
Asked what other performers can learn from this project, Allwood said “I’m a big believer in reinvesting my earnings back into my own business.”
“That’s my biggest piece of advice for any model looking to be successful as a self-producer,” Allwood added. “Believe in your brand, invest in yourself, and work hard to bring your fantasies to life. I think my fans recognize that and buy my content because they know it’s going to benefit them by doing so.”
