Taking the Independent Road
Is it possible to remain a 100% independent performer in the porn industry?

Yes, I believe that it is possible, however this is not something that I've done, so all I can do in this section of the site is share my thoughts, suggestions and ideas. 

Once again, I strongly suggest that you first read through the section of this site entitled Building a SOLID Pre-Porn foundation. Preparing for and planning your career in advance before you perform in any adult content is the absolute best thing you can do. When I've heard other performers comment on porn industry "success stories" saying things like "Wow, that girl is so lucky!" I always think to myself, "It wasn't luck, it was simply preparation meeting opportunity". 

If you're set on not signing with an agent or agency of any sort, I feel that it's vital that you know your "niche", your "market" and your "target audience" and all of those factors depend upon your "look" and your "performance style".

For example: A tall, very fair, Caucasian, very thin (waif like even), dark haired girl with a "submissive" performance style most definitely will not fall into the same "market" as a curvy, very dominant black woman. 

You may want to seek out and do your research on other adult talents who have a similar look and performance style to yourself before forming a conclusion as to the type of viewers you will attract.

A great way to do "field research" on the niche you fall into, your market and target audience is via webcamming. The individuals who buy shows from you will be the same individuals who will buy the porn scenes you perform in.

If you choose to remain 100% independent there are a couple roads of which you may take:

1) You may have taken my Building a SOLID Pre-Porn foundation suggestions, and if that's the case you will already have built your website and have begun webcamming. You could release your first porn scenes EXCLUSIVELY through your website to begin with (and perhaps on a site like Clips4sale.com as well) to your current and future webcam customers and website membership holders. 

In time, you may decide to license these scenes (content) to other parties as you continue to create new content. 

Of course as your image remains out there over time and your popularity grows, other studios may choose to utilize you in their content and they will contact you directly.

Ideally this path can work, but it would take a lot of time, effort and know how on your part (you'd need to be able to produce and edit your own photos and videos, design the graphics for your media and content, be able to get all of it online, have the equipment to shoot and produce your photos and videos, have access to shooting locations, register your corporation, live in an area where producing adult content is legal, if you're not shooting solo scenes you'd need to have the proper legal paperwork filed, and you'd need to be able to pay your talent and shooting crew - this can be a bit much, BUT I feel it's possible for even a newbie to the porn industry).  If you go down this road you would probably need a bit of capitol to begin with.

2) You could approach the studios directly. Visit the Adult Industry Employment Boards section of this website to find links to online forums and boards where studios post ads to hire talent directly rather than through an agency. Of course you'd need to get yourself to the San Fernando Valley which is where most of the porn scenes are produced. 

I also suggest that you check out the Studios section of this website for a listing of the porn studios. You would need to email or call them and explain that you are an INDIVIDUAL looking to get into the porn industry and that you are interested in shooting for their studio.

Some studios will ignore you because they are so accustomed to dealing with agencies, and their casting directors or owners might not "think outside the box", but hey, some may not want to pay an agency fee or deal with the drama that often comes with certain unprofessional "agents", so they may be more than happy to meet with you.

Prior to you meeting with a studio on your "independent performer go-see", make sure you have CLEARLY defined for yourself mentally what you ARE AND ARE NOT willing to do on camera.

Make sure that you arrive with your casting photos (or email them in advance) and that you're familiar with the type of content that particular studio produces. Also don't forget 2 forms of ID.

In time after you've begun to develop and independent and professional reputation with various porn studios, the word will get out fairly quickly that you are a professional, reliable and independent performer and in the porn world that holds a lot of value (being that the porn world is a SURPRISINGLY SMALL  community).

If you're ambitious, while you've been shooting for other studios, you've also been building and maintaining your own website as well and (if you're ambitious), have begun producing scenes starting yourself and/or others on your own.

Both of the above outlined Independent Roads in my opinion are also paths to creating your own adult content label or "studio".  The independent roads are more difficult, especially if you have absolutely no contacts at all initially in the industry, but as I stated before, I believe that it is possible.

If you've chosen to remain totally independent, one thing you will need to ensure you have covered is your SAFETY. Please make sure you RESEARCH AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE any studio that you decide to shoot with. If you don't have a bodyguard or friend to travel with you, make sure you let someone know where you're going, what you're doing and when you are expected to be finished. I'm not trying to scare anyone, most people in the porn industry have no desire to hurt you, but there are always exceptions to the norm.

Combining my Independent Road ideas and my Going the Agency Route information realistically is your best bet, but again - each porn performer is different and every "path into porn" varies greatly - make your own decision and do what works best for you.