She began working in adult film in 2012.[12] She received an XRCO Award for her film work in 2015.[13] This was followed by an AVN Award in 2017,[4] and another XRCO Award in 2018.[5] In 2015, Calvert began writing for publications including GameLink and The Huffington Post.[6][14][8] She was a contributor to the 2015 book Coming Out Like a Porn Star, edited by Jiz Lee.[15]
Calvert expanded her film career, from acting to directing and producing.[1][16][17] She was an actor, writer, and casting director on the Pure Taboo production, The Starlet: A Casey Calvert Story.[17]Erika Lust hired Calvert to direct a feature series Primary.[2][17][18] By 2020, she devoted half her career to her work as a film director.[1]
Early life and education
Calvert was raised Conservative Jewish and attended synagogue every Shabbat (Saturday) morning until her Bat Mitzvah. Her family switched to a Reform synagogue and began attending only on Jewish holidays.[19] She spent her early life in Gainesville, Florida.[20][21][22] Calvert attended the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, graduating with a degree in telecommunications with minors in anthropology and zoology.[23] She chose her stage name in honor of Professor Clay Calvert after taking his class on Mass Media Law as a sophomore.[10][24][11] She said, "It felt right because really if I hadn't taken his class, I wouldn't be where I am right now," referring to learning during his class that pornography was not illegal as she had initially thought.[10] Pornography and legal case law related to the film industry were a focus of the media class.[22] She also studied the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and learned that pornography is a form of protected freedom of speech in the United States.[25][22] Calvert said that her first name, "Casey", is derived from the initials of her celebrity crush's children—K. and C.—but has not specified who they are.[26]
Career
Modeling and acting
Before appearing in adult films, Calvert worked as a nude model,[27] doing fetish and art modelling in the spring of her junior year of college, at 21.[9] She learned about the fetish scene from contacts in Orlando, Florida.[28] Calvert features in The Mammoth Book of Erotic Photography.[29] She modeled for Hustler's Taboo.[30][31] She entered the adult film industry on November 5, 2012,[12] with her first scene for SexArt studio.[32] Calvert has described her career as: "just like having any other job, except you're naked on the Internet".[33] Calvert launched her website in January 2014.[31] She received a nomination for an XRCO Award (X-Rated Critics Association) for Best New Starlet in 2014, the first year she was eligible.[34][35]
The XRCO recognized Calvert with an Unsung Siren Award in 2015[13][21] recognizing her as, "the female star who consistently demonstrates excellence without due recognition from the media".[36] Sociologist and XRCO member, Chauntelle Tibbals, commented on Calvert's selection praising her "performance work in a variety of genres" and "her considerable contributions to the adult industry".[20] Calvert made fetish and BDSM part of her niche as an actress in adult films, appearing in a featured performance Jessica Drake's Guide to Wicked Sex: BDSM for Beginners directed by Jessica Drake in 2015.[37][38] Writing for Bustle, Amanda Chatel observed, "Unlike adult performers of the past, Calvert is an educated woman who didn't stumble into porn, but headed there because that's what she wanted."[11] Calvert worked with Bobbi Starr on BDSM film shoots and appreciated her respect for performers.[27] Calvert contributed to virtual reality pornography, where her likeness was digitally scanned and uploaded to an avatar.[39][40][41]
Calvert gained early experience directing by creating custom videos.[21] She took requests from clients for selectively made films to make a profit in the face of online piracy.[42][43][44] Priced at up to $10,000 per request,[45] Calvert saw this as a way to interact directly with her fans and create her own content.[45][44] She found billing them difficult because of restrictions by payment processors related to adult content.[44] Calvert has tried to pursue a mainstream acting and modeling career, but potential employers have refused to hire her because of her work in porn.[46] She says she has been recognized even while auditioning under her legal name.[46]
Writing and directing
The USC School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California featured Calvert in 2015 on a panel discussion, "50 Shades of Erotica: The Blurring of the Line Between Hollywood and Adult Entertainment".[29][47] In September 2015, GameLink hired Calvert to write a BDSM and fetish-themed column for their The Naked Truth blog, and to answer readers' questions on their website.[6][37] She contributed to GameLink in 2016 as an expert on topics related to fetish and BDSM,[48][49][14] and won their 2016 Porn Star Madness Competition against 16 other adult stars.[50][51] Calvert wrote for GameLink once a month sharing her knowledge of fetish and BDSM gained from her experiences with readers.[21][52] The company's vice president Jeff Dillon called Calvert a "great advocate for the BDSM/fetish lifestyle".[52] She has written about pornography for The Huffington Post,[7][8]Cosmpolitan, UPROXX, Mandatory.com, Refinery 29, CraveOnline and The Daily Beast.[53] She contributed an essay in Coming Out Like a Porn Star, edited by Jiz Lee,[15][30] about her early introduction to pornography and why she chose a career in the industry.[54]The Economist included her essay in a 2015 discussion of Internet pornography, "Can porn be good for us?",[30][55] featuring Calvert with advertising consultant Cindy Gallop and University of Texas at Austin journalism professor Robert Jensen.[56] In January 2016, Calvert gave a sex education seminar, "BDSM: From Reel to Real", as part of the XBIZ events series.[57][58] She taught the seminar to educate attendees about how BDSM and fetish scenes are filmed, and the film editing process.[57][58]
Calvert also diversified her career by directing.[1][16][17] In 2019, Gamma Entertainment hired Calvert and her husband Eli Cross to direct films for the Adult Time platform.[59][60] Her directorial debut with Adult Time was the series Maid for Each Other.[59][60] Calvert worked with distributor Adult Time on a Pure Taboo production as actor, writer, and casting director, titled, The Starlet: A Casey Calvert Story.[17][61] Calvert and Gamma Entertainment's head of production, Bree Mills, worked on the script.[61][62] Calvert wrote her character as an antihero, exploring how fame and money have the potential to impact an individual's view of ethics.[63] Mills described Calvert as "incredibly versatile, creative and intelligent as a writer and performer",[61] who brought "a wealth of experience in writing, directing and producing from her own independent adult and mainstream projects" to the project.[59] Calvert directed actresses Riley Reid and Aidra Fox, in the 2019 Girlsway series, Roleplay With Me,[64] and actress Lauren Phillips in Schooled!.[65]
Erika Lust hired Calvert to direct a feature series for LustCinema called Primary.[2][17][18] Calvert also wrote the script.[66][67] Inspired by the Netflix series, Easy,[67] Calvert wrote a script of about 20–30 pages for each episode.[67] The storyline is about four people living in Los Angeles and dealing with open relationships.[67] Calvert shot Primary as a six-episode series.[67] She was part of LustCinema's foray into production work in the United States.[67] Calvert also led the casting process, taking her potential cast members through auditions.[67] She directed actors including Penny Pax and Derrick Pierce.[18][66] For this production, Calvert decided to include women filmmakers from mainstream cinema on her crew who had never worked on a pornographic film set.[17] She filmed Primary over an 11-day production schedule.[67] Calvert found the most difficult part of the production process was selecting sites for location shooting.[67] She appreciated the increased freedom she had transitioning from actress to director.[18] Journalist Mackenzie Cummings-Grady wrote of her directorial work, "The story is rich in details, and the cinematography, courtesy of breakout director Casey Calvert, is lush and captivating. It's some of the most opulent pornography ever created."[68]
Calvert identifies as a feminist.[19]i-D magazine called her a "committed feminist", and observed, "for Casey, porn isn't about objectifying women, [or] empowering the male gaze ... It's about exercising her right to choose what she does with her body."[71] Calvert told Caitlin Stasey she wanted to debunk stereotypes about female sex workers, "What I can say is that not all sex workers are the stereotype people want to believe. Many of us are college educated, feminists, and absolutely love what we do."[19] She explained her views on feminism to author Rich Moreland in the book, Pornography Feminism: As Powerful as She Wants to Be, saying, "Feminism is all about the right to choice."[27]
She is married to industry director Eli Cross.[42][72] They have been together since 2013; he also acts as her cinematographer.[9] They got to know each other through film production work together.[72] Her family is supportive of her career[27] and Calvert maintains a good relationship with her mother and father.[27] Before the start of her career in adult film, Calvert moved from Florida to Los Angeles, where she works and resides.[28][73]
^ ab"Casey Calvert". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 16, 2015. Casey Calvert is a prominent adult performer, writer, and sexual educator. She received 7 nominations at the 2014 AVN Awards, including the illustrious "Best New Starlet." She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Telecommunication-Production and minors in anthropology and zoology.[dead link]
^ abcCalvert, Casey (April 21, 2014). "Porn Stars R Stupid". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 9, 2019. Casey Calvert is a prominent adult performer, writer, and sexual educator. Her blog website can be found at www.caseycalvert.com.
^ abSurnow, Rose (November 17, 2016). "Rough Sex". Sexopedia. Cosmopolitan. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
^ abCalvert, Casey (2015). "Shark's Teeth". In Lee, Jiz (ed.). Coming Out Like a Porn Star: Essays on Pornography, Protection, and Privacy. Berkeley, Calif.: ThreeL Media. pp. 63–71. ISBN978-0-9905571-6-6.
^ abcdeMoreland, Rich (2015). Pornography Feminism: As Powerful as She Wants to Be. Zero Books. pp. 145–147, 193, 203–204, 215–230, 253–260. ISBN978-1-78279-496-7.
^ abRandall, Holly (June 19, 2018). "Casey Calvert". Holly Randall Unfiltered (video). Event occurs at 20 minutes, 20 seconds. Retrieved October 21, 2020 – via YouTube.
^ ab"Casey Calvert Launches Official Website". AVN. January 22, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2020. Casey Calvert has been busy for months working to get her first personal website, CaseyCalvert.com, ready and it is finally complete.
^ ab"Casey Calvert Honored as XRCO's 'Unsung Siren of the Year'". XBIZ. April 15, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2020. Rising adult starlet Casey Calvert has been named the "Unsung Siren of the Year" at the 2015 XRCO Awards, which were held on Saturday, April 11. The X-Rated Critics Organization presented the award at its annual event at Lure nightclub in Hollywood.
^ abStreet, Sharan (September 8, 2015). "GameLink Ties Up Casey Calvert as Official BDSM & Fetish Expert - Adult performer to write monthly columns". AVN. Retrieved October 20, 2020. GameLink.com has appointed adult performer Casey Calvert as its official BDSM & Fetish Expert. Calvert, who has been embraced by mainstream media sites such as Huffington Post and Vice as a source for information on the BDSM and fetish communities, will write a monthly column and answer consumer questions, among other things, for the adult e-tail giant.
^ abcRandall, Holly (September 29, 2020). "Casey Calvert: Custom Videos and Getting Paid". Holly Randall Unfiltered (video). Retrieved October 20, 2020 – via YouTube. Fetish Superstar Casey Calvert reveals some crazy custom video requests, but getting paid is still much harder than making the videos.
^Sanford, John (October 13, 2015). "Jessica Drake to Lead Adult Industry Panel at USC". XBIZ. Retrieved October 20, 2020. Also joining the panel is adult star Casey Calvert, who educates on the topics of BDSM and fetishes through live appearances around the country, as well as for the e-tail site GameLink.com.
^Surnow, Rose (November 17, 2016). "Shocker". Sexopedia. Cosmopolitan. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
^Surnow, Rose (November 17, 2016). "Fingering". Sexopedia. Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on October 14, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ abAlexander, Terrie (April 11, 2019). "Casey Calvert & Directing for Girlsway Are 'Maid for Each Other'". AVN. Retrieved October 20, 2020. Girlsway's newest original mini-series hits the internet today and features a first for one of its directors. Maid for Each Other marks the directorial debut of adult performer Casey Calvert for the studio. She and co-director Eli Cross recently became Gamma Entertainment's newest directors for the just-launched Adult Time platform.
^ abMorrigan, Lilith (July 15, 2019). "Girlsway Releases 3 New Episodes of 'Roleplay With Me'". XBIZ. Retrieved October 20, 2020. Girlsway has announced the release of three new episodes in the "Roleplay With Me" series, which Casey Calvert and Eli Cross co-directed.
^ abFreixes, Alejandro (June 14, 2019). "Girlsway Debuts 'Schooled!' Series". XBIZ. Retrieved October 20, 2020. Casey Calvert directed "Caught in the Teacher's Lounge" (out June 20), about a curious student (Kristen Scott) who peeks in on two of her instructors (Dee Williams and Lauren Phillips)
^ abLust, Erika (2020). "Primary - Erikalust". Lust Cinema. Retrieved October 19, 2020. Primary - Directed by Casey Calvert - Written and directed by Casey Calvert, Primary is a LustCinema original series that explores diverse and authentic modern day relationships.
^ abcdefghiRandall, Holly (February 22, 2020). "Casey Calvert: AVN 2020". Holly Randall Unfiltered (video). Retrieved October 20, 2020 – via YouTube. Superstar Casey Calvert talks to Holly about her move towards directing, and the first movie she created for Lust Cinema.
^Calvert, Casey; Cross, Eli (2020). Complimentary Massage. Bree Mills.
^Calvert, Casey; Cross, Eli (2019). "Stood Up By Her Husband; Lonely Housewife; Parent-Teacher Confrontation". Moms on Moms.
^Calvert, Casey; Cross, Eli (2019–2020). Mommy's Girl.
^Calvert, Casey; Cross, Eli (2019–2020). "Cram Session; Squirting Backfire; Remote-Control Public Arousal; Finding The Right Fit For You; Reluctant Realtor; Cheeky Sense Of Humor; I'm An Anal Nympho, Doc!". Girls Try Anal.
^Calvert, Casey; Cross, Eli (2019–2020). "- Bore Your Daughter at Work Day; Bathroom Battle Royale; Bedside Manner; Simona Says!; First Date Jitters; A Tight Squeeze; Her First Pride; Focus Group Frenzy; School Trip Secrets; Run Away with Me; Vote For Me!; Swimsuit Show-Offs; Paper Thin Walls; My School Bully's Secret". Web Young.
^Calvert, Casey (2019–2020). "Taking Care of the Au-Pair; Swim Team Seduction; Runaway Bride; Won't Even Know I'm Down There!; Practicing on Sis; Tricking My New Step-Mom; A Woman's Physique; The Layover; Learning from the Best; A Bridesmaid's Duty; Making Her Assistant Watch; The Ultimate Warm-Up; Corporate Wellness; Two's Company; Dovefucking Discovery". All Girl Massage.
^Calvert, Casey; Cross, Eli (2019–2020). Girlsway Originals.
Moreland, Rich (2015). Pornography Feminism: As Powerful as She Wants to Be. Zero Books. pp. 145–147, 193, 203–204, 215–230, 253–260. ISBN978-1-78279-496-7.
External links
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