Ask HN: Starting a porn startup | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Starting a porn startup

4 pointsabba_fishhead2 comments

I want to start a porn startup.

I want to shoot an adult film, and hopefully more. I'll act and write, and I'll hire&pay the actress. I have 65k loyal followers on FB -- I'm a blogger and author among other things -- that I can market the film to, so there's already a natural distribution channel. Besides, I could sell the clip on dozens of clip sites. The niche will be Asian male porn.

Basically I want to be the Asian James Deen.

I have several friends who expressed interest in being my co-star, whom I can hire, and I've found several filmographers from Craigslist, whom I can hire or just let them shoot for equity. I'm planning to shoot this in one day somewhere in Orange Country (measure B sidestepping).

I'll keep records as per 18 USC 2257, ensure all talent are 18 or above, and find a suitable payment processor (any ideas?).

Am I overlooking anything?

Well, I'm not sure if you're going to make any money doing it, but it sounds like more fun than slinging JavaScript, so good luck, I guess.

I'd be very wary about wading into such a legally fraught area without talking to a lawyer who has dealt with this kind of thing before. I wouldn't count on the Internet for legal advice, that's my legal advice.

Well, I recently launched my paperback book, and I sold 500 copies in two weeks from my page alone, and I'm going on the second print run already. That's not a lot, but it covers my cost, and then more. I have a special situation (small loyal following) that might just tilt profitability in my favor.

I have female friends who've expressed interest in shooting with me ($500), and I've already had several offers at $250 for the filmographers. Add some miscellaneous here and there, and let's call the expenditure $1,000.

I can sell it for $10 pay-per-view/downloadable, maybe $12 for Full HD version. I don't think it's impossible to cover my cost given the strength of my following.

As for legality, I've acted before twice for studios, and I had the opportunity to see how they do things. It's not the best guarantee, but I'll definitely seek a lawyer's advice when the time comes. Thanks for that heads-up.

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