The crowd that gathers in Amsterdam is exuberant. Pornography use is more common than ever, so earnings for many here are through the roof. But there is trouble afoot, from AI to chronic illness …
Brittany Andrews, a cheerful American porn star, cuts to the chase in her workshop on how to succeed in the adult industry.
“Do you think about how much money you’re going to make before you make a clip? Do you know what stuff sells the best? Or do you just follow your creative spark?” she asks. She points to a young Ukrainian model in a gold sequined bra and denim shorts. “I’m starting with you, girlfriend!”
“We’re all here to earn money. That’s normal,” the model replies. Her main advice, she adds, is to be super organised about uploading content regularly, to prevent subscribers drifting away. “What matters is consistency. There are so many beautiful, amazing models … if you for a moment stop posting, people will forget you pretty fast.”
In a modern riverside hotel in central Amsterdam, about 1,000 adult content creators gathered last Tuesday for the biggest pornography conference in Europe. They had travelled from all corners of the continent for an event designed to help them navigate the industry’s high-pressure gig economy and maximise profits.
