This week on Model Citizens, we interviewed one of Pornhub’s beloved couples, SexyHippies.
While Melissa and Jason didn’t realize what would come from a spontaneous video upload a few years back, since then, they’ve built quite a fan base who tune in for more than just their group scenes. Keep on reading and find out how SexyHippies market their content, which new fetish they're excited to try since Melissa got pregnant, and what it’s like to work together as a couple.
How long have you two been in the industry and why did you decide to join the Pornhub Model Program?
SH: We joined the industry in 2016 when we uploaded a road head cell phone video to Pornhub that we shot when we were just messing around. We actually forgot about it until we got a check in the mail and were pleasantly surprised. After that, we uploaded videos to Pornhub as a hobby and then started doing live shows and taking things more seriously.
How do you use the features on Pornhub and Modelhub to your advantage?
SH: We really like to keep track of what’s trending , so the back end of the Pornhub platform is great for us to analyze the results of our videos. We love being able to action tag our videos so that people can jump to the good parts. We are grateful for and impressed by the amount of traffic Pornhub can drive to our videos, so when we create SFW teaching clips, we put them on our account, too. The SFW content that we post on Pornhub gets more views, is able to reach more people, and has less restrictions than if we had uploaded it to YouTube.
Has your perception of the industry changed since joining? If so, how? Have you ever had any second thoughts?
Melissa: I didn’t know much about porn before I started this, nor did I have the best opinion of it. I agreed to upload content with Jason as a form of protest after kind of having a nervous breakdown with my academic job. It wasn’t until after joining that I realized how wrong my misconceptions about porn were. It became the opposite of what I expected it to be — a career that allowed me total freedom over every single aspect of my job. It has been the most empowering experience of my life, which has also been incredibly healing. I have no regrets!
Jason: There is a much stronger sense of community in the industry than I originally expected. I’ve made many more friends than I thought I would. No regrets thus far. I’m having a blast!
What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about the industry you wish you could change?
SH: There seems to be a misconception that the industry is exploitative, when in reality, we feel a profound sense of control over our work and therefore our lives. As self-employed amateurs, we decide when, how, where, and with whom we work which is more than we can say for any of the vanilla jobs we had before this.
How has joining the industry changed your life?
SH: It has allowed us to create a work-from-home lifestyle that we have always wanted, which has greatly improved our overall health and wellness. It has also given us the opportunity to explore new skills we have always wanted to learn or better, like photography and sex.
Has your relationship changed since joining the industry? How has it affected it? Do you keep work and personal separate?
SH: Creating this type of content and being in the public eye has presented challenges in our relationship, but overcoming them has strengthened it. It’s easier for us to show our authentic selves through our work and, luckily, it’s well received. Since that expression is more comfortable for us than playing a character, we don’t really separate our personal and professional lives very much.
What kind of advice would you give to Models who join the industry as a couple?
SH: Remember your relationship comes first and that it may take time and negotiation to be able to phase the industry into it. At this point for us, we are very comfortable with the camera to the point where it is almost like a third person in our relationship, but that took some time. Even so, we still do not include the camera every time we have sex. We recommend going slow and only creating content when you and your partner are feeling very connected.
How did you two meet?
SH: We met at a local Burning Man event in Georgia in 2014. We just happened to set up camp right next to each other and hit it off right away. We flirted, exchanged massages, and spent the rest of the weekend having sex, dancing and setting things on fire!
Are there any fetishes on your bucket you’d like to try but haven’t done yet?
SH: We’ve been interested in erotic lactation and are thrilled that we’re pregnant so we can explore that later this year. Some other things we would love to try more of is to include group sex with a wider range of body types and sexual identities. More BDSM and exploring with toys is always fun!
What have you learned about yourselves since joining the industry?
Jason: I learned that having an ice cube up my butt really isn’t too bad.
Melissa: I have learned how to be more emotionally resilient as well as how to think outside the box when it comes to solving technological problems.
Do you usually have a routine or do you do something specific when you prep for a scene?
SH: Most of the prep is in the lighting and camera settings. We also like to be clean and have a general idea of what we are trying to achieve with the scene, but other than that, we often just wing it. Sometimes the impromptu nature of things is sexy.
Why the name SexyHippies? How does it represent you two
SH: We’re not hippies, but we did have sex in a Holiday Inn Express last night. Joking! We've been called hippies throughout our lives and it has become a term we throw around endearingly to describe a lot of our lifestyle choices, like our connection with nature. The term “hippie” seems to mean something different to everyone, but the general vibe is the same and we think it describes us well.
How do you use social media to promote your work? How do you use it to grow your fan base?
SH: We use Twitter for NSFW content promotion. We use Instagram for our photos that are SFW. We have a NSFW Snapchat and OnlyFans that are pretty intimate with our day-to-day life and sexy time. We do some guerilla marketing on Instagram, but most of our advertising is done on Twitter, which is sex-worker friendly (for the most part). Most of our fan base growth doesn’t come from social media, but rather from our Pornhub video uploads and live streams we host on Chaturbate.
What kind of scenes do you most enjoy shooting?
Melissa: I love shooting risky outdoor videos or group sex!
Jason: I love natural light and scenes that force me to learn something new, like a new camera technique.
Tell us something about yourself your fans would be surprised to learn.
SH: Jason is very good at golf, and Melissa quit her PhD and university teaching job to do porn.
What has been your biggest success and biggest struggle thus far?
SH: Our collaborations with others have felt like a very beneficial and successful part of our career. We have had so much fun doing live shows and filming sexy group content with other people. On top of that, the community we have developed through our viewership has enriched our lives tremendously. We never expected to have such a family feeling with our coworkers and fans.
One of the biggest struggles we’ve had is being our own bosses, which means maintaining a strong work ethic. Also, learning all the new technology associated with filming and streaming has been overwhelming at times and caused a lot of stress. However, we are very grateful for those challenges because they have forced us to grow as people and we feel so much more capable than we did before we started this career.
What does a typical day look like for you?
SH: Our days at home consist of good coffee, conversations with each other, cooking, and spending time with our garden and houseplants. We usually try to either do a live stream or create and post content 5 to 6 times a week, but are kind of spontaneous with that. We do what feels good and what works for our creativity or interests.
When you’re not working, what could we find you doing?
SH: Traveling, going to Burning Man events, sitting around the fire with our friends, or learning new things.
How do you deal with online criticism?
SH: There are a lot of trolls online, but there are also people who give valuable feedback in the form of constructive criticism. We try to limit our exposure to trolls, and on occasion, we attempt to inform them about more positive ways to interact with the community. Constructive criticism can provide us with ideas to better our content, and we appreciate that, so we welcome those messages.
What kind of advice can you give to new Models?
SH: Embrace your authentic self and show it off in your work. There is a fan base out there for everyone, so there is no need to feel the pressure to live up to other Models.
Where do you hope to see your career in the next 5 years?
SH: In the next 5 years, we hope to continue doing what we are doing (making videos and doing live shows), as well as expanding our business to include more teaching and traveling. We have some educational material and interviews out already, but we want to give that content more structure and hold classes about the topics in person. Other than that, a big goal of ours is to hit 50K followers on Pornhub so we can earn those awesome varsity jackets!
Follow SexyHippies on Twitter and Instagram for photos, videos, and updates on their next project.
Twitter @sexy_hippies
Instagram @sexyhippies
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