In the business of making adult movies there's nothing sexier than a savvy, strong businesswoman who knows what she wants and how to get it. Marie Madison is one of those women. As the owner of Marie Madison Media, she's not only the star of her hardcore fetish flicks but she also works as producer and director. Her passion for being in front of the camera has expanded into mainstream media. Marie has also produced and starred in several independent films for the last six years.
Marie began her adult film career in 2000 after answering a Yahoo ad for an adult company in Pittsburgh called Body Shop Films. "I had always been interested in the adult industry and filmmaking in general, so I gave it a shot," Marie says about her first experience. "It was a gonzo style 'interview/sex' type of thing called ‘Lil Marie Madison.' They paid me $500 for it and I was immediately hooked." Not only was Marie enthralled by the adult world, she was also surprised at how things were for female talent. "I made some inquiries within the adult industry about doing more scenes and was sort of surprised that there was no 'profit sharing' or back end percentages being offered the girls in the industry. At the time, I had no idea how things worked but I have a business degree and knew enough about porn to know that the girl on the box is the one selling the film, and knew for sure that I didn't want to just give it away."
Marie's decision to take control of her adult career led her to begin producing her own content, a risk that proved very profitable. "I bought some camera gear, hired a shooter and editor and just started shooting my own scenes. It was more or less a hobby for me until 2003 when I made Smoke Junkies. It sort of took off in Europe and provided me a revenue stream that enabled me to quit my day job and make films full time." Not only did Marie become a successful content producer she was also able to take back her first scene. "Ironically, that same year Body Shop Films went belly up and I was able to buy back my first film with them for the $500 they paid me. Now, I proudly own every scene I've ever been in and I've never looked back."
Without looking back, Marie turned her hobby of making fetish films into her own little empire, producing some of the most extreme content on the net. Exploring her own fetishes, Marie decided to focus on niches that turned her on like smoking and cum swallowing, "I am a smoker, and I like rough sex in my private life, and spitting out cum just seems like a waste of good protein. The fans seem to love it, and that's what keeps me going. It wasn't a conscious decision to explore these fetishes, I've always just filmed what turns me on, and what I think is hot and I've been lucky that the fans respond." That's not to say there haven't been those who oppose Marie and her films. "Aside from being considered a freak by some people, and probably the same type of g to gro harassment other studios and performers get by the Christian Fundamentalists, I would say the response has been great. I mean, I get a fair amount of hate mail from the anti-porn regime, but I don't make films for them."
Detractors aside, and having conquered niches like smoking and cum swallowing, Marie looks to expand on other fetishes, which people have responded to and requested. "A few things like 'Bubble Gum' and 'Giantism' I've explored on request of the people who watch, and I've always been surprised at how well they are received." But as someone who loves her fans and always aims to please, Marie hopes to expand her hold on the niche market no matter how long it takes. "I would like to explore more of the 'Giantism' fetish but I always tend to find myself in the position of having to find the balance between paying my bills and feeding my creative side. I produce only with my own money, and I don't have the support of any of the big studios, so I usually get everything I want done, but it takes me longer than most." Still no matter how long it takes her Marie is sure to do anything to please her rapidly growing audience.
Another way Marie reaches out to her fan base is by throwing parties where she can meet and greet. "The number one question I get in my fan mail is ‘Are you real?' The answer to me seems obvious, but I guess there are a lot of adult stars who don't answer their own e-mail." As a performer Marie looks to change that. "It's really important to me to stay in touch and accessible to the people who are interested in me, and who are fans of my work. So, periodically I host what I call a ‘Gathering of Friends.' Just a meet up in a public place where anyone can come by and hang out without any type of pressure or cost. I wish I could dwo more of them honestly, but my schedule doesn't always allow it. It's always a goal of mine to do more." Indeed Marie keeps very busy with work, for aside from making adult films, Marie is also a producer of independent features.
Like her adult films, Marie is also very involved in her independent features, a venture she began with GMD Films. "In 2005 I went to an open casting call in Erie for a movie they (GMD Films) were making called Fury. I was looking to gain some acting experience for my own adult work. They told me the part required full nudity and several 'simulated sex scenes' and asked if I was okay with it. They approach indie filmmaking with the same philosophy I make adult films with - with the fans in mind, and so we were a good fit. Over the last couple of years we've become good friends, and eventually business partners. I co-financed Virgin Pockets and I'm also an associate producer on their next film House of Bedlam."
Much like her adult films, Marie approaches her independent films with the same spirit and professionalism that have made her a success in the adult world. To Marie there is no difference between the two. "To me, a film is a film. Different genres sure, but they all require some thought, planning and the technical aspects of sound and lighting still have to be tended to. The indie films usually are much bigger, more cast and more locations, and so they tend to take much longer. But the work, to me, is about the same." As the work is the same, Marie doesn't intend on labeling herself as just a porn star or actretryin. If I'm ss. "I don't think of myself as a porn star any more than I think of myself as a scream queen. I consider myself someone who is in the business of entertaining adults, and so I pick projects that interest me. Some of them involve hardcore sex and some of them don't."
Marie's fans also don't see her as just a porn star or actress although one type of film often brings more attention to the other. "I will say that the indie films bring more attention to the adult films rather than the other way around. Whenever there's any type of press or exposure for an indie film I'm in, I always see a big jump in the traffic to my adult site." She further explains, "Imagine discovering someone like Diane Lane for the first time, and then finding out she's done two dozen cum swallowing videos. Your first instinct would be to download them all before someone discovers them and takes them down. That absolutely happens to me. I can draw a straight line from someone buying Virgin Pockets on DVD and then a week later downloading 10 scenes from my adult website. It doesn't seem to work in reverse, as the fans of my adult films have the 'whole cake' and so they seem to be less likely to seek out a film where I have my clothes on the whole time."
Fans of her adult films, however, would very much benefit from watching her independent movies. As an actress Marie has a natural ease and a way of capturing your attention and making you take notice, something she works to improve with every acting opportunity. "I feel very strongly that I owe it to the people paying their hard earned money to see my films to do the very best job I can. So, I'm always learning, and always a better actress, I'll be able to portray my characters more convincingly. Whether she's a grizzled pool pro, or a damsel in distress, or a giant Amazon woman trying to eat little people... I want to be able to offer my fans a realistic, credible experience and I work very hard towards that goal." Helping Marie in her goal of becoming a better actress has been the film community in Erie, for which she is very appreciative. "In my opinion, there's no better place in the world to shoot films than Erie. We have beautiful beaches, dense forests, inner city, and some amazing landscapes. I think shooting here is one of the things that has enabled me to separate myself from the glut of films coming out of LA that seem to all be shot in the same mansions in the valley." That doesn't mean Marie doesn't have the aspirations of working with a big movie studio. "Well, like all indie filmmakers, I'm always fantasizing about the 'big budgets' and the freedom to realize my vision without the constraints of the tiny budgets we all work with at this level. But there's a tremendous freedom in staying indie and being able to tell the stories I want to, without a big studio exec hanging over my shoulder or censoring me to fit in with what the sponsors want." She further explains, "It's a double edged sword, I guess. I do quite a bit of 'director for hire' work in commercials and things like that, but my passion is in the telling of a good story and entertaining the audience and that's not something I'm willing to sacrifice just to get a bigger budget."
Marie can say the same for working with major adult studios. "I would love to work with other porn studios, but unfortunately, being on the East Coast, it's difficult to get recognition. I don't do things the way LA does, and my films don't look and sound like everyone else's, so it's been an uphill battle since I started. I think over the years I've proven the commercial viability of the work I do, and I think I'd be a good fit with a couple of the bigger studios and distributors in the industry. But so far, I can't get most of them to even return my calls. I'm always pitching my ideas to bigger studios and I'm always seeking a distributor willing to take a chance on me, but until that happens, I'm content to keep doing what I do, and if the fans stop watching, I'll find something else to do."
Losing fans, however, is something Marie should never have to worry about. If anything both her adult films and her independent films continue to thrive. Having just released Virgin Pockets, Marie and company are already planning their next release. "We are in the process of filming a new horror movie called House of Bedlam, which is about a brothel that got lynched by Fundamentalists 200 years ago and the ghosts of the women killed there come back to avenge their deaths. I have a very small part in this one, so I'll be doing a lot more behind the scenes. It's all a learning experience for me." On the adult side of things Marie recently upgraded her equipment, which will greatly improve her fans' viewing experience. "I just upgraded all of my gear to 1080 HD, and that's been a huge learning curve for all of us. It's harder to light, it's harder to pull focus, and the full resolution files are giant, so editing is an adventure every time. But we're learning, and I'm working on putting together my first Blu-Ray title, hopefully by the end of this year."
With her latest independent release Virgin Pockets set to make the film festival rounds and plenty of fetish releases waiting to see the light, Marie continues to set her eyes on becoming one of the top names in the adult industry. Unlike other performers, though, she won't just be satisfied with being the pretty face on the cover. She's set to conquer the scene from all sides of the camera. For more of Marie Madison check out her Social Kink profile or see her in action in our Social Kink VOD Theater.
