Who IS Joanna Angel?

By Annalee Wooster

Joanna Angel is a writer, producer, director, model, journalist and AVN award winning adult film star. She holds a BA in English with a minor in Film Studies from Rutgers University and considers herself a writer above all. Revered by intellectuals, hipsters and rock 'n rollers, her BurningAngel Blog features music reviews, band interviews and introductions to the new Burning Angel girls. Who is Joanna Angel? She's the little devil who has updated pornography for the MySpace Generation.

But Angel is more than just a Punk-Porn internet entrepreneur; she's been featured in mainstream publications such as the The New York Times, The Village Voice, Time Out New York, The New York Press, Esquire UK, Penthouse, Spin Magazine, SCREW, XBIZ, Fleshbot, AVN, and she was named "Up and Coming Jew" on the cover of Heeb Magazine. She's made appearances on Playboy TV's "Sexcetera," Fuse TV, Howard Stern and KSEX Radio.

Often in large industries, the leading companies think they know what "the people" want, delivering the same "product" until "the people" start creating their own product. One sees this consistently in the film and music businesses. Clearly, the lack of Punk Porn content from mainstream porn producers suggests that they believed there was no market for Punk Porn, but Angel's success proves that this is incorrect. Perhaps she's been successful in this niche because she imbues her hard-core pornography with a modern sense of humor; her sense of humor. "I think people take porn and even 'alt-porn' way too seriously," says Angel. "I want the viewers of my movies to have fun. Also, a lot of our members aren't really avid porn watchers. They're a younger demographic and have barely watched any porn in their lives. Having one hundred percent serious porn would scare them away. The humor makes the website feel more like a lifestyle site, [more] like a personal joke instead of something wrong and dirty that you need to hide from friends and girlfriends."

In this information age where lucrative ideas can be copied in the blink of an eye, how has Angel kept abreast of the competition? She thinks it's "Joanna Angel" that sets the Burning Angel brand apart from the Punk Porn pack. "Not to sound arrogant but… No other company has Joanna Angel as their spokesperson." Following her intuition rather than a detailed business plan has proven successful for Angel. "[BurningAngel.com] was one of the first—not the first, but one of the first—adult sites to feature 'punk rock' chicks—not your average blond, busty fake-tanned girls. We weren't trying to do anything revolutionary... I was just making things up as I went along and asking my friends for help," says Angel.

Angel had never even seen a porn movie until well after starting the Burning Angel.com site with the early, relatively tame photos. Once she viewed a porn movie for the first time, she thought, "Wow... I love porn... It's awesome… But it would be a lot more awesome if my kinda girls were in it." So she started adding hard-core sex scenes to BurningAngel.com. Over the span of a year, she edited the scenes into a movie starring Miss Angel herself. "BurningAngel.com—The Movie" was produced on a budget of $4,000 and consisted of a series of hard-core sex scenes with a punk rock soundtrack and interviews of popular rock bands sandwiched in between.

Angel recalls, "After that, things really took off. The New York Times and Village Voice started writing about me and my company, and hundreds of girls were applying to get on the website. It was all really crazy because everything seemed so organic to me. In the midst of this buzz I was called by Hustler Video for some meetings. I flew out to Los Angeles and started meeting people in the 'real porn' industry. Eventually I started directing for Hustler Video, which gave way to [the movies] 'Joanna's Angels' and 'Joanna's Angels 2,' both nominated for several AVN awards in 2006 and 2007. In 2007 'Joanna's Angels 2' won for Best Sex Comedy. I was like, 'Yes! I succeeded at making a hot, FUNNY porn with girls who look like me—as opposed to girls who looked like Pamela Anderson—and people actually liked it!' That felt good."

Angel and adult novelties manufacturer Topco Sales® signed a licensing agreement in July 2007. "Creating a brand extension from Joanna Angel's movies and website to a line of toys is a natural progression. Her attitude is reflected in the products and the packaging, which are done entirely in pink and black," said Desiree Duffie, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Topco Sales®. The addition of the Burning Angel Toy line to Angel's Punk Porn empire means there is now something for everyone within the brand: still photos, hard-core movies, R-rated movies, toys for boys and toys for girls. Angel's line of toys fills a gap that existed in the adult novelties business: Punk Porn toys geared toward the Punk Porn lovin' MySpace Generation. And like her movies, her toys have a sense of humor with colors like Punk Ass Pink and Bitch Ass Black. The first Burning Angel Toys release includes 2" x 50' Bondage Tape in pink or black, a 7X Waterproof Bullet and 5" and 7.5" Waterproof Vibes, all in a unique fractured finish, as well as a realistic CyberSkin® Ass Stroker and a realistic CyberSkin® Pussy Stroker, both molded directly from Joanna herself.

Boutique-friendly has trickled down from novelties packaging to porn movies. The ever-inventive Angel has innovatively edited down Burning Angel's "horror-porn" releases, "Re-Penetrator" and "The XXXorcist," to R-rated versions and re-packaged them into a new DVD called "The Sick & Twisted Horror of Joanna Angel." Angel is hoping, no doubt, to capture a wider audience and to follow in the lucrative footsteps of Joone's R-rated version of the big-budget hard-core flick "Pirates." Hard-core titles directed by Angel include "Not Another Porn Movie" (2007), "Joanna Angel's Guide 2 Humping" (2006), "Joanna's Angels 2: Alt. Throttle" (2006), "Porny Monster" (2006) and "Joanna's Angels" (2005).

At the end of the day, Angel is human just like everyone else. On JoannaAngel.com, she reveals her softer side: she says she was shy in high school, not overly interested in sex, was picked on by the jocks, and that she finally lost her virginity at age 18. "Doing porn made me find the woman inside that was waiting to come out," she says. But even after finding the strong woman at her core, she still sometimes feels like that outsider from high school. "I always get so nervous before [things like] the Exxxotica porn convention. I feel like such a tom-boy around all the other porn stars… Seriously! I'm like… 'Look at me, pretending to be a porn star… Here I am!' Last year- I swear- I was at some after party club thing and I actually went into the bathroom and cried for a few minutes because I felt so weird. The girls aren't mean to me at all... I mean, I get along with everyone for the most part, but I just feel like I'm the big nerd in the group when I'm around all of them and my boobs and my lips feel incredibly small."

This duality IS what makes Joanna Angel a modern woman: she's human, but she's strong; she has insecurities but she just does "it" anyway; whatever it is. Many people stop when they are confronted with their fears and insecurities and that's precisely why we need fearless pioneers like Angel.

Lights, Camera, Topco!

By Desiree Duffie

Bridging the gap between the mainstream and the adult novelty world, Topco Sales® provided numerous products under several different brands at two of the most respected film festivals in the entertainment industry: Sundance and the AFI.

A variety of grrl toyz products and promo items were handed out during Paris Hilton's party at the Sundance Film Festival. Rascal Toys were also given out as gifts during the Queer Lounge Party at Sundance, and MySpace VIP's were treated with gift baskets that included Sex Tarts®, Fizz™ and grrl toyz®.

During AFI Dallas Topco Sales® donated grrl toyz® and Sex Tarts® for the filmmakers' special department gift bags. Topco Sales® is also a sponsor for a short film production company called Dirty Little Shorts. Their award-winning short film FILTHY FOOD (which was banned in Italy!) features various foods seductively being fondled and consumed. To help promote the short at AFI Dallas, and other film festivals, Topco Sales® is providing the TLC® Vibrating Cucumber and Vibrating Sausage as give-a-ways to screening attendees.

To see FILTHY FOOD and a list of upcoming screenings go to www.dirtylittleshorts.com

Promoting Topco Sales®' brands at film festivals and other consumer events means increased sales on the retail level. As one of the leading adult novelty manufacturers, Topco Sales® knows that it is important for us to market and support our brands in a variety of ways to increase consumer awareness. As consumers become aware, that will equal an increase in profits for both web and brick-and-mortar retailers. Everyone wins.

To find out more about these and other fine brands from Topco Sales®, contact your account executive or go to www.topcosales.us.

What's Your Lube IQ?

By Justina Walford

How well do you know lubricants and health?

True or False: Lubricants prevent STDs
Answer: Answer: False, however, while it may not prevent STDs, using a lubricant decreases the risk of creating tiny cuts or abrasions which can let in STDs as well as avoiding condom breakage. So use those condoms with lubricant!

True or False: Lubricants prevent pregnancy
Answer: False. Lubricants have been known to decrease sperm mobility but not enough to stop those persistent little buggers. Which also means that if you're trying to conceive, no worries. Lubricant won't block the road to conception.

True or False: Lubricants are for young people only
Answer: False! All women are known to experience dryness at some point, especially mature women. Hormones affect the body, so leading to and into menopause, lubricants can help you maintain the happiness in your sexual relationship.

True or False: Lubricants are just for women
Answer: False! Lubricants help with dryness and resistance during sex - many kinds of sex. We have lubricants for all orifices –blowjobs, anal sex, vaginal sex, even hand jobs. Got an armpit? We can lube it!

True or False: Lubricants cause yeast infections
Answer: False! It actually prevents yeast infections along with drinking water before and after sex and avoiding using diaphragms.

True or False: Lube can make you happy
Answer: True! Well, sex can make you happy. And lubricant can increase the amount of sex you can have.