Dana Vespoli’s name has become synonymous with creativity, a sensual creativity that she has used to her advantage as both a performer and director. An 11 year veteran in the adult industry, Dana began as a performer, a highly lauded performer likely due to her steamy performances and unparalleled and exotic beauty. Looking at Dana, one might assume she is a runway model with her sleek physique and gorgeous smile. Since 2006 Dana has focused more of her energy behind the camera becoming a sought after director who is known for her sexy and realistic scenes which manage to capture the hottest moments of sensuality between two people. Speaking with Dana is a pleasure as the passion she has for her job is undeniable, a refreshing quality for a person in any profession, and a very cool quality when the profession happens to be porn director and the person doing it happens to be a special kind of beautiful. Mens Mag Daily had the pleasure of speaking with Dana Vespoli about the long road that led her to the adult industry, what changes she’s seen in the business, and why she thinks she’s a better director than performer.
Mens Mag Daily: Dana, I was reading your bio and you’re a college graduate, is that right?
Dana Vespoli: Yes, I graduated from college.
Mens Mag Daily: How did you find your way into the adult industry?
Dana Vespoli: It was a long, colorful journey. I always enjoyed watching porn. I was one of those kids who would look for porn on cable late at night. That’s how I was first exposed to hardcore. From there I started going to the local adult video arcade and I would watch some of the loops that would play. The guy behind the counter, who was clearly a pervert, would just let me go in and watch. When I was in college I got turned on to Christy Canyon and those guys and I would rent movies. I started doing girl/girl sex shows at Mitchell Brothers in San Francisco. While I was there I started meeting a lot of the pornstar features. Fast forward, I moved to L.A. and I went to some auditions and did a few commercials. SAG went on strike so there was no income or anything. I would also go work at Mitchell Brothers about one week a month. I was doing a lot of production work and people were asking me why I just wasn’t doing porn already. I was really into watching the gonzo stuff and I started thinking about how it would come together. I kind of sat down and though about it and one of the first things I considered was whether I cared if I would be judged but I didn’t care what people thought. From there, I just basically made my decision to go for it.
Mens Mag Daily: So is it safe to say that you were a very sexual person in your personal life?
Dana Vespoli: Oh yeah, I don’t think I could have done it if I wasn’t.
Mens Mag Daily: It seems like you really took time to make the decision. Do you think that gave you a sort of well thought out and mature perspective on the adult industry?
Dana Vespoli: I definitely do. I can’t speak for all the girls but there have been younger girls that I’ve told, “Honey, go get an education, get a job and feel what it’s like to make minimum wage before you get into this industry.” Living in the real world gives you perspective. I had several regular jobs before I even started working at Mitchell Brothers. I definitely had more of an appreciation for it because of that. I also believe that I had a clear understanding of what companies I wanted to work for. I did some research before I got in and I couldn’t have done it any other way.
Mens Mag Daily: I’ve always imagined that jumping into the industry at 18 would be an incredible amount to handle.
Dana Vespoli: Yeah, I understand that but then there are people like Belladonna who got into the industry really young and created an empire. She is an anomaly however. I do get nervous when I see an 18 year old girl doing gangbangs and double anal right off the bat. At 18 I was a kid but again it’s weird because that is the legal age. There are a select few who come in who have goals and boundaries. I can only speak for myself and I couldn’t have done it.
Mens Mag Daily: What are some of your boundaries?
Dana Vespoli: I don’t do certain things that I kind of learned along the way that I didn’t want to do. I never wanted to do everything at once. In my first months I decided I would just do a few scenes with girls. I was comfortable with it and felt good about it. I wanted to see if having a camera on me would freak me the fuck out. You don’t know until it’s happening and it went well. I had an opportunity to work with Randy West and I was a fan. I decided to do that and it was great. I decided I wouldn’t work with people I didn’t want to work with. I would never be forced into anything. I gave myself rules. I decided that if I was ever really uncomfortable with something I would walk. I spoke with an adult voice so I didn’t really have people trying to get me to do things I didn’t want to do. I was closer in age to them so they understood not to fuck with me because I was a grown up. I came in as an adult so I didn’t have to deal with a lot of nonsense. At the same time I was also very curious and there were tons of things I wanted to try. And I never ended up walking. That’s not to say I didn’t have a few scenes I wasn’t crazy about but I never had to walk.
Mens Mag Daily: You also direct movies, when did that start?
Dana Vespoli: I came into the business in 2003 and I started working with John Leslie, who was kind of an idol of mine, later that year. He would give me guidance and teach me some things. After about 8 months I took a break. The business can be tough on your body so I needed that but then I came back after a year and a half. I started directing in January of 2006.
Mens Mag Daily: Do you enjoy directing a lot?
Dana Vespoli: I do, I think I’m a better director than a performer actually. (Laughs) You learn things about yourself and I’m very voyeuristic. Just look at the amount of porn I was consuming before I got into the industry. I definitely scaled back from doing scenes to the point where I’m doing them when there’s somebody I really, really want to do a scene with. I like watching and creating situations and capturing these moments of intimacy between people. I like to think I’m a pretty good performer though. There are girls like Dana DeArmond who never turn in a bad performance and to me that’s the mark of a true performer. I don’t think I’m as consistent. I do have moments when I shine. If I’m in a bad situation I’m probably going to turn in a bad performance whereas Dana DeArmond will take a bad situation and make it a good one.
Mens Mag Daily: You’ve performed and directed, is there anything else you want to accomplish in the business?
Dana Vespoli: Prior to getting my deal with Evil Angel I was getting paid to shoot scenes that they wanted me to shoot. Even if there was some degree of flexibility it wasn’t my scene. There were a lot of frameworks and constructs already in place. I’m creating my own content at this point. With Evil I get to do what I want. Last year was a wonderful time to kind of experiment with scenes. I think continuing to explore is what’s left. I want to explore more stuff having to do with fetishes and movies that involve difficult relationships. I like things that are just more emotionally nuanced. I feel there’s a ways to go in terms of experimentation.
Mens Mag Daily: You seem to take it seriously.
Dana Vespoli: Yes and no, there are times when I do but there’s always room for comedy. Sweetheart has a lot of funny stuff in their scripts. But I do take it seriously, it’s my passion. When you look back at your life you can kind of see clues to how everything led up to this moment. I can’t imagine doing anything else. This business feels like home. It’s allowed me to explore and experiment.
Mens Mag Daily: Has the business changed a lot in the last 10 years?
Dana Vespoli: Absolutely, it has changed a lot. All the tube sites have really kind of gutted it but I wouldn’t say it’s going away. It’s struggling to get its footing. It’s like a renaissance. I think the business is trying to find out how it’s going to work moving forward. When I came into the industry people could buy a camera, put a couch against the wall, film it and make hundreds of thousands of dollars off of it. You could turn a tidy profit with very, very little effort. To be honest, it was kind of gross. It was a lot of excess like in The Wolf of Wall Street in terms of partying and people doing drugs. Suddenly, the tube sites and the piracy came and everything changed. It used to be that if you were even marginally attractive you could get into the business and work every day. Now it’s really just a select few that have that level of success. It depends what you’re shooting too. The climate has changed, it’s different. It’s pretty crazy. Porn isn’t going anywhere. It’s sort of morphing into something new. Everybody is basically trying to figure out where they can settle in. The need for content has gotten a lot more particular. The want for quality has gone up. You used to be able to shoot crap but not anymore. Fans also have such a direct line to the companies and the talent now with the internet and social media that they can really voice their opinions. People have to work harder and they’re not making as much money. In a weird way I feel like it’s forced the industry to clean up its act a little bit and put more energy into putting out better product. It also weeds out people looking to turn a quick buck because you can’t turn a quick buck anymore. You have to know what you’re doing. A lot of girls are coming in and thinking that they are going to be the next Jenna Jameson which is impossible because it’s not the 1990’s and when they realize they’re not going to be millionaires they leave so the turnaround is high. Girls are diversifying by doing feature dancing, Skype shows, and things of that nature so I wouldn’t say it’s all bad. The money that was here in 2004 just isn’t here anymore.
Mens Mag Daily: Okay Dana, give us the complete rundown on everything you have coming up that we can look out for.
Dana Vespoli: I’m very proud of my fourth feature out of Evil Angel called Hollywood Babylon and it includes the first boy/girl scenes for Sovereign Syre. I think it’s my best work so far as a director. I’m also in the midst of shooting Fluid. Fans can catch me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/danavespoli and they can also see a bunch of my stuff at www.EvilAngel.com.
Article By: Jon DaBove
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