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Porn-Set Production Assistants Have the Best Job on Earth

Porn production assistants work with lube, baby wipes, and a Miley Cyrus look-alike for money. They're basically living the dream.
Doron with Summer Carter. Photo courtesy of Dogfart

Whenever I interview porn stars, they mention the production assistants they rely on for baby wipes and lube. I worked as a PA in cable television for two years, so I've always found it fascinating to hear my former job title associated with inspecting buttholes and maintaining a stock of lube. Recently, I spoke to Doron, a production assistant for an interracial porn company called Dogfart, to learn more about the job. As he wrapped up a shoot starring a Miley Cyrus look-alike, we discussed lube, updating porn sites, and the other hot, wet parts of his successful career.

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VICE: What did you do at work today?
Doron: Today I looked at a new studio location, then I got back and printed out several model agreements. [Dogfart] had Jenna Ivory shoot a gangbang with 11 black guys—that took a while to do. Then, literally as you called, I was taking pop-shot stills of Miley May as she did a handjob scene. I'm still on set right now.

How did you become a production assistant?
Back in 2003 I was working at a coffee shop, but that didn't pan out. From the age of nine, I was always a wrestling fan—but not so much anymore—so I went to [a wrestling company that employed some porn stars], which was five to ten minutes from my house, to pass out flyers. I met Chico Wang, who was known as Wanker Wang back then. A year later he was running this site called LukeFord.com, which was the Perez Hilton of its time, a kind of [porn industry] gossip site. He was running that site, and he was running [two porn] pay sites. [Wang] posted on Luke Ford that he was looking for a "minion." I said, "I've always liked porn. I've always wanted to do this. Let me send him an email." Anyway, he called me, and we went for Thai food. As we were driving in a [car], there was a bottle of piss in the back. He interviewed me; we had a decent lunch. He found out that I had never used [photo editing software] before, or dumped video to tape, or done any of that stuff, and I didn't hear back from him for a few weeks. [At some point], he said, "You know, I'll take a chance on you." I learned how to set up lights, get paper work done—pretty much all the stuff I do now—and then at some point, he got it in his mind to put me on camera.

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You performed on camera?
I did from [2004 to 2006]. It ended up with girls smashing food on my face while I shit talked them and they shit talked me.

While you were performing, did you still work as a production assistant?
I was still doing the production assistant role—I was actually setting up my own scenes. I was setting up my own scenes, performing, and then when those scenes were done—and [they got] messy—I would clean up it all. Then the next day, rinse, lather, and repeat.

What have you learned about dealing with porn stars?
I've got to remember that for a lot of the girls we shoot, it's their first time. I don't expect them to knock it out of the park. I always tell them, "Hey, if there's anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, let me know. Have fun, don't feel rushed, don't try to impress us." If a guy's struggling [to get an erection], give him a minute. The last thing you want to do is yell, "Why can't you get your dick hard?" because that never works. Yelling at male talent, or any talent, never works. You've got to have a thick skin and patience.

What are some of the most mundane tasks you have to do?
Nothing is really boring or mundane. I mean we just shoot a scene, and I'll edit it in like two or three days, but nothing is boring because it's all really important. The paperwork is really important. The lube is really important. Even if it seems mundane or unimportant, it's crucial.

What's the craziest thing you've seen while working in porn?
The craziest stuff has always [happened outside of production sets]. Not so much with Dogfart—Dogfart is cool as hell—but my years from [2003 to 2007], those are the years that stick out in my mind as "How the hell am I still alive at age 34?" Getting robbed at gunpoint, the drama on set—that stuff I don't miss.

You were robbed at gunpoint?
It was an old shoot house that [we worked from]. We had cameras and computers. That's where I updated the [two pay] sites. It was a great place because we had lights; we didn't have to shoot on location or bounce around from place to place. This one day, I was in the living room watching cartoons, and these two guys had their guns drawn pointing right at me, and I thought for a split second, This is just a joke, and then seconds later, when they had me tied up, I thought, OK. This is not a joke. For about 30 minutes, I was tied down with a blanket over my head. [I thought] any minute a gun was going to go off and I wasn't going to hear anything because I was going to be dead.

Do you like where you're working now?
I'm making the best business now that I ever have. It's cool working for a place where they just say, "Hey, we're just giving you more money" without even having to ask. I like where I'm at now.

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