This is an Interview from the print version of Glamour UK. It reflects on the changes and state of the industry in 2020

1/ How did you get into the industry and did you always want to make the type of films that you're making?

Back in the mid ‘90s, my husband founded Wasteland, the first BDSM site on the web. At that time I noticed that there were almost no films or other products aimed at women as consumers and almost nothing from a woman's perspective. Everything was geared towards a male point of view, men’s fantasies, depictions of male pleasure, with very little or nothing for us. Now, obviously, not all women are the same. There's no singular women's viewpoint that exists. But women and porn weren't even considered from that broad, over generalized place back in those days.

Where was the story? Where were the passion and chemistry? Where was the female pleasure or better yet, the mutual pleasure? I wanted to change that. So, the combination of a need in the market and my existing desire to make films dovetailed into a perfect opportunity. Here was a space in which I could express myself, making cinematic erotic films with strong storylines, propelled by a different sort of imagery and aesthetic than what I was seeing on the adult market at that time. Soon, Sssh.com was born

Twenty-one years ago, someone told me (at an adult industry trade show), that there was no market for porn made for women. Women were not visual, nor did they enjoy porn and they would never pay for it. They were wrong.

Today we are the longest-running site geared towards women on the web.

2/ Your films are female-centered, do you think there is such a thing as the female gaze, to counter the male gaze? With that in mind, how do you feel your films are different?

There’s definitely such a thing as the female gaze that’s different from the male gaze. To me, it’s something larger than just how bodies are presented, or how sex acts are depicted. The difference is manifest in my films, where the narratives revolve around female characters who are complex, full-fledged human beings. The women in my films are empowered and in charge – and not just in charge of their sexuality, but in a much larger way, in charge of their own lives. They are people with compelling stories, big dreams, and worthy ambitions. Sex is an important part of the story, yes (just as it is an important part of life), but the sex is there to carry the story forward, not the other way around.

For 21 years I have been working from a crowdsourced roadmap of fantasies and desires submitted by our members, which have helped me enormously as a director and storyteller. It also helps ensure that we are providing the content our members want to see.