There’s no excuse today for taking another porn star’s name.

Opinion/Editorial

There’s no excuse today for taking another porn star’s name. You all have computers and can easily find out if the name has already been taken. You can be forgiven if this happened 10 – 30 years ago. But even then, there weren’t that many porn stars and they should have known.

What about the agents advising new porn stars telling them the name has already been taken and to come up with another name? But then you have what happened last year when Digital Playground re-named their new contract girl Heather Starlet to Janie Summers. It’s one letter different from well known 80’s porn star Jamie Summers. I doubt Heather knew this and was just going along with what her new bosses wanted. But if I knew who Jamie Summers was, then Digital Playground must have definitely known.

Also never allow anyone to change your name for you. They’re mostly doing it to benefit them and has nothing to do with helping you. Unless the name you already had was already taken or utterly embarrassing which could hurt your career.

Names that include the words cunt, tramp, slut, and whore should also be avoided if you have any self-respect. If you can’t take yourself seriously, then what makes you think anyone else will? Those words included will already take you out of the running for any mainstream projects as well.

Google the name you’re thinking of using, add the word porn to it, add the letters xxx to it, and also put quotes “” around the words in order to keep the words together in the search. Also check the social networks to see if the name has been taken. If you pick a name that’s already taken or remotely similar to it, it will hurt you in search engines and just confuse the audience.

Also go to IAFD and check to see if the name has already been taken. Spell it differently in every way possible too. You also shouldn’t use an already well known porn star’s first name. It will just confuse the fans and the newbie will be the one losing out. You’ll also piss off the porn star. One woman took a well known first name and a well known last name and combined it together as her new porn name.

Months ago I heard about a new gay male porn star going as Kayden Cross. He thought he was being cute by spelling the last name differently from a K to a C. So if his fans Googled his name, guess who they found instead?? What were you thinking?? I think he’s now going as Kayden Hart.

Don’t name yourselves after a very well known city. Let’s say a woman named herself after a very wealthy California city. Right from the beginning you can see how she can’t be found online. I can’t find her on Google. I can’t find her on social networks either. So already, she’s lost out on her online identity.

Then you have probably the most well known porn name theft case there is. The “Original” Tommy Gunn started in the industry in 1994. Years later he took some time off and left for a few years. Then in 2004, this douchebag comes along and names himself Tommy Gunn and knew there was another Tommy Gunn taking some time off who had been in the industry for years. Now agents have told the original Tommy Gunn to change his name and how the new Tommy has won awards.

There should be some sort of a system set up like there is in mainstream Hollywood where you can’t have the same names unless you stick in an initial. Porn is the only industry I can think of where people take an already established name. They also don’t think how it can get them sued. The worst is when someone takes another porn star’s name. I’m not talking about the first name. I’m talking about the full name. I understand that many of the women might not know the game their agency or new studio is playing with them. But it’s your responsibility to make sure the name isn’t already taken or spelled differently. Even when there’s a letter or two spelled differently, it’s still the same name.

Do not go as one name unless it’s the most unusual name that’s ever been heard of before. Maybe the next step should be going as three names. This way you can grab your names and secure them without much of a chance of it already being taken. It’s also a great way to guarantee that your fans will easily find you online.

This is your new identity and future. It’s a small industry and there are enough names to go around so not to confuse the fans. It’s not fair to the other person and it’s certainly isn’t fair to you. Your online identity & marketability will be slashed because the people around you didn’t care or take the time out to help you create a new identity. Or you didn’t take the time out to really research it yourself. Unless you don’t plan on staying in the industry for that long and just want the quick money, then think it through very carefully and take control of it without ever allowing anyone to own you.