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Q&A: Jenny Blighe Talks XBIZ Awards Win, Career Highlights

Q&A: Jenny Blighe Talks XBIZ Awards Win, Career Highlights

A royal command: 2018 XBIZ Female Cam Model crown of gold, she dons, upon those scarlet flames, those shimmering strands of silken beauty … now adorned by the ultimate symbol of the Year. And what a year she has had, this MyFreeCams superstar, this ManyVids power producer, this magnificent woman whose name rings far and wide like never before: Jenny Blighe.

For it was she who graced the front cover of the inaugural XBIZ Cam World in January 2017, as the original Cam Star of the Month, before any other dared place pen to paper for an endeavor of this magnitude.

It’s always so intriguing to me to hear how other girls in our industry do things to reach their level of success. It really doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing this. If you work with another cam girl, you’re going to learn something new.

And now, even as the pages of this publication overflow with a vast, truly diverse array of cam studios and networks … a digital treasure trove of industry insight and camaraderie that brings together the international cam community with peerless inclusion, she stands taller than ever.

That is testament to her enduring appeal and unceasing ascendancy. That is why Blighe is once again making history as the first-ever, two-time Cam Star of the Month in XBIZ Cam World.

Not that she is any stranger to breaking such barriers, having landed the debut XBIZ Best MILF Cam Model of the Year trophy at the opening XBIZ Cam Awards in XBIZ Miami last year, where she was bedecked with the hallowed accolade in the heart of the opulent Versace Mansion.

And this year promises to be even brighter, as Blighe aims to produce an even more prolific outpouring of video clips, while camming and dominating tradeshows as a beloved role model. To chart her course throughout this wild and fiery constellation of stardom, XBIZ reclined with the reigning queen upon her majestic throne, in this exclusive interview!

XBIZ: You’ve had a whirlwind year since becoming the inaugural XBIZ Cam Star of the Month in January 2017. How has your camming empire evolved since then, in terms of your own performances and new business ventures?

Blighe: Since that time, I have had quite a few firsts in my career as a cam girl. Several accomplishments that I truly never would have expected to happen to me. I remember a time when the only thing I wanted to achieve as a cam model was winning a crown (AKA top 3) in the Miss MyFreeCams contest. This is a monthly contest between MFC models based on who brings in the most tokens each month. In March 2017, I finished No. 3 Miss MyFreeCams for the first time, meaning I had finally accomplished all top 3 Miss MFC positions in my career, including No. 4 twice and many other top 20 finishes!

Then, in May, I received my first-ever official trophy as a webcam model through the XBIZ Cam Awards in Miami. I went home with the prestigious title of Best MILF Cam Model for 2017. A month later, I went on to film my very first professional girl/girl scene for Baeb.com with the beautifully talented Vanessa Veracruz, whom I had been dying to shoot with for years, so you can imagine this was a dream come true for me.

And in July, I was named PornHub Professional Model of the Month, then later announced as PornHub’s Professional Model of the Year for 2017! I accumulated 84 million video views in 2017 alone and have since reached 127 million views. In between that time, I won my second trophy as a cam girl from the NightMoves Awards — Live Cam Model of the Year, Editors Choice. Since then, I’ve gone on to win XBIZ Cam Model of the Year 2018 at the main XBIZ Awards, among other trophies. So, yes, you can definitely say it’s been a whirlwind year!!

I’m honored to achieve all of these things thus far in my career, but I’m also proud to say my work is not done. There are plenty of firsts coming up in 2018 … some of which I cannot discuss, because it has not been announced publicly, but it’s definitely something to be excited about! I highly recommend following my Twitter account so you don’t miss out on the announcement (@JennyBlighe). I can say that, one thing you’ll be getting for sure, is my first anal video, finally! It will be a boy/girl anal scene and it will be released for free on PornHub this summer via my verified account: ph.jennyblighe.com!

XBIZ: Tell us about your experiences in XBIZ Miami last year, where you not only helped other models as a panelist, but also won XBIZ Best MILF Cam Model at the first-ever XBIZ Cam Awards.

Blighe: XBIZ Miami was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had so far at a conference for cam models! Unfortunately, I got sick my first day there, but I was still thrilled I was able to provide models with useful tips and tricks based on my own experiences as a cam girl through the panel. I also attended a few of the other panels and they were really insightful.

It’s always so intriguing to me to hear how other girls in our industry do things to reach their level of success. It really doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing this, if you work with another cam girl, you’re going to learn something new. Every single time I’ve collaborated with another model, we’ve each gained knowledge in our field, so having the opportunity to listen to so many girls discuss and answer questions on how they succeed is highly beneficial to all of us.

Being the first recipient of the XBIZ Best MILF Cam Model and being able to accept that trophy in the Versace Mansion holds such a special place in my heart. Obviously, before anything else in my life, I am a mother, so to be acknowledged with this award truly means a lot to me.

I actually kept the fact that I had children secret for the first few years I was on MyFreeCams, but back in 2014, a member on MFC found YouTube videos of my kids and started posting them on Twitter and tagging me in every post with terrible hashtags. I was pretty much forced to come out as a mom, but to my surprise, the reaction I got from my peers and fans was just amazingly beautiful. So many people were supportive of the fact that I do this to take care of my two children on my own.

I think I was too scared to come out as a mother publicly from the beginning because of the backlash I received from my hometown for being a mom in the industry. I’d receive random emails from old high school classmates saying things like, “How can you be a mom showing your vagina to the world like that” or, “You’re disgusting, leave our town, you filthy whore.” This type of reaction is what I feared from my followers, but honestly, the whole experience taught me that not everyone views me in such a negative light for what I do and that it’s okay to be a mom and a cam model. In a way, I’m glad everyone knows now and I was even able to win an award because of it! Jokes on him, I guess!

XBIZ: What’re you looking forward to at XBIZ Miami this year?

Blighe: XBIZ Miami was something I had never experienced before in my time in the industry, and I really enjoyed how different it was to other events I’ve attended in the past. I really liked the fact that we had time every night to relax by the pool with other models after parties and just really get to know one another.

Most of the events I attend are so scattered and fast-paced that there isn’t much time to relax with my colleagues/friends in the business and just talk, but I was able to do this in Miami with so many models across several different cam sites. It just seemed like a much more relaxed/chill environment and it had me at ease the entire time, so I really liked that.

Now to the awards show … XBIZ Miami had the XBIZ Cam Awards at the Versace Mansion last year! It was literally unreal just being inside such a highly known and beautiful establishment. I’m currently watching “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace” and it’s just mind-blowing seeing it on film knowing that is exactly where I accepted my first-ever cam girl trophy at an awards show. Honestly, I can’t even imagine how XBIZ Miami will top last summer’s events and Cam Awards, but I cannot wait to see how they do it.

XBIZ: Describe your social media strategy. Which platforms are you most active on and what’s proven to be the best methods for maximum engagement?

Blighe: I’m definitely most active on my Twitter page. This is where I tweet previews of my content, upcoming news regarding my career, where you can purchase items from my store, when I’ll be online … things of that nature. The only other form of social media I tend to use is Instagram (also @JennyBlighe) but I do not use it as often as I do my Twitter account.

I tend to get more sales and inquiries from Twitter than Instagram, so I stick with what works for me and Twitter definitely has not let me down yet! I’m going on 110,000 followers now and will continue to grow my social media presence because at the end of the day these are potential customers. I don’t even know what I would do without social media in this industry. It’s the perfect outlet for me personally to let all of my fans know what’s coming up next in my career, so make sure you’re following me!

XBIZ: Who are your strongest allies and friends in the camming talent pool, that really motivate you to reach for the stars?

Blighe: I would definitely like to take a moment and give Dave Slick a shout out on this one. I never really knew any male cam models until I attended XBIZ Miami last summer and meeting them is honestly one of the top reasons I’m so glad I was there. I always knew there were cam models that were guys but I really didn’t think much about it. While attending XBIZ Miami, I was able to pick their brains on how they succeed as male cam models and it was fascinating learning about this whole new side of camming I’d never really thought about before.

MyFreeCams only allows women to stream on their site, so it was never something that crossed my mind. Of course, if you ask any cam guy, they’ll tell you that girls run the industry, but one thing Dave has taught me is to really get the fuck up and fight for what you want. Dave is one of the hardest working cam models I know and I’m not just talking male models. He’s very professional, he’s always networking (hell, even when he’s sleeping, I’m pretty sure he’s networking somehow, haha), but most importantly he’s been a trustworthy friend to me since the day we met and I’m grateful for all of the amazing advice/insight he has given me from his viewpoint. He is definitely someone who motivates me because I know it can’t be super easy to be a male cam model and somehow he just kills it.

I also try to push myself to new limits. I don’t view other models as competition because I strive to compete solely with myself. I say every single year, “Wow I’ll never be able to top last year” and then somehow I do … so, I use my own personal successes as well to encourage me to push harder to see if I can go even further than the previous year!

XBIZ: You produce lots of video content and seem to be eyeing a more active role in the traditional porn side of the biz. What inspired you to expand so ambitiously?

Blighe: I’ve actually been making content since I started webcamming back in the summer of 2012. Most new models probably don’t realize this, because they weren’t around yet, but back then, there weren’t many models at all that were willing to make content. As a matter of fact, for the whole first year I sold videos, I made previews for those vids and was the only model on MFC doing that at the time.

Back then, girls would just have a list of the titles of their vids on their profiles and a member would tip for whichever title he wanted. There were no screenshots, no previews, nothing other than a title. I felt like my content was too good and that it deserved more than just words to sell it. I wanted my viewers to get a sneak peak of what they were buying and as soon as I released my first vid preview, my vid sales skyrocketed. Nowadays, all the models make previews for their content, but back in the beginning, so many cam girls were not cool with making porn.

They felt as though camming and porn were separate, and I wanted to mesh the two together, because I truly didn’t feel like there was much difference in putting on a live show and sending out a recorded vid of myself doing the exact same thing. I guess I felt like if I was going into this business … then I was going into it as far as I could at my own comfort level. So, I’ve basically sold content since day three or so of camming and have always done quite well with selling it, but it wasn’t until 2014 when I joined ManyVids that more people began to notice my work.

My fans had been loving it for years, but when MV was just starting, that’s when I feel more people began seeing my vids. Now, I’m just in awe of what all these girls come up with. It’s truly remarkable going from being one of the only girls doing it to seeing how much it’s grown over the last 5 1/2 years. I’m really proud to have been part of the entire process and seeing more and more amateurs just killing it today.

XBIZ: What was it like sharing your wisdom at this year’s XBIZ L.A., then winning the biggest camming award of the night: Cam Model of the Year — Female. From fan-voted success in Miami to industry acclaim in L.A., you’re truly on top of your game!

Blighe: It was interesting and very exciting that’s for sure! I was asked to do the social media panel and was obviously happy to oblige. I was able to give tips that I felt were important in gaining a larger following, especially with the shadowbanning that we have all been facing as adult entertainers as of late. As for winning the biggest camming award of the night, I honestly did not expect to win that award at all, but I’m over the moon that I was chosen as this year’s winner. I had nothing prepared to say or anything when I went up to accept the award because I truly was in shock. I had been nominated for the same category in Miami and had lost, so I assumed out of this new group, there was no way I would be announced the winner. I was actually mixed with so many different emotions from the week that I had this intense queasy feeling all night! It’s an honor, though, to have won, and I just cannot believe it even still today.

XBIZ: Give us a glimpse of what’s next for the “Jenny Blighe” brand this coming year, and beyond.

Blighe: It’s so funny — people always ask about my brand and I’m sitting here thinking … what brand? I’ve honestly never put that much thought into it. I’ve actually never been into porn or even watched porn in my personal life and to be honest I don’t know that I’m even doing it right, haha! I just try to put on a good show for the camera and that’s it. I swear when I first started making videos I was expecting people to hate them because I was just doing my own thing, but they wanted more and more and they loved every single one and here I am almost six years later and the fans are still loving it! I must be doing something right is all I can think. I always say you can watch my clips or see me live on MyFreeCams, that’s my brand. To answer your question about upcoming events, I have so many firsts planned for 2018 that I can barely contain my excitement over it!

One big project I’m working on right now I cannot discuss yet, but I’m hoping everyone will love it when it is announced. It’s something I’ve always wanted to try and I’m very excited to see the outcome. Aside from that, I’ll be pumping out new content, doing my regular camming routine and releasing my very first anal vid on PornHub this summer, as I mentioned. I’m really excited to see the reaction to that one! Here’s to a new year of success!

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