profile

Q&A: Larkin Love Arises as Mistress of the Craft

Q&A: Larkin Love Arises as Mistress of the Craft

Larkin Love is as articulate as she is attractive, tackling the clips industry with a businesswoman's sharpness and a cosplayer's imagination.

With a focus on context- and dialogue-rich scenes made all the more colorful by charismatic acting and a collection of custom outfits, Love seeks mastery of the craft (and the occasional femdom submissive) in her multifaceted endeavors.

My videos are heavy on roleplay and dialogue. I act out erotic scenarios of all sorts.

When she won Best Clip Artist at the XBIZ Cam Awards last year, it was a testament to her fiercely-earned stature in the community.

Beyond clips, this full-time hustler is plugged into sexting, camming, Snapchat and more across a legion of platforms — especially at LarkinLove.com and Modelhub.com/Larkin-Love.

To fully worship the buxom stunner and pay written tribute, XBIZ sat down with the Clip Star of the Month for this exclusive interview.

XBIZ: What led you to become a clip artist?

Larkin: It’s funny, actually — I didn’t start out my adult film journey with the intention of going indie and creating my own content. I started out by hiring an agent and doing go-sees for major porn studios. One after another, they all told me the exact same thing: I was unmarketable, unshootable and worthless to the industry.

After over 40 rejections, I was getting desperate. I had moved to L.A. with very little, and the economic pressures of the city forced me to get creative. By that point, I had met a few fetish models who shot content for clip stores. Since mainstream porn wouldn’t have me, I decided to shoot my own. The guy I was dating at the time gave me a video camera — a little Sony Handycam that would shoot in 1080p — and the rest is history.

When I started shooting clips, I had no idea it would become both the center of my career and my life’s passion.

XBIZ: Describe your personal brand in a nutshell.

Larkin: My videos are heavy on roleplay and dialogue. I act out erotic scenarios of all sorts, playing characters as diverse as an alien queen, a bratty stepdaughter, a dirty-minded librarian, a raunchy neighbor, a cruel/perverted boss and even the viewer’s own mother. I’m known for my complex and enticing storylines, as well as the intimacy afforded by shooting POV, as I address the camera directly.

I perform with other talent and sometimes solo. Whatever the scene, I always try to transport the viewer to a different reality. This is also true for my femdom videos. My catalog is split 50/50 between power-neutral fetish and/or hardcore videos and femdom themes.

When I look at my video collection, I see hundreds of different characters portrayed. It’s rare that I shoot a scene just as “Larkin Love.” Given the opportunity, I much prefer to flex my acting skills and play someone else.

XBIZ: How have your clips evolved over time, as far as style, technique and technology?

Larkin: Since the beginning, the base technique I use for shooting has never varied. I dress up in my costume, get into character and act out my scenario extemporaneously. I never use scripts. I actually do much better without them. I don’t know how, but when I’m filming, it’s natural for me to improvise, and I enjoy the unexpected gems that come out of that creative process.

My equipment has improved tremendously since I started. Now, I have a professional 4K camera, expensive Kino Flo lighting and a wardrobe to die for, including a bunch of custom-made cosplay costumes. I’ve also learned how to color-correct and edit my work. I’m pretty happy with the current standard, and I’m improving all the time.

XBIZ: What is your preferred platform for monetizing content, and why?

Larkin: I don’t have a preferred platform. I use absolutely each and every platform at my disposal — as many of them as I can handle and more. At the moment, I have a presence on Modelhub, ManyVids, Clips4Sale, iWantClips, Kinkbomb, OnlyFans, FanCentro, ModelCentro, Sextpanther, Niteflirt and Verified Call. Not to mention, the revshare content I have on Pornhub and XVideos. I cam on MyFreeCams and MV Live as well.

Each platform has its own quirks, its pros and cons. I keep my income streams as diversified as possible to hedge against the uncertainty of the porn market. You never know when one platform will become more popular than another and suddenly send lucrative traffic your way.

You never know when one platform will institute a site redesign that undoes years of careful optimization on your profile, dragging down your earnings. Certain types of clips do better on one platform versus another. Clients, of course, have their favorite place to buy clips as well, and are not easily converted from one to another. If you want to make as much money as possible, the best strategy is to keep a finger in every pie.

XBIZ: Which of your clips are most popular and what seems to be the reason for their success?

Larkin: One of the craziest parts of this job is that certain clips will blow up for seemingly no reason. I’ve had clips that I put days of set design, shooting and editing into, but which did incredibly poorly. I’ve had clips I banged out on a whim with my phone camera that have become all-time best sellers. It’s impossible to accurately predict which of my videos will be the next viral sensation.

That said, I have certain broad categories that always seem to do well for me: taboo fetish, blowjobs, tongue fetish, cosplay, jerk-off instructions and femdom. I can’t speak for my fans as to why these are my most sought-after clips, but I do know they’re my favorite genres to shoot. I imagine that my enthusiasm has a lot to do with it, as well as the sheer volume of clips I produce with these themes.

XBIZ: How do you balance trying out new types of content with delivering more of what your fans already enjoy?

Larkin: You know, as much as I invite the input of my fans, at the end of the day, I pretty much just shoot whatever I feel like doing. My strategy has always been to create content I find sustainable. If I’m grinding out a boring potboiler that doesn’t get me excited, it becomes a bottleneck to productivity.

I want to play characters that fascinate me for one reason or another. Digging into the psychology of tense situations interests me. I like watching conflict run its course. There’s often a horror element or a comedy element in my work. I act out a scene because I think the concept is funny, messed up, hot or all three. I’m just lucky enough that people enjoy my work, even as it evolves over time and travels to some very strange places.

XBIZ: Explain your marketing strategy for promoting clips on social media and such.

Larkin: The trick is to keep social media engaging by using lots of image and video previews and to post as consistently as possible. It’s not hard to garner a following if you’re providing quality entertainment. I engage my fans frequently as well. I ask them questions and make myself available to respond to them. That kind of connection goes a long way in setting my content apart. My fans and I have gotten to know each other.

XBIZ: What other revenue streams are you involved with besides clips?

Larkin: For starters, every single one of my clips is available through my membership site at LarkinLove.com to stream and download. Some people prefer the subscription model, and I am happy to give that to them.

I cam on both MV Live (ManyVids) and MyFreeCams. For show announcements, follow me on Twitter @larkinlovexxx. My premium Snapchat is available for sale through FanCentro at SnapWithLarkin.com.

I offer phone sex through a variety of providers. TextLarkin.com takes you to my SextPanther profile for texting and phone. You can also use Verified Call through LarkinLove.com, or you can hit my femdom exclusive lines at PrincessLarkin.com.

I also offer custom femdom videos through iWantClips at PrincessLarkin.com.

XBIZ: Any advice for aspiring content creators looking to take their game to the next level?

Larkin: Stop being a perfectionist. The only way to get your content numbers up is to shoot as often as you can, even when conditions aren’t right. Don’t worry about each video being a masterpiece. You’re going to make plenty of mistakes and learn from them along the way. Just shoot and let experience work its magic on you over time. Your work will improve steadily if you allow yourself the freedom to play.

Also, invest in better lights. Yes, they are expensive as hell, but they will make the difference in everything you shoot. I like Kino Flo — a couple of 4-foot banks would light just about anything.

XBIZ: Tell us about your major ambitions for 2019 and beyond.

Larkin: I recently started making femdom content again after a two-year hiatus. The quality of my videos is now far superior since I’ve upgraded my camera, lighting and other recording equipment. I can’t believe how gorgeous my new videos look! I have new ones being released every week on PrincessLarkin.com.

I also got a green screen and I’ve replaced my Power Girl costume, so she’ll make a triumphant return.

Related:  

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

The Search for Perfection in Your Payments Page

There has been a lot of talk about changes to cross sales and checkout pages. You have likely noticed that acquirers are now actively pushing back on allowing merchants to offer a negative option, upsell or any cross sales on payment pages.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

Unpacking the Payment Card Industry's Latest Data Security Standard

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of requirements and guidelines that apply to all businesses that accept credit card payments, and is designed to ensure the security of those transactions.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

Compliance With State Age Verification Laws

During the past year, website operators have faced a slew of new state age verification laws entailing a variety of inconsistent compliance obligations.

Lawrence Walters ·
opinion

Merchants in Spotlight With Visa's VIRP

By now, most merchants know about the Visa Integrity Risk Program (VIRP) rolled out in spring 2023. The program is designed to ensure that acquirers and their designated agents — payment facilitators, independent sales organizations and wallets — maintain proper controls and oversight to prevent illegal transactions from entering the Visa payment system.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

How to Know When Hosting Upgrades Are Really Needed

I was reminded about an annoyingly common experience that often frustrates website owners: upgrades. Sometimes, an upgrade of physical system resources like CPU, RAM or storage really is required to solve a problem or improve performance… but how do you know you’re not just being upsold?

Brad Mitchell ·
profile

WIA Profile: Natasha Inamorata

Natasha Inamorata was just a kid when she first picked up a disposable camera. She quickly became enamored with it and continued to shoot with whatever equipment she could afford. In her teens, she saved enough money to purchase a digital Canon ELPH, began taking portraits of her friends, shot an entire wedding on a point-and-shoot camera and edited the photos with Picnik.

Women in Adult ·
trends

Collab Nation: Top Creators Share Best Practices for Fruitful Co-Shoots

One of the fastest ways for creators to gain new subscribers and buyers, not to mention monetize their existing fan base, is to collaborate with other creators. The extra star power can multiply potential earnings, broaden brand reach and boost a creator’s reputation in the community.

Alejandro Freixes ·
opinion

Bridging Generational Divides in Payment Preferences

While Baby Boomers and Gen Xers tend to be most comfortable with the traditional payment methods to which they are accustomed, like cash and credit cards, the younger cohorts — Millennials and Gen Z — have veered sharply toward digital-first payment solutions.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

Legal and Business Safety for Creators at Trade Shows

As I write this, I am preparing to attend XBIZ Miami, which reminds me of attending my first trade show 20 years ago. Since then, I have met thousands of people from all over the world who were doing business — or seeking to do business — in the adult industry.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

Adding AI to Your Company's Tech Toolbox

Artificial intelligence is all the rage. Not only is AI all over the headlines, it is also top of mind for many company leadership teams, who find themselves asking, “How can this new tool help our company?”

Cathy Beardsley ·
Show More