Rae Threat started off as a nightlife photographer during the MySpace era, documenting Los Angeles parties thrown by notable scene promoters like Franki Chan and Steve Aoki. This got her noticed by labels like Mad Decent, which invited Threat to shoot their Blow Your Head parties and Block Party festivals, often headlined by acts like Skrillex, Diplo, Dillon Francis, A-Trak and the like.
Threat is completely self-taught. Shooting nightlife was how she learned photography and honed her skills, experimenting with ways to shoot low-light action shots without a flash. She notes that these nightly adventures also helped her acquire social and networking skills. One thing led to another, and she soon found herself working in the adult biz.
Being able to highlight underrepresented performers and show that they’re sexy as fuck is more important than most people think.
During the pandemic, however, she pivoted into mainstream as a COVID compliance PA and then as a COVID testing coordinator on commercials for brands like Apple and McDonald’s. Those gigs led to her coordinating productions, including a viral “quit smoking” spot featuring Snoop Dogg.
That turned out to be one of the last commercials she did, as strikes and productions moving out of state and out of the country slowed things down significantly in the mainstream world, leading Threat to pivot once again, back into adult.
Threat considers herself fortunate and privileged to have already established a career in adult that she could return to, as she discusses in this Women in Adult profile.
XBIZ: Discuss your initial forays into the adult industry.
THREAT: I met Eon McKai on MySpace around the same time I was doing all that nightlife photography. He’d invited me to a few of his DVD release parties, notably for “The Doll Underground,” and introduced me to a bunch of performers and peers, who often remembered me with a camera. So when Twitter started popping, one of my very first posts was asking if anyone wanted to do a Valentine’s Day shoot and Dana DeArmond was the first person to respond.
Of course, with Dana being “The Internet’s Girlfriend” at the time, it got a lot of eyes on me from other performers, including Jiz Lee and Courtney Trouble, who were the second and third performers I’d ever shot. Then a few months after I met Courtney, I was heading to Vegas and they invited me to a porn shoot they were producing during a trade show. I showed up, thinking I was going to shoot porn BTS for the first time, but Courtney handed me a video camera and told me, “You’re my second camera.”
That porn was called “Girl Pile.” It featured Sinn Sage, Arabelle Raphael, Nikki Hearts and Tori Lux, and ended up getting nominated for a few awards. That was how my porn career as a cameraperson started!
XBIZ: Tell us about your artistic approach to photography and filmmaking.
THREAT: Shooting porn is my form of advocacy. I’m a huge advocate for sex worker rights, LGBTQ+ rights and being body-positive, especially working in queer porn. Being able to showcase as many diverse folks as possible has always been on the forefront for me. Whether it’s exhibiting in art galleries, getting published in academic books or speaking on panels and podcasts, my pursuit has always been to change societal views by championing queer rights and destigmatizing sex work.
I mainly shoot queer porn and work with inclusive directors like Inka Winter because representation is important. Being able to highlight underrepresented performers and show that they’re sexy as fuck is more important than most people think. It’s never from a marketing or money standpoint for me; if a consumer can see themselves on the screen and it helps with their self-image and self-acceptance, I’m all for that.
XBIZ: As an activist, how do you gauge your effectiveness?
THREAT: I’ve been able to exhibit portraits featuring queer sex workers internationally, get my work as a pornographer published in academic books, get invited to speak on panels about queer porn, become a community partner for Streamate’s Elevate program and all those things. The fact that people are showing interest means that people are paying attention and getting educated — and paying attention is what leads to action and change.
I’m also working with Kasey Warner and Sundayfaire, an organization that Kasey started, to hold community events, do outreach and provide resources including harm reduction supplies and sexual wellness education for all sex workers. Providing resources to the folks you’re advocating for is just as important as advocating for them.
XBIZ: Discuss your various art exhibitions and how you strive to make an impact with them.
THREAT: One of my last major projects was as an artist in residence at Level Ground, a nonprofit arts organization and production incubator led by queer, Black and brown artists, where I showcased underrepresented models on 3D LED panels and had adult industry performers speak about their experiences of being typecast and stigmatized.
Another art event I was a part of was “We’re Still Working,” a huge group exhibit at SOMArts that focused on challenging narratives society has about sex workers. It was curated by Maxine Holloway and featured other industry artists like Arabelle Raphael and Jacq the Stripper.
Doing things on that scale, that level, gets people to notice — which as mentioned, leads to action. The impact I want to leave with my career is change, which I already see starting to slowly happen.
XBIZ: How did you become head of creator outreach for AP Clips?
THREAT: Funny story: I’d known Gavin for a very long time outside of this industry through mutual friends. We’d often bump into each other during XBIZ Week every year, but it was always just “Oh hey, nice seeing you here.” I never thought about it until this year, when we bumped into each other again. He’d noticed that I was pretty good at speaking and engaging with people, so he asked, “Hey, Rae, do you want to come work for me?”
XBIZ: What is your strategy for cultivating a positive creator community for AP Clips?
THREAT: There’s no real “strategy” other than being a decent person by actively listening, engaging and not being a total shithead. I advocate for creators the same way I advocate for what I believe in. Being able to create and maintain good relationships with creators is how you cultivate any positive creator community.
Side note: I’ll be speaking on a panel at Venus Berlin next month with Sana and Alex from Pornhub about this very subject: “The Critical Role of Positive Relationships With Creators on Adult Platforms.”
XBIZ: When you’re not working, what do you do for leisure?
THREAT: Working is what I do for leisure! If I’m not working on AP Clips or on a porn set, I’m usually working commercials or live events. I like keeping busy and finding any excuse to get paid to travel.
XBIZ: Any big goals for the coming year, in terms of your career or personal life?
THREAT: Being recognized for a WIA profile was one of my goals! But I’m also aiming to build a bigger creator community for AP Clips, produce more community events for them and Sundayfaire, maybe produce another art show or two. Then, probably the year after that, learn how to properly take a break.
Each month, XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry’s most influential female executives.
