It’s not every day you come across someone who can speak just as passionately about smutty novels and tabletop board games as they can about lighting, lens choices and shooting adult content in sub-zero temperatures. But Nicole Vaunt doesn’t fit easily into one box — and that’s just the way she likes it.
Vaunt may be a newcomer to the studio side of the adult industry, but she is hardly new to erotic performance.
I approach every set with professionalism first.
“I’ve been a professional online naked person for a long time!” she says with a smile. “Doing adult films has felt like a natural evolution. I’ve organically progressed deeper and deeper into it, and I love it.”
That progression — from nude modeling to erotic photography and now to adult film — wasn’t a pivot so much as a slow, deliberate unfolding.
“I’ve done commercial modeling, I’ve done nude art modeling, I even ended up on a NASCAR magazine cover once,” Vaunt explains. “But everything has felt like a step toward something that made sense for me.”
Still, her debut scene with MYLF gave her the kind of butterflies in the stomach performers often get just before the curtain rises on opening night.
“I barely slept the night before!” she recalls. “I loved the interview and striptease portion at the beginning, so the viewers could really get to know me — and then I got to show off my full slutty self at the end.
“That scene definitely reaffirmed that I’m on the right path because it all just felt so natural and easy,” Vaunt adds. “I think that’s the reason a lot of my fans refer back to that scene when they talk about my studio-shot work. I like to think people can tell I’m genuinely into everything I do.”
Moving On Up
Vaunt aims to bring that same anything-goes energy to the kinds of studio-shot content she is most excited to explore.
“I really want to be on Tushy,” she says. “I’m a bit of a butt slut, so I want to see how much I can handle. I’d also love to work with Brazzers. A lot of my friends work with them and say great things.”
She’s also open to experimenting across genres.
“I’d love to do a gritty, emotional role in a feature,” she reflects. “Something that really calls for emoting. And also, something slapstick — a physical comedy. I’m not a naturally funny person, but I think I’m pretty good at physical comedy.”
With each scene, Vaunt says, she’s discovering new things about the business and herself.
“The adult industry is not a monolith,” she says. “There are so many different kinds of people doing this work, for all kinds of reasons. Everyone’s experience varies. Also, I’ve learned that I can wake up at 6 a.m. when I need to! Which is wild for me because I’m a night owl by nature.”
Vaunt recently signed with Spiegler Girls — a move that signals just how serious she is about this next chapter.
“Signing with Spiegler is huge,” she acknowledges. “I know how lucky I am to be ‘the new Spiegler girl.’”
The connection came through longtime friend and collaborator Casey Calvert, who not only offered insight about the day-to-day of the industry but also introduced Vaunt to Mark Spiegler himself.
“Casey answered a lot of my questions because I really didn’t know anything about the lifestyle of being a working performer,” Vaunt says. “She’s someone I look up to tremendously — I love what she’s doing as a director, performer and just as a human.”
Between Calvert’s guidance and her own work with partner and photographer Corwin Prescott, Vaunt arrived on her first studio porn set already equipped with plenty of thoughtful, creative energy.
“I approach every set with professionalism first,” she says. “I know how important it is to show up on time and ready to go. Coming from a creative background has given me an eye for detail and an understanding of lighting, so I feel like I can contribute from both sides of the camera.”
Endless Possibilities
That visual instinct comes to life in Vaunt’s work with Prescott. Their erotic outdoor shoots — from snowy landscapes to desert starlight — are striking and deliberate.
“We’ve done a lot of destination work, and Iceland is our favorite,” she shares. “We’re really out there — on the ice, in the cold water. You shoot quick. You pose for 30 seconds, max. The photographer already has the settings dialed in, you strip down, run out, and then you’re done.”
Some of their most stunning images — long exposures lit only by the Milky Way — were shot in California’s Joshua Tree National Park.
“You have to plan it for a new moon, and for a time when the Milky Way is visible in the right part of the sky,” she explains. “We use a flash to freeze my pose, and then it’s just me standing in the dark hoping it all works.”
For Vaunt, that kind of simplicity isn’t just an aesthetic choice — it’s a creative philosophy.
“I don’t like distractions,” she says. “As an artist, it’s often easier to do a simple concept than a complicated one, but it takes a lot of preparation. I believe in getting stuff done and putting it out into the world. I don’t want to agonize over whether something’s perfect. I don’t think perfection exists anyway.”
Her dream location for a scene?
“Antarctica,” she says immediately. “With Corwin and Casey, of course. I’ve done a lot of photo shoots in Iceland, so I’m pretty good at tolerating cold weather. Maybe we’re scientists trapped on a remote base and have to fuck our way out of it. Or maybe we’re all dressed as penguins having the time of our lives. The possibilities are endless.”
Learning to Slow Down
When she’s not on set, Vaunt says, she sometimes has to remind herself to take it easy.
“I haven’t historically been great at relaxing, but I’m trying to be better,” she admits. “Because if you don’t build in rest days when you’re working as hard as I am, your body will take them for you.”
Her go-to on her days off?
“I’m as passionate about reading as I am about fucking, so a smutty new novel and my two pugs cuddling me on the couch,” she says. “If my friends are free, I love a spa day that ends at a game shop.”
Vaunt is a self-proclaimed tabletop gaming enthusiast — a discovery that surprised her as much as anyone.
“I found tabletop games last year and I’m obsessed,” she confides. “Geeky Teas in LA and Board Bard Games in Portland are my favorites.”
She says she particularly values what those spaces represent.
“Game shops are what people call ‘third places’ — they’re not home and they’re not work, but they’re a space you can go and just be with people,” she says. “You don’t have to spend a ton of money, you don’t have to drink. It’s just about being in community. I think that’s really important.”
Ready for Blast-Off
Looking ahead, Vaunt is eager to experience and explore more of those “endless possibilities.” The one thing she’s sure of is that she’s ready for more. She’s always looking for new ways to challenge herself and push the boundaries of what adult content can be.
“The fun part of this industry is that you can make it your own,” she says. “You can be raw, silly, dramatic, artistic — and there’s room for all of it. That freedom to experiment is what keeps me excited about what I’m doing.”
“I’m really excited about the feature Ricky Greenwood is working on that I got to have a small part in,” she adds. “But mostly I’m just looking forward to working with more companies. I feel so passionate about this work — I just want to show the world what I can do.”
