You might want to take a deep breath and a gulp of coffee while we list the many jobs and responsibilities carried by Max Konner, the 2021 XBIZ “Gay Performer of the Year” and one of the hardest-working men in adult.
He is such a force in the camming community that CAM4 named Konnor as their very first gay male brand ambassador. He joined an elite group of studs in 2020 as a Falcon/ NakedSword exclusive for studio shoots. He’s a vaunted Fleshjack Boy. He is the founder of Haus of Konnor, a management company for BIPOC performers. He counts over 500,000 social media followers and XBIZ spoke to Konnor for this profile when he was just a couple days away from making his directorial debut for Noir Male, where he has joined a group of models to help reshape the mission of the brand.
He grows reflective when asked about how he’s grown and evolved over his time in adult.
“When I think of my progression I think of it on a more personal level,” Konnor says. “When I started porn, I was at a point where I was getting older and I was tired of beating the pavement, [of] having an acting contract for three-to-six months and then having to do it all over again. It was a constant job-seeking effort and I wanted a little bit more stability. I came up with the crazy idea that I would do porn. Why? I don’t know!” he said, laughing. “But I’m glad I did.”
XBIZ: The last time we chatted was when you were named CAM4 brand ambassador. But I was just looking at your Twitter and we have a lot to talk about.
KONNOR: [laughs]
XBIZ: You’re making your directorial debut for Noir Male. Let’s start there.
KONNOR: We are doing a Haus of Konnor collaboration — a feature for Noir Male. Originally it was going to be cast with all Haus of Konnor models, but because of COVID and travel [restrictions] we decided to only bring in one Haus of Konnor model and the rest we cast locally in Los Angeles. But the movie is about — I don’t want to give too much away! — a situation that happens in the midst of the pandemic that brings all of these boys together in one house. We’re really excited. It’s been a lot of work, but we’re getting it done.
XBIZ: It’s interesting to hear that you’re incorporating the pandemic into the storyline. There’s been a lot of back-and-forth about whether fans want that to be part of their fantasy.
KONNOR: Yeah, I wanted it to be something relatable and that speaks to the times. I went through the same [debate] when I was deciding on a concept. Do I want to pretend like this isn’t happening? Or do I want to make it more relatable to what’s going on now?
XBIZ: For those who don’t know already, what is Haus of Konnor?
KONNOR: Haus of Konnor is a management company I started a year ago for models of color. At the time, I felt like a lot of my mutuals – my Black and Brown mutuals — weren’t getting the same mentorship and [career] cultivation that some of our non-Black and -Brown mutuals were getting. So I wanted to create a safe place where [BIPOC] models could make mistakes and have a place to learn and grow. Kind of like a family setting.
XBIZ: Is it an informal thing where you make yourself available to them to offer advice or are you working as a manager and booking jobs?
KONNOR: All of the above.
XBIZ: When you bring someone on, what’s the starter package? What advice do you offer when they walk in the door, so to speak?
KONNOR: I make sure all of the models have a way to stay in contact with each other; we have a group chat. So if there’s anything that they want to bring to everyone’s attention or if there’s anything they want to talk about, there’s a place for that. We provide marketing and branding advice for social media and [self-produced] content, but also studio opportunities that would best fit each model. There’s a lot of different avenues that we go down with everyone. Eventually, later this year, we’ll start [holding] workshops taught by industry professionals covering topics from branding to budgeting to marketing, social media. Those will be open to anybody who wants to participate and because of COVID they’ll all be virtual.
XBIZ: In a normal year, what you’re doing with your management company would be useful and helpful, but this past year, it seems even more so.
KONNOR: Yes, absolutely. It’s been hard. We haven’t been able to hit all the points I’ve wanted to hit, such as getting models work. In the past month or two, it’s been getting better. Right when we started the company, COVID happened.
XBIZ: And then everything pivoted immediately to self-produced content. And I imagine many of these guys who maybe wanted to follow your route into studio shoots had to suddenly figure out how to get a camera and lights and find a platform to start selling their own stuff. You started as a cam performer, so you could advise them about all of that.
KONNOR: Yeah. A lot of what I do is try to show them it’s very important that you have your fan content, and you might not be willing to be a studio star, but studios are still important. It’s hitting a different market. There’s a certain market that’s dedicated to studio porn that doesn’t necessarily tune in to the fan content.
XBIZ: You’ve really got a foot in every possible segment, from studio shoots to fan content to pleasure products and camming. How do you keep all of your ducks in a row?
KONNOR: It’s insanity. I definitely keep busy. It’s good; I’m grateful for that, especially during the times that we’re in right now. There’s a lot of planning. I recently just got a production assistant who has been an amazing help in making sure I don’t get things mixed up. It’s hard to keep track of it all. But I’m really enjoying everything I’m doing. The CAM4 shows have been a blast. The response has been great. Finding the time to make it all work can be tricky, but I seem to make it work somehow.
XBIZ: I wanted to ask you about camming. You’re incredibly busy, but in a cam show you can’t really just tune out for a minute.
KONNOR: No, you can’t do that. That’s one of the things I realized very quickly. When I start that cam show, I have to be present for two hours. It’s sometimes challenging, but it’s a good challenge to find ways to keep people engaged — and yourself engaged as well. I switch it up all the time. Sometimes I’ll just go in and talk to people for an hour and then start doing sexual stuff. I think that’s why people like my shows. It’s like a little get-together, a little party. I really like to check in with my fans. Some people are there faithfully, every show.
XBIZ: Do you decide on a theme ahead of time or do you go with the flow?
KONNOR: I’ll ask them if there’s something they want me to do. But usually I’ll pre-plan out a theme. Also, every month, I usually bring on two or three special guests. Those guests are usually models that I’m flying in [already] and I’ll ask them if they want to do a cam show with me, too. They’re usually excited about it because it’s extra money in their pocket. I try to keep it fresh and not make it the same thing every time. Hopefully I won’t run out of ideas [laughs].
XBIZ: It doesn’t seem like it so far. What is it about CAM4 that works for you?
KONNOR: The people are really great. They’ve been really helpful; they answer right away. Sometime I have to reschedule shows because there’s so much going on and they always say, “It’s okay, we understand.” I was their first gay male ambassador and they were very welcoming from the moment they approached me about it.
XBIZ: And now you’re also a Falcon/ NakedSword exclusive.
KONNOR: Yeah!
XBIZ: Was that something you were looking for?
KONNOR: I was not. My manager called me up one day and said, “Would you like to be an exclusive for Falcon?” He told me the offer. I was a getting a little tired of being in a different city every other week. I figured it would be a good way for me to make a steady amount of money for a period of time and allow me to sit down in one place. And Falcon was a great place to do it. They’ll call me up and say, “What do you think about this idea? What do you think about this concept?” They keep me involved. I feel like I’m heard. And they also want to cultivate my other talents; I’m directing a film for Falcon in July. They’ve really been great. They listen to me, which is the most important thing. I feel like I actually have [a say] in the work I do and how it’s done.
XBIZ: Directing seems like a natural fit for you.
KONNOR: Yeah, I directed for a smaller company about two years ago. And before I started porn, I had a mainstream production company and I did some acting. But directing is something I’ve always enjoyed, so when Noir Male brought this [opportunity] I said, “Yes, absolutely.” Especially because it’s my project; I didn’t have anybody give me [suggestions] about what I should do. They said, “This is your project. You come up with the concept and tell us what you need and we’ll set up a budget for you.” It’s been amazing. It’s a lot of work. But this is the first production I’ve been in charge of from beginning-to-end. We start production [this week]. I’m in L.A. right now quarantining.
XBIZ: Have you thought about what you want to do for Falcon as a director?
KONNOR: No, let me get done with this one first [laughs].
XBIZ: Fair. You’re a man of many talents because you’re also a Fleshjack Boy. So what is it like to have a pleasure product molded after you?
KONNOR: You know, it’s really crazy. I don’t necessarily think about it. And then someone will ask me about it and I’ll think, “Oh, goodness, my dick and my ass are immortalized.” [laughs] I’ll see people post their tweets and videos on Twitter, talking about how much they love the products. That’s when it becomes real to me. I was very flattered when they reached out and asked me. The products sell really well and it makes me feel really good when those royalty checks come in. That’s been a blast. I was supposed to be doing so much more with [Fleshjack], but COVID got in the way of that. It’s been really good, really surreal.
XBIZ: Someday, when you leave this all behind, you have this memento.
KONNOR: My dick is there forever! There it is!
XBIZ: I wanted to quickly ask about one of your best scenes from last year, before you signed with Falcon. It was the scene you shot with Angel Rivera on Fire Island for CockyBoys. It has a documentary feel to it.
KONNOR: That’s one of my favorite scenes. I directed that at my beach house on Fire Island. CockyBoys gave me a direction they wanted and we put it together in about a week. It was really exciting for Angel because it wasn’t just porn to him; it was porn with a message.
XBIZ: Did you watch a lot of porn before you got into the industry? Were you a fan?
KONNOR: Oh, yeah. Hell, yeah. But when I started, I didn’t have a business mindset. I thought it would be fine and I’d make a little money. The industry taught me how to be a businessman. It taught me how to hone the art of making porn and how to make it interesting. And when I got to a certain point, it taught me how to use my voice and expand the “Max Konnor brand” from [only] porn to activism. I don’t know how it happened, but people started to look up to me. And that brought about a sense of responsibility — not only to entertain, but to have a message behind the entertainment.
XBIZ: Where do you see it going?
KONNOR: I don’t necessarily know how to answer that. I continue to get new ideas, new hopes and aspirations within this industry. I really want to see Haus of Konnor go as far as it possibly can. And I want the [mentoring] aspect to become more common. That’s very important. I hate seeing models who have done this for five, six, seven, ten years and leaving the industry and not having anything to show for it. Beyond that, I would love to continue to direct. Maybe one day I’ll have my own studio and I won’t have to be so involved in front of the camera. Beyond the industry, my plan is to start flight school because I really want to be a pilot.
XBIZ: Recreational or commercial flights?
KONNOR: A commercial pilot. I love aviation.
XBIZ: That’s really cool. It’s interesting to hear you talk about all of this. A few months ago, we interviewed Nick Fitt about Icon Male, which is a Mile High brand like Noir Male, and he is taking on an expanded role behind the camera, too. It seems like Mile High really listened to what performers have been saying about what they needed.
KONNOR: That’s what I love about Mile High. We had a meeting one day with about 10 models. And [VP] Jon Blitt said, “If you guys don’t like the scenes we’re doing, write some scenes and send them over to us. If you don’t like the movies we’re producing, let us know. We’ll get you the right resources and you can direct.” Noir Male has said, “If you have something you want to do, if you want to learn something, let us know and we can make that happen.” Which is really great.
Above Images: courtesy Falcon/NakedSword
