Mindbrowse - Anti-Porn Activism in a Pro-Sex World. March 1, 2022 Live Event Recording

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  43:16

  Catch the Creativity: "Minx" Creators Spotlighted at MindBrowse's XBIZ LA Event, Streaming Now!

  Catch the Creativity: "Minx" Creators Spotlighted at MindBrowse's XBIZ LA Event, Streaming Now!

  Sssh

  305 days ago

  112 views

  LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Mindbrowse and Sssh.com have made available for streaming the full-length recording of “The Making of 'Minx' – Comedy, Culture, and Fictionalized Porn,” a discussion panel held at XBIZ LA on January 17, 2024. Moderated by Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals and produced by Sssh.com founder Angie Rowntree, the guests for the session were members of the creative team behind the hit Starz TV series “Minx” – creator, showrunner and executive producer Ellen Rapoport and Rachel Lee Goldenberg, who has directed several episodes in the series. Set in 1970s Los Angeles, 'Minx' is a fictional account of a young feminist who collaborates with a low budget publisher to create the first-ever erotic magazine for women. It’s a story filled with resonance for Rowntree, the founder of one of the internet’s first porn-for-women sites, Sssh.com, which is marking its 25th year in operation in 2024. The show’s concept and inspiration are also a natural fit for a Mindbrowse discussion. As Tibbals noted during the Making of Minx session, Mindbrowse events are 'opportunities to discuss wider cultural and social happenings impacting our community.' As a hit mainstream show depicting a bygone era of the adult industry, albeit in a fictional manner, Minx is just the sort of sociocultural phenomenon referenced by Tibbals. During the session, when asked by Tibbals where the idea for 'Minx' came from, Rapoport explained her inspiration largely came from reading an oral history of Playgirl magazine. Recounting her own first encounter with Playgirl, which came when she was cat-sitting for a neighbor, Rapoport remembered the event as “my first exposure to a penis,” which came in the context of what seemed a “kind of cheesy skin mag.” “And then when I started to read about (Playgirl), I learned that it was, in fact, trying to be a feminist magazine, which I thought was really interesting, because I hadn’t realized that at the time,” Rapoport added. “Because it was an oral history, there were all these people’s stories about working in this environment and one thing that really struck me was that in the mid-70s, they said the entire staff at Hustler came over to work at Playgirl, because Hustler moved to Ohio, and they didn’t want to move.” A lightbulb went off in Rapoport’s head at that point, and she saw fertile ground for a comedy show, in which there would be “a bunch of feminists and a bunch of pornographers, working together to make this thing happen.” Asked by Tibbals what “guided artistic decisions, especially when portraying sensitive or controversial topics in the framework of a mainstream television series,” Goldenberg talked about conquering the learning curve the show’s theme and storyline presented her as a director. “I had my own kind of joyous journey with this,” Goldenberg said, noting that she has “directed some sex scenes but hadn’t directed a ton of nudity.” Observing that for an audience at an adult trade event like XBIZ, the questions she faced might be met with a shrug -- “Whatever, this happens all the time” – for the director of a mainstream comedy program, it’s an entirely different story. “For me, it was like ‘Oh my god, we have to make sure people feel comfortable when they’re nude’,” Goldenberg shared. The pilot episode for Minx presented one such challenge immediately, Goldenberg said. “They’re auditioning to be centerfolds and there’s this montage of like 18 different dicks,” Goldenberg explained. “18 guys and a montage of them showing off their dicks.” The scene required Goldenberg to have a series of conversations with the show’s intimacy coordinator, as well as its casting director, in part working on strategies to make the scene easier for all involved. “One of our things as we talked to our casting director was, ideally, to have people who were already adult performers,” Goldenberg said. “I believe for that montage, there were only one or two guys who hadn’t already been fully nude on camera, and I remember one was really nervous, and it did make it a little trickier. So, it was very helpful to have people who were more experienced than me at this, because I was like ‘Hey, I just want to make sure you’re comfortable,’ and they were like ‘Yeah, we get it, it’s fine.’” I really enjoyed the chance to meet and work with Ellen and Rachel. I was thrilled when they both agreed to be guests on MindBrowse and share their knowledge, humour, and on-set anecdotes. The Mindbrowse conversation was fascinating, one I strongly encourage everyone to watch and to dive into both seasons of 'Minx' on Starz. The recorded, version of “The Making of 'Minx' – Comedy, Culture, and Fictionalized Porn” is now available to watch, free of charge, on MindBrowse.com, Sssh.com and XBIZ.tv.

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  59:32

  Mindbrowse ‘Shaping Today's SexTech’ - July 13, 2022

  Mindbrowse ‘Shaping Today's SexTech’ - July 13, 2022

  Sssh

  886 days ago

  169 views

  Mindbrowse and Sssh.com are pleased to release the recording of the live stream discussion, “Shaping Today’s SexTech: Science and Social Issues,” broadcast on July 13, 2022 at 2 pm ET/11 am PT. At its core, every aspect of SexTech is informed by… technology. And yet, we all-too-often find that the science and ingenuity driving SexTech is overshadowed by wider social issues shaping sex and sexualities in our society. During “Shaping Today’s SexTech,” we will discuss how wider social perceptions of sex and sexualities shape the marketplace and societal landscape in which SexTech entities strive to innovate, develop, and work. Featured speakers include Ola Miedzynska of sxtech.eu, Anna Lee of Lioness.io, Raven V. Fabar of EngErotics.com, and Loes Jaber of Nuditae.com. Sociologist Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals will lead and moderate the discussion. The event is produced by Sssh.com and Angie Rowntree and will take place virtually. Viewers can watch via live stream on Twitter at @ssshforwomen. A recording will be available after the event on Mindbrowse.com. “Women’s sexuality is still overlooked, if not marginalized, so SexTech gives us the opportunity to innovate and excel,” said Sssh.com founder and director, Angie Rowntree. “However, female founders are up against considerable odds, and not just due to the prevailing gender bias in the tech sector, but also due to the current political climates in Europe and the US. Women’s health is not only being dismissed outright, it is being actively legislated against and sabotaged, which by extension, harms the sexual wellness sector and discourages participation in the wider world of tech.” The event speakers aligned with the show’s wider assessment of the current SexTech space, as well as offering a positive stance for the future. Per Miedzynska, even conceptualizing one’s brand is cause for potential discrimination. “‘Sx Tech EU’ is pronounced ‘Ess Ex Tech’ and not ‘Sex Tech,’” Miedzynska explained. “We couldn’t put an ‘e’ in the middle because we would immediately get caught in the censorship algorithms. The brand name itself actually represents how blacklisted, discriminated and double standard treated is our industry segment.” Jaber discussed these issues on a wider social structural level. “The entrance to the sextech and sexual wellness marketplace is guarded by our patriarchal society,” Jaber said. “Though building a startup is never easy, building a sextech startup means extra hurdles and hoops to jump through every single step along the way… I’ll share how Nuditae aims to change the global perception towards sex and sexuality and to break through those barriers for ourselves and future sextech founders.” Fabar addressed a primary goal of the event: finding ways to create space for the future! “My hope is that those who tune in to watch will walk away having learned something new and, perhaps, even having gained an entirely new perspective on what it means to work in the industries of Sex Tech and Sexual Wellness,” Fabar shared. Lee echoed Fabar’s sentiments, stating that, “We’re in a time when sextech innovation is expanding quicker than ever, however the stigma and taboo around sex still holds back the full potential in this space. This will be the perfect event to hear from some of the pioneers on the current landscape and why it is crucial to destigmatize the space, and the impact it will have on society moving forward.” Keywords: Sssh.com, Mindbrowse, Angie Rowntree, Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals, SexTech, Ola Miedzynska, sxtech.eu, Anna Lee, Lioness, Raven V. Fabar, EngErotics, Loes Jaber, Nuditae

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  48:15

  Mindbrowse 2013 – 2023: An Industry Retrospective at XBIZ 2023

  Mindbrowse 2013 – 2023: An Industry Retrospective at XBIZ 2023

  Sssh

  700 days ago

  159 views

  LOS ANGELES - The more things change, the more they stay the same? To say the adult entertainment industry community has changed in the past ten years would be an understatement and to refrain from considering these shifts would be a mistake. As such, Mindbrowse.com and Sssh.com hosted “2013 – 2023: An Industry Retrospective” during XBIZ LA 2023. The event was held on Tuesday, January 10th at 3 pm PT at the Kimpton Everly Hotel (Beachwood Ballroom) in Hollywood, CA. It will also be broadcast live via Twitter at @ssshforwomen. During this seminar, panelists discussed three foundational pillars impacting porn as we know it – our internal industry culture, technology, and mainstream social trends – taking a deeper look at how these areas have evolved since 2013. Mindbrowse events are produced by Sssh.com’s award-winning director Angie Rowntree and organized and moderated by sociologist Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals. “It’s sometimes somewhat stunning to consider how much our industry and community have evolved in the past ten years,” Dr. Tibbals said. “I myself often punctuate a major shift with the rise of piracy-based tube sites… and that specific ‘rise’ occurred well before 2013!” “I’m eager to give the 20-teens their discussion due, considering the very significant shifts we have seen – including positive evolutions, as well as sustained issues, problematic throwbacks, and new challenges,” Dr. Tibbals continued. Event participants include Siri Dahl, Sinnamon Love, Kristel Penn, and attorney Corey D. Silverstein. “As a self-representing, independent performer who fully retired from the business for five years before platforms like OnlyFans existed, I have a unique set of insights into the changes the industry has seen over the last decade,” Dahl shared. “It’s a really unique time to be in this industry, and I probably spend an unhealthy amount of energy thinking about how our industry can be made better, safer, and – perhaps most importantly – ethically defensible as we continue to face social stigma and politically-motivated attacks.” Silverstein echoed Dahl’s assessment, stating that, “I’ve been fortunate enough to have been part of the legal community in the adult entertainment industry for almost 15 years and during that time I have seen fundamental changes in our politics, laws, regulations, and behavior. I cannot wait to talk about the legal issues that we were facing as an industry in the past, what we are facing now, and how the future looks.” “As we reflect on the last decade, the future is on our mind more than ever,” Rowntree said. “At present, our industry and community are impacted not only by politics and the law, but also by the continuing spirit of innovation as the ways in which people relate to and consume adult entertainment continue to evolve… all while desire itself is timeless.”

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  01:48

  Mirror Game - SFW Trailer

  Mirror Game - SFW Trailer

  Sssh

  1524 days ago

  317 views

  There is change…and then, there is disintegration.... In Mirror Game, we begin in the present-day and meet a seemingly ordinary husband and wife, Michael and Giselle. Embarking upon a cross-country move to New England, both are doing their best to embrace change—and hold on to each other. However, when Giselle stumbles upon a strange book that is not at all what it seems, their lives will never be the same—or their own—ever again. Unaware of her own connection to the book, or the danger she is in, it’s only a matter of time before Giselle is in over her head—and also out of her mind, body, and soul. In a dark and erotic journey through time, the book has executed its agenda without mercy, making its way down the generations and centuries. While times and places change, one thing remains certain: Mirror Game does not play...and it takes everything More info and explicit trailer at https://sssh.com/mirror_trailer_nsfw/

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  05:15

  Sssh Soiree Testimonials

  Sssh Soiree Testimonials

  Sssh

  1138 days ago

  407 views

  Soiree_testimonials_1080