Is editing porn a dream job or a nightmare?
He spends eight hours a day watching other people have sex.
He’s not a sex addict.
He’s a porn editor.
Robert Wilson (name has been changed) is an assistant editor for a San Francisco based company that produces adult films. While his friends think he has one of the best jobs in the world, Wilson says his job is a complicated one, with many different layers.
“My friends think I just get paid to sit around all day and jerk it,” said Wilson. “I wish it was that easy, but it’s not. It’s nothing like that at all.”
After graduating from film school two years ago and struggling to make rent with a string of freelance jobs, Wilson realized he needed something steadier.
“I was so broke when I graduated; I applied to so many different places and didn’t get any calls back,” Wilson explained. “I was getting a lot of freelance work, but it wasn’t consistent. I needed something that would actually pay the bills.”
[pullquote]“It’s just like editing anything else, except it’s two people, sometimes more, fucking.” – Robert Wilson, porn editor[/pullquote]With hopes to edit Hollywood films, Wilson sees his current job as a stepping-stone and a way of getting some good experience along the way.
“It’s probably not something I’m going to include on every resume, but honestly, I do think it’s making me a stronger editor,” said Wilson.
“I still have to edit around poor lighting and shit. It’s just like editing anything else … except it’s two people, sometimes more, fucking. It still has its fair share of challenges.”
Wilson has heard horror stories from other people working in the industry, and is thankful that for the most part, he has been able to maintain a normal life.
“Some guys I talk to worry that they’ve flushed their whole careers down the toilet. I don’t see it like that though. I know I’ll move on from here. For now, it’s just a union job, with great pay,” he continued.
While the money may be lucrative, there are some downsides to editing porn.
“I haven’t told my parents what I do. They just think the freelance work pays better than it does,” he explained. “Only my close friends know, and even that’s probably too many people.”
Though he deals with prolonged exposure to porn, Wilson finds that he can separate work and pleasure.
“I just look at it as a job. I don’t get turned on; I don’t necessarily enjoy it. There are some cool parts, and then there are some really nasty parts, like anal seepage, but at the end of the day, it’s just a job.”
With a little money saved up, Wilson is thinking about his next career move and setting his sights on superstars rather than porn stars.
“Working in the porn industry wasn’t something I wanted to get into. I just sort of fell into it, but you know what, the money is good,” said Wilson. “I still get to edit, and now I have enough money to take on those passion projects on the side that don’t always pay so great. And I can finally start saving up for my move to LA.”[hr]