With a blossoming career she has carefully cultivated for over a decade, Sofia Rose is basking in the limelight of solar stardom, flourishing with brightly-colored grace. She has certainly bloomed greatly since her first-ever dip into adult back in the MySpace era, when she was approached by interested parties looking to help her capitalize on erotic content.
“I thought they were all crazy or had ulterior motives,” she remembered. “I thought it was absurd that anyone would pay to look at photos online when we had social media like MySpace. I then met a legitimate photographer in an AOL chat room and we met at a Denny’s.
The obvious sentiment is that my aesthetic is a busty “plus size” woman, but I am more than just that.
“He showed me his portfolio, an actual book, and we shot five test looks about a week later,” she continued. “I submitted the sets to several magazines, and I had return calls within 48 hours. The rest is history. I haven’t looked back.”
Six years later, in 2012, she began shooting boy/girl content, which greatly excited her fans. And with nearly 100 titles under her belt these days, she has much to be proud of, having co-starred with the likes of Small Hands and Jax Slayher in productions spanning studios like Brazzers, Bang Bros and Adult Time.
Fast forward to the present, and Rose is an XBIZ Award-winning content creator whose savvy networking at industry events led her to join ePlay as their brand ambassador. Ascending ever higher in the world of camming, this XBIZ Cam Star of the Month is now sharing her deepest ambitions and storied journey, in this exclusive interview.
XBIZ: Describe the “Sofia Rose” brand, as far as your overall aesthetic, personality and what you’re known for.
Rose: I would like to think of myself as an enigma to some degree. While there is a sense of being a familiar name because I’ve been in the industry for years, at the same time, I’m also constantly trying to grow as the vessel who is “Sofia Rose.”
The obvious sentiment is that my aesthetic is a busty “plus size” woman, but I am more than just that. My brand is just a small portion of who I am, so it’s hard to translate the other things that make up me; like how much I love sports, hanging with my girlfriends, playing video games etc.
I try to stay grounded and keep life simple; I have a true human aspect that is in touch with humanity and social justice issues. Having a background of my own adversity, I’ve been told I have a “bleeding heart” for those who struggle the same way.
I believe in the power of positive thinking, I believe that good people still exist in the world and I believe that if you put out good, it returns to you. I’m proud of all the challenges I’ve faced in life; they’ve given me so much knowledge and perspective.
I own my sexuality, even though my culture has told me to be afraid of it. I’ve always been in tune with myself that way. I’m a woman who knows what she wants in life, and is driven to accomplish her goals, whatever those evolve to. I move with purpose, and always keep my eyes open for opportunity that may come my way, not just in the industry but in life in general. I know I maintain a strong personality, but I will always try to use it for the greater good and uplift those around me the best that I can.
XBIZ: When did you begin exploring independent content (camming, clips and premium socials)?
Rose: I’ve been an independent content creator since my career began, we just didn’t have a name for it. We called it being a web model. My first website debuted in late 2006 with content I shot with a webmaster, that I maintained rights to. I’ve always prided myself on keeping an open mind, and I evolved with the industry, and the demand of fans. As platforms started to develop and cam and clip sites exploded, I took my talents to places where I could foresee my fans supporting and enjoying the experience with the platform. I always evaluate the trends of the consumer and see what makes sense for where I am in my career. Sometimes, a platform doesn’t do well for me; consumers have their own preferences and spending habits and platforms they trust.
XBIZ: Talk about your partnership with ePlay. How did it come about? What’s on the horizon with them?
Rose: I must say, ePlay has been one of my most exciting highlights of 2020! Vanessa Eve approached me at the virtual XBIZ Miami last summer and we discussed the platform and their plans. I was so excited to hear about ePlay. I had long wanted to play video games on platforms, but always felt it wasn’t safe, since in general sex workers are ostracized on so many “safe for work” type of platforms.
Since I didn’t feel like keeping up with more censorship and unreasonable terms of service, I just put it on the back burner as something I’d like to do someday. I had heard so many horrible experiences from other cam models and clip artists who had tried to stream. I wasn’t going to put myself in the position to be disappointed. So when ePlay approached me, I couldn’t wait. Since the pandemic, I was home more than I ever have been and it made sense to give this a try. I had never really tried consistently being a cam model or streaming on an ongoing basis, so it was a new and welcome challenge for me; I was offering a broader audience access to me in way I’ve never done before. I can’t stress enough how important the expos and events are. Even digitally, as this is the new age we live in.
At one of the XBIZ events, I also crossed paths with Melrose Michaels and the team from FanCentro. That brought me the ambassadorship with FanCentro, through which I connected with other ambassadors and built relationships with them. That’s why when ePlay initially approached one of them for their influencer program, my name came up as well. See, so much of this business is about positive networking and relationship building. I know a lot of models feel this is a time to party or do shoots, which I think is definitely part of it, but often I see the business side being neglected.
There’s a lot of value at these events, and I’ve been saying it for a few years now. I learn so much, and meet so many incredible and talented people. Showing up and presenting yourself well is definitely a huge piece of building your brand, your community and growing your business. My community doesn’t get many opportunities for representation, so I make it a point to show up and present my best self with an open mind and being prepared to learn.
XBIZ: Discuss your strategies for growing a social media presence.
Rose: Engagement with fans of your genre and who share your interests is key; it's a priceless currency. The flip side to that is social media sites are constantly changing their algorithms and systems that, at their core, promote engagement.
It’s super hard for me to practice what I preach, because my schedule is so busy that I do forget to post, respond etc., but when I do have the chance to sit with my thoughts, I try to respond. Collaborating with peers/influencers also can help with not just growth, but with finding new opportunities from a business sense too. I like to stay in contact with models from all over the world exposing my brand to a greater and worldwide fan base.
XBIZ: With more than a decade in the biz, how has the industry changed for the better, in your opinion?
Rose: There is always room for improvement in any business, but I’m glad that we are seeing growth with inclusion of diverse communities. Whether it’s by ethnicity or the various types of physical bodies, we are seeing more and more of everyday people and allowing them to break the walls of what some may consider being “fetishized.” We have a long way to go, but as time goes by, I hope to continue to see more types of performers become mainstream and no longer seen as a specialty option.
XBIZ: What was it like winning trophies in 2019 and 2020 at the XBIZ Cam Awards, in recognition of your indie work?
Rose: Shocking. Some days I still can’t believe that it’s happened. I love the support my fans give me; they show up and push for me and that speaks volumes to what I’ve accomplished over the years. Then to win and have such amazing support from XBIZ, and notable talent to take notice and interact in ways I didn’t expect, is a bonus! In 2019, I remember talking to Sally D’Angelo about the MILF category we were both nominated in, and I was just so honored to be recognized amongst women like herself.
I recall saying I was certain I wouldn’t win, but the entire show experience was worth every minute, I was having such a good time learning and enjoying the social aspect of it all. When my name was called I was in shock, and I remember thinking, “How am I going to walk on stage?” and then when I did, I lost all my words. This was really happening. I look back on that, and I’ve come so far from there already. Then to win in 2020 during a pandemic with a digital show, again just spoke volumes of what my fans think of me, but also the value we bring during a dramatic change the world was facing.
XBIZ: Tell us how you navigated the pandemic over the past year professionally.
Rose: I think the pandemic has completely morphed how everyone operates. It was incredibly difficult worrying about friends and family who ended up being physically threatened by the virus, but the lack of human contact helped shape things and at the same time, alter things. In order to be successful professionally, no matter what field you’re in, it all starts with how you are handling your personal life. I am fortunate to have a wonderful “team” of people in my life and that allowed me to use this pandemic to take a break in some work senses, but also recalibrate how to adapt to the new normal we were all facing. Traveling and shooting was practically extinct and it brought the ability to cam more and even work on projects I once didn’t have the time for; it also allowed me to reprioritize and organize my workflow.
XBIZ: Any major ambitions or exciting plans for 2021?
Rose: I was fortunate to be involved in a sex work documentary that was self-shot during the isolation of the pandemic in 2020. It is slated to release this spring on a major streaming platform I’m not at liberty to mention yet. But I am very excited and proud of my work. The project was presented at the virtual Cannes last fall, and was picked up. The distributor then asked for updates on how we were doing and what had changed; it was exciting to film a second time. I can’t wait to see the finished project. And I can’t wait to see what this will do for our industry as whole, how it might change the perspective of the general public, as well as how it might impact the community of performers. The documentary follows three sex workers’ real lives, and how we operated through the pandemic and during isolation. Each of us work in different capacities, with different body types and ethnicities.
For filming, I plan to keep working diligently with the studios and hope to pitch my scene ideas to a few of them and get my first opportunity to direct. I hope to finally have the opportunity to collaborate with a very specific list of male performers! Completing that list was stalled due to the pandemic. But now that we have safe protocols in place for shooting, I am ready to go full force for 2021.
I will continue to stream live on ePlay three to four days a week, and continue to grow my fan base there. Content is coming soon to the platform too, where I’m excited to sell custom video and audio content. I really enjoy interacting with my fans on ePlay; I love talking to them there and being in their lives and listening to them, sharing our challenges (some have been online with me while having COVID) and their accomplishments. I’m so lucky to have such an amazing group of fans who hang out with me while I stream and I know it’s only going to keep getting better. I think ePlay is the platform the industry needed, and I only see great things coming from it. Plus, the staff has just been so amazing and supportive, I’m so grateful for the opportunity.
