Electra Rayne knew early on that she wanted to do porn. She never thought about it as a career option, though, instead viewing it as more of a bucket list item.
“I applied as soon as I could,” she revealed, “and shot a handful of scenes in 2015-16.”
My goal is to create content that provides a more realistic look at the way queer women actually fuck.
After that, however, she wasn't getting much work and decided instead to focus her efforts on college while stripping, which she says she absolutely loved.
“So I figured that was it,” Rayne said. “I had done it! I did porn! I stripped through college and continued afterwards, even when I got a regular job.”
Then, in 2019, she underwent three surgeries and was ultimately diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which affects connective tissues. Unable to dance all year, she racked up $10,000 in medical debt before recovering enough to return to the club for one week — before COVID lockdowns happened.
“My day job was enough to live on, but not enough to pay off the debt, so I started an OnlyFans,” she recalled. “That took off pretty well, and through a creator friend, I ended up connected with an agent for mainstream bookings.”
Rayne quit her day job and went full-time with porn in March 2021. After bouncing around between a few agents, she signed with ATMLA in June.
“When I was looking for new representation, it was important for me to choose an agency that is well-liked by directors and producers — Who cares how much I like my agent if no director ever wants to book with them? — and who could help me grow in the industry while staying true to who I am,” she said.
“To that end, it was also extremely important to have an agent that would let me continue to perform in bi scenes, as certain people that I spoke with told me that would have to change,” Rayne continued. “I am very thankful to Jim Powers for his recommendation of ATMLA, specifically as a bi-friendly agency. Working with Mark and the ATMLA team has been such a joy that I actually intend to remain with them as long as I am in the industry.”
Rayne then chose Vegas as the home base for her career, moved there in October and started directing for QueerCrush — her own website where she applies her experiences, exploring what she likes and dislikes. Her vision for QueerCrush is to create porn that resembles the sex she has in her personal life. Since she lives with her girlfriend, they’ve talked extensively about how much “lesbian” porn out there is really made with men in mind.
“My goal is to create content that provides a more realistic look at the way queer women actually fuck,” she said. “It's still sexy and fun for the boys to watch, but my hope is that our content appeals to queer women as well. Typically, our performers choose their own partners, to ensure they're on set for something they're actually interested in.”
QueerCrush stars also get to choose their own wardrobe, do their own makeup and are encouraged to bring their own toys and gear. They’re welcome to pick whatever they like from Rayne’s personal collection too.
“We don't script anything, and we don't cut unless a performer asks us to, even in cases where something silly might happen, like batteries dying, straps getting twisted or toys falling off the bed,” Rayne said.
“I encourage the performers to be ‘real people’ on camera, and that includes regular check-ins and conversation, using lube — shoutout to our sponsor, Sliquid! — and being able to say so if they don't particularly enjoy something,” she continued. “I ask our performers to please only do things that they really, truly enjoy, and to just focus on having fun in the moment rather than looking any certain way.”
Once the content has been produced to everyone’s pleasure and expectations, she approaches marketing on social media in ways that encourage fan engagement. Threading the needle of running parallel marketing campaigns aimed at straight men and queer women has been challenging, she noted.
“Since the site has only been live for about two months, we're still trying to figure out what works best,” Rayne said. “We've found TikTok to be a huge resource for us when it comes to marketing to the queer community. About 50% of our subscriber base is currently women, and a lot of that has come from there! I'm excited to experiment more with our social media marketing going into 2023.”
She gives credit to Elevated X as being instrumental in the creation of her website, expressing gratitude for how they enabled her to build her own website “without the massive startup costs that are so often a barrier.”
“I am extremely proud to have my work associated with theirs,” she said.
Rayne is also a new member of the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee (APAC), where she hopes to create a new series of educational resources for performers in 2023, specifically pertaining to sexual health and wellness. Career-wise, for the new year, she will continue maintaining her ElectraRayne.net official site, and update premium social media platforms with indie content that is highly varied due to her versatility as a bisexual switch.
“My primary business focus for the year is growing QueerCrush.com, as well as increasing my number of mainstream shoots,” she concluded. “Personally, I'm hoping to get back to riding my horse in 2023, and potentially even back to competing in endurance events.”
