Ricky Johnson moved from being in front of the camera to behind the camera with his production company, Ricky’s Room. He takes us through his early days to his most recent projects, shares helpful advice, discusses community over competition, and much more. Read on to learn more about his journey in the adult industry!
How did you first get started in the adult industry? How many times did your friends tell you to join before you finally decided to?
I was in college on the track team and one day I told my teammates I was going to do porn. I asked them to help me figure out a name. They all helped me, but ultimately, I decided to use one of my friend's names, Ricky. I threw on the Johnson at the end and voila! My friends were quite supportive. I honestly don’t think they believed in my journey and that I was really going to pursue it to the level that I did until I did my first scene. For 6 months I researched the ins and outs of the industry in the study hall. I reached out to 3 different agencies that represent porn models, and two of them reached back. One was led by a woman and the other was led by a man. The guy thought I should change my name and gave me bad vibes, whereas the woman was super nice, and it felt right going in her direction. It was fairly easy to get in and the rest is history!
In a world of new emerging talent, how do you make sure to stand out? How does brand marketing play a role in your growth strategy?
Developing your brand is a long-term commitment. It takes a really long time for your brand to become popular. But when you accomplish it, it lasts such a long time because you will have built a great foundation. I focus on being consistent with quality and quantity, if you keep those two things constant over a long period of time then your brand should continue to grow strong.
After being in front of the camera for many years, you moved behind the lenses and started Ricky’s Room – tell us why and how you brought this project to life!
A couple of years ago I wanted to expand and start producing. I started producing for a company and saw that the footage I made did really well for the site. I also wanted to have stability for myself for when I’m no longer performing, so I thought, let’s make sure I do things for me and my own brand at the same time.
I practiced shooting a couple scenes the same style that I wanted to shoot for Ricky’s Room to see how the consumer would take to it. All the scenes did well, so I started Ricky’s Room and began to shoot for myself. I got lucky in finding an amazing team because without a team it’s much harder to accomplish certain goals of a larger magnitude. The team I have now isn’t even the one that I started with, but I have to give a shout-out to my team because they have stood beside me and helped contribute to my Ricky’s Room project. We are like a family that grows together, and everyone is a master at their craft. I’m lucky to be able to make magic with them. I spend a lot of time pre-producing to make sure every day is smooth.
What was your biggest learning curve when you first started producing professional studio content vs starring in it?
I would say that less is more and that it’s very important to make sure the talent is involved in your mental process. I’ve had the liberty of starring in many scenes, some poorly produced and some produced amazingly. I made sure to sponge up both aspects and learn from the good and bad. A lot of time in a badly produced scene I had no idea what was going on in regard to script or what the director wanted. The time management was poor, and you could tell the director read the script that same day. Shoots that could have taken 2-4 hours took 8-12 hours and I found that absurd. I’ve always wanted to produce, but after experiencing that for a while I sped up the process to be more in control of my brand and career. I also wanted to make sure other performers had a better experience in the industry if that’s something I could contribute to. I always make sure the talent knows everything I know so that they can relax, be comfortable and always know what to expect.
Tell us about shooting your content! What kind of camera, lights and sound equipment do you use in your personal life vs professional life?
For my amateur content, I try to be as simple as possible. It’s just two iPhones catching two angles without site of the other, using whatever natural light is in the room. For my pro content, a Sony A7S3 camera is used with a ring light and rod attached. Less is more for me so it’s never some crazy super expensive set up, my focus is more on the person I work with.
What’s a typical “work” day like for you? From planning, shooting, editing, marketing and content management – how do you tackle and devote time for each?
I’m currently working on changing my day to day so this will soon be different! In terms of “work” day I have like 4 different types of workdays.
If it’s a mainstream shoot day for Brazzers, then I like to be well rested the day before. If it’s a Ricky’s Room shoot day, then I tend not to do much activity throughout the day, because I shoot those at night. I try to spread out editing, planning and marketing at different parts of the day or week so I don’t get overwhelmed or burnt out.
I recently hired an assistant last year and that helped with the schedule. I plan to hire two more assistants at the end of the year because I’m working on expanding and onboarding a bunch of new projects. I used to have a hard time delegating but I’m at the point now where it would be a detriment not to. Plus, I want to focus on the simple things like the person I’m dating, my family and things I like to do outside of sex work. I tend to be a workhorse, but you have to find a balance.
With millions of daily visitors to Pornhub, it's the perfect place for new fans to discover your content. What advice would you give Models to ensure they're maximizing their career and not missing their bag by uploading their content to PH?
I think people shouldn’t be afraid to start uploading even if they feel they are a small creator in a large market. Millions of visitors ensure that your content will be seen at some point. You miss every shot you don’t take, and you won’t know what works until you try it.
I know people that have had videos hit months/years after posting. Also, Pornhub is a top 10 visited site globally, so it’s a must to throw your hat in the race in terms of uploading content. Just make sure you have consent and IDs above all else. Another thing I would say is to play to your strengths, focus on what you’re comfortable with and what you enjoy making so you can make a bunch of it. This is a very accepting industry so if you have kinky content post it and if it’s vanilla content post it, there’s something for everybody, that’s what’s so great about this industry.
When are you going to create a couples account on Pornhub with Erotic Medusa?
Hahaha, I get asked this all the time! Very soon, I hope. Me and the wifey have been so busy in our endeavors, and we put so much time and effort into whatever we set our eyes on, until it feels accomplished. We have a bunch of content and plan to make a bunch more, so I would say we would likely start the new year off with a couples account. Exciting times indeed, it’s always great to do things together with a like-minded partner!
How do you embody this concept of “Community over Competition”?
I want everybody to win. It doesn’t hurt my pockets seeing other people succeed in the industry or in life. I want to give the knowledge and information that I learn to those after me so that they may utilize it in ways that maybe I wouldn’t be able to. I think it’s important for people to set their ego aside and come together because this industry can do much more and extend to new heights if we put our minds together and collaborate more.
Imagine yourself in a dream location with dream collaborators, where is the set and who are the people? Set the stage for us!
Well, I’ve always told myself that my last scene would be a reverse gangbang with 11 Models so I’m going to go with that. We would be on an island in this open view house on a giant bed. It’s hard to condense all my favorite collaborators to ten because there is also recency bias but those ten collaborators in no specific order would be: Erotic Medusa, Vanessa Sky, Alexis Tae, Destiny Mira, Gianna Dior, Anna Claire Clouds, Abella Danger, Jasamine Banks, Naomi Swann, Princess Emily and Savannah Bond.
What’s the next big goal for Ricky and Ricky’s Room?
The next big goal for me is my new site that I plan to launch on my birthday next year. I’m extremely excited about it, it’s completely different from Ricky’s Room, and I’ve put a lot of thought into the name, logo, and content. I want to continue to expand as I continue to educate myself with knowledge and grow my team at the same time. I don’t see myself performing in front of the camera that much longer, so I want to go hard for what is likely my last year on screen. I still plan to be heavily involved in the industry space though, I have a non-profit organization I’m excited to start the moment I’m done performing. I want to also focus more on the agency side of things and be a proper gatekeeper for newcomers in the industry and help guide them in any way I can.
With regards to Ricky’s Room, I plan to shoot more group scenes. I like to focus on quality, not quantity, so I never feel rushed to get content out. I want to make sure all parties are comfortable.
I also plan to shoot a couple gangbangs and DPs for the site to mix it up a little but keep the same aesthetic. I want to contract someone soon so that’s definitely a goal for the end of next year. I’m also writing an early draft for a Ricky’s Room feature. Also, I would like to take my crew to Europe and go on an international tour for the site and work with some models that I normally wouldn’t be able to work with otherwise.
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