Adult webcam platform Chaturbate has partnered with an independent filmmaking team to launch a scripted comedy series, “Cam_Girlfriend.” Made up of 10 episodes — each one 10 minutes long — “Cam_Girlfriend” follows rising cam model Chloe Cables (Lily LaBeau) as she balances her relationship with her boyfriend, Mike (Dave Keystone) with her relationship to her work and fans. Together, they soon learn that camming is a job you can’t help but take home. The series will live on YouTube Channel Camming Life and be promoted across Chaturbate’s social media channels. New episodes will air weekly
Canadian filmmakers Ethan Cole and Daniel AM Rosenberg approached Chaturbate about their idea for “Cam_Girlfriend,” looking to partner with the camming titan for their co-sign, insight into the subject matter, and audience for promotion. Within the show, the main character uses and namedrops Chaturbate to stream her cam shows, but the story focuses on situations both funny and all-too-real that happen to performers across all cam sites. “We felt camming was a fascinating world rich with comedic material for us to explore. It’s a place where so much more than just sex happens — friendships are formed, art is expressed, and hilarity occurs daily,” said Cole and Rosenberg.
California based Chaturbate launched in 2011 and has since become is one of the most popular camming websites on the internet. The site hosts thousands of models of all genders and styles performing typically explicit shows, ranging from striptease, to masturbation, to more — from both solo performers and couples. Viewers can watch performers in public or private rooms and tip them using tokens, which convert to earnings for performers. In 2016, Newsweek reported that the site had at least 4.1 million visitors per month. “Cam_Girlfriend” is the company’s first foray into scripted, safe for work, content.
“[Chaturbate’s] support for the show and the way that the industry is portrayed gives ‘Cam_Girlfriend’ a level of authenticity and credibility,” said Shirley Lara, COO of Chaturbate. “It’s not just a wacky comedy that falls into the familiar tropes when artists portray the sex industry without research. We love that ‘Cam_Girlfriend’ focuses on the personal and public life of cam broadcasters and explores the humorous situations that cam models find themselves in.”
Episode 1 follows Chloe and Mike as they navigate every millennial couple’s reality: the impossible amount of weddings they have to attend this year. Maximizing the perks of Chloe’s job, which include gifts purchased off an online wishlist from her many fans and viewers, the couple decides to see how they can get expensive wedding registry gifts paid for by fans. What seems like a harmless scam turns into a comic disaster. “I use my experience and turn it into something that people both inside and outside of the adult industry will appreciate and equally find hilarious,” said star Lily LeBeau. LaBeau is best known for her work in the adult film industry, starring in porn parodies of “Taxi Driver,” “Jaws,” “Nurse Jackie,” and more. She has worked consistently as a cam model throughout her career, calling it her “old faithful.”
Sex work has made its way into mainstream film and television from HBO’s “Euphoria,” Netflix’s “Bonding,” Starz’s “The Girlfriend Experience,” and more. “Most shows and movies about sex workers are meant to provoke a sense of pity or serve as a cautioning tale,” said LeBeau. She emphasized that “Cam_Girlfriend” is not that. “This show is different…I felt like I was being seen and represented and celebrated for my unique career choice.”
All jokes, and they’re in there (one episode leaves Chloe and Mike fighting for intellectual property when a DJ samples Chloe’s orgasm) aside, the filmmakers’ ultimate goal for the show is to humanize sex workers. “We fully support that vision,” said Lara.