Wicked’s Jessica Drake Reflects on Whirlwind Start to 2014

LOS ANGELES—Acclaimed sexual wellness authority, sex educator, and Wicked Pictures contract performer/director Jessica Drake has had a whirlwind start to 2014, with many more exciting projects on the horizon. In addition to performing, drake still finds times to educate couples on sex, speak to media, appear at colleges, direct, and more, all while preparing for the release of her upcoming reality show, Love, Jessica. “What a year 2014 has been, and it’s only April!” Drake said. “All my work over the past several years as a performer, director, and educator are culminating at the same time in so many different facets. I welcome the opportunity to bring more attention to topics like the adult entertainment industry and the need for sex education reform.” Drake hit the ground running in 2014, when a CNN.com feature on her was selected as the “Most Popular Photo Blog of 2013” immediately after the New Year. In the photo blog, drake discussed L.A. County's controversial Measure B (also known as the County of Los Angeles Safer Sex In the Adult Film Industry Act), the adult industry, and her performance, educational, and volunteer work; the feature also took a peek into her private life. Her acclaimed educational series, Jessica Drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex, continued to garner industry praise, as Jessica Drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex: Anal Play for Men was named Best Educational Release at this year’s 2014 AVN Awards. Returning to Los Angeles, Drake then announced she would be collaborating with award-winning BBW performer and size acceptance advocate Kelly Shibari on the first-ever educational DVD on plus size sexuality, Jessica Drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex: Plus Size Sex. Mainstream and adult media outlets alike, including Cosmopolitan, were invited onto the set of the groundbreaking project; the film will be released later this year. Drake is also currently in post-production on two additional educational films for 2014: Jessica Drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex: The Art of Striptease and Jessica Drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex: Legends. Ever the educator, Drake was invited to present several “modern sex” seminars around the country. In addition to workshops at Cirillas stores in Ohio, drake spoke with students at University of Chicago’s Sex Week, where she shared her experience in the adult industry and how it helped her see the need and demand for modern sex education. Her second presentation at U-Chicago was titled, “The Piracy of Sex,” which she presented with anti-piracy expert Nate Glass. The seminar was profiled by multiple media sites, including tech site BetaBeat, and the duo was invited to speak to students at USC’s Film School on April 30. Drake also attended UCLA for a panel titled, Porn, Prostitution, and Censorship: The Politics of Empowerment, where she discussed the power dynamics of prostitution, the accommodation of sex, and the objectification and censorship of the female body. In addition to speaking with students, Drake participated on several panels within the sex educator and adult entertainment community. She spoke alongside Dr. Carol Queen on the panel Real vs. Reel Sex at CatalystCon East, where she discussed the differences in perception between sex as fantasy entertainment versus sex for educational benefits. In Toronto, drake was a featured speaker at The Feminist Porn Conference as part of the panel Evaluating the Outcome: How Do We Know When Porn was Produced with Ethical Feminist Principles? Sharing her experience in the adult industry both as a performer and a producer/director with “mainstream” heterosexual company Wicked Pictures, Drake discussed how the concept of ethics and feminist tropes play within her work, and challenged the notions of “mainstream” adult entertainment companies and their place within the feminist porn tableau. Mainstream media sought Drake’s expertise on a variety of topics; she let readers into sex and relationship secrets for men’s pop culture and trendsetter site CraveOnline. She also offered her insight into personal privacy, in the wake of Duke University student Belle Knox’s public backlash, for the Huffington Post. A three-time winner of AVN's coveted Best Actress award, Drake essayed the role of the Evil Queen earlier this year in Axel Braun's Snow White XXX: A Hardcore Parody, opposite Riley Steele. The debut release in the new Wicked Fairy Tales line, this two-disc DVD release goes on sale nationwide April 23.  Drake is currently in the midst of shooting her second big budget project of the year, the New York-based relationship drama Aftermath. Directed by her longtime collaborator and acclaimed filmmaker Brad Armstrong, the intimate character study casts Drake opposite rising star Tyler Nixon in a compelling May-December romance rife with hidden secrets. Drake’s latest collaboration with real-life partner Armstrong caught the eye of Cosmopolitan yet again, resulting in an in-depth interview on costume and wardrobe design for adult films. Capturing the behind-the-scenes portions of Drake’s busy schedule are the cameras of Love, Jessica, a new reality show documenting Drake’s life. The docu-series will premiere on Canada’s The Movie Network on Sunday, May 11, and Movie Central in fall 2014, while after a successful debut at MIPTV, deals are in the works to bring the show to all major markets around the world. Season One is comprised of 10 30-minute episodes.