My parents knew back when I used to shoot (after all, I shot in their back yard with them home).
One of the reasons I stopped was over their complaints about the stress of shoot days. Funnily enough they never complained when I used the money from the video sales to help them with the odd bill.
And in the course of two years shooting, I'm happy to say I introduced both Stathena and Carissa Montgomery to WAM, and they both enjoyed it.
The neighbors, on the other hand, knew I was shooting a lot of videos with girls getting pied and slimed, but I doubt any of them guessed the true nature of the operation.
This is actually a good question, as i feel like it's asked often of the ladies/talent, but I've never heard Rich or Messygirl or Noise or any of the consistent, well-known (and not) producers discuss what their family thinks of their operation, their main or disposable income made off of WAM, what the deal is with the plastic tarps they're always buying and throwing in the dumpster, etc etc.
Thanks to those who've shared so far, i hope to see more on this subject -
Mine haven't disowned me, but at the same time I don't think they are proudly telling all their friends.
I was long out of their home before I started, so plastic tarps have never been a thing.
I remember why I told them, I was giving them some money they didn't think I could afford and wouldn't accept it thinking that. At the time I had a day job, was doing this and had another business on the go. For a brief while I was making crazy bank.
I remember one time I locked the keys in my car at the studio, which isn't far from their house. I called my dad to bring a few tools over... and he was a little disappointed the models had already gone when he got there.
Although the dad of an ex-girlfriend of mine (who appeared in a few things for Bill Shipton after I introduced her to sploshing) mentioned something to us at the time which indicated that he knew! Something in passing when pudding was mentioned, along the lines of "can you believe some people find getting covered in this stuff a turn-on" -- Awkward.!
wtfdownloads said: Although the dad of an ex-girlfriend of mine (who appeared in a few things for Bill Shipton after I introduced her to sploshing) mentioned something to us at the time which indicated that he knew! Something in passing when pudding was mentioned, along the lines of "can you believe some people find getting covered in this stuff a turn-on" -- Awkward.!
When I first read this, I thought that the DAD was in some of Bill's films!
Then I realized what you meant. That *is* awkward when he makes a comment like that!
My parents are quite elderly. I told my Ma and she is totally cool with it, though doesn't want to know details. She doesn't want my Da to know, which may be a problem as I appear to have genuinely trashed my carpet at my last shoot, and have a non-working gunge tank in the garage. My brother and my friends all know. It's something I am proud to have achieved from a creative & practical pov..& so I share my delight with those I like.
gness7 said: I gotta say, I'm floored by the number of producers who have told their parents and other family about it--especially those who don't live with their parents and, as such, have at least enough physical space to keep their private lives private.
Follow-up to OP's question: Why? Were you all just found out one day and had to come clean? Did you stand up one holiday and say, "Guess who has a new hobby"? Something in between?
Maybe I'm the one just being too uptight and paranoid.
I suppose because I am proud of it & get on with her and don't like having secrets from her, and would have had to lie a lot to keep it secret.. It would perhaps be different if I shot hardcore porn..but girls throwing pies at each other is just silly and stupid and fun.
gness7 said: I gotta say, I'm floored by the number of producers who have told their parents and other family about it--especially those who don't live with their parents and, as such, have at least enough physical space to keep their private lives private.
Follow-up to OP's question: Why? Were you all just found out one day and had to come clean? Did you stand up one holiday and say, "Guess who has a new hobby"? Something in between?
Maybe I'm the one just being too uptight and paranoid.
I suppose because I am proud of it & get on with her and don't like having secrets from her, and would have had to lie a lot to keep it secret.. It would perhaps be different if I shot hardcore porn..but girls throwing pies at each other is just silly and stupid and fun.
So what did you tell her your motivation was for filming the silly stupid fun? Did you get into the fetish-y aspect of it? Did you tell her who you sell the videos to?
I'm just trying to imagine how such a conversation with my own mom would go. She's pretty average--not overly judgmental or conservative. Still, I can't even go 10 seconds into thinking about it before my mind explodes from awkward.
Oh to be crystal clear.she knows its a sexual thing..but I don't get into any kind of level of detail, except I can now say...'stressed because a model has cancelled' or 'delighted as have written a new scene that really works' 'new scene is selling awfully' (or brilliantly) and talk on that level. She knows I sell the clips to those with a similar interest, & that it brings me great job to be creating the films from scratch..writing, casting, directing, marketing and selling. She hasn't confused me with Scorsese mind you, but she is totally non-judgemental, & pleased for me
My folks know, as do my siblings. Not the gory details, but enough. (My sister always takes a very jokey tone when she asks, "So how are the pie videos going?")
I didn't shoot until I was well out of the house. Now, that first year, I had a roommate and I never told him (I was going to, but it never came up).... And then once the download store kicked in, the first few months were SO good that when I told my folks about the business, I was able to mention it in the context of, "AND I've earned enough for a down payment on my own house." Which helped.
My mom is still a registered CPA and actually gives me tax help/advice every year. (I had to start filing as soon as the download store went live.) She never questions all my crazy grocery receipts and such, God bless her.
I told my mum one day when she was visiting after I'd had a particularly crazy savoury session and was sure she would spot something odd or out of place. Mushy peas in the shower or something. So I just fessed up. She was fascinated and even had a go herself a few times with mud and did a session or two at sploshagirl
Her health isn't great these days though but safe to say she thinks it's pretty cool!
I think most of my friends know now though not all of them have actually talked to me about it so some odd rumours fly around at times!
I am much more relaxed about people knowing now that my daughter knows. I hid it from her for 7 years til she was 18 with great difficulty. I explained it to her in the very simplest terms, about the gunge tank and things like pie fights.
My dad I don't really have much contact with, no idea if he knows or not, he's never mentioned anything and we don't talk much. I'd tell him if he directly asked though
Personally that is one reason why I decided to come out of the closet in 1992 and become "commercially oriented" that year (after being a secret wam practioner and in the closet from 1972 to 1992)...because having a commercial wam business is a convenient excuse to make when outsider people question your hobbies, because the simplest answer to outsider people without having to go into depth and details is just to say "it is just business" and something I do for fun to pay the mortgage etc. It is a lot harder to explain things to outsiders when you do not have a commercial store to sell your wam products, because then you will more likely be seen as a selfish weirdo who spends way too much of their time and money on bizarre self indulgences.
It's like being a gambler.....if you have a gambling addiction, don't be a loser who selfishly wastes money on his addiction and deprives his family....be the best gambler you can be and be a winner...cos if you have an addiction (or as I see wam...as a "curse" that I am stuck with for life and cannot be cured of)....then don't be a loser.... turn a negative into a positive....and be a bloody good gambler who has full control over his addiction and creates a profitable business from his addiction.
That is the only way I get respect from my wife (who is not a wam fan at all, and just tolerates my addiction)...because she sees that wam is not a self indulgent selfish hobby I am cursed with, and is something I do cos enjoy doing my wam projects, and it brings home the bacon and pays some bills each month....so my wife respects what I do because she knows I am not wasting money on my own self-indulgences.
I never kept it a secret from my mum and step-dad. Or my sisters... Davina, one of my sisters was my first 'model'! And a few of my other sisters have been in videos too! But I didn't tell my dad until a few years ago. He still doesn't quite get it, but he says he is proud of me anyway
My mum isn't too bothered... I think she thinks it's still just making silly little videos, but doesn't realise how big a thing it is for me. I don't know what she tells people I do if they ask... I try not to think about it as my mum has been a cause of self confidence issues all my life, so I try to not dwell on it.
I have no problem telling anyone. I am proud of what I do.
All my close friends and most of my business colleagues know about what I do. Before she died mum knew and had no problem with it, though she thought the models were mad to agree to it!
Woah. I'm going to echo Norman's comments, here. When I was young, and I first googled the whole WAM thing, your videos came up and I was fascinated - the ones with the Benny Hill music and Pendulum as their sound tracks.
I remember, even then, wishing that I could have been one of the models! It seemed quite amateurish (sorry), I assumed that you were two friends who had set out to make WAM videos rather than sisters!
Jessica25 said: I never kept it a secret from my mum and step-dad. Or my sisters... Davina, one of my sisters was my first 'model'! And a few of my other sisters have been in videos too! But I didn't tell my dad until a few years ago. He still doesn't quite get it, but he says he is proud of me anyway
My mum isn't too bothered... I think she thinks it's still just making silly little videos, but doesn't realise how big a thing it is for me. I don't know what she tells people I do if they ask... I try not to think about it as my mum has been a cause of self confidence issues all my life, so I try to not dwell on it.
I have no problem telling anyone. I am proud of what I do.
Jessie xx
So glad that you're proud of what you do Jessie - so you should be. Always amazed at the sensational videos you produce while juggling kids, life etc! You're an inspiration.
That is quite a revelation that Davina is your sister! How many sisters do you have and which ones have been in vids?
Jessica25 said: I never kept it a secret from my mum and step-dad. Or my sisters... Davina, one of my sisters was my first 'model'! And a few of my other sisters have been in videos too! But I didn't tell my dad until a few years ago. He still doesn't quite get it, but he says he is proud of me anyway
My mum isn't too bothered... I think she thinks it's still just making silly little videos, but doesn't realise how big a thing it is for me. I don't know what she tells people I do if they ask... I try not to think about it as my mum has been a cause of self confidence issues all my life, so I try to not dwell on it.
I have no problem telling anyone. I am proud of what I do.
Jessie xx
Davina is one of your sisters? i never knew that. There's an early pie vid with her where one of you is pieing the other, and she says kind of laughing, "Oh, Jessie...." like, "Will you ever learn" that for some reason has always stuck with me. No wonder the two of you seemed to get on so well/have wonderfully fun chemistry.
Great thread. Actually feel like i know some of the producers a little bit better/it humanizes them even further. (I particularly love that Rich's mom helps him do taxes for the business....)
Glad to see so many forthcoming with their families and with us about their families,
However, my roommates know. One, I don't think he cares. I'm the homeowner, so, whatevs, and I keep it in my room. I have 2 bathrooms, and I only use mine for this.
My other roommate, not only does she know, I pay her to clean it up. Before she knew, she just thought I was a just slut. (I guess her being told was a step...up?) She also bakes the throwable pie crusts. In general, she's very supportive.
But I've changed things to make her job easier. She does get on to me, when the splatter is too big, or I didn't cover things well. She's scolded me about covering the toilet because cleaning it is removing the paint. She gives me ideas to help make things less expensive, easier, and faster.
Although she has made it quite clear that she is not interested in ever being in one of my videos. Not that I'd ever ask her, but if offered, she'd refuse. Um...good to know...I guess? No offense, but girls are icky.
For those that have asked, Davina is one of my younger sisters. (same mum, different dad). I have 5 sisters in total. 3 of which have appeared in videos. Davina, Erica (same dad, different mum). My older sister (same mum and dad!) appeared in one video with myself and Davina but that vid has long gone as I don't have a great relationship with my older sister.