Ela Darling

Ela Darling
Ela Darling in 2019
Born
Texas
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)librarian, pornographic film actor, entrepreneur
Known forvirtual reality entrepreneur

Ela Darling is an American pornographic actress and co-founder of virtual reality company VRTube.xxx.[1][2][3] According to The New York Times, Darling first used virtual reality technology to record an erotic scenario in 2014.[4]

Life and career

Darling earned a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Illinois,[5] and worked as a reference librarian prior to becoming an actor and entrepreneur.[1]

Darling has been a speaker at several conferences focused on virtual reality.[6] She was also one of the individuals profiled in Allan Amato's 2016 book Slip: Naked in Your Own Words.[7]

In 2014,[8] she started VRTUBE.XXX and has been considered a pioneer and an entrepreneur in the industry of Virtual Reality erotica;[9] an industry that was projected in 2018 to grow to $1 billion (USD) by 2020.[10]

At the 2016 South by Southwest Festival, The Guardian quoted Darling asserting that patent holders were preventing the production of teledildonic technology.[6] In October 2017 comments Darling made about how sex robots would affect the erotic film industry were widely repeated.[11]

In a 2017 profile of Darling, Rolling Stone magazine described Darling's first experience filming a VR experience.[2]

Darling won the 2018 XBIZ Award for "Crossover Star of the Year".[12]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ela Darling". Silicon Valley VR 2017. 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-10-30. Retrieved 2017-10-29. Since earning her Master's degree at the age of 21 and transitioning from a career as a Reference Librarian, Ela has spent the last 6.5 years as a feminist, porn star, and political activist.
  2. ^ a b Sophia Jennings (2017-11-09). "Meet Ela Darling: Porn Star, Activist, Tech Pioneer". Rolling Stone magazine. Archived from the original on 2018-07-09. Retrieved 2020-11-20. Most importantly, Darling asked Ashfield if he had any paperwork for her. He said they were fine. Darling stopped him and brought out all the forms he needed, telling him if he didn't have them he could go to prison. "I sort of saved his ass in that regard," she laughs. Soon after, Ashfield reached out and asked if they could continue as business partners. "It was clear that we needed someone with more experience in the industry and insight into the performer mindset," Ashfield says.
  3. ^ Scott Ip (2016-06-18). "Is Porn Leading Innovation for VR?". VR Scout. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2017-10-26. Darling has built her own stereoscopic camera solution with stitching software and plans to offer it at a low entry price of $250, to allow easy access to cam girls who wish to enter into the market.
  4. ^ Alyson Krueger (2017-10-28). "Virtual Reality gets naughty". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2019-12-19. Retrieved 2017-10-26. In early 2014 Ela Darling, 31, a pornographic actress, recorded her first virtual reality sex scene.
  5. ^ Priscilla Frank (2017-06-02). "24 'Harry Potter' Superfans Share The Stories Behind Their Magical Ink". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  6. ^ a b Alex Needham (2016-03-18). "SXSW panel explores virtual reality porn: 'more eye contact and dirty talk'". The Guardian. Austin, Texas. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2017-10-29. Eventually, some suggest, "teledildonic" technology will enable them to feel sex as well as see it, though a strict patent, according to delegate Ela Darling, has prevented technological developments in this area.
  7. ^ Allan Amato (2016). Slip: Naked in Your Own Words. Baby Tattoo Books. ISBN 9781614040156. Archived from the original on 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  8. ^ ICANN (2018-01-03). "Showing results for: VRTUBE.XXX". WHOIS. Archived from the original on 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  9. ^ Lux Alptraum (2015-03-25). "Why VR could be the next big thing in porn". The Verge. Retrieved 2018-07-12. DOne of the biggest evangelists for the genre is VRTube.XXX, a new site fronted by librarian turned porn performer Ela Darling.
  10. ^ David M. Ewalt (2018-07-12). "The First Real Boom in Virtual Reality? It's Pornography". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2018-07-12. One of the most enterprising small businesses in the space is run by Ela Darling, an entrepreneur who produced and starred in original virtual-reality porn for her company VRTube.xxx.
  11. ^ Vincent Wood (2017-10-09). "Adult TV stars could be put out of work by ROBOTS amid industry fears". Daily Express. Archived from the original on 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2017-10-26. Adult actress Ela Darling has revealed the next step could be "everybody" owning a sex robot.
  12. ^ "2018 XBIZ Awards Winners Announced". XBIZ.com. 19 January 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 26 January 2018.