JulieSimone.com : Stylish Brutality
Julie Simone became familiar with the BDSM lifestyle through an accidental turn in the glamour modeling arena; a turn that opened her eyes and changed her life forever. She has since explored that world as a bottom, top and now as a photographer filmmaker who is fascinated by the process through which one can completely lose or find oneself through submission and pain.
She has been a photo and video model for 13 years and has appeared in over 300 videos, served as a bondage consultant for mainstream films, has appeared on G4TV's "Attack of the Show" and Playboy TV. She's graced numerous runway stages, glamour and fetish websites, magazines and books. Julie has also done a number of stage shows/performance art pieces at SMACK! (NYC), Fetish Factory (Fl), FetishCon (FL), BondCon (NYC), DomCon (LA, Atlanta), Bound (DC), Baltimore Erotic Art Festival.
Julie quickly rose to the top of her field, placing in the finals for the Best Model Category in the SIGNY Bondage Industry Awards in 2001. Along the way, she started to rig others and was voted the 2nd Best Rigger in 2003 before reaching her goal of Best Rigger in the World in the 2004 SIGNYs. She was the first female to have achieved this honor, opening the doors for other female riggers to earn respect and accolades in a field once dominated by men. She was a finalist for Best Model that year as well, becoming one of only two women in the industry to be awarded for excellence both as a model and a rigger in the same year. In the 5 years the awards were held, Julie was nominated for best model all 5 times and was one of the finalists for rigging 4 out of 5 years. Julie has shared her knowledge of bondage by teaching classes at major fetish events including German Fetish Ball, ShibariCon, FetishCon, DomCon , Xanadu, and BondCon, as well as at local club-oriented events and one-on-one classes.
After winning Best Rigger, she moved on to her next challenge, directing! Her DVDs go beyond most by delving deep into the psychology of SM play, giving the viewer an inside look into a dark, mysterious and often misrepresented world. As a director Julie has gained recognition for her stylized and often twisted tales with multiple AVN nominations and film festival screenings. "Diary of a Submissive" was shown at the prestigious Cinekink Film Festival NYC in 2006. "Anonymity", a short film, showed at the New England Erotic Arts Festival, Cinekink (Portland, SF, NYC, DC, Chicago, LA, Berlin). The controversial "Audition" was screened at the LA and Baltimore Erotic Festivals as well as being named one of the top 20 porns of 2007 by Eros Zine. "Cocksucker", a film that questions gender roles as they relate to control and submission, was shown at Cinekink NYC, Berlin Porn Film Festival, where Julie was 1 of 4 film makers given their own program and spoke on a panel, Cinerotic (Atlanta), Kiel Fetisch Film Festival and was honored with an honorable mention in the Feminist Porn Awards. 2010 brought more film festival screenings for Julie. Her short film "Dolls Fit" which explores the relationship between a mother's expectations w regards to gender roles, was screened at Berlin Porn Film Festival, Cinerotic, Cinekink, Athens, Amsterdam. Her films "Service", which explores the Domme-Sub dynamic through language, and the controversial "Masturbation Roulette" earned worldwide screenings as well (MIX Festival Brazil, Kiel, Berlin). .
Julie is also an accomplished photographer whose work has appeared in Secret Magazine, Bizarre, Fetish Photo Anthology 4 & 5, Bondage and Fetish (France). 2007 was a big year for her photography, she showed work in juried festivals including The Dirty Show, Seattle Erotic Arts Festival, Folsom Street Fair Art Exhibit at Femina Potens gallery, and was a part of the Traveling Erotic Art Show which had exhibits in San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, New York, and Florida. 2011 is starting off well for Julie, 3 of her photos will be exhibited as part of the S.W.E.A.T. wall of the Dirty Show which features erotic works by women. "I always need to be pushing some sort of envelope whether it be personal or otherwise"
Julie's photography and films deal with themes that explore the relationship between identity and society, gender roles, the dehumanization of man and the struggle to accept ones deviant sexual urges. They often utilize bondage or fetish elements as metaphors. "My goal is to produce work that works on multiple levels - an erotic level and an underlying level that deals with any number of themes that are prominent in my work. Identity as it relates to gender roles and sexuality is often a major theme. It's only when something can be enjoyed on both levels without one interfering with the other, that I view something as a success." Julie currently resides in New York City.
The future for Julie Simone Productions consists of Julie filming the things she enjoys: latex, smoking, and SM, while constantly striving to improve the perception and acceptance of women in the business. "Aside from wanting to make a living, it's really important to me to create a safe and pleasant atmosphere for women in the business. Being a performer myself I know how hard it can be. That, more than anything, makes me feel good about what I'm doing. As an artist I can create in any medium, I choose this one because there is a greater good that can be achieved, a greater visibility I think is important." --Julie Simone