BEING surrounded by glamorous women and paid for sex may seem like a dream to most men.
For Dan Leal, this is day-to-day reality, as he owns, produces and stars in adult films – although it has led to some very awkward conversations with his church-going family.
8
8
The Washington native, 54, began his career filming in the US but is now based in Budapest, Hungary, which – as The Sun recently revealed – has gained a reputation as the pornography capital of Europe.
And ‘Porno Dan’, as he is known, truly took the continent by storm, becoming a die-hard Man City fan and an unlikely champion in delivering aid to Ukraine.
After starting his career as an office equipment salesman, Dan – whose fortune tops one million pounds – first ventured into the adult entertainment business in 1999, before leaving to work full-time in 2002.
Coming from a respected family that worked in the American government, the change was a bit shocking.
“I used to joke at university that one day I would have my own porn company, so I decided to make it a reality,” he says.
“I was one of the top salespeople at a Fortune 500 company at the time, and the president allowed me to continue working there while I launched my porn side.
“That was in a different time. I was nicknamed the Prince of Darkness.
“I don’t think any company would keep someone employed while they start a porn business right now.”
He adds: “I worked for two Fortune 500 companies, I was an altar boy in church.
“I did what I was supposed to do, so I decided to do what I wanted to do.”
8
Since then, Dan has established himself in the erotic industry and owns his own production company.
He has won countless accolades for his work, but it is a far cry from his upbringing – and certainly not what his Catholic mother, who has since passed away, wanted him to do.
“My mom thought it was a joke for the first time,” he recalled.
“This only happened for her when I was on the front page of the Washington Post’s Metro section.
“It was the Sunday edition and everyone in her church had read it. My poor mother, as well as all her friends, knew what I was doing.”
Fateful day
Despite learning that his nickname was “Porno Dan”, however, the penny didn’t fully sink in for a while longer.
“In my mother’s mind, it was like being a stunt double, that I wasn’t actually having sex,” he said.
“She saw a segment [regarding Dan] about Jimmy Kimmel and called me asking, ‘why do you need a condom if it’s not real’, and I had to tell her it was.
“Mom then informed me that I had to go to church and do acts of contrition for this.
“After that, she was worried about the babies being conceived on set and what happened to them. Then I joked that we had a very fancy orphanage, which she believed in before I told her it was nothing.
In my mother’s head it was like being a stunt double, that I wasn’t actually having sex
Daniel Leal
“She was a very sweet woman, but a little naive.”
Dan was a member of his school’s National Honor Society before going to George Mason University and majoring in Economics.
His Alma Marta is best known for producing Supreme Court justices, Nobel Prize-winning economists, and members of the U.S. government.
He now works with the adult industry’s top stars from around the world and explains how strict safeguarding measures include each actor having to complete a questionnaire confirming what acts they are willing to perform.
When filming goes wrong
Dan’s production company differentiates itself with videos that tend to have a humorous touch – before getting into more classic action.
But his American style of grace doesn’t always translate well.
An Easter skit, which showed Dan dressed as a pink Easter Bunny hiding eggs in Budapest, left his two Russian models asking if he was “crazy”.
While filming a show that invited fans to film scenes with their favorite stars, one contestant shocked the crew by managing to keep going for an hour.
“It’s longer than most professionals would last, especially without help,” recalls Dan.
8
8
Move abroad
Dan has been the subject of documentaries that have appeared on HBO and Netflix – including ‘Danland’, which charts his ill-fated attempts to find love while working as a pornographer.
Despite not being the biggest fan of her son’s career change, his mother appeared in a documentary and remained close to him until her death.
His sister is supportive and his son, Hunter, 17, has always known his uncle’s nickname “Porno Dan,” despite only realizing what it meant when he turned 11.
Dan promised to take him to one of his sets after he turned 18.
If I hadn’t gone to Ukraine, I probably would have lost my leg or died
Daniel Leal
After 15 years working in the USA, he chose to move to Europe and set up production in Budapest, Hungary.
It also meant he could go see his beloved Manchester City play regularly in the UK.
“A highlight of Europe is football,” he said. “It’s so much better than at home.”
But its involvement in Europe went beyond simply producing pornographic films.
Aid for Ukraine
Dan took his adopted continent seriously and actively tried to help where he could in Ukraine’s war against Russia.
He became involved in trying to help thanks to YouTube videos from fellow American Johnny “FD” Jen, who he then convinced to return to Ukraine with him to find out what was really needed on the ground.
They decided to enter the war zone after a friend of Dan’s in the US government said that “no one would stop them”, despite it being a “crazy idea”.
His ex-girlfriend and adult model Yuliia Seniuk – who refused to leave Ukraine – was another reason he felt a connection to the country.
Speaking previously about his work in Ukraine, he said: “Actions speak louder than words and I want to do everything I can to help. I cannot be silent.
8
8
“It’s the least I can do. I just finance the project, other people do the hard work.
“Much of Ukraine is devastated, but they are still fighting to keep what is theirs.”
The multimillionaire has been buying old vans and handing them over to a team, who refurbish them into ambulances that can be taken to the front lines.
Dan has also delivered solar panels to the front lines to ensure soldiers don’t run out of power.
It was this trip to the heart of Ukraine’s frontline that truly saved the pornography king’s life.
“I just had varicose vein surgery and had the stitches removed before I left to get these batteries like I promised,” he said.
“I was worried about the operation, but the surgeon in Budapest told me everything was fine. I actually had blood poisoning, but I didn’t know it.
“When I arrived in Lviv, I was in a lot of pain and a friend contacted a surgeon who saved my life.
“So if I hadn’t gone to Ukraine, I probably would have lost my leg or died.
“It shows that God works in strange ways.”
Dark side of pornography
Like every industry, the pornography business has a darker side.
Suicides, drug overdoses and human trafficking constitute a weak point, which has recently made headlines in Europe and the United States.
In January this year, porn star Thania Fields was found dead after saying she had suffered “sexual abuse” at the beginning of her porn career.
She said at the time: “I suffered sexual harassment and abuse after I started creating adult content. It’s very strong.
“Many thought that by hiring me they could do whatever they wanted with me, but then I got home, took a shower and cried.”
Recent deaths in the US include star Angelina Please, Dahila Sky and Olivia Lua.
Former director Tommie McDonald tells us he left the business after being faced with some horrific situations.
He says at least two models he knows killed themselves while he was still producing, and many others simply seemed to disappear.
He said: “Over the years of working in the industry, suicides have unfortunately been quite common.
“Women from Eastern Europe are often brought into the industry at the hands of traffickers and forced to film pornography under threats of violence.
“It’s difficult to work in this industry and not have a moral change because a lot happens.
“I have also heard of rape allegations against major producers and suggestions that people were drugged on set before filming.
“It was also common in Europe for talent to have clear auditions so they could still work even if they had come into contact with something.
“There was an HIV outbreak in Europe about five years ago, which fortunately changed the way testing was done.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
