Aaron Lawrence (actor)

{{Infobox adult biography
| name = Aaron Lawrence
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|03|29}}
| birth_place = [[Summit, New Jersey]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = {{convert|65|in|cm|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|133|lb|kg|abbr=on}}
| eye_color = Blue
| hair_color = Brown
| ethnicity = Irish/German-American
| alias =
| number_of_films =
| website = http://www.aaronlawrence.com
| spelling = US
}}
'''Aaron Lawrence''' (born March 29, 1971) is an [[United States|American]] [[List of performers in gay [...] films|gay pornographic film actor]], director, [...] advice columnist, author and [[entrepreneur]].<ref name="EVOGMP">[http://books.google.com/books?id=wcAcUWgzGPMC Eclectic Views on Gay Male [...]: Pornucopia: A Monograph Published Simultaneously As the Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism Series] Todd G. Morrison, Routledge, 2004; ISBN 1-56023-291-9, ISBN 978-1-56023-291-9.</ref><ref name=timeline/><ref name="OSAL"/> After graduating from college Lawrence embarked on an unplanned [[male prostitution|male hustling]] career, which he parlayed into both a writing and acting career.<ref name="OSAL"/> Lawrence, who is [[closeted|openly]] [[gay]], then started his own gay pornographic video company utilizing his international travels as an escort to shoot [[amateur [...]]] films.<ref name=timeline/><ref name="OSAL"/> He has authored two books, ''Suburban Hustler: Stories of a Hi-Tech Callboy'' (1999), an account of his own experiences as a male escort, and ''The Male Escort's Handbook: Your Guide to Getting Rich the Hard Way'' (2000), a "how-to" guide for those considering work as companions-for-hire.<ref name="OSAL">[http://www.outuk.com/index.php?http://www.outuk.com/content/features/aaroninuk/index.html OutSpoken Aaron Lawrence] Velsen Noord, ''OutSpoken'', October 2002.</ref> He has also written articles for several publications, including ''[[Anything That Moves]]'' and ''[[Unzipped (magazine)|Unzipped]]''.

Psychologist Todd G. Morrison notes that Lawrence came of age when being gay was seen as normal and [[HIV]]/[[AIDS]] was no longer defined culturally as a gay disease.<ref name="EVOGMP"/> In addition, in the mid-1990s the first [[Antiretroviral [...]|AIDS "[...] cocktails"]] marked a dramatic turning point in the [[AIDS pandemic|pandemic]] so that a positive diagnosis was no longer considered a death sentence.<ref name="EVOGMP"/> Morrison notes the advent of the Internet for gay men to discover their sexuality and connect with each other online and that Lawrence is The Embodiment of the "new experience of gay sexuality" much like [[Scott O'Hara]], [[Tim Miller (performance artist)|Tim Miller]], and [[Wakefield Poole]] had been for their generations.<ref name="EVOGMP"/> While advertising himself, and speaking and writing AbOUT the gay and [[bisexual]] escort industry, he has helped revolutionize the public relation aspects.

In 2004 he became [[webmaster]] for www.GayGeek.com, a website which lists and reviews gay-oriented adult websites.<ref>[http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/gaygeek.com Alexa Contact Info for GayGeek.com] Alexa Internet, Inc.</ref> In 2008 he launched www.AdviceGeek.com, providing "smart gay [...] advice for [[men who have [...] with men]]".<ref name="agau"/> He also developed AdviceWare, the software that runs the sites.<ref name="agau"/> He lives in suburban [[New Jersey]] with his husband Jeff whom he met in 1992, married in 1999, and who also helps provide illustrations for his various websites.<ref name=timeline/><ref name="agau">{{cite web|url=http://www.advicegeek.com/about.php |title=About Advicegeek |publisher=Advicegeek.com |date= |accessdate=2013-12-03}}</ref>

==Early life and education==

He received a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[psychology]] from [[Iowa State University]] in 1993 and a [[Master of Arts]] in Student Affairs Administration from [[Michigan State University]] in 1995.<ref name=bio>{{cite web | author=| title=Aaron's stats | url=http://www.aaronlawrence.com/stats.html | publisher=Aaron Lawrence Enterprises | date=| accessdate=2008-01-23}}</ref> Student Affairs is about creating a holistic education for students outside of the classroom, and connecting in-class activities with out-of-class activities. Noted student development theorists include Astin, Tinto, Kuh, Baxter Magolda, and Perry.<ref>acpa.org</ref> The preferred writing style for those in the Student Affairs field is APA.<ref>apa.org</ref>

==Early career==

After graduating from college Lawrence became depressed after a string of "100+ rejection letters", he became promiscuous and noting he was good at [...] someone suggested he become a [[male hustler]], which he did.<ref name="OSAL"/> He commanded an hourly rate of more than [[Pound Sterling|GB£]]250 ({{US$|350}}), which was much higher than average, which he attributed to his devotion to customer and self-satisfaction as well as his well-developed website, "By the time someone calls me for an appointment they already know who I am."<ref name="OSAL"/> Lawrence is versatile performing both [[top ([...])|top]] and [[bottom ([...])|bottom]] [...] roles.<ref name="OSAL"/> Lawrence worked in escorting from December 1993 to 2006.<ref name=timeline/><ref name=timeline>{{cite web | author=| title=The Aaron Timeline | url=http://www.aaronlawrence.com/timeline.html | publisher=Aaron Lawrence Enterprises | date=| accessdate=2009-11-26}}</ref><ref name="OSAL"/><ref name="POTFOJ"/> In addition to travel throughout the U.S., he traveled with clients on trips to [[Mexico]] and several locations in Europe, including [[Hungary]], [[Germany]], [[Ireland]], and the [[Czech Republic]].

==Modeling, films and writing==

A self-professed [[geek]], Lawrence launched his first website in 1997, but it lasted less than a month before being shut down by AOL for "objectionable content".<ref name="EVOGMP"/><ref name=timeline/> He quickly built a replacement on a private [[ISP]] promoting his escorting, modeling, and eventually movies and writings.<ref name=timeline/> In 1999 he was [[List of gay [...] awards|Probie]] nomination for Best Web Presence.<ref name=timeline/><ref name="POTFOJ">[http://www.ammen.net/99noms.html [...] On The 4th of July: 1999 Nominees] 4th Annual Men in Video Awards (archived copy).</ref> Psychologist Todd G. Morrison notes the advent of the internet helped gay men discover their sexuality and connect with each other online and that Lawrence is the embodiment of the "new experience of gay sexuality".<ref name="EVOGMP"/> Lawrence's website was well-designed and offered updates on his availability and any appearances, as well as chronicling his experiences.<ref name="EVOGMP"/>

In 1997 Lawrence appeared in a low-budget [...] film titled ''Pushover'' and began recording and releasing his own amateur videos that same year.<ref name=timeline/> He cites his entry into [[pornographic film]]s as a "logical extension" to his entrepreneurial approach.<ref name="OSAL"/> "[...] is a great way for career escorts to increase demand for their services, which in turn means more money."<ref name="OSAL"/> He also started modeling professional and was featured on Twink Search, a site specializing in [[twink (gay slang)|twink]]s - young-looking gay men with a slender build, little or no body hair and no facial hair.<ref name=timeline/> His first self-produced film, ''Aaron Jacks Off'' (1997), was followed by ''Aaron's Boys Tell All'' in 1998.<ref name=timeline/> Inspired to become more muscular he works out and in February 1998 is the featured model at www.CruisingForSex.com.<ref name=timeline/> In August 1998 he modeled for ''Skinflicks'' magazine while promoting ''Pushover''.<ref name=timeline/> In September 1998 he did his first full magazine layout for ''[[Freshmen (magazine)]]''.<ref name=timeline/> In November he appeared as the featured model on www.Boyweb.com in addition to other websites running his photos in connection to his promotion to find models for his own films.<ref name=timeline/> In January 1999 ''[[Unzipped (magazine)|Unzipped]]'' featured him as one of five rising [...] stars of 1999.<ref name=timeline/><ref name="AWM">''Award-Winning Men: Up Close and Personal with Gay Honorees'' (2002) Ed Karvoski, Jr.; ISBN 0-595-21769-9, ISBN 978-0-595-21769-4.</ref> In May 1999, coinciding with the release of ''[[Dream Team (1999 pornographic film)|Dream Team]]'', ''[[List of gay pornographic magazines|[...] Showcase]]'' profiled his career in the [...] industry.<ref name=timeline/> ''Suburban Hustler: Stories of a Hi-Tech Callboy'' also garnered both LGBT and mainstream media attention, including the ''[[New York Blade]]'' which ran an article on Lawrence, and ''Unzipped'', which reprinted an entire chapter.<ref name=timeline/> He became a cover model for ''First Hand'' magazine, and several radio interviews and a story in ''The Guide'' magazine also helped promote the book and author.<ref name=timeline/>

By the time his books and movies were succeeding, his website had regularly kept subscribers updated with every step of his career, including his 1999 marriage and "folksy" requests like his search for a housekeeper.<ref name="EVOGMP"/> When he went on cross-country trips to promote his books or movies, he would invariably have clients on hand to buy his products.<ref name="EVOGMP"/> The website also had a paid subscriber area offering sexually explicit images of himself and models he had recruited, as well as an online cinema offering video clips from himself and other amateur filmmakers.<ref name="EVOGMP"/> He included detailed descriptions and even photos of his [...] exploits around the world, all designed to help sell his books, movies and "even a "[[dildo]] based on a mold of his 8-inch erection".<ref name="EVOGMP"/> Using a laptop computer and modem while at film shoots, he offered well-narrated voyeuristic experiences of gay [...], often trying to share cultural differences between countries.<ref name="EVOGMP"/>

In August 1999, Aaron's Advice, a [[print syndication|syndicated]] online [...] advice column, was launched.<ref name=timeline/> Lawrence's modeling continued a successful run with the cover of ''Encounter Pages'', a supplement to the ''[[Dallas Voice]]'' and the centerfold of ''Inches'' magazine.<ref name=timeline/> The 2000 ''Adam Gay Video Guide'', an early publication documenting the industry including the [[Gay [...] Video Awards]], listed Lawrence and he was covered in ''Best of the Superstars : 2000 : The Year in [...]''.<ref name=timeline/><ref>''Best of the Superstars : 2000 : The Year in [...]'' (2000, reprinted 2004); Starbooks publisher, ISBN 1-891855-14-X, ISBN 978-1-891855-14-6.</ref>

The first of his travel films, ''Aaron's American Tour 1'' and ''Aaron's American Tour 2'', were filmed in 2000 while traveling in the US.<ref name=timeline/> He would edit and upload videos after each trip in order to finance the next one.<ref name="OSAL"/> He filmed his first foreign-country films in 2001, the two-part ''Aaron's Adventures in Amsterdam 1'' and ''Aaron's Adventures in Amsterdam 2''.<ref name=timeline/> Eventually he would record films in [[Russia]],; [[London]]; [[Thailand]]; [[Ukraine]]; [[Latvia]]; [[the Czech Republic]]'; and [[Slovakia]].<ref name=timeline/><ref name="OSAL"/> He produced a total of 36 amateur films, ending with ''Aaron's Bareback Orgy'' in 2003. ''Aaron's Russian Boy Orgy'' received a nomination for "Best Amateur Video" at the 2002 Gay Entertainment Awards, where he was also nominated for "Best Amateur Performer" and "Best Gay Author".<ref name=timeline/>

During the production of his own amateur films he continued to perform in productions for other studios; in 1999 he appeared in ''Virgin No More'', a film produced by [[All Worlds Video]].<ref name=timeline/> For his role in [[Studio 2000]]'s ''[[Dream Team (1999 pornographic film)]]'', he was nominated for "Best Supporting Actor" at the [[GayVN Awards]].<ref name=timeline/> He also appeared in ''Eric Magyar Goes West'', an amateur film he did not produce.<ref name=timeline/>

In October 2000 he released his second book, ''The Male Escort's Handbook: Your Guide to Getting Rich the Hard Way'' (2000), a "how-to" guide for those considering work as companions-for-hire.<ref name=timeline/> Although generally well received, there were some individuals who would confront him and accused him of "encouraging" others to take up escort work. He defended the book, pointing out that gay men worldwide were already [[male hustler|hustling]] and he was showing them how to do it safely, in order to avoid being the victim of [[hate crimes]], [[sexually transmitted diseases]] and personal safety issues. Morrison notes that Lawrence's [[[...]-positive]] predecessor [[Scott O'Hara]]'s books espoused that "the gay body could be (and should be) a source of pleasure".<ref name="EVOGMP"/> And Lawrence takes it to the next level, "the gay body not only pleasurable, but profitable".<ref name="EVOGMP"/>

==Videography==

Lawrence also acted in most of the films he directed.
;'''Director:'''
{| | valign="top" width=48% |
* ''Aaron's Casting Couch'' (2000)
* ''Aaron Jacks Off'' (2000)
* ''Aaron's First Orgy'' (2001)
* ''Aaron's Russian Boy Orgy'' (2001)
* ''Aaron's Hot Tub Party'' (2001)
* ''Aaron's European Friend'' (2001)
* ''Aaron's Boys Tell All'', Volume 1 and 2 (2001)
* ''Aaron's American Tour'', Volume 1 and 2 (2001)
* ''Aaron's Amateur Fun Fest'' (2001)
* ''Aaron's Adventures in Russia'', Volume 1-4 (2001)
* ''Aaron's Adventures in Amsterdam'', Volume 1 and 2 (2001)
* ''Aaron's Adventures in London'', Volume 1-3 (2001–2002)
* ''Aaron's London Boy Orgy'' (2002)
* ''Aaron's Bareback Orgy'' (2003)
|}

;'''Actor:'''
{| | valign="top" width=48% |
* ''Pushover'' (1998), repackaged as ''69 Gay Blowjobs #2''
* ''[[Dream Team (1999 film)|Dream Team]]''
* ''Virgin No More'' (1999)
* ''Pueris Collection 31: Never Say Never'' (2001)
* ''Eric Magyar Goes West''
* ''Rentboy Orgy ''
* ''ShowGuys 38''
|}

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
!Award
!Category
!Result
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|1999
| Best Web Presence
| [[List of gay [...] awards|Probie Awards]]
|{{nom}}<ref name=timeline/><ref name="POTFOJ"/>
|-
|1999
| Escort of the Year
| Male Escort Review
|{{won}}<ref name="timeline"/><ref name="EOTY">[http://www.daddysreviews.com/area.php?loc=62330-0-9-10&who=aaron_lawrence_summit Aaron Lawrence - Summit: 1999 -- M4M Escort of the Year: 2000 -- Escort of the Year Finalist] Daddy's Review, formerly Male Escort Review. 2005-2006.</ref>
|-
|2000
| Escort of the Year
| Male Escort Review
|{{nom}}<ref name="EOTY"/>
|-
|2000
|Best Supporting Actor
|[[GayVN Awards]] for ''[[Dream Team (1999 pornographic film)]]''
|{{nom}}<ref name="timeline"/><ref>[http://atkol.com/replies.asp?forum=3&topic=2295 ATKOL - 2000 GayVN Award Nominees] (archive copy).</ref>
|-
|2001
|Best Bottom Escort
|[[Male Escort Awards]]
|{{won}}<ref name="timeline"/>
|-
|2001
|Best Versatile Escort
|[[Male Escort Awards]]
|{{won}}<ref name="timeline"/>
|-
|2002
|Escort Hall of Fame
|[[Male Escort Awards]]
|{{won}}<ref name="timeline"/>
|-
|2002
|Best Amateur Video, Director
|[[List of gay [...] awards|Gay Entertainment Awards]] for ''Aaron's Russian Boy Orgy'' (2001)
|{{nom}}<ref name="timeline"/><ref name="GEA">[http://web.archive.org/web/20021127083433/http://gayentertainmentawards.com/ Gay Entertainment Awards 2002 Nominees] Gay Entertainment Awards, 2002 [...] Industry Categories nominees, (archived copy)</ref>
|-
|2002
|Best Amateur Performer
|[[List of gay [...] awards|Gay Entertainment Awards]]
|{{nom}}<ref name="timeline"/><ref name="GEA"/>
|-
|2002
|Best Published Gay Author
|[[List of gay [...] awards|Gay Entertainment Awards]] for ''The Male Escort's Handbook: Your Guide to Getting Rich the Hard Way '' (2000)
|{{nom}}<ref name="timeline"/><ref name="GEA"/>
|}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book | last=Lawrence | first=Aaron | coauthors=| title=Suburban Hustler: Stories of a Hi-Tech Callboy | location=Warren, NJ | publisher=Late Night Press | year=1999 | isbn=0-9667691-0-4 }}
* {{cite book | last=Lawrence | first=Aaron | coauthors=| title=The Male Escort's Handbook | location=Warren, NJ | publisher=Late Night Press | year=2000 | isbn=0-9667691-1-2}}

==See also==

* [[Adult [...] Gay Video Awards]] (Grabbys)
* [[Discontinued gay [...] awards]]
* [[Gay [...] Video Awards]]
* [[GayVN Awards]]
* [[Grabby recipients]]
* [[List of male performers in gay [...] films]]
* [[List of pornographic movie studios#Homosexual [...]|List of gay [...] movie studios]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*Aaron Lawrence [http://www.aaronlawrence.com official website]
*{{IMDb name|1092155|Aaron Lawrence}}
* {{iafd name|id=AaronLawrence|gender=male|name=Aaron Lawrence}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->
| NAME =Lawrence, Aaron
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American pornographic actor
| DATE OF BIRTH =1971-03-29
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Summit, New Jersey]]
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Aaron}}
[[Category:1971 births]]
[[Category:Actors in gay pornographic films]]
[[Category:American advice columnists]]
[[Category:American columnists]]
[[Category:American pornographic film directors]]
[[Category:American male pornographic film actors]]
[[Category:American relationships and sexuality writers]]
[[Category:American male writers]]
[[Category:Iowa State University alumni]]
[[Category:LGBT directors]]
[[Category:LGBT pornographic film actors]]
[[Category:LGBT writers from the United States]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Michigan State University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Summit, New Jersey]]
[[Category:[...] columnists]]
[[Category:[...] educators]]
[[Category:American male prostitutes]]
[[Category:Pornographic film actors from New Jersey]]