UF students Googling office hours for one professor might not like what they find — or they might.
UF professor Clay Calvert’s last name is now synonymous with mass media law and a porn star’s budding career. A UF alumna who took his course decided to honor the professor by taking his name to the porn industry.
Casey Calvert, a rising star in adult films, graduated academically and sexually during her time at UF. The Gainesville native thought pornography was illegal until she took Calvert’s class on mass media law as a sophomore, where she learned that the industry was legitimate and thriving.
“It felt right because really if I hadn’t taken his class, I wouldn’t be where I am right now,” Casey said. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”
The 23-year-old asked to be identified only by her stage name for confidentiality.
UF College of Journalism and Communications professor Calvert had no clue Casey was out there using his name in hardcore, softcore and every porn scene in between until he received an email from a student who had spotted Casey during his online activities. Casey also received a copy of the email, and she sent an apology to Calvert shortly afterward.
“I was startled to learn and discover an adult video star had taken my last name for her porn name,” Calvert said.
Although Casey’s interest in porn reached back to her teenage years when she saw her first adult movies, she didn’t kiss a boy until her freshman year of college. She said she lost her virginity senior year.
“I was essentially celibate because I wasn’t confident enough to go out and get a boyfriend,” she said.
Her sexual curiosity extended to the hardcore-bondage scene, where her first foray into adult modeling took place. The then-college senior answered an ad on a fetish social media site from an Orlando man looking to do a bondage shoot.
Placing her trust in a stranger, Casey posed for pictures completely tied up. Nothing sexual happened past her being nude, but she discovered a passion that would carry her through the early days of her career.
Once she graduated from UF in 2012, Casey explored fetish photography further, modeling for more than 300 shoots that spanned the spectrum of human sexuality.
She even takes special requests — as long as they aren’t illegal. Her most memorable request to don scuba gear in the bedroom was trumped this year by a fan who wanted her to sexualize the movie “Gremlins 2: The New Batch.”
“Porn is a safe way to explore fantasies,” she said.
She stayed as a fetish model for about a year, until Mark Spiegler took notice of her.
Spiegler is an agent for adult actresses, and Casey said he’s choosy when it comes to picking new talent. So when he asked Casey to sign a contract, she jumped at the opportunity.
She had a gentle transition into hardcore pornography, shooting a romantic and sensual scene for her first gig. The second shoot was over-the-top rough.
“I was so nervous that day. I thought I was gonna cry,” she said. “But once I got past that, I realized how much I like performing for the camera.”
And for the first few months, Casey’s career was like that — nervous before shoots but a perfectionist once she got on set. She found a new confidence while she did everything under the sun in pornography.
One year and more than 100 men later, Casey grew from a wide-eyed adult actress to a contender for Best New Starlet for 2014’s Adult Video News Awards. Though she didn’t take home any awards, her fans’ reactions have been consistent: Casey is hot stuff.
Now, she’s living in Los Angeles, earning a comfortable six figures and dating a director in the industry.
Casey isn’t the only UF student to dabble in porn. She said she knows of a couple alumni who are in the industry and a few current students modeling for fetish shoots.
Although her alter ego was never outed publicly during her time at the university, she knew the threat of criticism and shaming was real. That same threat exists for students now entering the adult industry who walk the thin line between their public and private lives.
“We use stage names for a reason,” she said. “If a girl wanted to come out as a fetish model, it’s her responsibility.”
She said the negative stereotypes associated with porn are mostly untrue. Most girls are there because they want to be, and the confidence she’s gained from her time in the industry was unrivaled by anything she’s experienced in life.
“I love all the different opportunities that porn gives me,” she said. “Some days I go to work and I just make smut, but other days I go to work and I make art.”
[This story has been changed to reflect an editing error: Casey Calvert's agent's name is Mark Spiegler, not Mike Spiegler. A version of this story ran on page 15 on 4/23/2014 under the headline "UF alumna porn star takes stage name from UF professor"]
Casey Calvert graduated from UF in 2012. The 23-year-old works and lives in Los Angeles, one of the major porn-producing cities in the U.S.
