There’s a long-standing stereotype for what a porn star is supposed to be like. Many jokes and assumptions about daddy issues, traumatic childhoods, neglect, abuse and drug addiction are commonly used when people refer to adult talent and the reasons behind their career choice.

But when you work in the industry and get to talk to some of the performers, many times you’ll find yourself surprised about the different and interesting backgrounds that lead them to become the porn stars they currently are. It’s not all glamour, nor all decadence. There are many funny anecdotes, awkward and unexpected moments and heartwarming stories.

Holly Randall is an adult industry lifer — quite literally. Both of her parents ran their own porn studio, so being around the business and their performers was the norm since she was very young. Having filmed and photographed for some of the top adult magazines and websites out there, Holly has established herself as a well-known and respected photographer in her own right, and has forged many relationships within the industry that have given her a much more open look at what the life of a performer is all about.

Randall wanted to shed some light on the side that audiences don’t usually get to see so she’s starting a project called Inside the Porn Star in which she interviews adult performers in very candid and entertaining conversations in order to show the real side of them.

“My idea behind this series of interviews is to demystify the public’s idea of what a porn star is like, and show that not only are many of them down-to-earth, real people, but also smart, driven and personable,” Randall said. “Today’s porn star is a business woman who controls her own career and makes her own choices. Today’s porn star is a sexually empowered woman in control of her life — not a victimized, broken woman. The series of interviews is not only informative, but really funny, and I think it will surprise and delight so many porn fans to see what their favorite girl is really like in person.”

To finance this series of interviews, she created a Tubestart crowdfunding campaign. The goal is to reach $15,000 by the end of May and the first full three episodes would feature interviews with Dani Daniels, Nikki Benz and Aaliyah Love.

Donations start at $10 and go as high as $6,000. Incentive prizes for those who contribute to the cause go from Inside the Porn Star’ memorabilia and signed photographs to attending a Holly Randall photo shoot with a porn star.

The original plan is to post these interviews as a YouTube channel series but as Randall puts it herself: “If it succeeds, the sky’s the limit!”