1)  Describe your very first times tied up both off camera and on camera?

I remember my first bondage experience but it wasn't rope bondage.  I was booked to do a glamour shoot.  The photographer asked if I wanted to do some bondage.  I didn't know what bondage was but I wasn't going to admit that so I said "Sure!"  He put some leather cuffs on me and it was ok.  So I got online (back then it was the usenet newsgroups) and started looking for bondage shoots. I quickly discovered there was MUCH more to it than that.  I liked the challenge of it, pushing myself physically and mentally.  

2)   What is it about your work that you think makes you so popular with your fans?  

I don't really know what it is that people like or don't like.  My work has changed so much over the years.  Perhaps it's that I'm always changing things up that keeps people interested 

3)  Do you enjoy the pain elements that factor into some aspects of bondage modeling?  And, if so, why?

My official answer to that is bondage, when done correctly, should never cause pain.  If you're talking about mixing SM elements with pain, it is something I enjoyed at one time.   In general I didn't like bondage and pain together.  The bondage was often distracting, where for some I'm sure it enhances the experience.  

4)  To what do you attribute your longevity in the Internet bondage modeling world?

Persistence!

5)  What has bondage modeling taught you about yourself and other people?

Traveling all over the world by myself and working made me stronger for sure.  It showed me I could do almost anything I set my mind to.  It taught me to read people.  

6)   Are you very selective about with whom you work?  How do you decide who to model for or with?

I generally look at their site and see how difficult the bondage is, how the women are portrayed, the words that are used to describe the women.  I also check their twitter feeds to see how they interact with people, the things they post.  Are they gracious and kind or an entitled asshole?  If someone seems nice, I'll work with them. 

I would say that that particular story does show an abusive relationship. Some BDSM relationships are abusive, just as some vanilla relationships are abusive. The rise of porn infused fetish isn't helping as it often shows an unhealthy version. When I started out, the safe word was holy.  I was directed not too long ago on a shoot to keep hitting the sub after he used his safe word so we could see how much he could really take. That's not ok.  People see that scene, they see the sub being hit after his safe word and they think it's ok.  They think if they hit someone after they use their safe word it makes them more of a bad ass.  The lines between fantasy and reality are being blurred in a way that's not positive or healthy.  

8)   Have you, at any time in your modeling career, ever felt exploited?

Not very often as I have generally held my ground and not taken anyone's shit.  However, I did a shoot in Detroit that made me feel awful. It was set up by someone who I knew, liked and trusted.  The bondage was hard and painful but that wasn't the problem. I would do the positions for as long as I could, often pushing myself to take them longer than I should have.  When he would have to finally untie me because I was totally numb he would try to make me feel badly.  "No one else has ever needed to be out of my bondage before", as if it was my fault.  The producer treated me like I wasn't a person.  I was just a piece of meat being shoved around.  He never asked if something was too tight, if I was ok, etc. 

At one point I started crying during the shoot while tied up, which is very unlike me. He didn't react.  It escalated and I was hysterical.  At no point did he ask if I was ok.  He just kept rolling the camera.  After he untied me I looked in the mirror and my face was covered in my mascara. It wasn't just a tiny run here and there, the majority of my face was black with makeup.  There was no way he didn't realize I was upset.  He just didn't care.  When I told the person who set me up with the shoot what happened she said "yeah, he makes everybody cry." That would have been good information to have upfront so I could have made an informed decision.  And really what kind of a person keeps sending girls to someone who is treating them that way?  I don't if she got kickbacks or is just a horrible person but I definitely felt exploited during that shoot and for a long time after.  

9)  What do you think are the best and worst aspects of the adult industry?

The best part is that you can meet some amazing people.  I love how more women have taken control and are doing their own thing.  They're learning how to tie, shoot, edit, write code where before we were just models.  I love how creative some people are and that many of us can learn from each other, feed off each other's energies.  I've covered some of the worst aspects in previous questions. 

10)  How does the bondage modeling industry compare now to how it was when you began your career as a bondage model?

When I started it was very tame.  There were tons of yahoo groups that only wanted fully clothed women bound.  It was more innocent.  Now everyone wants naked, explicit, toys, vibrators.  It's changed into something else.  

11)  Out of all the bondage shoots you've done, which was the most memorable?  And which was the most fun?  And please tell us why they were most memorable and fun.

I've done so many it's hard to pick just one.  I will say that my favourite person to work with is Ashley Renee.  We have had good chemistry since day 1.  I love the scenes we do.  As a sub I would say the work I did with Cory "Mr T" Thompson.  Until that point the bondage work I had done was damsel in distress.  He showed me it could also be glamourous and sexy.  I felt powerful in his shoots even though I was bound. 

12)   Is there a shoot you have not done yet that is on your "bucket list"?  If yes, please tell us what it is.

I've pretty much done everything I wanted to do though I occasionally fantasize about being suspended from hooks. 

13)  What is the kinkiest thing you've ever done off-camera?

I prefer to keep my private sex life private

14)   What advice do you have for models who hope to enjoy the longevity you've enjoyed in the bondage modeling industry?

Pace yourself and stick to your limits.  Never be afraid to walk off a set. Being labeled difficult isn't nearly as bad as hating yourself the next day.  Show up on time, communicate clearly, support the people who hire you by promoting the content they shoot of you on social media.  Say please and thank you. Be nice to your fans and producers.  Without them, there is no you. 

15)   What is the source of your creativity?

There isn't any one source.  I used to get ideas when I was on tour, spending hours driving in my car with no radio.  I carried a little notebook then and would write, sketch positions, etc.  Usually they just pop in my head.  Sometimes it's inspired by something but most of the time it's completely random. 

16)    What else does Julie Simone want her fans to know about her and her work?

I self-published a book last year called "Gagged".  It's all head shots of people wearing a variety of gags.  I also have a tshirt line and a necktie line, all of which can be purchased here : www.etsy.com/shop/JulieSimone

My members' site turns 16 this year! There's a huge archive that has all my work as a rope bottom, as well as new updates being added twice a week.  www.JulieSimone.com

My clips store has individual scenes and dvd downloads and is updated every day : Store 9861

I also have a DVD store which has some great sales going on right now : www.videos4sale.com/9861

If you'd like to follow me on social media my twitter is JulieSimone7 and my instagram is julie_simone 

Lastly I would like to thank you, Rob, for this yahoo group and for giving people a safe space in which to share their work and fantasies.  

Julie Simone