BEING surrounded by glamorous women and paid to have sex might sound like a dream for 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.
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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 Europe’s porn capital.
And ‘Porno Dan’, as he is know, has truly taken to the continent, becoming a die-hard Man City fan and an unlikely champion in delivering aid to Ukraine.
After beginning his career flogging office equipment as a salesman, Dan – whose fortune tops a million pounds – first ventured into the adult entertainment business in 1999, before leaving to go full-time in 2002.
Coming from a well-respected family who worked in American government, the move was a bit of a shock.
“I used to joke in university that I would have my own porn company one day, so I decided I’d make that a reality,” he says.
“I was a top salesman for a Fortune 500 company at the time, and the president allowed me to keep working there while I got my porn side off the ground.
“It was 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 now.”
He adds: “I’d worked for two Fortune 500 companies, I was an altar boy at church.
“I’d done what I was supposed to do, so decided to do what I wanted to.”
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Since then, Dan has established himself in the erotic industry and owns his own production company.
He has won numerous accolades for his work, but it is a far cry from his upbringing – and certainly not what his Catholic mum, who has since passed away, wanted him to be doing.
“My mother thought it was a joke a first,” he recalled.
“It only really clocked for her when I was on the front page of the Metro section of the Washington Post.
“It was the Sunday edition and everyone in her church had read it. My poor mother, as all her friends, knew what I was doing.”
Fateful day
Despite knowing his nickname was “Porno Dan”, however, the penny did not fully drop for a little while longer.
“In my mum’s mind it was like being a stuntman, that I wasn’t actually having sex,” he said.
“She saw a segment [regarding Dan] on Jimmy Kimmel and rang me asking, ‘why do you need condoms if it’s not real’, and I had to tell her it was.
“Mom then informed me I had to go to church and do acts of contrition for it.
“After that she was concerned about babies being conceived on set and what happened to them. So I joked we had a very fancy orphanage, which she believed before I told her it wasn’t a thing.
In my mum’s mind it was like being a stuntman, that I wasn’t actually having sex
Dan Leal
“She was a very sweet woman but rather naive.”
Dan was a member of his high school’s National Honour Society before going to George Mason University and graduating with a BA in Economics.
His Alma Marta is best known for producing Supreme Court judges, Nobel Prize-winning economists, and members of the US government.
He now works with the top stars of the adult industry from across the globe, and explains how strict safeguarding measures include each actor having to complete a tick box questionnaire confirming what acts they are happy to do.
When filming goes wrong
Dan’s production company differentiates itself with videos that tend to have a humorous slant to them – before going into the more classic action.
But his American brand of funny doesn’t always translate well.
One Easter skit, which saw Dan dressed up as a pink Easter Bunny hiding eggs around Budapest, left his two Russian models asking if he was “mad”.
While filming a show that invited fans to film scenes with their favourite stars, one contestant left the crew stunned when he managed to keep going for an hour.
“It’s longer than most professional guys would last, especially without help,” Dan recalls.
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Move abroad
Dan has been the subject of documentaries that have appeared on HBO and Netflix – including ‘Danland’, which charts his ill-fated attempts at finding love while working as a pornographer.
Despite not being the biggest fan of her son’s career change, his mum did appear in one documentary and remained close to him until she passed away.
His sister is supportive and her son, Hunter, 17, has always known of his uncle’s “Porno Dan” nickname, despite only realising what it meant when he turned 11.
Dan has promised to take him onto one of his sets after he’s turned 18.
If I’d not gone to Ukraine, I’d probably have lost my leg or died
Dan Leal
After 15 years working in the US, he opted to move to Europe and set up his production in Budapest, Hungary.
It also meant that he’d be able to go and see his beloved Manchester City play games in the UK regularly.
“A highlight of Europe is the football,” he said. “It’s just so much better than back home.”
But his involvement in Europe has gone beyond just producing porn films.
Aid for Ukraine
Dan has taken his adopted continent to heart, and actively tried to help out where he can in Ukraine’s war against Russia.
He became involved in trying to help thank to seeing YouTube videos by fellow American Johnny “FD” Jen, who he then persuaded to go back into Ukraine with him to find out what was really needed on the ground.
They decided to head into the warzone after Dan’s friend in the US government said “no one would stop them” despite it being a “mad idea”.
His former girlfriend and adult model Yuliia Seniuk – who has refused to move away from Ukraine – was another reason why he felt a connection to the country.
Previously speaking about his work in Ukraine, he said: “Actions speak louder than words, and I want to do all I can to help. I can’t stay silent.
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“It is the least I can do. I just fund the project, other people do the hard work.
“Much of Ukraine is devastated, but they are still fighting to keep what is theirs.”
The multi-millionaire has been buying old vans and giving them to a team, who refit them to be ambulances that can be taken to the front lines.
Dan has also delivered solar panels to the frontlines to ensure soldiers aren’t left without power.
It was this trip into the heart of Ukraine’s frontline that actually saved the porn king’s life.
“I’d just had surgery for some varicose veins and got my stitches out before I went out to take these batteries like I promised,” he said.
“I’d been worried about the operation, but the surgeon in Budapest told me it was all fine. I actually had blood poisoning but didn’t know.
“By the time I got to Lviv I was in real pain and a friend got in touch with a surgeon who saved my life.
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“So if I’d not gone to Ukraine, I’d probably have lost my leg or died.
“It goes to show 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 form a seedy underbelly, which recently has made headlines in both Europe and the United States.
In January this year, porn star Thania Fields was found dead after sharing that she had experienced “sexual abuse” at the start of her career in porn.
She said at the time: “I have suffered sexual harassment and abuse after starting to create adult content. It’s very strong.
“Many thought that by hiring me they could do what they wanted with me, but then I came home, took a bath and cried.”
Recently 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 confronted with some horrifying situations.
He says at least two models he knows off killed themselves while he was still producing, and many more simply seemed to disappear.
He said: “Over the years working in the industry, suicides were sadly fairly common.
“Often Eastern European women are brought into the industry at the hands of traffickers and forced into filming porn under threats of violence.
“It’s hard to work in this industry and not have your morals shift because so much goes on.
“I’ve also heard of rape allegations against top producers and suggestions that people have been drugged on set before filming.
“It was also commonplace for a bit in Europe that talent would forge clear tests so they could still work even if they had contacted something.
“There was a HIV outbreak in Europe about five years ago, which thankfully changed the way testing was done.”