Sliding Scale and Sustainability at Filthy Studios

Sliding Scale and Sustainability at Filthy Studios

As many of you know, we've been a BDSM adult film studio and fetish photography space since 2016. About a year and a half ago, we opened our doors to events and education, and the community that’s come together since has honestly been one of the most meaningful parts of this whole journey.

A lot has changed since the pandemic accelerated the shift from the traditional studio model to the creator model. Like many in this field (adult and mainstream), we’ve been adapting and diversifying our work. These days, we offer:

It’s been exciting and challenging, and it’s pushed us to think deeply about what it means to stay sustainable without losing sight of the people and values that built this place.

At the same time, we’re not ignoring the climate we’re operating in. Queer, trans, sex-positive spaces and small businesses like ours are under increasing pressure, from platform censorship and financial restrictions to a growing wave of legislation targeting expression, education, and bodily autonomy. The current administration is actively working to criminalize us, making it harder for us to exist.

We believe it’s more important than ever to hold space anyway. To offer education, connection, and care on our terms, with people who share our values, even when it’s a stretch. We’re figuring out what sustainability looks like, and we’d love your input and support as we go.

So What Is a Sliding Scale?

Sliding scale means you choose what you pay from a few tiered options. We don’t ask for proof. We don’t need a story. We trust you to know what you can afford.

Each class might have different pricing depending on what it takes to run. Some events need extra staff or gear, some have limited space, and some demos are more intensive or vulnerable. We believe in valuing people’s time, labor, and expertise, and we do our best to reflect that in our pricing so folks get paid. Even so, we try to keep the lowest tier at $20 or under whenever possible.

We also offer at least two scholarship tickets per class and add more as folks pay higher-tier rates.

If $20 is out of reach, and we ever run out of scholarship tickets for a class (hasn’t happened yet, but it could), we’ve still got you. Our monthly skill-shares and mask-required rope jams are no one turned away for lack of funds (NOTAFLOF). Just email us, and we’ll make it work.

We also want to be upfront that some future events may not use a sliding scale. We’re exploring occasional full-price classes or parties to help fund our sliding scale programming. These higher-cost events, in theory, will help us subsidize accessible education, cover studio expenses, and keep scholarship tickets available for those who need them. If you're able to attend or support those future events, you're helping make space for others, too.

What the Tiers Mean

These may shift as we learn and grow, but we’ll always post the most up-to-date tier info on each event. For future event listings, sliding scale pricing will be shown as follows:

Community-Powered ($10–25) – A reduced rate made possible by community support

Supporter ($25–50) – A partially community-supported rate for those who can chip in a little more

Sustainer ($40–100) – Covers the full cost and keeps the class running

Sponsor ($80+) – Helps fund accessibility and community-supported spots

Why It Matters

Some folks ask whether sliding up means getting extra access or a physical product. Fair question. The truth is, the sliding scale model asks us to step outside the dominant way of doing business, where paying more usually means getting more. Sliding scale programming relies on the value of shared access so more people can show up, learn, and connect.

Help Us Keep This Space Going

We’re doing our best to hold onto this space, even as the climate gets tougher for queer, kinky, and sex-positive work. If that resonates with you, there are a few ways to support what we’re building.

Fill out our quick survey – Tell us what classes you want, what’s working, and how we can do better

Donate – Even small contributions help us stay open and accessible

Sponsor a class – Help cover costs and make sure folks who can’t afford a ticket still get to learn and connect. We can feature you or your business in our promotion and class materials. (email: info@filthystudios.com)

Hire us – We offer photography and video production, and we’re especially excited to collaborate on queer, trans, and sex worker-led projects (email: info@filthystudios.com)

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