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{{short description|British web entrepreneur (born 1970)}}
'''Peter Thomas Acworth''' (born October 12, 1970) is a British web entrepreneur based in [[San Francisco]]. He was the founder and [[CEO]] of [[Kink.com]], an internet pornography producer that focuses on [[BDSM]] and [[sexual fetishism|fetish]] themes. According to the ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'', Acworth's work has been guided by "Kink's principles of intimate, conversational, playful, and mutually enjoyable interactions",<ref name="SFBG">[http://www1.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=7161&volume_id=317&issue_id=397&volume_num=42&issue_num=52&l=1 "Kink Dreams"], ''[[San Francisco Bay Guardian]]'', September 24, 2008.</ref> and he has expressed the belief that "a product line should come from an individual's actual fantasies."<ref name="CatalinaLoves">[http://catalinaloves.com/2008/09/28/catalina-loves-kinkcom-ceo-peter-acworth/ "Catalina Loves Kink.com CEO Peter Acworth"] by Catalina Loves, ''[[CatalinaLoves.com]],'' September 28, 2008. {{dead link|date=April 2014}}</ref>▼
{{Use British English|date=February 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
▲'''Peter Thomas Acworth''' (born 12 October
==Career==
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| publication-place = Huffington Post
| url = https://www.huffpost.com/author/peter-acworth
| access-date = 4 December 2020
}}</ref><ref name="Mooallem">
{{Citation
| last = Mooallem
| first = Jon
| date = April 29, 2007
| title = A Disciplined Business
| work = New York Times Magazine
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/29/magazine/29kink.t.html
| access-date = 4 December 2020
}}</ref>
Acworth entered the pornography industry when he was a PhD student in finance at [[Columbia University]]. After reading a story in a British tabloid about a firefighter who made [[Pound Sterling|£]]250,000 in a short period by starting an internet pornography site, Acworth decided to start a porn site of his own. Since Acworth had what he described as a lifelong interest in bondage, he oriented the site toward BDSM porn.<ref name="Mooallem"
The site, [[Kink.com#Hogtied|Hogtied]], featured content licensed from other bondage pornography producers.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2017634/ Kink (2013), documentary on fetish website Kink.com]</ref> Acworth soon left his graduate studies to work on the site full-time.<ref name="Mooallem" />▼
▲The site, [[Kink.com#Hogtied|Hogtied]], featured content licensed from other bondage pornography producers.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2017634/ Kink (2013), documentary on fetish website Kink.com]</ref> Acworth soon left his graduate studies to work on the site full-time.<ref name=Mooallem/>
In 1998, Acworth moved from [[New York City]] to [[San Francisco]]. Finding that sales were leveling off because other sites were using the same content, Acworth began producing his own content, initially featuring himself with various models whom he found through [[Craigslist]] or through his photographer friends.<ref name=Mooallem/>
In 2000, Acworth founded his second site, [[Fucking Machines]],<ref name="VillageVoice">[http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-07-16/columns/the-man-behind-the-fucking-machine/ " The Man Behind the Fucking Machines"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130413065001/http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-07-16/columns/the-man-behind-the-fucking-machine |date=13 April 2013 }}, ''[[Village Voice]]'', July 16, 2008</ref> under Cybernet Entertainment, Inc., the corporate entity that ran Hogtied.com. A number of additional sites followed, and in 2006 Acworth changed the corporate name of Cybernet to [[Kink.com]].<ref name="BehindKink">[http://news.behindkink.com/blog/default/2008/02/01/Kink-com-Celebrates-its-10-year-Anniversary "Kink.com Celebrates its 10-year Anniversary"], ''[[Behind Kink]]'', February 1, 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820041741/http://news.behindkink.com/blog/default/2008/02/01/Kink-com-Celebrates-its-10-year-Anniversary |date=August 20, 2008 }}</ref>
In late 2006, Acworth announced the purchase of the [[San Francisco Armory]]. He announced that Kink.com would move into the building to use as corporate offices and as a studio for producing its movies. As a result, he sold Kink.com's then-current office at 942 Mission Street for $6.5 million, more than double what he had paid for it four years earlier. ''The San Francisco Business Times'', part of [[Bizjournals]], reported that since moving to San Francisco in 1998, Acworth had also made large profits on a home in the Marina and Hogtied.com's original studios on 8th Street. Acworth told the paper that he would not be buying any additional property in San Francisco. "All of our real estate profits are in the Armory", he said.<ref name="Bizjournals">[http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/02/25/tidbits1.html "Working Out the Real Estate Kinks"], ''[[Bizjournals]],'' February 22, 2008.</ref>
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Acworth's purchase of the Armory was met with local protest, but (as summarized by ''The San Francisco Chronicle'') "Acworth eventually won praise for the restoration work he did on the brick Moorish castle, which had long been empty".<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/SF-Armory-sells-for-65-million-to-be-used-12560076.php|title=SF Armory sells for $65 million — to be used for manufacturing and offices|last=Dineen|first=J.K.|date=2017-02-07|work=San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=2018-02-09}}</ref> In 2018, the building was sold for $65 million, following a several-year decline in Kink.com's revenue.<ref name=":0" />
As of 2008, Acworth was continuing to perform occasionally in Kink.com projects in addition to serving as CEO.<ref name="BehindKink2">[http://news.behindkink.com/blog/default/2008/08/25/Peter-Acworth-Directs-Test-Shoot-for-Fantasy-Takedown-Site "Peter Acworth Directs Test Shoot for Fantasy Takedown Site"], ''[[Behind Kink]]'', August 25, 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080909171904/http://news.behindkink.com/blog/default/2008/08/25/Peter-Acworth-Directs-Test-Shoot-for-Fantasy-Takedown-Site |date=September 9, 2008 }}</ref> Acworth was replaced as CEO by long time associate [[Alison Boden(businesswoman)|Alison Boden]] in 2018 to pursue personal projects.<ref>Sex site Kink’s new CEO moves ahead, unchained from past, by Benny Evangelista. San Francisco Chronicle. https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Sex-site-Kink-s-new-CEO-moves-ahead-unchained-12902636.php?psid=oxRHu</ref> He returned as CEO in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=JC |title=Kink.com Founder Peter Acworth Returns as CEO |url=https://www.xbiz.com/news/261908/kink-com-founder-peter-acworth-returns-as-ceo |access-date=6 March 2023 |work=XBIZ |language=en}}</ref>
Acworth was arrested in February 2013 for obstruction of justice for allegedly delaying police while they investigated a report of firearms having been shot in the Armory's historic shooting range. Police then found a gram of cocaine about Acworth's person and he was additionally charged with possession
==See also==
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