paul smith's Snaps & Bytes e-home
March 2006: PAUL SMITH’S DEVIANT’S DIARY - Out to Launch - Meeting Wicked Pictures.
You'll probably already know Wicked Pictures' name much better than I did. Before their launch of five new film titles through Blackhorse Entertainment on February the 14th, I was only dimly aware of them as a big US adult studio. It's important that I name those five films. So, before I get sidetracked by tales of strap-on wearing goats and forget, they're Fluff & Fold, Neighbors (not sure if this has the English English spelling for the UK. Probably not.) Valley 911, The Collector and Highway. These are the 18 rated versions, and the company promises a minimum of a further 27 soft films from Wicked through Blackhorse in the coming year. Steve Orenstein, President of Wicked, told me the non-secret of their success and explained their plans for the UK market.
"We make consistently high quality products, sign the best talent in terms of actresses, actors and directors, and keep integrity in the way we do business. That way we can sell off the back of our brand, off the names of our stars and off the reputations of our directors. The way adult entertainment is marketed has been changing for the last ten, eleven years and what was once an isolated 'porn world' that we weren't allowed out of is now getting much more mainstream. Wicked has been great at picking up on those opportunities -TV shows, events- Every time we do that, we open ourselves up to a whole wider audience. We're still limited though. As much as things open up, there are still limits as to who'll take our advertising, and the types of things we can do that are appropriate. Now, in the UK, we have the support of a major distributor in Blackhorse, with long-term plans to grow our brand here for the first time. Since they're already very strong in the 18 market, it makes sense to take the first step of bringing them our 'Cable Version' product. It's the same soft material we sell in the States and around the world. So this visit and launch is very important to us. To have the girls come out and meet everybody, the buyers, to discuss repackaging for box sets of Jessica and Stormy films, and other boxed concepts, the advertising Blackhorse are doing, the magazine features we've been talking about- Actually I understand ETO have a convention (referring to our Birmingham NEC show in July) and we're discussing doing something there too."
In classic Paul Smith style I seem to have skipped ahead. To fill you in on some company background, New Yorker Steve established Wicked in Canoga Park, California, in 1993, having worked as a Partner at X-Citement Video for some years. Rapidly gaining a reputation for quality productions, as well as many industry awards, even then the company's aim was to make films that appealed to couples and women as well as men. The signing of Jenna Jameson in 1995 brought both her and Wicked Pictures kudos, which was only enhanced with the exclusive signing of actor-turned-director Brad Armstrong. He's the creative force behind many well know titles, including Dream Quest and Falling From Grace. Knowing that the right performers were core to his business plan Orenstein also signed Serenity, Missy and her then-husband Mickey G. More AVN and other awards followed. Penthouse Centrefold Devinn stared for Wicked in Improper Conduct and In Style, amongst others, before turning to production and directing The Devinn Lane Show series and Road Trixxx. The new millennium brought fresh challenges, especially in terms of distribution media. Wicked made aggressive use of the developing Internet market, and their DVD version of Flashpoint set the bar high for extra feature standards and presentation quality in the adult film arena.
Wicked also hooked up with Susan Colvin's California Exotic Novelties to produce a line of high-end toys, branded Wicked Essential Elements, complete with input from their stable of stars. Fan favourite Sydnee Steele soon joined them, and in spring 2002 Steve added Julia Ann who immediately hit gold with Jonathan Morgan's Hercules. In the autumn of that year a beautiful busty blonde from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, became a Wicked Girl: Stormy. Keen to keep things exciting behind the camera as well as in front of it, multi-award-winning director Michael Raven was also signed. He soon delivered on the promise of his reputation, creating Wicked's biggest picture of the year, the film noir fantasy Beautiful, starring Julia Ann. If the plaudits of your peers are a gauge, 2004 was a great year, with Wicked getting a massive 71 nominations for the 2005 AVN Awards. Last year saw the addition of in-demand 'anal-specialist' Keri Sable to Wicked, while Steve took the firm into the less-charted waters of mobile phone technology, adult trading cards, erotic action figures and potentially very lucrative public talent searches. Simon Cowell, one hopes, isn't involved. With a history of balancing solid productions with in-demand stars against innovative ideas and creative freedom, you can be sure their reintroduction into the UK market will be another step forward for the business.
Yes, their 18-rated distribution deal with Blackhorse is a reintroduction of Wicked to the British porn-buying public. Some years ago, in the days of VHS-only films, their product was officially handled for them here by a number of disties, but more on a title-by-title basis than as an overall brand. Those deals expired long ago. Blackhorse promise things will be handled with more focus on Wicked Pictures as a label rather than a bunch of disparate movies this time.
Steven Vlottes, Vice President (the perfect title for anyone in the adult industry, surely) of International Sales and Licensing looked familiar and it turns out he had met some of the ETO crowd before, at our Hilton room during last November's Erotica. I asked him what had made Blackhorse the right distribution partner for them.
"It was a year ago, last November, that we sent out a blanket letter to all the UK distributors saying we wanted to meet them at the Erotica show. So we saw a number of folks and Blackhorse pursued the line vigorously. They were incredibly professional and certainly had the game plan that Wicked were looking for. A real arrangement as opposed to just 'here's your money, we want these titles' and that's the end of it. They had a whole strategy laid out, along with years of success with other companies 18 lines."
Steve took over. "I met with them in LA and here in the UK and their 50 year history got me. How many distributors have a 50-year history? The put together a great plan for us and they have a serious long-term view. They're not just thinking how can we make money on this title, this week? The five launch titles are all very strong, with good variety. Fluff & Fold's a romantic story, which Jessica won best actress for. Highway stars both the girls and Stormy actually wrote. Valley 911's a comedy, so there's a range. In terms of anticipated sales numbers, my favourite number is 'more'. This is a new market for us so it's hard to say what the volumes will be like, but the product is really good and the people we've met have all been very positive about it. The other thing about numbers is where do you draw the line? Is it the first weekend of release, or five years later? Unlike a mainstream movie that'll do most of its business in the first month, porn titles don't die. We're also working on a VOD offering here like our Wicked TV in the States. We view VOD as an additional revenue stream, with little if any negative impact on hard-good sales. It's not big enough yet, and it's hard to say when it might be. As other distribution technology becomes available, be-it a DVD replacement or whatever, we'll look at it."
I asked which UK retailers had already signed up for their soft product, and what margins they could expect. "Those are more questions for the Blackhorse guys", said Steven, before introducing me to Karl Wainwright, general manager, and Andy Dennis, senior national accounts manager, from the well respected UK firm. They'd been hiding in a bedroom. They were able to fill in the 'British' specific info that Wicked didn't have. Karl explained, "The trade cost is around the £10 mark, with a retail price of £12.99-£14.99. HMV have confirmed they'll be taking Wicked, as have Virgin. Blockbuster are still considering it, but because they're family-orientated, it's still up in the air." Andy added, "They're looking to expand their market and 18-rated product is one area where they can grow their share. Adult products have got a draw and there is a demand out there for them, on the High Street." When I suggested Tesco might consider Fluff & Fold a step too far, Karl gave a wry smile. "A UK food chain are actually looking at an adult product trial at the moment, and we're in talks with them."
"Would you put a name to that UK food chain?"
"No."
My next question was the obvious one. Now they're distributing Wicked's 18-rated products, would Blackhorse be supplying the R18 rated versions in future?
"We're considering R18, not just for Wicked Pictures but for others as well. Our company's never been involved in that area before, but it is in our strategy for the future. Obviously Blackhorse is very dominant in the 18 market - We probably are the biggest UK distie for softcore. We currently have nine different adult labels we distribute for, including Private, Adults Only, Peach from the US and UK Relish. Adult films make up about 45% of our business. So it would be a very natural progression to carry Wicked's R18s on top of the softer versions once they've been built up. It makes sense for us to handle Wicked completely as a label so that we can grow their brand and business in the UK."
Returning to the currently available product, I wanted to know who Blackhorse had targeted their attention on generally. Ann Summers name came up, as did several mail order and online firms (I tend to forget the postal 18 business is very much alive and well, and not being stalked by Liverpool Trading Standards) and your usual spread of High Street shops. Licensed shops aren't an obvious target for Wicked's 18-rated output simply because they don't offer the same margins as R18 films, but if you've a licensed area at the rear and a softer, fluffier shop floor at the front, Blackhorse would love to hear from you too.
I asked what the attraction of Wicked was to Blackhorse. "It's a high-profile product", said Andy, sitting back with a branded cola. "They make feature films which happen to be erotic rather than your usual 'lets get naked and go for it', no storyline stuff. Our job is to educate people about the difference. The 18-rated versions of Wicked's films aren't just cut versions - they film all the action from several angles, including a soft one, if you like. So the 18's aren't butchered hardcore films, they're simply re-edited to avoid showing penetration, and anything else the BBFC don't like. We believe that to make a product work you need to make it collectable, and by keeping the Wicked brand at the forefront, people will recognise the name stands for quality and be drawn back. That's the theory anyway. Plus a good image on the sleeve helps. We've followed the US artwork on most titles, amended a few for UK tastes and a few others from the 32 we plan to circulate this year have been totally changed. Our contract with Wicked is for those 32 films, but we hope to have a relationship with them which goes forward into 2007 and beyond."
Taking a break from talking business, I turned to the two lovely Wicked Girls who'd been waiting very patiently for attention.
Jessica's a Texan girl now enjoying life in LA. In the course of our chat I discovered the day before she'd been given a Scotch egg by Maxim for winning a bout of Foxy Boxing -it's just something Maxim do at their photo shoots, apparently. She didn't like it- and she discovered my favourite position is doggy. Well, she did ask and it would have been rude to not give a genuine answer, after all the personal questions I'd been asking her! I wanted to say anal in the doggy position, but I didn't want to embarrass her. While talking about food (I did hear she's a food critic under her own name, but didn't get a chance to confirm this with her. It might be a secret anyway) I warned her against Black Pudding and she listed the best places to eat in Las Vegas. I'd met both actresses at the film launch 'do' at Secrets International Table Dancing Club near Euston Station the night before, and chatted while watching pole dancers do their thing. At this point I feel duty bound to tell you I don't know what an international table is, or how it dances. I'd done a bit of research at WickedPictures.com so knew Jessica had won AVN awards for best tease performance, best oral sex scene and best actress, which she won in 2005 for Fluff & Fold. Now, I thought F&F was an obscure sex act I was unfamiliar with, but it turns out to just be a Laundromat service thing. So she assured me, anyway. On the freakier side of things, she was impressed with my psychic abilities when I suggested she have a secret desire for midgets, and we ended up talking about goats with strap-ons. As you do.
At the Blackhorse hosted event at Secrets, which was my first visit to such an establishment, I received several winks and quite a few sticky-out-tongues from the dancers. I don't know if this was good or bad. Was I being told off for staring, or was I being rewarded for maintaining eye contact against my natural urges as a heterosexual man? When I said to a chap from Blackhorse's PR firm that my exposure to girl-flesh over the years for ETO had left me hardened, he suggested 'desensitised' as a better word. Since they usually look after the likes of the Cherished Licence Plate division of the DVLA, I guess he wasn't suffering from the same problem. I didn't glance down to check. Jessica and Stormy had a more direct approach, calling to someone in the crowd, "We'll take that one" and "Is she available as take-out?" as one particularly nubile pixie bumped and ground on the podium. While sipping my orange juice, people making full use of the free bar looked at me like I was mad, but I'm not easily swayed by public opinion. I met two guys from Fiesta who I know read ETO (Hi Paul, I hope you're feeling better) and a very chatty bloke from Forum, who knew a lot about trade union rights for sex workers. For more info visit IUSW.org. Professional Dominatrixes of the world untie!
Stormy has the most beautiful pair of cornflower blue eyes. I wanted to ask if they were contacts, but realised if they were, I'd be a fool for spoiling the illusion. Ridiculous as it might seem for an actress in pornographic films, at first she seemed a little shy as we talked. But before long she was laughing with everyone else, and calling out "Standing Doggy in the shower" at unexpected moments. "I'm sorry?" I said, confused. Apparently the one question she always gets asked in interviews is what's her favourite sexual position, and since I'd not probed, she felt I was missing out. We spoke briefly about the joy of hot cascading water before talk turned to The 40 Year Old Virgin, the Universal Pictures film starring Steve Carell, which came out on DVD here in January. If his name's not familiar, he's the American version of Ricky Gervais in the US remake of The Office. I knew Stormy features in the film, because her movie 'Space Nuts' gets some screen time and she's in a short fantasy sequence. What I didn't know was there's an extra deleted scene with her showing more flesh and one of the DVDs extras is a feature called 'My Dinner with Stormy' - How cool is that? I wish I'd have known beforehand; I'd have bought a copy sooner rather than later and asked her to sign it for me. She also told me about her writing and directing work with Wicked, explaining how she approached making porn that appeals to women as well as men. As I packed up to leave plans were being made for some R&R time during the ladies first visit to the UK. The London Eye seemed to be losing to a trip to Harrods. Hear more from, and about, the girls in the Reader's Lives feature at the back of this month's ETO.
My thanks go to Steve, Steven, Jessica, Stormy, plus Karl and Andy from Blackhorse and Simon and Sean from Wyndham-Leigh who were looking after everyone. I was made to feel very welcome and no one even complained when I asked the girls to pose with my teddy bear, Curly. It made our day.
Blackhorse Entertainment.
Uplands Business Park
Blackhorse Lane
London
E17 5QJ
Switchboard 020 8501 9273
Sales 020 8527 1035
Fax 020 8501 9257
sales@blackhorse~antispam~entertainment.com
Almost 3000 words, I hope they're all good for you mate.
Apart from a few questions for the girls
which I ran out of time for, I think I covered all the bases in the list
of questions you sent me. Thanks again for those. If I'm missing anything
I have everyone's email address (except the girls', but Jessica has mine,
and my phone numbers… ;-) ) and enough time to sort out an answer before
the deadline, I hope.
Paul.