Source: AVN Media Network
By: Company Press Release
* AVN’s Jan. ’04 AEE Issue is Biggest Ever
* Profile: Vivid – The Most Talked About Brand in Porn History
* Black Adult Star Heather Hunter Honored
* Queer Eye for Straight Adult Videos
AVN Publishes Biggest Issue Ever in January ’04
AVN – The leading information resource on the adult industry – has published its biggest issue ever, a 364-page blockbuster magazine with a 100-page supplement covering adult novelties. The 2004 Adult Industry Expo issue features a cover article on top adult industry studio Vivid Entertainment, a full range of on-set articles and reviews, a “Hall of Fame” profile of black star Heather Hunter, plus “innerview” stories on a gay director of straight XXX films, Chi Chi LA Rue, and on adult actress Ashley Blue, who has been nominated for nine honors at the 2004 AVN Awards show. She tells the magazine that her “world isn’t the same after porno – and I like that. Porn has made me feel so much better and empowered.” “It’s fitting that the January issue is our biggest ever, because it is being published as we are hosting the biggest Adult Entertainment Expo ever,” said AVN publisher and editor Tim Connelly. “Our Las Vegas show Jan. 8-11 will attract well in excess of 20,000 people who will get a chance to visit with hundreds of adult stars, see the exhibits and learn just how grown up our business has become. The show will give people a very good look at the state of the adult industry today, what’s hot and what new trends we can expect to see develop in the year ahead. And of course it’s topped off by the AVN Awards ceremony, where we’ll honor the best in the adult business.” Issue available at AdultVideoNews.com.
Cover Story: Vivid, the Most Talked About Brand in the History of Porn
For the past two decades, Vivid has led the way in the adult entertainment industry, according to the cover story in the January ’04 issue of AVN, the information leader for adult business. Vivid, says AVN publisher and editor Tim Connelly, “implemented the Hollywood star system; worked to develop marketing concepts that even the most ‘mainstream’ companies would covet; and took its high-gloss product from the shelves of adult bookstores to the pages of Vanity Fair. Vivid is the most talked about brand in the history of porn. They touted their mainstream acceptance, boasting, ‘Vivid, the Crossover Company,’ and now celebrate their licensing prowess with a campaign entitled ‘Vivid, Coming To a Store Near you.’
In a series of interviews with Vivid executives and industry leaders, Connelly traces the history of the company and uncovers its success secrets. One vital decision, he says, was Vivid’s decision to avoid an “old-fashioned porn” look, “From packaging to production to the Vivid Girl star system, the company sought an upscale, mainstream entertainment look . no one in 20-plus years has managed to steal Vivid’s sheen,” says AVN. Article available at:
AdultVideoNews.com/cover/cover0104_01.html.
Best Known Black Adult Star in History
Heather Hunter, the first black performer to become a bona fide porn star in the early 1990s and then dropped out of the business, keeps at least a toe in the industry where she achieved her fame. Hunter, a 34-year-old former Vivid Girl, is the subject of a feature profile in the January ’04 issue of AVN magazine, which has enrolled her in its 2004 “Hall of Fame.” “The stunning beauty is dedicating much of her time to her burgeoning music career and also recently completed a book loosely based on her journey in porn,” writes reporter Dan Miller. “Even though she spent a relatively short amount of time in front of the camera, Hunter arguably still is the best known black porn star in history,” says Miller. He notes that she continues to do feature dancer appearances at gentlemen’s clubs and is putting the finishing touches on a hip-hop album, “Double H: The Unexpected,” which is “The story of my life and where I came from. There’s some sexual education in there as well, looking into my world, expressed in a rhyme. Even if I tried to escape the X-rated industry it’s impossible. As soon as I step out the door everyday I’m faced with erotica, so why not capitalize?” she told AVN. Hunter also recently finished a non-fiction book called Where the Love is, which she describes as “The urban culture of Boogie Nights.” Says Hunter: “I don’t forget my past. I’m not trying to forget my past. From this point on I’m trying to pioneer. I’m proud of what I did, and people can accept me for who I am.” the full article is available at:
AdultVideoNews.com/hall/hall0104_01.html.
Queer Eye for the Straight Video:
One of the facts about the adult film business known chiefly to insiders is that one of the top directors of straight videos – Chi Chi La Rue – is actually a “flamboyant transvestite.” The January 2004 issue of AVN magazine (page 124) says LaRue is known as a taskmaster, but one of his hallmarks is an admiration for industry pros. “I think the girls and the guys in this business – gay, straight, transsexual, bisexual, everything – deserve all praise and utmost respect,” LA Rue tells AVN. Article available at:
AdultVideoNews.com/inner/iv0104_01.html.
About AVN:
AVN is the leading independent authority in adult entertainment, covering the industry ‘in Print, in Person and Online.’ the group includes the monthly magazines AVN and AVN Online, the leading adult industry trade shows Adult Entertainment Expo and Internext, the consumer show Erotica LA, and online content through the AVN.com news and information portal, along with cutting edge industry e-newsletters. AVN also hosts the annual AVN Awards ceremony every January in Las Vegas. For more information visit AVN.com. Or write PR@AVN.com. The company is based in Chatsworth, California.
Contact:
Patti Rogers, 212-338-0050, PR@AVN.com, for more information or press credentials.
