Ten years ago, Dane Productions entered the adult business with one movie and a dream.
The movie was Nineteen #1, the dreamers were Edward C., president, and Bob B., executive vice president (though initially there was a third founder, he’s no longer with the company). The duo incorporated in 1996; by 2001, Dane’s earnings had reached into seven figures.
It all came about as a result of the successful lines that Dane introduced over the years.
“We started growing,” said Edward. “We created University Coeds, and Panty World, and Virgin Stories. Then we started Runaways. These are all lines. We have a POV series, then we have True Crimes. And Oral Exams. Also, Hookers.”
Come 2003, the company took a couple of major hits. One of the original owners left the company, selling out his interest in the business to another company. This did not sit well with Edward. “I didn't give approval, and the corporate papers said I had to give approval,” said Edward. “So that's when things got awfully messy.” After two court appearances, the deal was found illegal, and Edward was able to get control of Dane. (Bob would join Dane in 2004).
Also in 2003, the company felt the sting of pirating.
“It's been a rough road,” said Bob. “Because when we were pirated, everything was taken. We basically had to redo everything over again. But Ed's a very stubborn man.” After scaling back to cut expenses and a can-do spirit, things are once again turning around for Dane.
A key reason for that turnaround is keeping aware of what the customer wants.
“When my customers call me for certain items, rather than just fill the orders, which would be very easy for me to do, I call them up and I say, "What sells best in your area," and whether it's a dollar product or a 10 dollar product, they're handled the same way,” explained Bob. “I ask them exactly what they want, and our warehouse man packs it the way we want it packed for each customer. It takes a lot of time to do that, but you build a relationship with these people, and they tend to trust you, especially when you're not a kid. I'm 60 years old, and I'm not here to hurt anybody, I'm here to help people as much as I can.”
One way Dane answered the needs of the fans was with the creation of the imprint Dane Hardcore, catering to a more intense porno aesthetic.
“We have a few titles (Hollywood Tails, Born Whores and others) that are going in a different direction,” Bob said. “The public wanted a little bit more hardcore stuff than we normally do. They wanted some interracial, like, some real hardcore, stuff that Dane is not known for doing. We decided to make some titles, and we did, and we’re doing real well with them. The fans wanted something a bit harder.”
Speaking of fans, just who makes up the Dane demographic?
“I would say it starts at about 18 and goes up to 60,” offered Bob. “We get guys who like young girls, young school girls, innocent girls. Girls that run away from home, they want to know why they ran away from home. We tell stories rather than just going into straight bang bang bang. Anyone can do that.”
Two years ago, the company began distributing the work of other studios.
“We’ve been doing distribution about two years now,” Bob stated. “Thecompanies came to us for a simple reason: We write good checks. Ed writes you a check, you can put it in the bank right now, and the studios like that. Distribution works out fine for us.”
Dane currently distributes the releases of All Digital Media, Camel Toe, Club Summer Haze, Cobra Digital, Dave Pounder Productions, Daydream Productions, Dead Man Hanging, Omnique Erotica and Victoria Givens Productions.
The men of Dane take great pride in their personal brand of straight-shooting honesty, something that can be unfortunately elusive in this industry.
“I was always in a business where there was always terrific customer service, more than you find in most places,” offered Bob. “That seems to be paying off, here. People have a good relationship with us and with Dane.” The company has also been responsible for introducing some top names to the porn world.
“Bridgette Kerkove, Anastasia Blue, Julie Meadows, Gwen Summers, Aurora Snow, Ann Marie, Monica Sweetheart, Sylvia Saint, Nikita Denise, Tricia Devereaux,” said Bob, and he wasn’t finished. “Catalina, Violet Blue, Jenna Haze, Tawny Roberts, Shelbee Myne, Inari Vachs, Layla Jade, Sunrise Adams …” You get the idea. But how has Dane managed to score so many hotties? Bob explained:
“Normally, what happens with talent is the agents have what they call a ‘go see.’ They bring the girls around to see people,” he stated. “They know that when Ed writes a check to these people, it's gonna be good. That means a lot, cause I've heard stories where these girls get paid, and they can't get the check for a month. They get the check, and it's good as gold.”
“People tend to take advantage when they find out it's the adult business, and they don't care,” Bob continued. “We're still human beings working, and we need to make a living, and this is what it's all about.”
The respect that Bob and Edward show has earned them points with all that delectable talent.
“I'll tell you one more thing, and this is very important,” said Bob. “To me, when the agents bring the girls in to me, the agents excuse themselves from the room, and they go make a phone call, right? We know why they do this, right?”
Bob is alluding to hanky panky.
“My desk is facing the back of the wall, so they cannot get to me without actually climbing over the desk. I'm a 60-year-old guy; if these girls are hired, they're going to be hired on the merits of how they look and how they interact with people that are here. I'm not going to hire them because they'll you-know-what,” stated Bob, referring once again to S.E.X.
“The girls know that this is the way it is here,” he noted. “If I'm not shooting, I'll call the various agencies trying to get them work, ’cause a lot of them are hungry and need to be taken care of. It's a very respectful way of doing business. I come from a background different from this. I was in men's clothing for many years. Now I'm undressing people.”
And what of the future? Again, it’s all about keeping the customer satisfied.
“We make sure everybody gets what they want; we make sure we have a terrific interaction with our customers,” said Edward. “We talk to them like they're friends, ’cause when you've been in business this long, you have a lot of customers out there, and we try to make them feel like they're very comfortable. We have a very good reputation with distributing other people's product.”
“The checks are good [they say they’ve never bounced one],” he continued, “we have honest people doing the books here, and everything is wide open. We tell people, ‘You want to come in and take a look? Look at whatever you want. We're here, we're not going to hide anything from you, this is what we do.’ People can walk in here and literally sit down at the computer, pull up their company, and see what's going on.”
“If you're nice to people, I think you attract nice people,” Edward continued. “You treat them decently, and you don’t try to shaft them or give them a hard time. You try to keep the prices where they can afford to buy it and make some money. You do the best you can.
“I think honesty is a good policy in any business, and a lot of people in this business aren't very honest. I really shouldn't say that, but a lot of people really don't care. A lot of people figure, well, it's the adult industry. Well, I've got news for you. These girls are people too. They have to earn a living, and we need them. We should be respectful of the girls.”
The Dane business success plan all boils down to one thing, Edward said:
“It's a lot of fun because I enjoy doing it.”
Dane Productions is online at daneproductions.com.
