Jules Jordan, the most celebrated gonzo director currently working in adult, is leaving Evil Angel after five years to form his own distribution/production company, Jules Jordan Video.
“I have a background in sales in this business for about six years,” Jordan, who joined Evil in 2001 after getting his start at Rosebud, told AVN.com exclusively. “Working at IVD, I really learned the wholesale end of the business, as well as the production, and it’s just a natural step to take” to form his own distribution company.
Jordan had nothing but praise for Evil Angel and founder John Stagliano.
“Evil Angel is the greatest company in the business right now,” he said. “And I have total respect for John Stagliano and everybody in that office. I consider John a great friend and a mentor, but I just have to do what’s right for myself and my company and to get into what I know, which is the distribution end.”
Jordan said that Stagliano, when informed by Jordan of his decision to leave Evil, was naturally disappointed.
“But John’s an understanding person and he understands when you want to better yourself,” Jordan said. “He’s all for it.”
Stagliano returned Jordan’s compliments.
"It's been great working with Jules Jordan,” the man whose Buttman alter ego was instrumental in launching the gonzo revolution in the late 1980s, said. “He's a very talented director and a hard driving businessman. I'm sure he's going to be tough competition. I hope we're up to the challenge, and I know as a fan, that I'm going to get better product to watch because of this."
Stagliano’s wife, former performer Tricia Devereaux, echoed her husband’s sentiments.
"Jules really pays attention to his product and his consumer base,” she said. “I really believe he's going to do great. We will miss him at Evil Angel on many levels. I'll especially miss the talks I had with him over the years, chit-chatting about everything from female performers to movies to life in general.
“However, we realize that the only thing better than owning your own product at a successful distribution company would be owning your own product and successfully distributing it yourself."
Evil will continue to distribute Jordan’s titles until March, when Jordan will start distributing them himself. Jordan said he is taking his entire catalog of high-end, hard-edge gonzo from his Evil years with him.
“Every title is going to be re-packaged and re-edited,” he said.
The first release from Jules Jordan Video will be Jenna Haze’s Darkside, set to street in mid-March, Jordan said.
During his run at Evil Angel, Jordan’s titles such as the Ass Worship and Flesh Hunter lines were frequently among the company’s best selling. His videos regularly earned Editor’s Choice reviews from AVN and won numerous AVN Awards.
Just last week, at the 23rd Annual AVN Awards Show, Jordan took home four statuettes for Slut Puppies (Best Gonzo Release), Invasian! 2 (Best Ethnic-Themed Video – Asian) and Ass Worship 7 (Best Anal-Themed Feature). He also shot the AVN-award-winning Best Tease Performance by Katsumi in Ass Worship 7.
He did even better at the 2004 show, winning six AVN Awards for Flesh Hunter 5 (Best Gonzo Title), Ass Worship 4 (Best Anal-Themed Feature), Ass Worship the line (Best Anal-Themed Series), Feeding Frenzy 2 (Best Oral-Themed Feature), Flesh Hunter 4 (Best All-Sex DVD) and Weapons of Ass Destruction 2 (Best Three-Way Sex Scene).
