Even without any fans flooding the floor, the stars had no problem finding eager photo takes and autograph seekers as the doors opened at the 2007 GAYVN Expo at the Sands Expo Center on Wednesday, January 10.
While Day 1 was limited to trade hours only, Hot House models Francesco D’Macho and Vinnie D’Angelo were in demand for a flurry of shirtless shots, helping to promote their upcoming Trunks 3. Hot House’s signature orange hue stood out in the crowds, as president Steven Scarborough and creative director Brent Smith — both standing out for their strong fashion sense — had a busy schedule.
It helped set the stage for what promises to be a memorable four-day event. Channel 1 hosted a large, visually arresting display in the far corner, a welcoming lounge with private tables and larger-than-life banners of exclusives Benjamin Bradley, Kevin Brown, Jonathan West, and Tyler Riggz. The whole display, bathed in black and orange, was the eye-catching center of activity that helped promote the company’s increased size with the acquisition of All Worlds Video last year, and a large portion of their staff was on hand.
“The event is just getting started, and we’re really looking forward to it,” noted Channel 1’s Steven Walker. “We’re really hoping to garner a lot of interest with our new promotion. If stores put up a Channel 1/ All Worlds section with banners to promote it, they get $1,000 worth of free videos that go directly to the stores.”
Channel 1 stars Tommy Blade and Eddie Diaz were on hand to help promote the company, as well as generate interest in the upcoming Skin Trade networking event at the Piranha Nightclub, while former All Worlds owner Rick Ford — Dirk Yates himself! — was also in attendance to talk to many people he has influenced.
Factory Video Productions was Channel 1’s neighbor, with a tent full of DVDs promoting their various lines. Co-founder Scott Morris noted that the studio will be shooting a new film while here. “We got an RV, and we’re making no pretense about what it is. The Expo will be the backdrop of the scenes, and we hope to grab some people in for some filming.”
Titan Media was another of the top studios with a large display that had many eyes looking up at the large banners of its stars, who will be in attendance Thursday. The industry giant has a private area for business meetings and also had many staff on hand, including VP Keith Webb.
Nearby, the Manline booth — showcasing the gay-focused sex toy line from Sportsheets — was another attention-grabber, with model Pete Ross on hand to promote the company’s signature Sportsheet, with an actual mattress on hand to help demonstrate. “This is just a warm up,” he said. “I don’t really kick into high gear until the fans arrive.”
COLT presented another visually grabbing display, highlighting its models as well as featuring its own COLT Corner of novelties, from the 14-inch Thruster (made famous in VH1’s Tori Spelling show) to a vacuum pump system to replica dildos of stars like Chris Wide. They also had a display featuring its new line of leather goods, ranging from cock-and-ball straps to new leather vests. It was all in part to help stores get an idea of how to promote and display the line. Dennis Bell was also on hand to push his AMG line of Brazilian features, now carried by COLT.
“We didn’t bring our models to the show,” noted owner John Rutherford. “We really want to focus on our clients and generate new business as well.”
While COLT didn’t have models at its booth, Buckshot man Alex Chandler was helping promote NakedSword.com, one of the companies that made its presence known on the straight side of the show — along with Cybersocket, another online giant that got plenty of attention from attendees with a lot of promotional items.
Chandler signed autographs and handed out shirts to attendees along with Rafael Alencar, who drew many fans, straight and gay, who wanted photos with the shirtless star. Alencar also hoped to get the word out on new company Black Scorpion. He will direct and star in titles, with first release Dreams of Rafael already generating buzz. “We plan to have about seven features this year, and I will direct all of them and star in a few,” he said.
Like Alencar, Collin O’Neal is also in attendance, getting the word out on his new production company and soon-to-be revamped website CollinONeal.com. “Things have been going great and I’ll also be directing a video for Mustang later this year, then follow that with a Falcon title.”
Also turning heads were the shirtless boys from StraightCollegeMen.com. Studio stars like Dean and Caleb drew a wide array of fans, including some female starlets, as they passed out ever-present blue-light necklaces with the SCM logo.
“They’re waiting for more boobies,” laughed SCM owner Matt Owen, who was excited for the new multi-part anniversary shoot The Castle. “This event is always different; every day can be different. You never know what to expect.”
Other shirtless successes were the twinks from Helix Studios. Aaron Tyler and Damien Lucas roamed the aisles in blue and white briefs, while Mason Coxx was also in attendance to help with the company’s large booth manned by owner Keith Miller. More shirtless fun was had at the FlavaMen booth, where COO DeKenric Wiley had a lot on his mind. “We’ve been so busy lately… we actually have an upcoming shoot and promos we’re working on, so it’s definitely been busy.”
Other attendees include French Connection, with president Christopher Hull busy in conversation throughout the show, as his eye-catching green display featuring new models from the hit Tom Bradford feature Caged Men proved to be an attention-magnet. Nearby, Bruno Riccelli of Oh Man! Studios and Street Corner Productions maintained similar traffic with a large display of DVDs and posters highlighting upcoming releases like Lord of Milking.
“I love to keep coming back here,” Riccelli said. “It’s always good to get to know what’s going on in the industry, new technology advances, and meet new people.”
Another large, welcoming display from 1Distribution had frequent action, with VP Sam Manning and National Account Executive Craig Tvedt showcasing a lot of their lines. On Top Productions also stood out for its unique wrestling videos, with president Barry David highlighting a large display of videos including new releases like Wrestling Auditions 2. Another large display had Inexes Diffusion with a large array of promotional items.
One of the more sedate displays stood out because of its content: Steven Toushin was on hand to promote a new book The Destruction of the Moral Fabric of America, a self-published memoir which in part chronicles a 1989 Federal Obscenities trial, as well as his line of classic films from his Bijou Video. “I can’t compete with everyone here, I don’t have the hot models. But I think it’s really important to keep that history of male sexuality alive.”
