SAN FRANCISCO - Todd Montgomery, who on Thursday stepped down as president and chief executive officer of Falcon Entertainment, on Tuesday told GAYVN he always will love Falcon and the team he and his business partners built there.
"The thing I'm proudest of is how we changed the corporate culture," he said. "It was very fear-based [before Montgomery, Terry Mahaffey and Steve Johnson founded 3 Media Corporation and purchased Falcon in 2004]. No one wanted to move forward and make decisions. We changed that to empower people and let them be themselves; let them be secure and enjoy their jobs and their lives as gay men."
In transforming the corporate culture, Montgomery and his partners also grew Falcon into an iconic presence in gay adult. The company's revenues have increased about 70 percent over 2004's levels, he said, primarily due to several shifts in the business plan that occurred on Montgomery's watch.
"The brand was dormant when we bought it - strong, but dormant," he said. "It had very little foreign distribution, but working with Pulse Distribution we grew that revenue from a very low six figures to more than seven figures now. [The people at] Pulse have been wonderful friends and business partners. They're visionaries, and they were very supportive of Falcon re-releasing its entire catalog on DVD.
"Falcon also now has video on demand under an exclusive deal with AEBN that has been financially rewarding for both companies. "
In addition, under Montgomery's leadership, Falcon doubled production to two new titles monthly - which isn't too bad a record for someone who had no experience with movie production until he assumed the reins of a studio upon Mahaffey's death in October 2005.
"I stayed on the business side of things until then," Montgomery said. "I came into the industry with no experience, but I'm proud of my track record. I didn't do any of it by myself, though. I did it with a great team of people and my business partners."
He said he's investigating several opportunities both within and outside the gay adult entertainment industry, including the option to start his own business in partnership with "some other entities." That doesn't mean he's abandoning Falcon, though. He remains one of two shareholders in the company and will work to ensure Falcon's continued growth and success.
"While there will be endless speculation regarding my departure from Falcon, I departed loving Falcon," he said. "As its former CEO and current shareholder and board member, I wish only continued success for the company and all its employees.
"I am proud of the success we achieved during my five years of leadership, and I look forward to applying my experience and vision to other opportunities in the industry."
GayVN
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