This article originally ran in the February 2016 issue of AVN magazine. Click here to see the digital edition.
For Falcon Studios Group head Chris Ward, the thoughts first started entering his mind a few years ago. At that time, he decided that when he had accumulated enough savings to live an enjoyable life in retirement, he would do it. Mission accomplished—a lot sooner than many in the industry were hoping for.
“I have been very lucky over the years in our industry, and I achieved my financial goals sooner than I had planned. Also, I have made my statement in gay erotica—and, I think, made it well. It’s time for a new generation to take over. I have been in the industry now for 20 years, so it is difficult to leave it. I enjoy working in porn and I enjoy the people I work with. They are my family.”
Ward announced his retirement late last year, and will now work in just an advisory role through the spring before leaving Falcon Studios Group and parent company AEBN, which he will remain a co-owner of (but will not be involved in the day-to-day business for). Fellow co-owner Tim Valenti will take over as president of Falcon Studios Group.
“I am 55 years old—and lucky to be retiring at that age. I figured if I want to do something else with my life, I had better get started now,” Ward says. “I would not like to start a new company at age 65!”
Ward entered the business in 1996 as an actor and director for Hot House, working under mentor Steven Scarborough (who announced his retirement almost two years ago, when Ward helped bring Hot House to the AEBN family—four years after he did the same with Falcon Studios).
“What I will miss most is the daily interaction with my Falcon family. These are my best friends. I hope to keep in touch with them outside of business. What I will not miss is constantly playing defense. Porn is in decline and rather than building and growing, I have been maintaining the status quo, playing defense against a world that prefers free porn. It’s a tough day-to-day battle. We have done well holding our own, and even growing some, but it’s exhausting after many years of it.”
Ward’s first directorial effort was The Hole Punch in 1997 for Hot House’s Club Inferno line. He would leave the studio two years later to found Raging Stallion Studios along with J.D. Slater and Kent Taylor.
“At first I just wanted to make quality porn, but later I came to enjoy the business side of things, especially back in the Golden Age when we took Raging Stallion from a minor company into one of the largest. That was fun—it was like conquering the world!” recalls Ward.
“I had a great mentor in Steven Scarborough, and I have to thank my first cinematographer, Lester Moore, for teaching me how to shoot porn. J.D. Slater was a huge influence—he was the one who convinced me to launch Raging Stallion in the first place. Kent Taylor, my VP and our main photographer, was also very influential in those early years. I have also brought lots of people into the industry. One thing I liked doing was training cameramen and directors from scratch. I launched the careers of some of the top directors today.”
While at Raging Stallion, Ward helmed a bevy of hits and award winners, including Grunts, To the Last Man, Arabesque and Raiders of the Lost Arse. After Falcon Studios merged with Raging Stallion, he also helmed the sixth entry in the industry’s most iconic series: The Other Side of Aspen.
“If I have any legacy at all, I think it will be to have helped bring tattoos and chest hair into the mainstream. That was what Raging Stallion was all about,” he says. “There are many moments that stick out—from my first porn shoot as an actor, to winning multiple awards for best director. I remember sweeping several GAYVN Awards shows—winning so much that I think Raging Stallion helped to damage the show. After we swept just about every award three years in a row, other studios quit supporting the GAYVNs, and they stopped being held.”
As a performer (“That is so distant now”), Ward enjoyed showing off—but says since he came into porn late in life, he had a very short career in front of the camera.
“Being an actor, however, gave me a good perspective on how to direct and manage shoots. I could empathize with the actors and I always strived to make our sets as comfortable as possible. As I used to say all the time, screaming and fighting does not help the hard-ons!”
As a director, Ward’s best memories include filming the final shootout for To the Last Man, and he has very fond memories of Arabesque. “Grunts was a fantastic shoot as well—perhaps the high point of my career. Of course I have to say that my overall favorite thing about directing, and my career in general, was working with so many wonderful people, in front of and behind the camera. I could not have had my career without the strong support of so many talented friends.”
As a businessman, Ward cites his ability to stay honest and nice as his strength.
“I think I was always a fair boss, and a friendly one. I have raised my voice only five or 10 times in my whole career. My management style changed over time—at first I was a super controlling freak, but eventually I turned into a manager that gave a very talented crew as much leeway as they wanted.
Ward continues, “At one point, I remember coming to the conclusion that Steve Cruz and Tony Dimarco could make movies as good as—or even better than—me. So why not sit back and let them do it? I guess I made myself obsolete because my team became so good!”
Will Ward still watch porn? “I suppose. I got into porn because I was a huge fan of porn. I think, however, that I need to get some distance—certainly from my own company. There are ways to do things, and I don’t want to be looking from the outside at decisions that I don’t agree with. I need to let the new leadership do its own thing without my getting stirred up—or without them having to think about what I think.”
Ward plans to relax for a few months, then spend some more time relaxing in Europe—he rented a small castle in the Loire Valley for a month in late spring.
“I am hoping the transition will be very easy and very enjoyable. But I worry about getting bored,” he says. “Many people do not know that I have a Ph.D. in history and archaeology. I published several books before I got into porn. I plan to take up writing again—I have a few novels banging about in my head that I want to put to paper.”
Ward plans to split his time between San Francisco and France, enjoying time with his partner (Mo Duran), his cats and his wine.
“I love Europe, especially rural France. I enjoy the food, the wine and the history. Waking up in the beautiful countryside, having fresh croissants for breakfast, a cassoulet for lunch and some wine in the evening, walks in the forest,” he says. “Second, I love San Francisco, especially my neighborhood, Alamo Square. I enjoy the food, the wine and the history. Waking up in the most beautiful city, having fresh sourdough bread for breakfast, some Asian food for lunch and some wine in the evening, walks in the neighborhoods. Third, I love Mo! Waking up next to him, having breakfast with him, having lunch with him, having wine with him … I have a lucky life.”
