CHATSWORTH, Calif. – Industry veteran Dan Richards, director of purchasing for Movie Gallery — one of the largest chain store buyers in the United States — has announced that he will resign from the position and take up new employment, outside the adult industry. On Nov. 17, Richards will join the Cultural Arts Center in Dothan, Alabama as its new Executive Director.
“I didn’t know anything about the industry when I started the job,” Richards told AVN.com, “but when I spent more and more time with people in Adult, I started to realize that the industry is full of really nice people…and it’s not the stereotypical portrayal at all.”
Richards called his seven-year tenure at Movie Gallery “the most challenging and rewarding period of my career, and I regret having to make the difficult announcement.
“This new position will give me the opportunity to work with others in the community to provide education and programs for the arts,” Richards wrote in an e-mail to colleagues.
“The Cultural Arts Center is just beginning what looks to be a long period of growth and expansion. I am excited to be chosen as the person to explore the new challenges.
“[He was] always a pleasure to do business with,” said Howard Levine, national sales manager for Vivid Entertainment Group. “He’s one of the best guys I’ve met in the business. The team of [DVD Buyer] Carrie Parrish and Dan Richards was a winning one.
“I obviously look forward to dealing with Carrie and Movie Gallery in the future. Dan Richards was a friend and I’ll miss him dearly,” Levine continued. “I can’t say enough great things about Dan. He was a straight-up good guy and a real friend.”
“I will truly miss everyone in the industry that I have had the pleasure to work with over the past years.
“I wish that people outside the industry could have the opportunity to get to know the people in the adult world like I have. They would come to understand that this industry has lots of nice people and a sense of family unlike many other businesses.”
