CHATSWORTH, Calif.—The past 12 months have been a time of big changes in the adult industry—especially when it comes to big-name directors moving on to new pastures. To name a few: Axel Braun left Vivid for a distribution deal at Wicked; Mason signed up with Mile High Media; William H. headed for Jules Jordan Video.
Now, Black Market Entertainment has signed up its own award-winning director. L.T., known for his critically acclaimed work at Elegant Angel Productions, is ensconced at the studio and laying the groundwork for some exciting new series.
The director and Black Market chief James Melendy came by the AVN office for a chat, armed with a trailer for a brand-new all-girl release and a slew of information about other big things to come.
L.T.’s very first title for Black Market, released January 27, is called Sisterhood: All Girl Orgies. An all-black, all-girl release directed by L.T., Sisterhood offers a wealth of fresh African American performers: Anila Avana, Yasmine de Leon, Chanell Heart, Cherry Hilson, Navaeh Keyz, Myeshia Nikole, Evanni Solei, Jayden Starr, Cali Sweets and Tori Taylor.
The African-American director pointed out that it’s hard to find all-ethnic, girl/girl erotica, and he’d like to redress that shortage. “I want to make Sisterhood a series,” L.T. said.
And that’s not all that he has planned for Black Market. He and Melendy have two other new titles coming in the next couple of months. “They’re all going to be series,” L.T. promises.
Up this month is One Lucky Brother, which showcases two reverse gangbangs. L.T. and Rob Piper are the “lucky brothers” in question—and they will each singlehandedly take on the same female performers who appeared in Sisterhood. Each scene will be a stand-alone vignette; Piper’s scene, for instance, starts out in a “naked yoga club.” One Lucky Brother will be released in the third or fourth week of February.
L.T. will also shoot the more traditional guys-on-girl group scene in Sista Slam: Urban Gangbang. Among his stars are Solei, Hilson and de Leon. He wanted to have “the director’s hat on” in this movie, but was pressed into service when a performer was unable to make the shoot. “I didn’t want to take off my director’s hat and do somebody else’s job,” L.T. said. “I actually prefer directing.” But as a seasoned pro, he was more than equipped to step up. Sista Slam is slated for release in the first half of March.
That’s what L.T. is up to now—but what about what came before? Turns out the Chicago native got his start in 1999, when he did his first scene with renowned performer Sharon Mitchell. And his second scene was with another adult superstar: Marilyn Chambers.
Back then the Chicago native was a new arrival in Los Angeles, where he hoped to make his mark in mainstream film and television. One night, L.T. met Sharon Mitchell at the Hustler Hollywood store on the Sunset Strip. Director Luc Wylder had a line called Dirty Dancers that he produced for his company, Fallen Angel, and Wylder asked L.T. if he would appear in it with Mitchell. L.T. was dumbstruck. “You want me to have sex with this woman here … the woman I’ve idolized?” L.T. recalled, laughing.
“Who’s gonna see this?” he asked Wylder.
“Just about everybody,” the director responded.
It turned out Wylder was right about the title, Dirty Dancers 16, largely because Mitchell hadn’t done a scene in a long time. “Dude, that thing sold out because people want to see Sharon,” L.T. said.
L.T. wasn’t entirely gung ho on a career in adult, however, so he pursued work in construction and security for a time. “And Joey Silvera called and said, ‘You have to do a scene.’” L.T. laughed, making an impromptu Scarface reference: “As soon as I get out, they drag me back in.”
Once he was back in, L.T. worked steadily as a performer before making the leap into directing in 2006. Through 2013, he shot more than 80 titles for Elegant Angel, both interracial and all-black productions.
“My fans like what I do, they like how I shoot the black stuff,” L.T. said. “Black-on-black is what made my name.” In series like Up That Black Ass, Black Mommas and Big Black Wet Asses, L.T. worked with most of the top ethnic performers in the adult industry.
He hasn’t neglected interracial titles, however. “I shoot interracial to mix it up,” he said. “When I do interracial I want to do some kind of niche. I want people to think, ‘This is a little different.’” One such series for Elegant was White Mommas, in which L.T. performed with many top MILFs—Lisa Ann and Julia Ann among them. But the dynamic was a little different: the women take on a more aggressive role. “That’s why it’s called White Mommas,” he said. “They’re in charge.”
But when it comes to Elegant Angel titles that are inextricably linked to L.T., the most familiar may be Up That Black Ass and Big Black Wet Asses—with nine and 13 releases, respectively. Unlike some adult performer/directors, L.T.’s penchant for shooting anal titles is less about personal passion than about responding to the marketplace. “Whatever sells—that’s what I shoot,” he explained. And anal is what the public wants.
In his more than a dozen years in the business, L.T. has seen a lot of performers come and go. He states matter-of-factly, “About 75 percent of black girls, I did their first anal.” We talk briefly about some of the greats in black porn—Jada Fire, Marie Luv, Nyomi Banxxx, Kitten—who are either retired or on hiatus. But that means there’s room for new performers to shine, and with his Black Market releases, L.T. will be putting them through their paces. He was reluctant to single out any one performer, but when pressed he did concur that Cherry Hilson is someone to watch.
Fans will get a chance to do just that in L.T.’s first three titles for his new studio. And that’s not all that L.T. and Black Market’s Melendy have up their sleeves. L.T. described an ambitious movie he’s got in the works for the spring, and it’s going to be a doozy. And he’d also like to create an all-anal, all-black series for Black Market, along the lines of Big Black Wet Asses. “That’s what the fans are buying,” L.T. asserted.
Whatever L.T. has in mind, Melendy is ready to bring it to market. “As long as the concept is good, I’m fine with it,” he said.
