LOS ANGELES—Exciting news came today from Howard Levine of Exile Distribution, who announced that he has inked a deal with Standard Digital/Dynasty to distribute the original Kirdy Stevens-directed Taboo, volumes 1 through 6, as well as the titles Daisy Chain, Animal in Me and Playing With Fire.
In addition to those titles, some features never before on DVD will be released, including 18 Candles.
“In the beginning, there were a handful of directors making real movies. Kirdy Stevens was one of those guys. This line was without a doubt one of the most controversial and best-selling at the same time,” Levine said.
According to Levine, in the era of VHS, the No. 1 selling tape was Jane Fonda’s Workout. Taboo was No. 2.
“It was one of the first lines I ever sold when I started in this business,” said Levine, a veteran in the industry who is being inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame this year.
“Many companies have tried over the years to acquire the distribution for this line, but have come up empty-handed,” Levine explained. “The reason is that the owners consider this line their family. They have never discounted the price; they have had constant orders for decades.”
“I’ve had the pleasure of leading the sales of Taboo for the past 11 years,” said Jon Islas of Dynasty. “As it is time for a change, we wouldn’t hand over the line to anyone we didn’t trust to handle these titles and our customers with the respect they deserve. We’re very happy to have Howard Levine represent the ‘Best Selling Classic Series of All-Time.’”
“I am honored and grateful that Steve and Jon put their trust in me,” Levine said. “I am proud to be able to distribute this line.”
Levine is a fitting choice to handle Steven’s legacy, having known the director himself. “Kirdy Stevens was a friend of mine way back in the day,” Levine recalled. “May he rest in peace; he was a pioneer. He took chances that no sane man at that time took. He prevailed with some of the best features ever produced.”
