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| Lexington Steele |
CHATSWORTH, Calif. - Calling the split "amiable - and I mean it," multiple AVN Award winner Lexington Steele has moved his Mercenary Pictures from Anabolic/Diabolic to Red Light District.rnrn
Steele's five-year relationship with Anabolic ended because the company would not grant him ownership of Mercenary's product. RLD renders unto Steele what is Steele's, and will take a fee for distribution.rnrn
Steele, his manager Harry Weiss, and Red Light's Dion Giarusso reached an agreement yesterday only after what Lex calls Anabolic's "glass ceiling" was reached. "It was the bottom of the ninth inning," Steele told AVN.com, but the bottom line was that Anabolic doesn't want their producers to own their own product."rnrn
Steele compared working at Anabolic to playing for the championship Lakers: "Very cushy, and you live in style." But Weiss was quick to point out, "except (Lakers forward) Kobe (Bryant) doesn't own the team."rnrn
"And at this point in my life I need to own what I make," Steele added.rnrn
In addition to his third Best Male Performer trophy in four years at the 2003 AVN Awards, Steele is riding a publicity wave that includes his upcoming 20-episode run of Playboy's Lex in the City. Commenting on the format of Steele's interaction with mainstream celebrities, Steele laid down the law: "I'm not a talk show host; I'm a pornographer. People are tuning in to see a pornographer." rnrn
However, manager Weiss remarked, "there'll be no mistaking that it's Livin' Large with Lex."rnrn
Steele's deal with Red Light is for 12 titles a year. He envisions series mirroring his Heavy Metal work as well as the Lex the Impaler vids. He is also ruminating on an ethnic women series and something involving female domination. But not of him. In addition, he wants to put together a series of "white guys with ethnic women: different stuff the market has never seen."rnrn
Steele will continue performing, but as a contract player for his own company.rnrn
"99 percent of my performing work will be through Mercenary Pictures," Steele told AVN.com, "but I might take a couple of opportunities elsewhere."rnrn
Steele re-emphasized that the split was friendly, and that RLD's Dion Giarusso has been a friend since Steele's first week in Los Angeles back in March of 1998. "I don't think of this as jumping ship and following money," Steele says, "but more of moving from one family to an extended family."rnrn
Over at Anabolic/Diabolic, co-owner Greg Alan had effusive praise for Steele.rnrn
"He's a first-class individual," Alan told AVN.com, "He had an opportunity to own his own product as long as he stays at Red Light, and he took it. No animosity whatsoever; the way he carries himself in this industry speaks volumes."rnrn
Mercenary's first titles under his RLD distribution deal will be available in late February.
