When AVN’s reigning Director of the Year creates a new studio, it’s time to sit up straight and pay attention. So when the official word finally came, after weeks of anticipation by fans and retailers, that O.L. Entertainment was officially launching a new showcase for the work of the celebrated helmswoman, a wave of excitement hit the industry. The new studio, Dark X, marked Mason’s official entry into the interracial market with the creation of both DVD content and the website DarkX.com.
Dark X joins O.L. Entertainment’s successful ‘X’ brands, Hard X and Erotica X, and offers Mason a new outlet for her polished, high-end style of shooting hardcore content.
“O.L. Entertainment is presenting me with the opportunity to continue to explore creatively in a new market,” Mason said. “It’s been an incredibly fulfilling experience thus far with Hard X and Erotica X, and I’m looking forward to the fans seeing our new studio and providing valuable feedback. Dark X will continue to feature intense and passionate exchanges that our studios are known for, while not shying away from anal, d.p.s and gangbangs. I’m very excited about this new project.”
Critically and commercially recognized by her movies for Hard X and Erotica X, Mason stands out with her knack for bringing out the best in her performers as well as her visual aesthetics, art direction and uncompromising gonzo style. With the launch of DarkX.com, she’ll bring those assets to a new arena—thanks to the man behind the brand: O.L. Entertainment head of production Jon Blitt. We hounded the busy executive with a barrage of questions about Dark X, and also about the many other studios in the O.L. Entertainment/Mile High Media family that have grown successful under his wing.
Through your Mile High studios Reality Junkies, Doghouse and particularly Sweetheart Video, with its interracial lesbian titles, you’ve produced a fair share of interracial content. What will be different about Dark X?
Jon Blitt:The interracial products that we have ventured into with our other brands have been girl/girl mostly, with the exception of our cuckold series for Reality Junkies. What makes Dark X unique is that it is unlike any product the consumers have ever seen from Mason. I guess you can say it’s kind of like a hybrid between our Erotica X and Hard X products. You have the high-end aesthetics and storyline of an Erotica X release with the intense, hardcore sexual encounters you’d expect in a Hard X title.
Mason has directed interracial titles for Hard X beginning with “Blondes Go Black” last year. Did fan response play a role in your decision to launch Dark X?
Dark X is a product that has been in conception for close to two years now. When we saw the success of the Erotica X and Hard X brands we began brainstorming ways to grow this into something much larger and there Dark X and some other X brand concepts were born. The success of titles such as Blondes Go Black, Brunettes Go Black, etc. definitely helped us in forecasting the profitability of a stand-alone interracial studio. The fans are always a consideration and we do a lot of interacting and asking what they want to see as well as who they’d like to see for our “X” studios. We take to the boards as well as conduct member surveys to get immediate feedback and see what our devoted fans are asking for. If it aligns with our director creatively as well as our goals for the studio then everyone wins and we have top-selling content. A lot of time and planning went into doing an IR studio; our fans were definitely a major player in our decision.
Interracial content is obviously booming in popularity now. Do you have any theories about why it’s become such a big seller?
I actually believe that interracial product has always been popular in the marketplace. IR porn is one of the most consistent niches I’ve seen in over 20 years in the industry, dating back to brands like Video Team, TT Boy, Dogfart, etc. However, as society evolves so does adult content. IR product is now being treated like erotica and other high-end porn. The niche has a growing demand for a higher end product, with the best girls appearing in scenes with top production and cinematography.
What does interracial porn mean to you? Will Dark X stick to the classic combo—black men and white women—or will you be mixing it up?
Interracial porn will be treated just as it is in our other studios—we do high-end, hardcore content with the best performances and aesthetics possible. As to the classic combo vs. mixing it up we are never set in our ways and don’t ever hold back because others aren’t doing it. It’s Mason’s creative force that dictates what and how we do things. So it’s safe to say you can expect the unexpected, and the best possible IR porn. Dark X might begin as a product that caters to fans of the so-called “classic combo” (black men and white women) but like all our products we will rely on our fan base to dictate the direction the brand takes in the future. We are very open and excited about the possibility of exploring many different interracial couplings within the Dark X brand.
In terms of style, will Dark X lean toward Mason’s Hard X style of shooting, or will it be softer, like Erotica X?
If you take the best of both Hard X and Erotica X and fuse it you have a glimpse at what Dark X will be, with hardcore content and stunning esthetics. It will definitely feature harder content like Hard X, such as anal, d.p.s, gangbangs, coupled with softer stories and vignettes like fans expect from Erotica X.
Hard X movies have been marked with many “firsts” for female performers. Will the new studio also have this focus?
I wouldn’t necessarily say that the studio will have this as a focus as much as saying that this brand will take the same type of direction as the other X brands before it. Mason has a way of working that makes the talent comfortable and pushes their boundaries in the best way possible, and because of this I believe a lot of firsts present themselves to us organically. The fans crave that and the talent seeks her out for their firsts because of it. Case in point is out first Dark X film Her 1st Interracial featuring IR firsts for Sara Luvv, Karlee Grey, Pristine Edge and Angel Smalls.
Speaking of firsts, the Dark X launch marks the first time you’ve debuted both a studio and a website at the same time. Can you talk about the differences between marketing web-based content versus DVD?
When we partnered with Gamma to form O.L. Entertainment the goal was to use both our strengths—theirs as a leading internet company and ours as a leader in content and DVD distribution—to form the best possible studios and sites in tandem. We are doing just that. By combining our talents the “X” studios and their websites have a specific team dedicated to its marketing both online and off, making it possible to launch a studio and its site together. We’re constantly pooling our 30-plus years of adult expertise for the best possible impact and sales success.
What kind of release schedule are you looking at for online scenes and DVD titles?
Like all the X brands DarkX.com does weekly updates, with the occasional added bonus scene for members to enjoy. Our first DVD release came out in December, with one DVD a month continuing. As time progresses we will look at increasing the release schedule.
Hard X and its sister studios are under a different affiliate network than the Mile High Media studios. Do you take a different approach to marketing this content online?
Mile High’s sites are part of the Famedollars network, which is owned and operated by Gamma Entertainment. It’s really how our partnership began to form for O.L. Entertainment. We then created O.L. Entertainment when we bought Blazing Bucks and began to produce content together; hence the launch of the X brands. That being said, the X studios and their websites have a specific team dedicated to marketing, pooling years of expertise in online marketing (courtesy of our partner Gamma), concentrating on each brand’s specific need for the most effective sales impact.
Mile High Media has long offered a wide array of adult content. Now, with the addition of Icon Male and TransSensual, you cover the entire adult marketplace. From that vantage point, do you see differences between consumers of straight, lesbian, gay and trans erotica?
There are of course differences; however, I can tell you that there is also a universal qualifier to any adult content—good porn is always in demand. We approach all segments with the same underlying goal: to make the best porn that fans will keep coming back for. That starts with our awarded directors: Nica Noelle, James Avalon, Bobby Manila, Dana Vespoli, and Mason. They work hand-in-hand with us to guide the studios and keep the quality at its highest level.
What would you say is the biggest influence your company has had on the adult industry?
Without creating a big debate as to who did what first, I will say that Mile High Media has been integral in leading the couples erotica explosion and the emphasis on features and dramas with forbidden elements—much of that courtesy of Nica Noelle and the ‘Sweet’ studios (Sweetheart and Sweet Sinner) we established with her and now with Icon Male and TransSensual studios. Our goal is to give our directors the environment to explore and expand creatively. Unlike some in the industry, we are happy to see competition as we feel it has made this genre so strong in the marketplace.
For the latest Dark X news, visit Blog.DarkX.com. DarkX.com is a standalone member site. Interested O.L. Entertainment affiliates may direct inquiries to [email protected].
