CANOGA PARK, Calif.—It's all come full circle for Toni Ribas. After starting out his directing career in 2001, he's returned to direct for Elegant Angel, the company where he made his directorial debut.
Ribas joins his wife, 2013 AVN Female Performer of the Year Asa Akira, as the two newest directors in the fold at Elegant Angel. Ribas was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 2010.
Ribas previously directed nine volumes of the Hardcore Innocence series for Elegant Angel from 2001-03.
"I'm very happy to be part of Elegant," Ribas told AVN. "I shot my first scene yesterday, so I'm excited. Elegant was the company I started with so to come back and work for [company owner] Patrick [Collins] is very nice. We know each other for a long time so there's some comfort there. My movies for Elegant earned Editor's Choice distinction from AVN so I look forward to getting back in there."
The first project Ribas is helming for the company is Swimsuit Calendar Girls 2013 featuring, among others, Kortney Kane, whose tease sequence Ribas shot yesterday in Malibu. Kane never worked for Elegant before, and Ribas wanted to be the first one to shoot her. Her sex scene was with James Deen.
Ribas expects the project to wrap by the end of next week and also reports that Teal Conrad is part of the cast.
Ribas reports that he initially met with Collins while Akira was meeting with him to work out her directing deal with Elegant and the two began to talk. Since Ribas shoots camera for Akira's titles, his joining the company in an official capacity as a director was a natural extension.
An accomplished director, Ribas has helmed close to 100 titles for companies such as Private, Platinum X Pictures, Red Light District, Penthouse and Sineplex. But for him, it all comes back to where he got his start.
"I learned a lot from Patrick," Ribas said. "I think my style is perfect for what they like to shoot and what their fans like to see. I love high-end gonzo and that's what they do. Very strong, sexual scenes but with a high-end look. When I direct a scene, or even watch one, I want to fall in love with the girl first, and then see her go crazy so I get a reaction, wow! I want to make it as pretty as possible with very strong, strong sex."
The 2010 winner of AVN Male Foreign Performer of the Year, Ribas has also received AVN Award nominations for his directing including Best Director - Foreign Release (2003) and Best Director - Foreign Non-Feature in 2009.
With Ribas now joining his wife at the studio, the pair is the new Elegant Angel power couple.
"As everybody knows Asa is great," Ribas said. "Besides the fact that we're married and I love her, I love working with her and having this partnership. She has a lot of good energy, she knows what it takes to make a scene work. She's successful because she's passionate about what she does, she cares, she's talented and she just 'gets it.' As an award-winning performer she knows what fans expect to see and she gives it to them. She expects similar performances from the girls she directs and I think that's why she's going to be successful as a director."
As for future plans, Ribas hopes to continue existing lines within the company and start some of his own. Regardless, he's excited about his future with the company that first put him in the director's chair.
