LOS ANGELES — Bruce Mendleson, the beloved adult industry executive who co-founded Legend Video, passed away on Sept. 9 from cancer, his longtime business partner Jack Richman confirmed Monday. He was 75.
Mendleson, who was born and raised in Buffalo, N.Y., was directing sales at Western Visuals in 1986 when he met Richman, who was working there in operations. About three years later, in September 1989, Bruce and Jack partnered to launch Legend Video, which started out as a wholesaler and went on to produce and distribute about 1,500 adult titles until they sold the company to Caballero Pictures in 2013.
Mendleson worked for Caballero for a handful of years after the sale, Richman said.
“He was beloved by all the customers and I had a great bond with him all those years,” Richman told AVN. “He was like my older brother.”
Richman said that just like when they were together at Western, Bruce oversaw sales while he managed the operations during their two-decade-plus run at Legend.
“We worked hand in hand for 24 years. I knew him better than his wife did,” Jack continued.
“He was lovable… He always took the time to talk to you. He didn’t care who you were, how big or small. He had the same temperament every day. He came in first and he left last every day.”
Indeed, friends and colleagues agreed that Mendleson’s work ethic was second to none, which aligned with the business philosophy he shared with Richman.
“To work hard every day and start from zero,” Richman added. “There were good days and bad days like anything else. But he was a good guy and a lot of people will miss talking to him.”
Legend Video accounted for several AVN Awards, one of which went to Scotty Fox, who won Best Director - Video for The Cockateer in 1992. Jack said it was Fox who was instrumental in getting he and Bruce involved in the production side of the industry. That same year Mike Horner captured Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Bite.
Legend's distribution deal with Skintight Pictures yielded three AVN's, beginning in 2004, when they won Best Specialy Release - Other Genre for Skintight's Chunky on the 4th of July; they won the same award in 2006 for Chunky Housecall Nurses 2, in addition to taking AVN gold for Best Box Cover Concept for The Chunky Whisperer in January 2005. In December 2005, Legend signed emerging superstar and future Hall of Famer, Mary Carey, to a two-year, exclusive performance contract.
AVN Hall of Famer Nelson X, who co-owned Skintight in addition to producing and directing their titles, got his start in the adult biz with Legend in early 1999. He remembered Mendleson as “an awesome guy and an awesome boss.”
“He always had an open door and he always listened to all my crazy ideas,” said Nelson X, who learned about the industry during his seven years at Legend.
“And Bruce always gave me lots of shots to carry those ideas out. Legend was a special time in my life,” Nelson, who now works in PR and marketing at New Sensations, continued. “You always hope that your boss is gonna be the type of person that you can relate to outside of work, someone that you could talk to at any time—and that was Bruce.
“He took a lot of chances on me once I started shooting. He was always happy. He always spoke to me with a smile and was very good-natured.”
Fellow AVN Hall of Fame executive Steve Volponi led the sales efforts at Legend starting in 1996 and remained close with Mendleson even after moving on to other opportunities in the mid-2000s.
“I talk about him all the time,” Volponi told AVN Monday. “When I’m calling people, we always talk about Bruce. I worked for the guy for nine years. Bruce and Jack, they not only bought me my first new car, they bought me my first two new cars that I ever owned.
“It’s crazy because I spent a lot of time with them.”
Volponi continued, “It was very hard to hear that news, because Bruce was such a great guy. And in my opinion—because I witnessed it for years and years—Bruce was maybe the hardest working guy I’ve ever seen in this business. He was just a great all-around person and he treated me like I was his son.”
Volponi said even his own mom would inquire about Mendleson over the years.
“She would ask me, ‘How’s your old boss?’” Steve added. “And I’ve worked at a million places, but my mom always remembered Bruce.”
Steve said sometimes he and Bruce would grab drinks together after work.
“He was a great man and he had a great life. On top of that he was a great father,” Volponi told AVN. “I saw how he was with the kids and I saw how he was with me.
“I’m very fortunate that I got to work with him. He was an inspiration. If you’re gonna try and emulate someone, that’s the guy you should try and be like.”
Mendleson, who attended college at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, is survived by his wife of more than 35 years, Stacy, their two children—Marissa and Drew—and a new grandson.
