In a joint press release issued this morning, Channel 1 Releasing and All Worlds Video announced that Channel 1, home of Chi Chi LaRue and Rascal Video has acquired All Worlds Video, the legendary company founded by Rick Ford/ Dirk Yates 21 years ago.
The acquisition makes Channel 1/All Worlds the largest gay owned and operated gay-adult entertainment company in the world.
“I have been considering stepping back from my position here at All Worlds over the past year,” Ford said. “But I wanted to be sure that what I had created here would go on. I have had several offers from interested parties, but in the end I felt that Chi Chi LaRue and his partners at Channel 1 Releasing were the right fit for All Worlds.
"Eight years ago when Chi Chi started with Channel 1, I saw how people thought it would be just a flash in the pan, but the company has grown into one of the major players in the industry. I am excited by the ideas they have, their skills in the ever changing technology of media delivery, and their enthusiasm in continuing the work of so many creative people that have passed through our doors. The energy and the excitement that they bring to All Worlds will ensure the legacy of the company.”
Since the release of All Worlds’ first video in 1985, Sgt. Swann’s Private Files, the company has grown into one of the most prolific in the industry. Dirk Yates has been the cornerstone of All Worlds Video with his Dirk Yates Private Collection military/ amateur series and military-themed features, Motel Sex; Weekend Pass; the Barracks Glory Hole series; San Diego Liberty; The Few, the Proud, the Naked series among them.
Over the years All Worlds Video has won accolades for its mainstream gay XXX productions including The Seven Deadly Sins series, Kiss-Off, the Playing With Fire series, Flesh and Blood, Andel’s Story, and more recent releases such as There Goes the Neighborhood and Desperate Husbands.
In 2006 Rick Ford was honored with a GAYVN Lifetime Achievement Award.
All Worlds Video discoveries are a who’s who of porn legends, including Rick Donovan, Eric Manchester, Axel Garret, Tim Lowe, Mason Jarr, Dean Phoenix, Rod Barry, and Barrett Long.
With its acquisition of All Worlds Video, Channel 1 Releasing will gain access to the expansive library of titles that All Worlds Video has produced over the last two decades.
Chi Chi LaRue, who began working with All Worlds in the early 1990s, has directed some of the company's biggest hits including the Link series, Conquered, How the West Was Hung, Billy Herrington’s Body Shop, My Sister’s Husband, Americans in Paris, Strip Tease and many, many more.
La Rue's success has continued in the Rascal Video line for Channel 1 with titles like Bolt, The Back Row, and the 2006 GAYVN Best Picture award-winner, Wrong Side of the Tracks. Over the years he was responsible for discovering stars like Joey Stefano, Alex Stone, Johnny Hazzard, Zak Spears, and countless others.
“It’s like things have come full circle for me,” LaRue said about the acquisition. “All Worlds was really one of the first major studios I worked for. With the help of Rick Ford I was able to produce some amazing movies for this company. I have enormous respect for Rick as one of the true pioneers of this industry. He created a genre of amateur video that has often been imitated, but not duplicated. Now I have the opportunity ensure the enduring legacy of his great company.”
While his sale of the company does mean a departure from his daily leadership role in the business, Ford will continue to be a strong influence in the All Worlds Video line with the Dirk Yates titles and online at DirkYatesLIVE.com.
