Erotica LA Opens Big at the Los Angeles Convention Center

Thousands of fans and consumers of adult entertainment poured into the Los Angeles Convention Center yesterday to once again welcome Erotica LA, the annual celebration of erotic art and entertainment. The hall was packed with over 200 exhibitors, ranging from major video manufacturers to small cottage artisans.

Mickey Kinsbruner, ELA’s Director of Sales, pronounced it “a clean fun show.” He told

AVN.com that “the amount of people so far is way above last year. The vendors are happy. People are buying—it’s like a gigantic supermarket.”

His enthusiasm was shared by the exhibitors.

“I love this show,” said Wicked Pictures president Steve Orenstein. “I’ve always loved this show—getting to see the consumers. I’ve exhibited here every year for eight years, since it started.”

Orenstein had his full contingent of contract girls—Julia Ann, Jessica Drake, Devinn Lane, Kaylani Lei, Sydney Steele and Stormy—on hand for autographs and photos.

At the house-shaped Red Light District booth starlets Sativa Rose, Missy Monroe and Lucy Thai greeted fans as owner David Joseph basked in the glow of the 200,000 copies he’s shipped—so far—of 1 Night in Paris. The movie was purposely released the same week as the new MTV series of its star, Paris Hilton.

Next to RLD, ebullient photographer Suze Randall presided over Suze.Net. Some of her website’s most gorgeous girls, including Taylor Rain, Aria Giovanni and Swan, drew crowds of aisle-clogging admirers.

The sudden arrival of superstar Tera Patrick at the Glamor Girl magazine booth created a small tsunami of excitement among fans. She pretty much took over the booth to market an array of Tera collectibles, including t-shirts and hats. A piece of hand-scrawled cardboard listed items and prices (“Poster-DVD-Polaroid—$40”).

New DVDs from Taylor Wane Entertainment were autographed by their star, who told AVN.com that she now has eight original productions in her catalog.

Freedom Distributing split its marketing efforts between the softcore Lifestyles Convention line and the hardcore Moonlight Entertainment catalog, whose Sex Trek and Catlicker series, according to new sales manager Joey Strange, still sell well.

Manufacturer Mitch Spinelli, along with starlet Fallon Summers, promoted his Acid Rain titles along with his new Demolition Pictures, which replaced his Rain line. “Rain is old,” he said, “and people don’t like old, they like new.”

Next to him industry veteran Russ Katz of Baltimore-based RSK Distributors debuted his first product line, an amateur series called Boston Baby Dolls, shot in Beantown by John Ferguson of Boston Alternative Media.

Sex Z Pictures had the same striking red-orange booth that stood out at the Adult Expo in Las Vegas. Owner John “Bo” Kenney enthused about the features being shot by directors such as Roy Karch, whose Bedford Wives with Shayla Laveaux went into stores the same week a similar-themed movie with Nicole Kidman went into theaters.

LGI Digital, Sex Z’s parent company, is releasing a couple of pro-am lines directed by Rod Fontana. Kenney said that one, Cocksucker Contest, is in fact a contest, with a winner to be chosen by fans after five volumes have been released. Her name will be announced—and a $10,000 prize awarded—at the 2005 Adult Entertainment Expo.

At the DVSX booth two of the hottest new girls were signing away: Cytherea and Reina Leone, the notorious “Porno Cop” of San Francisco, now living—and working—in L. A. Rodney Moore’s booth featured such Rodney Blast favorites as Caroline Pierce and the recently returned to action Allison Kilgore.

The center of the hall was dominated by the large booth of Romantix, a distributor of videos and a wide spectrum of novelties from the likes of Cal Exotics, Doc Johnson and Topco. On its back end, adult movie great Christy Canyon autographed copies of her autobiography, Lights! Camera! Sex! She promises to have Vol. 2 ready by the end of the year.

Another legend, Teri Weigel, showed up to say that she’s still a long way from retirement. She has a new company, Pyro Entertainment, and her first movie, Tropical Tales, has just been released. She plans to put out one a month, all starring herself. She’s distributing them along with the owner of Pleasures on Melrose, a new erotic emporium in West Hollywood.

Playgirl magazine introduced their new Playgirl TV—a video on demand and pay-per-view network—with the announcement of the Playgirl Man of the Year. His name is Robert Beecher. Steve, a spokesman for Crescent Publishing, told AVN.com that a High Society TV is in the offing.

From Mary Carey to Max Hardcore, the show could boast much of the cream of adult entertainment. But the fact is that Erotica LA never has been all about porno, and it’s even less so this year.

ELA’s Kinsbruner was eager to point out the enormous range, individuality and originality of the exhibitors, many of them fine artists and artisans. Some had traveled quite a distance to be part of ELA, representing a substantial broadening of the show’s exhibitor base from the core Los Angeles porn industry.

Among those Kinsbruner singled out were Northern California sculptor Bruce Mitchell, who crafts phallic sculptures from redwood; Shiri Zinn of London, England, whose exquisite hand-crafted dildos retail for around $1600; Purple Sticky Salvia (not saliva), a legal water-pipe smokeable manufactured in Reno; and Oh My, a Vancouver company that distributes lubricants, stimulator gels and “Mental Foreplay” CDs for women.

The aisles bulged with the booths of purveyors of sex aids, creams and lotions, herbal sex enhancers, beds, shavers, slings, corsets, motorized sextoys, and all manner of sexy fashions: Mo Fo Wear, Explicit Shoes, I Love Vagina, Hat-Rageous, Gorgeous Goddesswear.

Near the front of the hall was one of ELA proudest achievements this year: a mini-version of The Erotic Museum of Hollywood. Among its delights were erotic sculptures (one by Picasso), paintings, photographs, memorabilia, interactive exhibits, short films—and a two-hour personal appearance by adult movie legend Seka.

Just across from the Museum was the Annual Sensual and Erotic Art Exhibition, an ELA fixture for several years running.

At the Free Speech Coalition booth, FLC director Kat Sunlove was conducting a voter registration drive—and getting a heartening amount of response.

AVN sponsored a photo booth where fans could have their picture taken with starlets like the lovely Christie Lee by a photo studio from Florida for just ten bucks, with the proceeds going to non-profit organizations such as Free Speech Coalition and AIM Healthcare.

At the back end of the hall a large stage held practically non-stop entertainment, including lingerie shows and Hollywood Men, a male dance troupe. Near it, the Seminar area hosted such presentations as a sex toy demonstration from Passion Parties and a “Passion Power for Women” workshop with sexologist Dr. Ava Cadell, ELA’s official spokeswoman.

With increased mainstream attention—such as a crew from 97.1 FM talk radio doing live remotes—Erotica LA is positioned as a unique phenomenon among trade shows, a place where porn and people mix for mutual pleasure and profit.