Martin Del Toro used to host national television shows in Europe, but he said those jobs were nothing like being able to direct adult films.
"That's work," he joked. "Porn is fun."
The 33-year-old editor and director left an eight-year career in Central Europe, where he was a mainstream entertainment celebrity, to pursue his dreams in Hollywood. Del Toro described the program he hosted as a mix of Jerry Springer, Jackass and The Actors Studio.
"I used to host TV shows. I left stardom, fame, celebrity-ness. I came to this country because here there is no limit. I don't give a crap about my past. I left a lot of things behind," Del Toro told AVN.com.
"…I lived in huge villa, and then I moved to Hollywood to some cockroach apartment. I was lonely and heartbroken. I always had money before."
He reached a level of fame that came with certain perks, such as a sponsorship deal with Mercedes-Benz that gave him access to three Benzes at a time. He also enjoyed a bank sponsorship.
"I've already been to a different level of being a celebrity. I don't care," Del Toro said during a recent Rock Hard shoot for Vertigo Video, where he has begun a non-exclusive directing stint. "I love America. I love the U.S.A."
Still, Del Toro tried mainstream acting and even became a licensed cinematographer before moving into adult about four years ago. He actually got his start shooting camera on gay productions before meeting Heatwave Video owner Gabor Esterhazy, who gave him the chance to edit and shoot behind-the-scenes footage.
"He's a good friend of mine who really helped me a lot getting started," Del Toro said.
Esterhazy introduced Del Toro to veteran producer/director Jim Powers, who helped get him assorted assignments with Legend, JM Productions, West Coast Productions and Notorious Productions.
"I learned a lot from him. I learned basic camera operations from him," Del Toro said.
After that, Del Toro enlisted the assistance of veteran directors Dale Jordan and Rick Davis, now the Cherry Boxxx/BabyDoll Pictures go-to guy. Del Toro has been Davis' cameraman for most of the Cherry Boxxx/BabyDoll shoots.
"I don't work with people I don't like. That's my No. 1 rule," said Del Toro, who was recently spotted playing a guitar and singing to performer Randi Wright after a Cherry Boxxx scene. "You have to get yourself surrounded by people you like to work with. I don't really look at it like going to work. This is like a party. I don't crack the whip."
In his spare time, Del Toro still manages his editing company LIV3D, which employs two editors. The LIV3D editing facility guarantees a 48-hour turnaround on footage.
"That's hard to achieve, less than 48 hours," he said. "My motto is 'The devil is in the details.' That's very, very important — to pay attention. I don't talk when I shoot."
When Del Toro isn't shooting for Vertigo, he is often directing for Colossal Entertainment, where he also delivers four "high-end, nasty gonzo" titles each month.
"I drink, eat and sleep porn," he said. "Porn pours out of my pores. Porn is about being able to jerk off to something on the screen. It's carnal. It's purely carnal."
Del Toro's debut video, F to the A, has earned a 4A Spotlight Pick review from AVN, with two sex scene pre-noms. It will hit the streets on Sept. 20. He also directed Double Vision, which offers viewers the choice of two angles — the point of view of the girl or the director — and will be released on Oct. 11.
"The girl is going to be actually shooting with her camera while she's having sex, and you could either switch to the girl's POV with her camera or the director's camera," Vertigo co-owner T.J. DiReda told AVN. "There's a lot of squirting, a lot of happy girls."
Meanwhile, Del Toro's Rock Hard, a double-penetration line, will be released on Nov. 8.
"We're going to keep pushing the envelope, and the best part of about Martin is that he knows what he exactly wants every time, before he even gets to the set," DiReda said.
"Talent loves working with him. He is one of the most demented human beings I've ever met, and he tends to elicit that from the talent. He brings out that part of the talent's mentality, when they're shooting these scenes, they're just as enthusiastic about pushing the envelope as he is.”
DiReda concluded, "He's one of our aces in the hole. He's going to be leading the charge for Vertigo. Him and Rick Shameless."
